THE GREATEST LESSON OF ALL

"Nadeena," said Brandall, "look at the wonderful sight above us. How pleasant it is for the eyes - the sky on a warm, shiny Saturday morning in early March. Light-blue, with a few clouds. It looks calm, peaceful, mild, serene, enjoyable."

"Now, pay attention to this. Can you see that man over there? His face looks like that of an ancient god; his skin - it is as white as the snow falling all over Ireland on Christmas day. And his eyes... his eyes are the same pretty light-blue colour as the sky." 

"Most likely, you'll be inclined to think he's calm, peaceful, mild and easy-going; you may think his company is enjoyable, too. As profound as the sky is his soul; as vast as the sky are his kindness and his goodness."

"But - think for a moment: is it really so? It seems you're hurrying to draw conclusions, based only on the physical appearance of a perfect stranger. Now, listen to my words carefully: nobody knows what it's like to be a god on the outside, and at the same time, to be the devil behind blue eyes."

"No, nobody knows... except for me."

"Oh, you look surprised... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you..."

"Don't worry, Nadeena, everything's fine; I know you've been scared since the beginning, but we can go on pretending it's not happening..."

"Well, I think you've already noticed my eyes are sky-blue? Maybe I'm a blue-eyed devil, after all... Anyway, you'd never know."

"Me, well, I'm not going to tell you." 

"I wonder why you were looking for someone like me, in the first place. Is it just because you were bored, and there was nothing exciting happening in your life? Maybe you're the kind of woman who tends to get in trouble frequently, or who committs herself into awkward situations, and you needed a new rare specimen to be obsessed with. Perhaps you're an incurable masochist, and you've come to me to get your weekly dose of suffering."

"How devious can you be? How... dark is your dark side? Where can it take you? What are your own limits? Well, that's something only you can possibly know.

"However, rest assured Brandall is going to help you find out all about it."

"By the way, is there anything I can do to torture you as much as you're willing to be tortured? If there is, please let me know before we continue doing this."

"I'd like you to be pleased with my job."

"Well, the point is the point... So you're giving me permission to deceive you. What is more, you're craving, asking, begging for it - and that's exactly what you'll get. Remember my words: never ever judge a book by its cover, nor a man by the colour of his eyes, the... gentleness of his manners, his smile -no matter how captivating it might look-, his country of origin or... the music he loves."

"As the saying goes, Nadeena, 'Eyes are the window to the soul.' But people project. Any reflection they say they can see in other people's eyes, is nothing but an illusion of their own device - they just see what they want to see, and nothing else but that. Well, eyes are also the door to perdition, and even a sea where you can drown and abandon yourself to your senses. As certain as my name is Brandall, reason will depart from you like a wave withdrawing back into the ocean when the tide is receding."

"What will come after that... is nothing more than pure delusion. After giving in to the charm of bluish eyes, you will no longer be able to hide behind yours. And then, your truest feelings will emerge from deep within, while your soul is sinking into the most absolute nothingness. The nada. You'll be really really lost. Even the simplest things will be the most confusing ones."

"Terrifying, isn't it?"

"May I be candid, Nadeena? You should be afraid of me, and I can understand why you are already. What is more, you should be scared of every blue-eyed man with the demon within. We're shallow, but yet we can be sharp. We're very dangerous creatures!"

...

Bran McMahon was indeed awesome, wasn't he?

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