Sweet Revenge
Henry Taylor was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1840. The 5′5 ½″ soldier with light brown hair, light skin and attractive facial features, married the 17-year-old Virginia belle Susannah Thomas when he was 19, and she bore him two sons-John and Cornelius a year later in 1860. In 1861 Henry was mortally wounded at Five Forks and died as a result of his wound, which was a bayonet stab to the stomach.
2001-
25-year old Juni was touring Arlington National Cemetery while she was vacationing in Washington, DC. Little did she know that her beauty had caught the eye of the ghost of a Confederate soldier who had fallen completely in love with her.
Juni went back to the Radisson Hotel in Washington, DC that evening and the soldier followed her. Realizing that Juni couldn’t see him, the soldier transformed himself into a human at C&R Clothing in the city (in the men’s dressing room), but an extremely embarrassing moment occurred when the young man was standing in the store naked and shyly asked for clothes. A few minutes later he was fitted in a stylish suit, which fit him perfectly and he made his payment with Confederate currency. Going next door to a flower shop, he purchased a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Juni, also paying for them with Confederate currency.
Meanwhile, Juni was up in her hotel room watching a German-language comedy show, very similar to “The Three Stooges” (German was her native language). While she was watching the show, the phone rang and she picked it up.
“Hallo?", she asked.
“Hello Miss Juni, sorry to disturb you,” said the receptionist.
“No problem,” Juni said casually.
“Miss Juni,” said the receptionist, “there is a young man here to see you.”
““What’s his name?", Juni asked.
“Henry Taylor,” said the receptionist.
“Henry Taylor? I don’t know any Henry Taylor,” she said.
“Ma’am, I think you should just come down here and meet him,” said the receptionist.
“Ok, I’ll be down soon,” Juni said.
Juni came down into the lobby in a sweatshirt, blue jeans and sneakers. What she saw amazed her beyond belief: she had laid eyes on the most gorgeous guy in the world and he handed her flowers! Juni was astounded and shyly said, “I’m Juni.” in her German accent.
The young man said with a grin, “I’m Henry and I think you’re beautiful.”
Juni blushed, giggled and gently said, “thank you”.
Henry knew all of Washington, DC so he didn’t need a tour guide. After all, he had helped defend the city against General Grant over a century before, but the general wasn’t his main concern at the present.
Henry and Juni spent nights together in Washington, DC and Virginia, and Juni considered it the best winter of her life. All night long, they laughed, joked, played pranks on each other and even hung out (sitting) outside Arlington House watching the stars, hand-in-hand. Henry grew nervous as he pondered revealing his true identity. He was so in love, so passionately in love with Juni, but how could he tell her?
Henry and Juni made their way back to Washington and back to the Radisson Hotel, and when they were inside they went up the elevator to her room.
Once the two were in the hotel room, he took her hand, held it gently and said, “Juni, these last few days and nights have been wonderful. I’ve never met anyone like you; you’re great.”
“Same here,” Juni shyly said.
“Juni, I have to tell you something,”
“Anything,” she said.
“I’m the ghost of a Confederate soldier,” he whispered.
Juni broke into laughter and punched Henry’s arm, then she said, “Quit joking!”
But when she saw that he wasn’t laughing, her jovial expression quickly disappeared. She was silent for a while and then quietly asked, “are you serious?”
Henry solemnly nodded his head, in a “yes” response.
Juni was floored and said in disbelief, “I don’t believe this. This is unreal.” When Henry reached out to hold her she angrily said, “Don’t touch me! Get out!", her eyes filling with tears.
Henry explained, “Juni, how else was I supposed to be with you? I was in love with you the second I saw you in Arlington National Cemetery.”
Still angry, Juni exclaimed, “I can’t believe I was attracted to a dead person!”
Angrily Henry exclaimed, “I’m in love with you and that’s all that matters!”
Juni tried to stop crying but couldn’t. Henry went over to her and tenderly held her, softly saying that everything was going to be okay and that he was going to protect her. He gently kissed her and stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. Juni managed to stop crying and closed her eyes while in his warm embrace.
After a few minutes, she sniffled and said “Okay, do your thing.”
With that, a very bright light filled the room which caused her to tightly shut her eyes. A few seconds later a gentle voice said, “Juni, open your eyes.”
When she opened her eyes, she was face-to-face with the most handsome Confederate soldier she had ever seen. Henry was dressed in a rugged, torn and dirty uniform and wore a beat up cap. He looked like a war hero.
She happily exclaimed, “Henry!” and they embraced and he said, “Juni”.
That evening at sunset, in the hotel room Henry and Juni had the most passionate sex, their clothes scattered on the floor. Their warm, sweaty bodies glistened in the gorgeous sunset, and Henry tenderly whispered, “I love you, Juni,” and gently sucked on her ear. Juni softly said, “Ich liebe dich auch, Henry” and sucked on his ear.
Later that evening he told her that he was a soldier in the Seventh Virginia Regiment and that he served in General Lee’s army. Juni was captivated, listening to Henry’s exciting tales. He showed her his physical wounds and she felt them, being blown away that she was actually touching a Civil War soldier’s wounds.
