Larry moved from one painting to another as his eyes flickered with great interest.
While staring at a painting, he would sometimes frown or laugh or become sorrowful.
It amazed him how each painting drew forth various deep emotions from him.
And there were more than fifty of such paintings!
How would he be feeling when he finally looks through all the paintings?
While his gaze alternated from one painting to the other, the sound of footsteps reached his ears as he turned to see Carla who came and stopped before him as she bowed.
"Mr Larry"
"Mrs Carla" Larry said returning her bow as he smiled.
"It's been quite sometime"
"Yes it has" she replied while returning his smile.
"Lady M would like to see you now"
"Oh okay" he nodded as he subconsciously glanced round the gallery of paintings.
"Quite enchanting isn't?" Carla asked as she also glanced at the paintings.
"It's amazing" Larry replied as he continued to stare at the paintings.
"Come Mr Larry" Carla urged.
"We don't want to keep the lady waiting"
With these words, she turned and headed for the door of the gallery as Larry reluctantly tore his eyes away from the paintings and hurriedly followed behind her.
Lady M, also called Mocheda, was in truth and in secret, the most talented artist in the entire country.
But unfortunately, no one except some chosen government officials and agents had been able to set eyes on her art works.
Larry was the only civilian whom has been privileged to gain access to her art gallery.
Following Carla past the hallway lined up with various life-like statues of different animal like creatures, they came into a courtyard that could only be described as magnificent.
The statues that were existent in the hallway, also prevailed in the courtyard.
But to add in a mix of botanical beauty, various array of creatively pruned plants also decorated the courtyard, giving it a natural and ancient beauty.
Larry always marveled at the magical atmosphere that this place carried.
A feeling he had not felt anywhere else since he moved to America.
Setting his eyes on a beautiful young lady with accentuated curves, Larry felt like he could stare forever.
Lady M, as she was popular called was a beauty to behold.
From her long curly hair, to her almond shaped eyes down to her sexual features.
He always wondered what it would be like to have such a woman in his arms.
"Lady M, your guest is here"
Carla informed as soon as they got closer to the center of the courtyard, in which was placed beautiful well arranged sofas.
Mocheda, whom was creatively pruning a shrub of plants into the shape of a human, slowly turned around with a smile on her face.
"Mr Larry" she greeted as she gently returned her pruning tools to their toolboxes.
"Lady M" Larry greeted with a nod and a broad smile.
*******************
Ted was having a wonderful time as his d**k went in and out of the sobbing woman's p**sy.
He always found it pleasurable to hear the cries and pleas of his victims while he torments and tortures them.
While he was about to reach sexual climax, he coincidentally raised up his head, only to see one of his lackeys, whom was on lookout duty, standing over a kid with a gun pointed.
"What the hell?"
Ted cursed silently as he stopped his sexual activity and stood up immediately, while taking up his boxer short and trouser.
"Hey gag her and tie her up, am not finished"
He pointed to the woman and said to the men whom were restraining her.
"Hey Ezekiel.....what in God's name are you doing with a kid!"
He said in exasperation as he walked towards his lackey and the kid whom was bent on the ground obviously in a state of fear.
Peter never really knew how it felt to have a heart attack, but if it meant your heart beating so madly that it was about to burst out of your chest, then he was definitely having one.
"Please sir I didn't see anything...I—I—promise"
"Shut up kid!" The lackey called Ezekiel said sharply.
"Boss I found him spying on you a while ago"
Ted walked up to Peter as he stared at him with a frown on his face.
"What's your name kid?"
"The boss is asking you a question!"
Ezekiel said sharply as he forcefully pulled Peter to his feet while waving his gun threateningly.
"M–my name is Peter"
"Peter huh?" Ted repeated as he raised an eyebrow while nodding.
"What are you doing in the woods Peter.....why aren't you in school?"
Peter shook at those questions as he remembered that he was supposed to be in school at this time.
He was not sure who these guys were, but from the looks on their faces, he knew that they might not show pity to a kid like him.
And as if to substantiate his speculation, Ezekiel's roar brought him out his reverie.
"Are you deaf kid?...the boss just asked you a question!"
Peter began to regret ever coming to the woods.
Why didn't he just go to school?!
"I–I was practicing" that was the only quick reply that he could come up with.
"Practicing?" Ted stared at him with slight confusion.
"What the heck were you practicing in the woods?"
Before Peter could come up with another reply, one of Ted's lackeys came forward and whispered in Ted's ear.
"Well Peter" Ted said after quietly listening to what his lackey had to tell him.
"Since you love practicing alone, we have a nice place where you can practice all you want—okay?"
Peter's eyes widened when he quickly understood what Ted was saying.
As if to confirm his thoughts, Ted's expression became cold as he spoke to Ezekiel;
"Grab the kid, we are leaving"
Oh God!
