LIGHT OR DARKNESS?
A "Clockwork Orange" Ficlet By The Mouse Avenger

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Over the past several weeks, I've watching clips of the "Star Wars" prequels on Youtube, especially certain scenes with Ian McDiarmid as then-Chancellor Palpatine. I've taken quite a shining to Ian-call it a newfound appreciation-& I've been looking into his film career, & imagine my surprise to learn that he's not only played good guys, but also clerical figures! That sent the gears of my mind turning, & I gradually came up with the idea of a character for Ian McDiarmid to play in my "Clockwork Orange" sequel (should I ever make it into a film, & I'm hoping I do, as with all my fanquel projects). That character is a kindly priest named Father Jacob, who works at the mental institution where Angela DeLarge (Alex's granddaughter, & the star of ACO 2) is committed in the story's third act; his role in Angela's return to goodness will be a key part of the sequel.

This particular ficlet partially came about as a result of watching the Youtube clips "YTP: Anakin & Palpatine Get Intimate" & "Emperor's Got It For A Nazi" repeatedly, but it also has a legitimate place in ACO 2's storyline. It occurs at a point in the plot when Angela's trying to hang onto the goodness inside of her, but nonetheless remains greatly troubled by a past haunted by crime & tragedy (among other things). Father Jacob cannot help but notice this conflict play out during his daily interactions with his young friend, & Angela's struggle with the forces of good & evil affects him on a personal level...so much, in fact, that it begins to turn his dreams for her future into nightmares.

(Incidentally, if you choose to listen to music with your fanfiction, I highly recommend "Migrations", from Jocelyn Pook's score for Stanley Kubrick's last masterpiece "Eyes Wide Shut". It fits this ficlet really well! ^_^ )

When you're finished reading, feel free to leave a review. I'll take anything from simple comments to constructive criticism, as long as they're not flames or written in a mean, stern, or overly-harsh manner.

And, now, for a brief copyright & disclaimer...

All "Clockwork Orange" characters, elements, & properties © Anthony Burgess, Stanley Kubrick, & Warner Bros. Studios.
All original characters, elements, & properties © The Mouse Avenger (that's me). Please be sure to ask for my permission before using them in your stories or role-playings. Thanks very much in advance.

And now that my copyright & disclaimer is finished, let the fanfiction begin! Happy reading!

I lingered in the shower room of the mental asylum, looking at the girl who was standing only feet away from me. Angela DeLarge-such a beautiful name for a lovely young lady, wouldn't you agree?-stood with her back to me...& I could see that she had tied the front of her shirt into a knot, exposing her midriff. The orderlies probably wouldn't think it was so funny, but I couldn't resist cracking a smile as I walked over to Angela. "What do we have here?" I quipped, playfully tickling Angela's bare tummy with my fingers. "Are we trying to make a fashion statement, Angela?"

It was only a few short seconds before Angela spoke to me. In a voice that was startlingly calm, she said softly, "I like it when you place your hands on me...It makes me feel really good."

That's an...unusual statement, I couldn't help but think to myself. I mean, I know Angela takes great comfort from my faith healing, but... My inner musings were cut off when Angela turned around to face me, & I could not believe my eyes when I noticed that her blouse was halfway unbuttoned! Angela stared at me with an amorous gaze, as she took my hands, & put them on her exposed chest, rubbing them over her soft, tender breasts...

No! I reprimanded myself harshly. I'm a man of God, destined to help His lost children! I can't let physical intimacy distract me from my work! My oath of celibacy was not made to any institution, but to myself when I graduated from seminary to join the Anglican priesthood. I swore that I would fully dedicate myself to my holy mission of helping & healing others, & that was precisely what I intended to do right now, at this very moment. It was becoming so difficult to withstand Angela's advances, though...

Soon, my young friend wrapped her arms around me, & started kissing me everywhere as she pushed me against the shower wall, rubbing her body against mine like a cat in heat. The way she touched me was enough to make anyone fall to their knees, begging for sweet release. Her lips were so gentle as they graced my flesh with their loving caress, & her fingers delicately slid over my face & through my hair. Her touch felt so good-almost, dare I say it, divine! It was wonderful enough to start a stirring in my loins...a stirring I hadn't felt since my teenage years, when hormones ran rampant, & manhood was budding like a flower opening its petals to welcome in the sunshine. After so many decades of self-imposed asceticism & abstinence, the feeling of youthful desire was coming back in full force...& it didn't look like there was any way to stop it. But I kept trying to resist, focusing my thoughts on what I needed to do for Angela.

"Angela, please," I pleaded with the girl who had become like a daughter to me, "don't! I love you!"

"I love you, too, Father Jacob," Angela replied in a dazed monotone, not letting up from kissing & caressing me-almost as if she were a robot or zombie, with no mind or will of her own. Either she couldn't or wouldn't stop what she was doing, & that made my distress & compassion for her all the greater.

