The question of my true identity the puzzle within a puzzle for you see being a man such as I a man who can conduct such grusome and yet sot after acts of justice with grace and finece, lost in recent years with the invention of so called humane treatment leaves one to question can god have created such a man? Is it by his grace that such a figure exists in our and is worthy of a christian title?

The short answer is yes I was brought to the earth by the conventional means of intercourse and was christend at the moment of my conception with a name.

The long answer is this I was given a name but the man who bore it is long dead and so no longer is to be observed by humanity it is true that he walked and talked even had a family and all the trimings of an acceptable life.

He made me sick! puttering along an obedient cog in the machine eagar to please his lessers in the hope that they would notice him and raise him to their station when all he had to do was see things my way and realize it was there for the taking if one was willing to embrace primal justice!

Am I Eric Bradley?

I wore his face at one time yes

just as you are wearing a face now

leaving me to pose the question are you truly who you say you are?

Jesse please take a seat we just want to talk with you common now Jesse be good and take a seat

"No one is named Jesse I am not Jesse, Jesse is weak Jesse doesn't have the guts to do what we both know has to be done to bad people I am here to help Jesse I am Wakes I make things better for Jesse and he thinks its very bad of you to keep us locked up in here he wants me to do something really bad involving your kiddies in their beds he wants me to make their rooms go boom! then feed their carcassas to the doggies! I can you know I can!

Jesse stop that behave now lets talk and be civilized you don't want to do all those nasty things now do you? I just want you to tell the nice man all about your friends in Just Cause where are they Jesse?

"No such thing no one controls us Jesse has no friends only me I look after Jesse me Mr Wakes!!

alright then Mr Wakes do you know anything about Just Cause or about the Black Smile?

"I know I could kill you I know I want to I know you are being cruel to Jesse you know I could kill you with that pen of your's you want to see? Just let me have it and I'll kill you, Jesse has only one friend he only needs one friend and....sorry umm dddid I say something wrong why are you keeping me in here? I didn't do anything wrong I promise I just want to read my books thats all I didn't do anything wrong...I am sorry if I was bad real sorry

Jesse are you here now?

Yeah I don't understand why though did I do something bad?

Jesse do you know that you killed your mother and father and fed them to the dogs outside your house do you remember that Jesse?

I never killed anyone mom and dad are at home its four oclock mom is making dinner dad is coming home from work and we are all going to have dinner together I need to finish my homework or dad will be real mad real mad..."but he won't hurt us because hes dead big man made a hardy meal for his precious dogs man best friend you know mans best friend!

Your all dead when I get out of here I have special ways for each of you you will all burn and bake and I will use your bones for decorations no one is gonna hurt Jesse anymore no one!

Jesse is this Mr Wakes is he talking

Leave Jesse alone all of you

He has no friends he needs no friends just me

Jesse I can see we aren't getting any where I am trying to help you and help lots of innocent people but if you won't behave then I guess we will just have to send you back to your room

At this point Jesse Wakes was esscorted from the iterigation room muttering I am sorry just want to read thats all just want to read I will be good I promise I promise four oclock is dinner time and we are all going to eat together me mom and dad..

The room was supprisingly inviting the fire roared warm and soft casting its gentle glow upon the deep red stone of the walls which were adorned with paintings not the least of which was Vangoughs Stary night, the scent of Lillies danced about the room making it seem all the more pleasing and welcome enviornment for any guest and that it would have been if the purpose for his being here had been pleasure. In his mouth he could taste the sharp tang of metal and wire each of his breaths was a tortured labor of pain, the pleasure and warmth of the room little more than a taunt in someones twisted game of providing false comfort and peace.

The device strapped to his head felt like a bird cage attempting to enslave his very thoughts so that truly stripping him of all freedoms what had he done to deserve this? Life had been comfortable and peaceful every reward of the so called American dream had been rewarded to him a good job, money a wife, a lovely home everything had been perfect, he shouldn't be here not here a pawn in some sick twisted game

"Pondering the universal question of why aren't you?" The voice was almost fatherly in its tone one would have never dreamed that the pale emotionless face off set by a cold grin could have uttered anything so gentle sounding,

"Always they ponder why each time justice is brought in its rawest and most effective form one is left pondering why?" Look around you sir this room a beautiful memory of what your deeds have wrought and the false sense of security they provided the device on your head which in Scottish terms is called a Scold is truth your crimes have always brought you some pain I have only made it real for you,

To set you at ease let me first clarify a point it is not my wish that you die your life and what you do with it is of very little concern to me as far as I am concerned you are just a means to my end which is payment for my work in short you are the rock out of which I must create a sculpture

The reason why you have become my subject matter should be known to you someone feels they have been harmed and seeks retribution a service which I excell at and have devoted my life to.

