'Listen to me, Kalus. You don't have to punish yourself to believe in something positive, something larger than yourself. You don't have to choose between Hells.'
'But the Bible—-'
'Was written, translated, and ALTERED by men. Saint Paul may have been a good man, but he never ever met Jesus; and I believe that Saints' Jerome and Augustine distorted Christ's words almost beyond recognition. Between them, and with lots of help from the Catholic Church—-Jesus never said anything about chastity, or that the bodies God gave us were inherently evil—-they set loose a fear of devils and damnation that was the scourge of the western world for two thousand years: from the slaughters of Charlemagne, to the Inquisition and the Holocaust.
'You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.' THAT'S what Jesus said, and THAT'S what I believe. There is truth everywhere—-in Shakespeare, in Dickens, in YOU. You know as much as anyone, about your own life, infinitely more.' She softened, and put a hand to his cheek. 'Trust your heart, Kalus. That's what it's there for.'
He looked into her eyes, and the light of day came back to him. 'You are very wise. I should have come to you sooner.'
'Some lessons we have to learn for ourselves. You taught me that.'
'Do you think…..' He struggled again, before the question that lay behind all others. 'Do you think that you could ever. . .love me, Sylviana?'
'I'm beginning to think I could. Now go wash off that grime, and
I'll show you.'
'Aren't you afraid—-'
'Tonight you have to be afraid of me. Now go wash yourself, before I do it for you.'