Shortly before dawn,

a hulking black eunuch

with a bald head

and painted eyes

pushed a wheeled cart

into He-Thing’s room

and lit two lamps.

“Good morning, my lord,”

said the eunuch.

He was dressed in green and white,

and wore a jangling necklace

of prayer beads.

His forearms were tattooed

with devotional symbols,

and he had a wide,

but serious

smile.

“Good morning,”

He-Thing said painfully.

He could see the silvery orange light

of the sunrise

at the edges of the curtains.

“My name is Danide,”

said the eunuch.

His voice was high, melodic.

“I am going to prepare you

for your surgery, my lord.

To begin,

I am going to remove

all the hair from your body.”

“Why?” He-Thing asked,

frightened.

“I apologize, my lord,

but it interferes with

the doctor’s science-claw.

Then I’m going to bath you.

The surgery will leave your body

very weak

and susceptible to

demonic infestation.

Demons hate cleanliness.

I’m going to make you as clean

as a diamond in a fresh goblet,

my lord.”

Danide came over to the bed.

“I’m going to remove your blankets,

my lord.”

The eunuch

pulled He-Thing’s blankets off,

revealing his naked, ruined

body

to the lamplight.

Shame ran through He-Thing,

as he felt helpless

and exposed.

“Going to be a pretty morning,

my lord,”

said Danide,

as he removed a towel from the top

of a bucket he had on his cart.

A pungent steam

billowed out of the bucket.

Danide reached in

and pulled out two

flat, sharp stones.

Danide oiled one of the stones,

and then began

with He-Thing’s feet,

using the oiled stone

to shave the hair from the skin,

and the dry stone

to clean the oiled one.

A medicinal smell filled the room.

Danide was quiet

as he focused on his work,

leaving no detail unaccounted for.

The rock was hot

against He-Thing’s skin,

and Danide’s work

became intrusive soon enough,

but our hero just stared

at the ceiling.

Am I going to die?

he wondered.

Is this a procedure?

Or a ritual?

When Danide was finished,

He-Thing lifted his hand

and touched

his now hairless head.

It was completely smooth,

free of stubble.

“Halfway there,”

said Danide. “Just your bath now.”

He put the stones away,

and lifted the lid

of another bucket,

bringing forth steam once again.

He pulled out a thick sponge

and squeezed the excess water from it.

“Do not be afraid of the surgery,”

Danide said,

“The All-or-Nothing is merciful.

Just trust in His One Son,

my lord.”

The water was scalding hot.

Danide’s forehead

was slick with sweat.

He paused in his scrubbing

and itched his

control collar.

He was not young;

and was beginning to get winded.

He-Thing watched the slave

silently.

The prayer beads

swayed

with Danide’s every movement,

and He-Thing saw some of them

had the paint worn off them,

revealing the wood

underneath.

A devout man,

thought He-Thing.

But...

What do I believe?

He-Thing thought of his encounter

with the Indigo Goddess.

Was this the suffering

she had promised?

And had he lied to her?

Danide dropped his sponge

into his bucket

and wiped the sweat

from his brow.

”Ah!” he said.

“Well, my lord,

you’re one step closer

to being healed.”

He-Thing watched

as Danide collected his things,

and pushed his cart

out of the room.

“Don’t forget!”

said Danide, as he departed,

“The All-or-Nothing is merciful.

Just trust in Him.”

to be continued...