Heather can hear you.

Human brain waves broadcast all sorts of signals. But, generally, no one can hear them; no one has the receiver.

Heather is the exception. Heather, you see, was born with a receiver.

This evening, Heather was at a local bar, alone, and on the prowl. There was a nearby table where things were going well between this woman and this guy. Heather moved to the table next to them, kept her eyes on her drink, and listened in.

The couple were mentally circling each other. Does he like kids? How does he treat old girlfriends? I wonder how much he makes, Heather heard her think.

"So, what do you do for a living?" she said out loud.

"Oh, I do web design and site management," he replied. I wonder if I am scoring any points, he thought. "It’s got its challenges. One of my clients is Funny Bunny Day Care, who are kind of neat and…"

The woman’s attention circuits lit up at "day care" and "kind of neat." Heather heard a theater audience applauding; she kept a straight face. The applauder betrayed no emotion at all.

Their conversation went well, with laughter and a touch of flirting. Heather heard him think, Well, let’s give it a try.

"I’ve got my handcuffs with me," he said quietly.

Heather felt the listener’s brain freeze over. Then she felt it boil over. Heather had to hold her head briefly.

"Fuck the hell off," the woman said, and stormed away from the table. Heather rolled her eyes. She heard the guy think, Oh crap, I did it again. He leaned over and held his head in his hands.

Soon, another guy, whom Heather did not know, sat across from her.

This other guy was reasonably good-looking. Heather thought, This has got possibilities.

She heard a man think, Well, I hope so.

Heather looked quickly around the room. She realized that the internal voice came from the guy who had sat across from her. Unknown guy, who are you?

He smiled. Richard.

I am Heather. Richard, I did not know that there was another Receiver, anywhere in the world. I thought I was alone.

So did I. She could tell his thoughts were smiling. Can we meet?

She thought, That will look kind of weird. Two people sitting together in the middle of a bar, looking at each other and never saying anything.

City Park? He offered.

Hmmm… maybe. Stand up, fellow Receiver. He stood up. He could feel the positive reaction.

Okay, she thought.

The two were ecstatic to meet. After decades of listening to other people, hearing others’ thoughts from birth, but realizing by early childhood that no one could hear them back, they both felt that their lifelong isolation was over. They talked about everything until the wee hours of the morning.

Then he looked straight at her. "Well," he said out loud, "how’s about it?" He got all kinds of signals back—warmth, coolness, shyness, back to warmth, and finally, How’s about what, mister? She thought back.

They looked at each other. They both burst out laughing.

"Hotel City Center is very nice at three-thirty in the morning," he said.

"Show me how nice," Heather said, smiled, and took his arm.

In the hotel room, they were undressing.

Oops, he joked, Underneath my underwear, I’m naked.

"Well, Mr. Naked, finish up and sit right there," Heather said, and gestured toward a large, fabric-covered easy chair. Richard sat down. Heather pulled up a similar chair, and the two unclad people faced each other.

"I’ve never done this before with another Receiver, but let’s give it a try," said Heather. "Relax," she said. And let your mind go blank.

She entered his mind and found herself the only object in a solid, light gray universe. Not bad, my friend, she thought.

She began. Hello, Richard. I am your penis.

My cock, he replied.

Okay, my horny friend. I am your magnificent cock. You see that marvelous woman sitting across from you? She smiled at him. I want her. Now give me blood. Give me lots. I’m nice and big and thick, so there’s plenty of room.

His erection was immediate. He sat with his legs spread and his hands on the arms of the chair. He began to reach for his achingly inflated cock.

No no no no, Richard. He pulled his hand away and moaned. I’ll let you know when I will cum. Give me blood.

She arose from her chair. Close your legs. He did so. She knelt on the cushion of his chair, facing him, with one knee to either side of his waist.

Richard, I can feel her heat. She was so moist and excited that she began to drip onto him. I want her. I want her right now.

Heather lowered herself onto him. Their lower bodies met. She kept eye contact and began to stroke him. Neither could tell where one ended, and the other began. She leaned over and held him.

“Heather, let me go or I will cry," Richard said out loud.

"Well, we can’t have that," Heather replied. She stroked him a few more times, then sat all the way down him. Then she closed her eyes, caressed his face, and kissed him.

Now I cum. I cum like I this woman is my first. I cum like she is my two hundredth and my absolute best. I cum like I must impregnate a thousand women. Oh, I cum!

His world of light gray exploded into a brilliant white. She emptied him. He lost consciousness. His light gray universe quickly dissolved into black. When he came to, he was still inside her and his semen was flowing back out. Lover, you’ve got more cum than Niagara’s got water, Heather thought to him.

After a brief rest, My turn, was Richard’s only reply. Heather dismounted and returned to her chair. She laid her head against the headrest, placed her hands on the arms of the chair, and spread her legs.

