Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2008 07:55:52 +0000 From: Draiodoir Draiodoir <darkdraiodoir666@hotmail.com> Subject: The Gatekeeper: Stigmatized/ Prologue MANDATORY: READ THE FOLLOWING NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR Good day to everyone! I'm here yet again with a new series. I know I haven't finished "Falling for a Straight Guy" yet but this story was the reason why I hadn't been able to move on with "Falling..." It's just, the idea of this story haunted me and with a mind like mine (where a couldn't tell apart which is reality and which is fantasy) I would have gone insane if I didn't pull it out of my system first. To the readers of "Falling for a Straight Guy" I promise I will finish it but it might take a while because I'm planning an overhaul revision of the story. The plot would still be the same but there would be additional characters, details, reasons behind actions and drama... we can't live without drama, right? But please be patient with me... : ( Well, enough with "Falling..." ABOUT THIS STORY... The Gatekeeper: Stigmatized is actually not an intentional "gay-story" and one might consider it "straight". Yes, I admit the "gayness" in this story is not like the usual stories here on nifty... you might even get bored with it because the gay character isn't revealed until the last few chapters (yes I know... I'm cruel >: ) bwuahahahaha!!!!). Well, then if this is the case, why am I posting it on Nifty? The story behind this is that my book proposal for this story got rejected and I figured who cares if I don't get published, be rich and get famous around the globe. The purpose of writing something is to create a story that will be appreciated and read by people, something that will invoke their inner humanity and will inspire them to creativity or charity or any virtue that might just be sleeping inside their hearts. Though it would help the author if he gets some kind of payment (as we are not all born with silver spoons in our mouths, unfortunately) but I'm passed that. I'm writing for my readers now and not for the money that I naively wanted/needed in the past. So, I hope you enjoy my fucked-up writing methodology (hehehe) and bare with the grammatical, spelling and plotting errors... I'm not a native English speaker (being a Filipino and all) and I'm just 19 so I'm still a "kid" who just like to do what he wants to do. READ!!! THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! There will be NO SEX in this story but I hope you enjoy the little something-something I put near the end (read it for further details) : ) This is the part one of a trilogy and I will continue it if someone wanted me to. This is a fantasy story so don't be surprised to see lightning bolts and spells. If some people might get offended about some topics on the story, I just wanted to say that it is not my intention to offend any people of our world and I apologized in advance. Hope you like it... I now give you: The Gatekeeper: Stigmatized. All rights reserved. Copyright by Fritz D. Ilagan. s. 2007 Prologue Osiris sat on his bed, crying after getting home from school. He tried not to be too loud but his sobs were heavy; tears flowed continuously on his cheeks. Feeling stupid for crying, he tried to stop but it only made his chest hurt and the sobs redoubled. You're not a baby anymore, he told himself, stop crying! "Honey," said a gentle voice by the doorway. "What's the matter? What's wrong?" Looking up, Os saw his mother through misted eyes; his tears made her face appear to glow. He tried to give a brave face and smiled but it looked more like a grimace, making him look more miserable. His mother sat beside him and gave him a hug, an act that made him sob some more. "Its okay honey," his mother muttered encouragingly. "It's okay. Just let it out." She just held him for a while letting him cry. It was one of the things Osiris loved about his parents; they never told him to bottle his emotions, they always told him that he can cry because it's a way to relieve the tensions of the mind and body. People just need to cry sometimes. After a while, Os calmed down and wiped his tears. He pulled back from his mother yet he still looked sad. "You want to talk about it?" his mother asked. Osiris's parents always asked permission from him; they respected his privacy and always treated him more like an adult than an eleven year old. They never demanded his feelings. Osiris was silent for a while. He thought about what happened at school today and he realized that it was stupid of him to cry about it. But it hurt... and the way his teacher said it in front of the class made him feel humiliated. "It's nothing..." Os muttered looking down to his bedspread. "Did something happen in school?" his mother asked again, sympathetically. "I know how strong you are, Os. I know you won't cry if it's nothing." His lower lip trembled again so he bit it to prevent himself from crying again. "It's just that... we had a recitation today," Osiris finally said. "We were doing fractions and I didn't get it right away. Ma'am Hustyl called me to answer a problem in the board but when I couldn't, she got impatient and told me I was stupid." Os continued to bow down, wiping his eyes with his hands. "She said the question was easy... that even a grade below us could have answered it... she said it loudly in front of the class. I was embarrassed because some of my classmates were laughing..." His mother listened closely and didn't answer until she was certain that Os was finished. Osiris continued to sob while retelling the story. "...I know I shouldn't have cried but... I just felt bad and hurt," he finished. "It's okay to cry Os," said his mother, giving him another hug. "I think your teacher shouldn't have done that. It's rude to tell someone is stupid. All of us are special because we have our own gifts... abilities and talents that make us who we are." She wiped the tears then looked to Os' eyes. "You are not stupid because you are my son. And you will be like me and your daddy someday... traveling around the world and finding lost cities and deciphering dead languages. Do you want to know why we named you Osiris?" Os nodded tearfully. "Osiris is the god of the underworld in Egyptian mythology," she explained. "He is associated with immortality. When I was pregnant with you, I was at my strongest and I was at the top of my work. I got my job at the university as head of the linguistics department during that time and so I knew you were my lucky charm. I named you Osiris because you are destined for greatness, Os. No matter what other people say, you will do something extraordinary that it will not be forgotten even after a very long time. You will be immortalized by your greatness." Osiris looked at his mother, love flowing through him. She smiled down at him, a smile that made him feel as though he was in the safest place on earth. He closed his eyes and hugged his mother. "Thanks mama."