************************
After they disengaged from their embrace which lasted for a few seconds, though Larry would have loved it to last longer than that, Mocheda gestured that he should take his seat.
"How have you been?" She asked after taking her seat on a sofa adjacent to Larry's.
"Quite well I guess" he said as he stared at her intently.
"But I don't need to ask how you've been because from the look of things..."
He glanced around the courtyard as an indicating gesture.
"You're doing amazingly well"
"Well I try....." Mocheda said as she blushed with a smile while exuding a certain level of coyness.
Larry found her coyly charm quite irresistible as he smiled broadly.
Wanting to say something that would spice up the atmosphere, Larry froze when he saw the sudden change of expression on Mocheda's face.
It always puzzled him how she is able to change her expression and temperament so swiftly.
At this point, Carla walked into the courtyard, followed by some maids who carried dishes of simple delectable meals.
"Larry I called you here because I need a favor" Mocheda began with a serious expression.
"And what would that be?" Larry asked as he quickly adjusted to her serious tone.
He had known Mocheda for quite sometime now and was well aware of her strange and mysterious behaviors, which were not that too strange to him anymore, but instead added to her beauty and charm.
Carla came forward with the maids as they set and displayed the dishes of toast bread, sliced fruits, cheese, cake and tea.
"Carla please the painting" Mocheda informed Carla who nodded in understanding and briskly walked away.
Shortly after, Carla came back with a folded placard paper, which she gave to the slightly puzzled Larry.
Unfolding the placard, he discovered that it was actually a painting.
A painting of a young boy and a gold colored staff.
**********************
Peter felt his heart sinking to a bottomless pit as heard what Ted said to Ezekiel.
He was being kidnapped!
As he was about to go into full blown panic, someone spoke;
"Er....boss I don't think that's a good idea"
Everyone turned to look at the speaker.
It was one of the two lackeys who were restraining the helpless woman as Ted had his sexual fun.
"What do you mean Freddie?" Ted asked.
"The kid is bad luck boss" Freddie said as he glanced at Peter with a strange expression.
"I can feel my mojo acting up again"
"Oh God not this again" Ezekiel sighed in exasperation as he rolled his eyes.
"Really?" Ted asked with a surprisingly serious expression.
"Boss you can't possibly believe this mojo stuff—right?" The third unnamed lackey said.
"Tell me Freddie" Ted said still maintaining his serious expression as he stared at Freddie.
"What's wrong about the kid?"
"Am not sure boss" Freddie replied as he stared at Peter intently as if trying to see through him.
"I just feel that things might end badly for us if we bring him along"
"And how's that gonna happen huh?"
Ezekiel couldn't bear the pointless mysterious atmosphere anymore.
"Is he gonna somehow beat us up with his magical staff?"
Huh?
Peter turned his head sharply as he heard Ezekiel's words.
Was that a joke or was he being serious?
The unnamed lackey guffawed with laughter at Ezekiel's joke.
"No no no.....he's gonna say Shazam....hahaha!"
Okay now they're just making stuff up.
Peter mentally rolled his eyes as he began to wonder if he could actually do the things they said.
Not the Shazam thingy...but what Ezekiel said he could do with the staff.
What if....?
Peter reverie was interrupted as soon as Ted spoke.
"Okay enough!"
The unnamed lackey and Ezekiel quickly ceased their laughter at Ted's behest.
"Hey kid" Ted directed his gaze at Peter as he spoke with a smile.
"It seems today is your lucky day....you can go"
"WHAT?!"
Freddie, Ezekiel and the unnamed lackey stared at their boss in shock.
"Boss you can't possibly be serious right?!"
"Yeah boss it's just a kid, he ca–"
Ezekiel and the unnamed lackey began to speak out in protest until....
"Enough!" Ted snapped as his face contorted in anger.
"Are you questioning my decision?!"
"N–No boss!"
Ezekiel and the unnamed lackey quickly shrank back in fear when they saw the wrathful glare of their boss.
"So kid" Ted's wrathful expression did a three-sixty degree change as soon as he set his eyes on Peter.
"As I said earlier, you can go"
Peter watched the smiling gaze of Ted in great shock as he himself couldn't believe that they were actually letting him go.
"Well.....what the hell are you waiting for?!"
Ted's tone rose a few octaves higher as he frowned deeply.
"Get outta here right now before I change my mind!"
At this point, Peter discovered that the guy was being serious.
They were really letting him go!
Not wasting anymore time, he took to his heels in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, an evil chuckle escaped Ted's lips as he watched Peter's retreating figure.
"Hey Ezekiel"
"Yes boss?"
"How good is your shot from a distance?"
Ted asked suddenly, which made Ezekiel to frown in befuddlement while replying truthfully.
"Quite good boss"
"Then show me" Ted said while pointing towards Peter's retreating figure with a cold look on his face.
"Shoot him"