The young man wept. Tears ran freely down his cheeks as he tried to hold back the sobs, clutching his crutch so tightly that his hands trembled.

He closed his eyes and cast his mind back o the events of the previous night: The rain poured down on that night. His body felt strangely hot and sweaty. Half-conscious, he made for the bathroom. He felt ambivalent about bathing, but not ambivalent enough to ponder on it. His hands, as if on a will of their own, or directed by his sweating torso, peeled the clothes from his body one by one. He took hold of the ladle, raised it above his head, and released its contents onto himself, sending water down along the surfaces of his skin. In this way he showered his body repeatedly, enthusiastically. Then suddenly, out of the blue, he was struck by a feeling so strong that it halted the rhythmic pumping of his arm down into the tub to fill the ladle and up above his head to ampty it. Wide-eyed beneath the glare of the lamp, he watched as a girl, naked, gracefully pushed her way up towards him through the water in the tub. At once, whe was before him, smiling , extending the net of passion...

The young man opened his eyes.

His fingers went to work again. Panicking, he looked down at his body. He couldn't see clearly, for he was lying on the bed, he legs splayed wide. At last he managed to focus on his crocth and what it contained. His eyes could barely believe what they were seeing.

Was he dreaming? He wanted to make sure, so he pulled at his crotch, and felt a strange pain there. Only skin remained, no more. It looked like a neat pile of rubber bands.

He broke out in a sweat, from every pore of his body. The young man started to tremble. This was no dream. No. He beat his chest over and over again. He wrenched his hair. He groped once again at his crotch. Empty. No more than the pile of rubber bands, which looked as though it had been stuck there by accident.

The rain didn't let up. The roar of its fall silenced every other sound. The young man rolled around the floorof his room. His cries were as loud as the rain. His chest rose and fell, sending waves of panic through him. Then he beat his head against the floor. His fingers returned to his crotch. 'That pile of rubber bands will not be silenced!

He stargted rolling around again. His naked body was covered in sweat, and glistened, reflecting the glow of the light. Then the young man awoke with a fright. He swallowed his sobs. He wiped his tears. Still panicking, he picked up his sarung, and wrapped his body in it, locking his face tight. His breathing was still heavy. Slowly, he made for the mattress and lay down quietly. He closed his eyes and tried to think. His fingers kept going back to his crotch. But it was empty: The contents of his head exploded, every one of his nerves pulled tight. The young man began to howl.

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