Now to your question of the device on your face it is a modifide version of an old Scottish device known as a Scold used to quiet those who dared speak out against the current regime or social structure of things it locks ever so nicely around the head and places a permanent bit of tiny little blades in the victims mouth keeping them nice and quiet I have modifide it slightly to hitch to the eye lids as well keeping them wide open so that my guest can see all the wonder of their final hours who am I to deny them that after all?

Enough chat let us begin the game it is really rather simple all you have to do is say "I am sorry" and you win and I let you go in peace

The room fell silent neither the man nor his victim made a move was this just another trick set in motion to torture him further was he going to shoot him or carve his carcas for dinner did he really only have to utter the sentence I am sorry to win his freedom?"

"Do not think me a liar sir everything is exactly as I stated you say I am sorry I release you however I must stress the ergency of the situation you see that device is linked to a small clock which now only has about twenty seconds remaining I am sorry but every great artist must have his secrets and telling you about the clock right away would have spoiled the suspense don't you agree?"

He froze each second felt like years sweat dripped from his forehead dripping painfully into the small cuts the device had made in his mouth finally he chose

"I am sorry" he muttered The man smiled very good see now that wasn't so hard was it now let me set you free..he stepped lightly behind the man and clicked a switch located at the back of the device

the wires and metal creaked slightly then pulled upwards ripping the mans face off at the eye lids

you are free my friend free at last!"

I vaugley remember the moment ten years ago this night when I sat before that court appointed buffoon a short man red faced and lost to all passions I remember the pulse of his strained and dying heart as our eyes met the artist and the critic here to question and to understand my work.

This endevore was of course impposible for a man such as this to achieve the only art he understood was the meaningless comic strips one finds on the back portion of a news paper bright flamboyant colors, dribble and the occasional attempt at political or social satre.

Still one could not blame him he was after all merely a cog in the endless machine that is at this point the social experience and I took it as my task that evening to expand his horizons to open his mind to a new form of expression to change his life or destroy it forever.

Slowly the preformance began we exchanged glances each waiting for the other to begin the dialouge there was clearing of the throat and a glance or two at the notes and he began

"Do you know why you are here?" he asked an air of pride dripping off the sentence

"Perhaps I do and perhaps I do not our opinions on why may differ entirely would it not be more fitting to pose the question as "Do you know why I have brought you here?"

"Oh so your a smart ass are you well ok your highness do you know why I have brought you here?"

"How can I? Your reasons for bringing me here are only known to you I mean it is perfectly obvious that I am not a mind reader had I been I would have no reason to be in this room exchanging words with you therefore let us rephrase and begin with these are my reasons for bringing you here

Or better yet let us cut imedietly to the point you have brought me here because you are displeased with my actions as of late in that I stand accused of nearly eighty murders though I can assure you the number is considerably higher and it is quite unfair to regured them as murders because while I may have been the insturment I was not the archtect of these peices my patron is someone else entirely.

Is this an admission of my guilt perhaps the only problem is that I do not feel I have comitted a crime I feel the blame should go to those who wished death upon others cowards if I may say so who cannot admit that they are guilty and so have once again called upon me to act for them to speak now that they are dumb.

Translated this could be the pretext to my revealing my employers to you in some ploy to eliset freedom or a lesser sentence for myself I am sad to disappoint you but I have learned that the pangs of a guilty consiuonce are far more sharp than any blade and will leave their mark forever on the guilty

In conclusion my dear fellow I must say it has been a pleasure chatting with you and I am sure we will meet again sometime you may now shut off your tape recorder with my regureds keep the casset as a mommento if you wish you can listen to it over your delicious tv dinner this evening

good bye

The fault of many who practice my craft is that they are to hasty they crave only the rush which comes at the taking of ones life and so are lost to the idea that one must be delicate in matters such as these they must take the time to savor the moments of fear and anticipation that are present not only within themselves but also in their victim the how and why are shared by both why is it that I am killing or in proper terms punishing this person what do I gain from my action and what will I recieve as reward will anyone miss this poor soul or will they merely reguard it as they would a passer by not giving it a second thought?