(Now, before I continue, let me make one thing perfectly clear: I may be a holy man, but I am not one of those puritanical prudes who self-righteously look down upon sexual activity, or those who engage in it. Sex is a beautiful, natural part of life that should not be viewed with distaste or disgust, but embraced & accepted for what it is. Even though sex played a major role in Angela's dark days, it wasn't really important to me, nor should it be to anyone else who knows of her story. Angela could have slept with a thousand men [or women!], & she would still be a good, pure, & wonderful person inside...had she not fallen into a wretched life of crime & delinquency at the same time. Now, however, Angela was merely using sex to fill an emotional void, & I think we can all agree that this isn't a healthy motivation for intimate expression.)

"Yes, I love you, child," I said emphatically, "but not like this!" At this point, Angela moved her hands to the black cloth of my clerical cassock, tugging at it with desperate desire as she continued kissing & grinding against my person. Gazing at Angela with heartfelt pity, I tenderly grabbed her pretty little paws, & held them over my bosom, while Angela looked up at me with lovelorn blue eyes. "Come with me," I gently told Angela, kissing her fingers in a gesture of fatherly affection. "Come with me, pet..."

"Yes," Angela said dreamily, as she pushed me down onto the floor of the shower stall, with my back still pressed against the wall. "Come..."

"Come with me to the light," I continued, not breaking my gaze away from Angela. "There's someone there who wants you..."

"I want you..."

"There's someone there who needs you..."

"I need you..."

Before I even knew what was happening, I felt a sudden spray of warm water falling on me & Angela, & the lustful look on Angela's face intensified at this moment. As the fabric of my friend's shirt clung to her skin, I could see the tips of her breasts hardening, & the sight of that got my loins stirring again...much to my dismay. What carnal craze had come over Angela so powerfully that she couldn't think of any other solution to the terrible problems that had been plaguing her for so long? Oh, how my heart bled for the poor, dear girl! If I could've wished away all her troubles right then & there with a prayer, I surely would have...but, alas, I knew that the kind of help & healing Angela needed could not be merely contained to the spiritual realm. Of course, God would still play His due part in bringing Angela back to her former self, & I kept that in mind as I continued talking with the little lost lamb who had found her way to me.

"Angela, darling," I said gingerly, "we don't have to have relations to know we love each other. We already have that knowledge in our hearts." Unfortunately, my words fell upon deaf ears, as Angela took my hand, stuffed it into her trousers, & began rubbing it over her minge. Feeling my fingers inside that sheath of sensitive flesh, made my arousal grow even more, & I struggled not to lose myself in that whirlwind of erotic emotions. Angela needed real help, real healing...&, by God, I was going to give it to her, one way or another!

"Oh, Father Jacob," Angela cried out in ecstasy as she kept making me touch her, "bless me! Bless me..."

"Wouldn't you like to be blessed in another way?" I suggested to my friend, trying to put on an encouraging smile (but not very successfully). "I have an idea: Let us pray together."

"Yes, pray," Angela said absentmindedly, still carrying on with what she was doing.

Trying to fight off my increasing sense of desire, I appealed to our Almighty Lord for assistance, with my words awkwardly accompanied by Angela's passionate moans & groans: "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, & forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, & the power, & the glory forever. Ah...ah...AHHH!"

The final cry from my mouth was not one of pleasure, but of sudden pain inflicted upon my heel by the stinging bite of a serpent. That was the last thing I remember...

...before waking up in my bed, drenched in a cold sweat. Once my fazed, fatigue-fogged mind came back to reality, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, & bid my pulse to stop its frantic racing. Everything was all right now...or was it? Immediately, I became consumed with thoughts of Angela, & that sickening feeling that had plagued my heart in my nightmare, came back again with a terrifying vengeance. Oh, how I worried about my poor, dear companion! I felt a desperate urge to go to her room, & check on her.

After quickly rising to my feet, & putting a robe on over my pajamas, I left my quarters, & scurried off for Room 21 at Wing E. As soon as I opened the door, all of my earlier fears were swiftly vanquished when I saw Angela sleeping soundly in her bed. A peaceful, pleasant smile adorned her lovely face, & her curly blonde hair surrounded her head like an angel's halo. How sweet & innocent Angela looked as she slumbered! If one were to look at the girl now, one could hardly tell that she had gone through a tumultuous torrent of tough & troubling times in her life. Wanting to linger in this placid moment, I took a seat at Angela's bedside, & watched her sleep, tenderly caressing her face & hair all the while...

At one point, Angela stirred awake, & started to open her "glazzies" (as she often so charmingly put it). Looking up at me with drowsy, half-lidded eyes, Angela murmured, "Father Jacob...Wh-What's going on?"

"Shhh," I whispered gently, leaning over to kiss Angela on her temple. "Go back to sleep, my darling. I just wanted to check up on you, & see how you were doing."

"Oh, OK," Angela replied with a nod, before closing her eyes, & dozing off again. After gingerly tucking in Angela's bedcovers, I resumed my routine of soothingly stroking her hair & face as I watched her rest, seemingly without a care in the world. I knew better, of course, & so did Angela. We both knew that she had gone through Hell, & the darkness of Hades still hung over her like a threatening thundercloud, haunting her in the hours of the day. But if I continued to help, support, & work with her, Angela would make it through all of her trials, & successfully find her way back to the world of Heaven's light. I knew she could do it...& I would not stop until she did.

THE END