”“Needed a change of scenery,” the light-skinned man with reddish-brown hair and matching freckles divulged.“I hear you! I hope you like the c...sserole.”“It straight.”“Good. How long were you planning to stay,” the hostess inquired.“A couple nights I guess,” reasoned Fat Tony. “That cool?”“Oh yes! That’s fine with me. What kind of work do you do?”“Right now I’m between gigs.”“Oh I see.”“Yeah! I’m kinda out here makin’ a new start.”“Nothing wrong with that. I’ve had to make a couple of new starts. With a quick nervous move you drop the sandals inside and close the door. You hear them drop down and a faint hollow boom sounds out. You reach down and grasp the hem of your shirt. You pull it up and over your head in one motion. You didn't wear a bra so now you're standing there naked from the waist up. The porch is open and completely exposed to the street. You look around. With the light from the porch you are exposed to the world. Because of the light you can't see past a few short feet. I stayed awake to see the late news report on television. As I sat there in my family room, the television turned on but muted, I began to notice the room becoming very warm. When my forehead began to bead drips of perspiration I thought of what happened earlier that day.“Decatur?” I said with a question manner, wondering if he were nearer than what I would wish.“I give a warm greetings from your humble servant to his new Lord, that being you as the master of the Tome of Amethyst. Your friend. Tom gathered them together and gave each one a gold chain. He said, “You have probably noticed the others that have these on in the house. You are all slaves. This is my mark and marks you as my property. I can have you killed, beaten, or sold whenever I want. But I must trust you with my property, my family, and each other. I have made a promise with the gold chain that when your work is such that the salary you would earn equals the cost of your purchase, upkeep and your collar, I will set.