This is the puzzle found in any artist mind the question of will my work have an effect upon the audience or will it be merely an after thought in some droning conversation?

The artist must understand his piece and the thoughts that are poured into it, for example any killer can slash a mans throat this is simply a physical action but the artist will examine his victim find the fears that lurk in the back of their mind and bring them forward through the use of the knife so that in the end the victim is glad at relief and sees him as a friend and Angel

The victim must have worth to another to be worth the effort taken by the artist again this is a consideration of the audience in play to kill a random person in an ally is simple but to kill someone of high rank in the minds of others now that is a rare treat and will carve the artist an impressive legacy and make him sought after by others who will beg to taste the beauty and finality of his deadly art those who before would not have seen the death of another as a solution will crave it and

the old adage shall ring ever true there is beauty in death!

The following is an interview conducted between Sally Dunn a Patient of South Port Mental institution and her Attending pysichian Dr Jacob

Recorded October 12 the exact year is unknown

According to staff Mrs Dunn had become intimantely connected with the killer known as Black Smile and knew some of the more intiment details of the strange mans life the interview reads as follows

Dr Jacobs Good morning Sally how are we feeling today

Sally hes still here isn't he? Eric promised he wouldn't leave without me so hes still here right?

you just have him in solitary which is not very nice because now he can't watch the birds or talk to me anymore I am sure he would behave if you let him out of those cold cells in the back I would take care of him and he would love me and make me his wife and we would watch the birds and never bother anyone I promise"

Dr Jacobs who is Eric? Sally is he real have you seen him before?

Sally Hes really nice and clean and likes birds he always said I reminded him of a robin when i wore my red dress on Christmas hes always smiling and talking about the people outside being bad and how much he wished he could go and make them behave

He said that when we left he would buy me a house with red shutters just like I always wanted and sing for me all the time he said that ten years ago then you took him away and hes gone and I miss him.

Dr. Jacobs so Eric is a real person? Are you talking about the bad man who lived on the top floor is that Eric?

Sally: Eric is a good man he is very gentle and used to dance with me and play nice music he said that he didn't belong in here and that you were all liars and I shouldn't listen to you he also said that I should be real quiet and not tell anyone his real name but since hes not here I guess its ok will you tell him I am sorry for being bad and telling his secret?

Dr. Jacobs Sally you know Eric left don't you he escaped just last year and that means he lied to you and didn't care about you at all.

Sally No no Eric is here he promised he promised he said we would go live in the house with red shutters he promised he is hiding but he will come back everyday I watch the birds and they tell me he will come back and smile again for me he promised you shouldn't say bad things about Eric hes a nice man a nice man!

It is here that the interview was concluded due to Sally breaking down into tearful fits of rage it is noted that she continues to request the presence of Eric

it is uncertain as to whether or not Eric is real or a fabricated delusion

Sally will continue to be watched and recorded over the next few months in the hopes that staff can solve the afomentioned question of Erics existance.

Ten years I sat sometimes I would look out the windows and see the birds flying away some would say how beautiful how free they seem this isn't what I consider

Only that they are out there and I was in here my inherent gift for cleaning away societies unwanted going to waste is this not tragic?

hold your breath it gets better

I was set loose after all this found a friend someone stranger than I whether or not he is more powerful than I is not my concern only the question of who he wanted removed and how he wanted it done

In most cases I prefer my clients to give me control of the game oh I can think of so many ways to kill someone why one girl I slit her with glass in several areas and then sprinkled salt in all the little cuts I had made

don't worry I cut her tounge loose so she didn't have any objections

Am I sick? maybe I prefer gifted after all I am not without my morals my codes I never kill anyone who does not have it comming and I never kill without contract and if said contract does not have a death clause then well I only need to make my target wish they were dead this is moral right?

Now where was I?

Oh right my employer he pays well calls me a solider in the army of new heaven whatever that means mostly he likes hearts so I collect them for him

I mean sure most of the targets seem innocent but like my employer says "sin is below the surface"

Where are my victims you will never know who are they maybe you

my employer no need to know

but if you are on his list I can assure you you will die smiling!

so in a way thats something to look forward to