Give me a good clean blank slate, he thought to her. His thoughts entered the same light gray world that had greeted her. He sat back in his chair, crossed his legs, folded his hands, and placed them in his lap.

He thought, For a long time I’ve been wanting a female Receiver.

And I qualify! she replied, laughing.

He began. Heather closed her eyes and felt something warm caress her skin. At first, the feeling engulfed her body, her face, and her scalp. Gradually it focused on her face, and then her lips. After a long, deep kiss, she opened her mouth to play with his tongue. There was nothing there.

You forgot the tongue, she thought. Sorry, lover, he replied. The feeling of a tongue appeared immediately. Although her first inclination was to giggle at this, by now she was well into surrendering herself. She sunk lower in the chair.

The feeling retreated from inside her mouth and lips kissed her once more. The feeling split in two, and each part caressed her cheek gently in a small circle before entering her ear.

She felt his warm breath inside her ears. She heard a whisper. Hello, my lovely Heather. Now I am in you. Relax. Relax and enjoy. You are a beautiful woman, Heather. An extraordinarily beautiful woman. And what I am about to do is all about you.

The feeling left her ears, crossed her cheeks, and descended to her neck. There was a slight pressure in small areas on her neck. Not quite a kiss, but close enough, she thought to him.

The feeling pressed again on her neck, this time firmer and a bit moist. You are a quick learn, my love, she thought. God knows I try, he replied.

The feelings left her neck, and the two parts crisscrossed her upper chest. Each part began to circle one of her breasts. The circles became smaller and tighter.

Heather felt a gentle suction on each nipple. Within the suction, a tongue slowly massaged each one. After a few minutes, the suction slowly vanished, and the feeling changed to a soft-haired brush, which gently stroked each nipple and kept it deliciously hard and extended.

The feeling left the nipples and moved down her torso to her inner thighs. The feeling was still warm and felt like his hand. The feeling lightly stroked her inner thighs.

"Richard, I am so ready. Release me." Her breath was labored. She was starting to sweat.

"All in good time, lover. All in good time." He got up from the chair and grabbed one of the hotel’s throw pillows. "Slide this pillow right under your magnificent butt." She did so. Her genitalia were now raised, exposed, burning for him, and very wet.

The two feelings on her inner thighs became two moist tongues which licked her labia. Then one moved up and toward the center. She felt a warm wind blow against her clitoris, and then a tongue which began to stroke her.

One of the feelings that had massaged her labia moved into her vagina, explored her a bit, and soon found her G-spot.

Heather’s back suddenly arched, and she threw her head against the headrest. "Oh! God! Oh! God!" she cried out.

God is not here. I will have to do, he thought to her. And you did just fine, she replied.

Richard got up. He began to get dressed.  She thought to him, Hey! One is all I get?

He paused, leaned over, kissed her. My mistake, lover, he thought, you can have as many of those as you want.

One more might do it. Might. She spread her legs and closed her eyes. The feeling returned to her labia and her clitoris. The warm wet tongue stroked her. The soft brush returned to her nipples. His breath filled her ears. You are truly a marvelous woman, his thoughts whispered.

"Oh, yeah!" Heather yelled. Her orgasm was an ocean of rainbows and fireworks.

Later, they got up from the chairs and laid in bed.

"You and I are the beginning," he said. "This was indeed a very good start," Heather answered as she stretched.

"I mean, the start of a new chapter in human evolution."

"Human evolution."

"Our children would have the ability to hear," Richard said.

"I don’t know that I’m ready for children yet," said Heather. "Besides, this ability has its limits. As a kid, you can’t figure out what is going on until you are eleven or twelve years old. There is a downside."

"Downside? You would become queen of the world." He thrust his arm in air and made a fist.  "You would watch as your children and grandchildren crushed the inferior."

"Richard, now you’re talking crazy."

“Come to me," he said. "Let us begin things now."

"I am on the pill," she said. "It will be days before I can conceive."

"I’ve got time," he replied.

"This is lunacy," she said. I’ve got to get out of here. He heard her fear, grabbed what he could of her clothing, and moved between her and the door.

Give back my clothes and let me go.

Have my children, he replied.

"No!" she screamed. He grabbed her arm. She pulled away. He stayed in front of the door.

She had no clothes on, but she had no choice. She turned and made a dash through the doors to the balcony. She got to the balustrade and looked over. People were still out, sitting around the pool, waiting for the sunrise.

It’s a long way down, he thought, Embarrassing, too. But the bed is soft, the room is private, and your future king of the world is right here.

Heather did not look back. She climbed onto the balustrade and leapt as hard as she could toward the pool. Heather hit the water, barely. Everyone glanced up at the balustrade.

She could hear the reactions of those around her. Is she okay? Is she drunk? Is some guy chasing her? I told them to move the pool on the blueprints because people were going to try stunts like that.

