I find myself not quite sure what I think and feel here. I have enjoyed the story and the writing, the scene setting is very well done, but at the same time... how to explain it... I find myself unsure I follow the desires and motivations of the characters.
Now I happily accept that sounds wrong, and silly, since we are told what is going on quite clearly at the start, but for all of that, there is a general and ongoing sense that the wife is uncomfortable, going through the experience since it is something to be endured, rather than going into this with passion and desire. This feels strange and out of place since it is clear she is the driving force behind this. The way it is explained, I am given the clear sense the only reason for any of this is her need and desire, yet there isn't much sense of her needs and desires being met and satisfied. It is there in the smaller details, the level of restraint, the strictness, the public exposure, even if it is private, yet where is the thrill, the passion, the drive?
It is hinted at with the chastity belt, and how this is something she very much wants and needs to escape, speaking of passion and desire welling up within her, even as the story asks if this is a sexual thrill, even while making the observation that the frustration of the belt proves that there is a clear sexual element at work here.
For a lot of the story it seemed that the husband was being carried along by his wife's needs and desires, without feeling passionate about all of this on his own, so it was quite a shock when we suddenly see him turn and leave her, saying he needs to get himself under control. I will freely admit feeling a surge of concern, verging on "panic" at that moment, while also being very much in two minds about it.
If he isn't calm and rational in the moment then he does need to step back, he needs to be in control both of himself and the situation. Yet at the same time, the fact that his passion is raised so highly speaks to being very involved in the moment, very caught up in what is happening. It is a strange contrast, once that I am not sure I ever get to the bottom of properly.
I am left wondering who formed the strict rules of this game, does this strictness come from the husband, or from the wife? In a sense it doesn't matter, but at the same time, I do want to know more of what makes them tick, and what is going on here.
The mind games the husband introduces really ramp up the situation, but where is the feeling from the wife of having been really pushed further, and having gotten more from this than normal?
Then again, the husband taking the belt off, and taking his wife at the end does put a smile on my face, breaking the normal pattern, stepping outside of the "rules" of the game, the rules that he sets himself for how to do things, speak of the passion burning in his veins, and how all of this moves and motivates him!
Topic: Nature Walk by Jack Peacock (Read 1092 times)
