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Flames copyright 2003, by Natasha Von Lecter Disclaimer:
These characters were created by Thomas
Harris. They are used herein without permission, but in the spirit of
admiration and respect. No infringement of copyright is intended, and no
profit, of any kind, is made by the creator, maintainer or contributors to this
site. “I hope you don’t mind my little visit, Clarice.” “They may be watching me, Dr. Lecter.” “My dear, your narcissism is unbecoming. Not to mention insulting. I would not be so careless as to drop in if the fed’s were lying in wait”. “Why are you here, then?” “I’ve been worried about you. A daily jog in the park isn’t enough to expend all the energy you used to burn culling society’s ills.” “You came to win my love by curing what ails me?” “It is an inconsequential thing to own a person’s love, Clarice. It is quite another to own a person”. “And just how does one go about the business of ‘Owing’ a person, Doctor.” “Seduction.” “As simple as that? A little aftershave? Some soft music?” “I’m disappointed, Clarice. Seduction of the body is nothing more than the trigging of rudimentary endorphins and adrenaline. Spasmodic twitching brought on by friction. Seducing the body is infinitely more hollow than seducing the mind.” “Seduce the mind, and love will follow?” “The moth is not drawn to the flame by love, Clarice, it merely heeds the fire’s call. Desire fuels those fluttering wings, and the price of fulfillment is consumption. Can you recall the glass lighting fixtures from your mother’s hotel? Do you remember the dusty carcasses of the trapped moths casting exaggerated shadows over so much burnt orange shag? They thought they had found their place in the world, Clarice, they battered themselves senseless against the smooth prison walls, only to suffocate when they fought their way inside. They had been blinded by the artificial. The inconsequential.” “Are you calling my former career inconsequential, Doctor?” “Precisely”. “Better to perish in the flames, than batter your brains out against the glass?” “I never advocated perishing, Clarice, just consumption. I dare say you’ve flirted with the fire for long enough. Don’t tell me you didn’t feel the heat on your cheek in Memphis.” “I wanted your help.” “Mmmm. And were you still just ‘seeking my help’ on our foray through that abysmal mall? I can’t imagine any help I could have been to you at Muskrat farm.” “Dr. Lecter…” “After the Chesapeake, didn’t the smell stay with you for weeks? The faint air of signed flesh haunting your dreams long after the wound on your shoulder had healed. You were so close, Clarice.” “To loosing myself”. “To letting yourself be consumed. The Phoenix is consumed by flames, Clarice but emerges transformed.” “Transformed into what” “Fly closer, Little Starling, and I’ll show you.” FIN copyright 2003, by Natasha Von Lecter |