Heather assured everyone that she was alright and not drunk, and not any sort of daredevil. Yes, the problem was a guy, but no, she did not want to press charges, so please don’t call the police.

She asked for someone to call her a cab. No, she did not care which one. If someone else called, then Richard would not know whom to follow.

A woman at poolside gave Heather a beach blanket and explained that she did this a lot at the women's shelter. Together, they walked to the taxi stand. Heather’s volunteer gave her a coat and paid her taxi fare.

Heather spent the taxi ride fighting back tears. When she got home, the tears could no longer be stopped, and she cried herself to sleep.

She awoke in the late afternoon. She tossed around many ideas, all of which led to the conclusion that the ability to hear thoughts was now more trouble than it was worth.

Despite having lived with the ability since birth, Heather still did not know its source. She decided that the best thing to do was to head to the Redtown neighborhood. The area was rather rundown, but Central Hospital was still located there, and the hospital had neurologists and psychiatrists on staff.

And if doctors did not work, Hexe Lilith had just opened her office in Redtown; Hexe Lilith was a modern witch who knew her way around exotic problems like Heather’s. Between the doctors and the witch, Heather felt that all her bases would be covered. And then good-bye to this difficult power.

The hospital’s business hours were finished. But Hexe Lilith was open later, and Heather began walking to her office. Soon this will all be gone, she thought. Like hell, she heard Richard think.

Heather turned and saw him down the street in the distance. She started to run, hoping to make it to Hexe Lilith’s office, and protection, before Richard could reach her.

But he was too fast. Out of breath and out of options, Heather ducked into an old hotel. And she remembered at once where Redtown got its name— from the many lights of the red-light district. But she had no choice and ran inside, through the lobby, and up the stairs.

Heather could hear the thoughts coming from Room 210. Honey, you are gonna feel so good, a woman thought. "How about we start down there?" she continued out loud. Then all went silent as she began.

Oh, I want some of that, Heather heard Richard think. Heather heard fear, the sound of static, from inside the room. Apparently Richard had tried the door and found it locked. "Police? We’re all good in here," the woman said. Damned door, thought Richard.

This door exchange slightly changed matters for Heather. His attempted entry into Room 210 had nothing to do with supposedly "inferior" people. If Richard was just an old horndog, then a plain vanilla outburst of libido was something Heather could handle.

Richard’s pursuit continued through the hotel.

In Room 216, the couple was in the middle of things. Heather could hear his panting and her moaning. Richard had stopped and was listening. Finally, the customer’s orgasm took him away and Heather saw the white light shine. His servicer had an orgasm, too, but her climax produced only a muddy gray image; in other words, she faked it.

That did for Richard. This door was unlocked. Heather heard the fear static from inside the room. "You want to feel the real thing, sweetheart?" Richard said, "I got it right here, sweetie!" Heather heard the bubbling in the customer’s mind, which meant confusion, followed immediately by a brick wall falling in front of the same man, which meant that his ability to think rationally was eroding. Then she heard something about a gun.

Surely you must hear this, Richard, she thought. Get out of there!

She heard his first thoughts of retreat. But it was too late.

"Fuckin’ limp dick skunk," she heard the customer say out loud. Then she heard three loud pops.

Heather heard thoughts of pain. She ran through the hotel looking for Richard. She could hear the sex workers warn their customers not to leave their rooms, and to let hotel security handle this.

Heather turned a corner to see Richard lying in a pool of blood.

"Oh, God. Oh, God," he cried . "I don’t wanna die I don’t wanna die I don’t wanna die I don’t wanna…" Heather could see the extent of his wounds. She kneeled, held his head, and kissed him. You will be in my thoughts and in my heart forever, she thought to him. He smiled. Live and let live, he replied, and closed his eyes.

Then Heather learned that Receivers could both see and hear the process of human death. A translucent green orb rose from Richard’s body. From the orb, Heather heard the content of his mind and was driven backward by the gush of loneliness and fear and pain leaving his body.

A pale blue orb descended through the ceiling. Come, Richard, the blue orb called to the green, there is nothing more to fear.

The two orbs merged, turned a brilliant white, and gradually vanished back into the ceiling. Security officers had arrived by now, but did not react to any of this. Heather gave hotel security a statement and left.

——————————

A week later, Heather was back at the bar, alone, as usual. She kept looking toward the ceiling for a blue orb. She had thrown away all her green clothing, for fear that she might be mistaken for the dying. Then she remembered her green scarf, still hanging in her front closet. She got up to leave immediately.

Don’t sweat it, beautiful. You’re doing fine. It was Richard! Heather frantically looked around the room and up at the ceiling.

I am here, there, and everywhere, his thoughts said.

But are you okay? What happened to you?

Plenty of time for that, lover, Richard said, Sit down. She did so. Now relax, said Richard. Relax and enjoy.

As the feeling of his warm breath settled into her ears, Heather smiled.