Elise was certain that she was headed for the dock, but she was not aware of the true nature of Leroc Island. After passing through a portal into another time and place, it was a full ten minutes before the woman noticed that her surroundings had drastically changed. Now, she was surrounded by concrete, glass and steel. And the clothing of these people was downright bizarre. Very nearly none of the men wore topcoats and the women wore outrageously scandalous short skirts. She could see their thighs! Worst of all, they all openly stared at her. Some even laughed. All Elise wanted to do was get out of the public eye for just a few minutes. Spotting a gallery, she peered through the window and saw it was occupied by a single man standing behind a desk. Quickly she ducked out of the evening sun's glare and into the cool darkness of the gallery. Feeling the man's eyes upon her, Elise became uncomfortable. Something odd about that stare. Pretending not to notice the man, she studied the paintings. And such bizarre paintings they were. Each one depicted a scene of death, bondage or torture. The man asked her if she liked the work. Wanting to give him no reason to push her back into the streets, Elise said that she did. She asked if he was the artist. He told her that he worked in a different kind of art. More out of politeness and a desire to stay secluded within the gallery, Elise made the biggest mistake of her life. She asked to see his work. The man gave her that strange little smile that she would come to know so well, and told her to wait while he locked up the gallery for the evening and he would show her. Elise studied a portrait of St. Joan being burned at the stake as she waited for the man. Suddenly she became aware that he was standing behind her, but she had not heard him approach. Then his arms were around her. He put a cloth over her mouth and nose. That smell! What was it? Ohhh .... ================= Another illustration for my writing. I hope you like it. Credits Kozaburo DAZ Poser World