She was deemed…

“I finished.”

“Yes, miss.”

We talked for two hours about Shakespeare, books, philosophy, and ideas. Josiah was self-taught; his knowledge was fragmentary, but his mind was sharp, his thirst for knowledge evident. And as we talked, my fear melted away.

This man was no brute. He was intelligent, kind, thoughtful, trapped in a body that society viewed and saw only as a monster.

“Josiah,” I said finally, “if we do this, I want you to know something. I don’t think you’re a brute. I don’t think you’re a monster. I think you’re a person stuck in an impossible situation, just like me.”

Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. “Thank you, miss.”

“Call me Elellanar. When we’re alone, call me Elellanar.”

“I shouldn’t, miss. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”