THE BEGINNING A boy is born... somewhere in this world. He looks out with blurry eyes at the shapes and colors before him. He feels the warmth and coldness of things surrounding him. He hears the curious sounds about him. He smells and tastes of the many things within his new world. Slowly, and carefully, he begins the journey that is the miracle of his life. He grows to learn how to move about... to make noises... to make contacts with the people and things around him. He learns the warmth of his mother's touch... the excitement of a curious puppy... the joy of his own laughter... the fright from the sound of thunder. Soon he learns the enjoyment of crawling, then standing, then walking, then jumping, and then to run. He learns about the deep blue skies, the bright twinkling stars, the soft green grass, the beauty of flowers, the strength and comfort of trees, the great mystery of oceans, and the strangeness and wonder of animals. He learns about the teachers who educate us; the policemen who protects us from harm; the farmers and bakers who provide us with food; the carpenters who make buildings for us to live and work in; the presidents and leaders who serve the people of their countries; the preachers who comfort our souls; ... and he learns about God, who makes it all possible. This small boy begins to reach out and explore his world. He goes to school to learn more. He sees other boys and girls like him, who are discovering everything about their world. He meets new people, and makes new friends. They are all different from him, and yet, they are the same. Some are bigger, some are smaller. Some are darker, some are lighter. Some sound different... some don't. Some look different... some don't. Some are fun... some are not so fun. Then one day, this young boy meets a new friend. This new friend is funny, and cute, and interesting... and makes the boy feel happy inside. This feeling is one of the best feelings so far in the boys life, and he wants it to last forever. He talks with his new friend, and they play together as much as they can. The boy feels better and better with each new day, and he thinks about how wonderful this world that God created really is. The friendship goes on, and gets stronger every day. Then one day, after their play day was over, and when the boy is giving his friend a good-bye hug, he kisses his friend. Suddenly, the boy's heart begins to pound, his skin begins to tingle, and he can hardly breath from all the terrific feelings going on inside of him. He feels so light and happy that he thinks he might even be floating off the ground. What is this great new feeling he is experiencing? Why does he feel so great inside? His friend say's that they feel the same way, too... so they kiss again... and once again the magic explodes in their hearts. Oh... what a wonderful feeling God has created for them to feel. So sweet, so natural, so strong... and it was there all the time, just waiting for them to discover.

THE REVELATION The boy is so filled with love and joy that he can hardly stand it. He wants to share his new discovery with everyone in his world. He tells his family about his feelings, and of how great and strong his feelings are towards his friend. He tells his teacher about how his friend makes him feel inside. He tells his other friends about the magic that has taken place in his life. He tells the preacher that he has felt the strongest feeling of love that God has given us to know. He floats through his world, shouting of the miracle that he has discovered with his friend. But the boy is greatly surprised to see and hear the reactions of the rest of the world to his new feelings. His mother cries, his father yells, his teacher becomes cross, his friends all laugh at him, and his preacher tells him that God, the same one who created him and these great feelings that he now has inside of him, no longer loves him. The boy is shocked and confused. How can something so great, so perfect, be so wrong? How can feeling the strong and beautiful love for his friend make God want to hate him? How can this be? Why is it that the greatest thing the boy has ever felt, is so wrong to everyone else? Then everyone screams out at the same time... "Your friend... the one you love so much... IS A BOY!!!" "You are a sick homo queer for feeling love for your new 'BOY' friend. You are evil in the eyes of God and all the rest of the world. YOU will burn and rot in the pits of Hell for an eternity because of your 'great' feelings.... you sick, perverted, gay sinner." The boy is frightened and sad... and doesn't know what to do. He tries to deny his feelings, but they won't go away. He tries to lie about who he is, and the way he feels, but no one will believe him... and he knows it's because they're only lies. He learns that all the world now hates him, and that the beautiful happy world he once knew is lost and gone forever. His mother and father don't care about him any more, and they no longer make him feel safe and warm. The teachers don't want to teach him any more, and they make him feel stupid and unworthy. The farmers and bakers don't want to provide him with food any more, and they are pleased when he goes hungry. The carpenters no longer want to build any place for the boy to live or work, and they hope the boy gets cold and wet without a home. The policemen look angrily at him, and want to lock him away so that other bad people will hurt and torture him every day in jail. The presidents and leaders talk openly against the love the boy feels, and they make rules and laws to keep him from being able to love his friend. Suddenly, the great, wonderful world that the boy was born into was no longer a happy, friendly place to be. No one wanted to be nice to him. No one wanted to be with him. No one wanted to give him a way to get food, or shelter, or help when he gets sick. No one wanted to LOVE him any more.

THE END There was no place to go, no one to turn to. Everyone hated the boy for the love that he felt for his friend. Soon, his friend was taken away, so the boy could no longer see him. And no one cared about the sadness inside of the boy, or the friend he loved. The boy was picked on and called names by the other kids he used to play with. And no one cared about the sorrow this caused in his heart. The teachers and policemen would look the other way when someone hit and kicked the boy. And no one cared about the pain it caused the boy to feel. The boy's world became colder and darker with each passing day. He remembered the days when he felt happy and warm, and how he couldn't wait to start each new day like some great new adventure. But now, all the boy felt was sadness, pain, fear, and loneliness. He no longer wanted to live in a place that was so mean and cruel. He no longer thought of God the creator as being so great. The boy no longer had the strength or will to fight the world over something that was as naturally a part of him as the air he breathed, and something of which he had no control over. He had no more dreams for the future, no more hopes for happiness, no more faith in the feelings called love... no more desire to go on in a world full of hate and pain. At the edge of his world, the boy looked out with tearful eyes. Alone, unwanted and depressed, all he could think about was of everything he had lost. All of the beautiful things of the world he had once known and loved were all destroyed. Now his days all seemed gray and cold. His desire to awaken into another day, full of meaningless hatred, was no longer a part of him. Looking into the empty still darkness of death, this one boy slowly let go of the last of his hopes... gave up on his faith that once burned so strong in his heart... ... and he quietly fell in to the darkness

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