THE BOY WITH NO NAME

BY MATTHEW LUCAS BECKETT “Thomas, you are banished from this family, this community, The Faith and thus The Kingdom,” said the judge. Shela buried her face in her hands and wept. It was true that her twin brother had come out as Gay, which was unforgivable, according to The Law. “But it was really that outsider Matt's fault for seducing him,” she said quietly to herself. “Matt could not have seduced him were Thomas not already inclined towards the abomination,” her husband Eric pointed out. “We must observe The Law and The Custom.” Although her heart was breaking, she nodded, folded her arms and turned her back on her brother's stunned face. Then, as one, all present but Thomas said his first name “Thomas” then spat on the ground. Then, they all said his middle name “Angel” and spat on the ground again. Then his last name “Fairy” and spat on the ground once more. Then, they all wiped their left foot, the foot of The Wicked, in the spit of his identity, and it was over, his name had been forever banished from The Book Of Life. “Shela,” he screamed. “I'm your brother. Don't do this. I can't help who I am and thus who I'm attracted to.” She longed to go to him, to comfort him, to do something, but she could not. It would make her just as damned as he to ever even speak his name again. Thrashing, screaming, crying and threatening, The Boy With No Name was carried from The Council Chamber and thrown into The Darkness Beyond, symbolizing The Eternal Darkness his soul would some day face. After his screaming and cursing from outside the hall had dissolved into sobbing and the sobbing had eventually gone silent, The High Priest addressed them. “The Banishing Ceremony for The Boy With No Name is now concluded. To conduct any other business in the same gathering would be almost as vile as he. Therefore, this meeting is concluded. Return to your homes, and if he approaches any of you, clear him from your path, but otherwise ignore him, for he no longer exists.” Apart from The High Priest, who always left last to secure The Tempe, Shela and Eric were the last to leave. Shela's heart was very heavy. She knew that what had been done must be done, but it was still hard to know that she would never see her twin brother again, in this world or the next. “Shela,” said Eric. “I know what you're thinking. But you mustn't dwell on him.” She gave her husband such a hard look that he took a step back. “When your twin brother, whom you grew up with from day one, has been banished from your presence for life and for eternity, you can talk to me about what I may and may not dwell upon. Until then, you may not.” They both knew that her husband's only sibling had died with his mother in childbirth, and her bringing this up seemed to sting him enough that he did not speak of the matter again. But every day she was reminded of the boy whose very name had been banished from her mind by the ceremony, but she still saw his face in her mind. She also had to admit, in the privacy of her own mind, although never aloud, that the other young man was quite attractive. She had never dared to put it to words, even in her mind, but from puberty she had always wondered if The Boy With No Name was inclined that way. She shook her head, trying in vain to clear her mind of forbidden thoughts, almost as forbidden as what had brought the ceremony of now a month ago about. But it was no use. In spite of everything, blood was blood, and her blood was almost the same as. ..as. . .The Boy With No Name's blood. The only difference was that her blood was from Light and his blood was from Darkness. “But is it really that simple?” she found herself asking one day when she got home from her work an hour before Eric got home from his. “Are any of us really all good or all bad? ALL STRAIGHT OR ALL CROOKED?” She thought back to when she first became aware of her sexuality. It had been mostly boys, of course, but there had been one or two girls that she also very briefly fancied in the very early days of puberty. That is normal. She had been told. Everyone has a little of that early on. What matters is that you settle on the Right Way in the end, when you do settle. “So why did I go the right way when that moment came, but my former twin brother, The Boy With No Name, go the wrong way?” She was deep in contemplation when she felt a presence near her. Turning, she saw a figure detach itself from the shadows. Before her stood a woman. Shela had seen her before. She was a part of the community, but Shela was not sure of her name. “Can I help you?” asked Shela. “If you can't,” the slightly younger woman answered. “No one can. They think I'm. . .think I'm. . .I'm. . .different. Like the boy from a month ago. They want to banish me too.” “And are you? Different, I mean?” asked Shela. “No,” the woman shook her head. “I kissed a woman last night. Just once. Just to see what it was like. But I never want to do it again. I much prefer kissing men. It was. . .I want to say awful, but I guess it wasn't really that different. But I still only want to kiss men from now on. Will you he;p me?” Shela considered a moment. “I'll do what I can,” she finally said. “I can testify to what you just told me. Beyond that, I don't know that I can do much.” “Thank you,” said the barely more than a girl. “Since it seems you've forgotten, my name is Travis.” And then, suddenly, Shela remembered everything, and darkness crashed all around and inside her like a high tide at the sea.