The next night Henry and Juni galloped through Virginia and slept on the bank of the Potomac River, with her sleeping in his arms. The next morning something awkward happened: Juni’s German boyfriend Matthew (touring Virginia) saw them sleeping together and got extremely upset. (Matthew was Henry’s height with blonde hair and brown eyes, not to mention attractive facial features.) An embarrassed Henry rose to shake his hand but was snubbed.
Matthew grabbed Juni’s hand and she said, “Let go!"—trying to break his grip.
“Let go of ‘er!", Henry exclaimed.
“Let’s go, Juni. We’re going back to Germany.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you Matthew,” she exclaimed, “you’re abusive and I can’t take it anymore!”
“Let ‘er go!,” Henry exclaimed.
“Stupid American-don’t tell me what to do!", Matthew exclaimed.
“Oww..Matthew, stop it-you’re hurting me!”
“Well,” Matthew said, “if you’d stop resisting it wouldn’t hurt so much. Now let’s go.”
(arguing in German between Matthew and Juni. Henry was baffled.)
“Okay..okay..I’ll come with you,” Juni said, crying from the pain.
“See Juni? That wasn’t so hard. Now let’s go,” Matthew said.
Matthew turned to Henry and exclaimed, “Stay away from us!”
“I love you Henry!", she called out.
“I love you Juni!", Henry called back.
“Shut up!", Matthew called back to Henry.
Henry followed Juni to Germany, still in his army uniform-to a university in Berlin. Henry saw Matthew in the hallway and the two got into a heated argument, during which Matthew called Juni a tramp. The soldier yelled, “Hey, Juni ain’t no tramp-I love ‘er!”
In a few minutes the two were physically fighting. Henry punched Matthew in the stomach and Matthew kicked Henry to the ground. Juni came out during the riot and shouted “Henry!". A male professor came out and pulled the German off of the soldier. Henry decided to scare Matthew when he unbuttoned his uniform, revealing the bayonet stab. Matthew, along with some other students got scared and fainted. Juni held the soldier and scolded, “Don’t you ever do that again!”
When Matthew came to, Henry grabbed Juni’s hand and said, “Let’s go!". Matthew exclaimed, “Juni, come back here-you’re mine!”
They escaped back to Virginia, to Arlington National Cemetery. That night Juni talked to him at his headstone, asking
“Why did you rescue me?”
Henry said, “I told you-I love you Juni. Matthew doesn’t.”
“Yes he does,” she said, “we have our problems.”
“He called you a tramp. I’d treat you good,” Henry said, “I’d never call my girl a tramp.”
Through the night they talked and the soldier told her about his two sons, and Susannah. Juni said, “Henry, I really wish that I could stay here but I really have to go back to Germany. I go to school there. I can’t just give that up.”
To comfort her, the soldier sang to her in the most beautiful voice. They slept in the cemetery, holding each other. (Before they had kissed goodnight). The next morning they cooked bacon (the way he did in the 1860s). Juni had never had
fire-cooked bacon, but loved it. Later at sunset they rolled on the grounds of an empty battlefield and kissed passionately, laying on the grass.
Henry and Juni bathed in a creek when something embarrassing happened. Matthew spotted the both of them and urged her to come home to Germany. The soldier said, “Juni, stay with me.”
Irritated, she said, “I’m busy Matthew. I don’t love you, and I’m naked. Leave us alone.”
Matthew said, “You must come back. Where are your clothes?”
“Matthew, just go!” Juni said.
“We want to be alone,” Henry said.
Matthew snapped at the soldier, “Juni doesn’t belong with you. She belongs with me and she’s coming back with me.”
Matthew grabbed Juni’s hand, and she pulled him into the creek. With Matthew being wet, Henry and Juni laughed hard.
Not amused, he crawled out of the creek and left the scene. He decided to get even with Juni by setting her up.
Still in Virginia, Matthew told Henry (when he was alone) that Juni was still in love with him and they had shared a passionate kiss. Matthew told him, “I told her that you loved her, but she managed to seduce me. She told me that she didn’t care about you.”
The soldier said, “That doesn’t sound like my Juni.”
Matthew asked, “Why would you want an unfaithful girlfriend?”
“But at the creek...", Henry said.
“Juni was just acting. She doesn’t love you.”
“That tramp! How could she do this to me? I thought she loved me!", Henry exclaimed.
Matthew was secretly pleased that Henry was falling for his lie. There was no seduction-it was all a scheme to get Juni back with him.
“Juni and I have to go,” the German said, “I’ll break the news to her.”
Juni and Matthew flew back to Germany, and he told her that Henry didn’t really love her and she asked Matthew
why Henry didn’t tell her.
“Oh, he just didn’t want to hurt your feelings. What a great guy huh?", Matthew said-grinning, “but I adore you. We make a great couple.” With that, he stroked the side of her face and said, “you’re not bad-looking.”
“Get your hands off me you creep!", she exclaimed.
“Testy, aren’t you?” Oh well, once we’re back in Berlin you’ll know what love really is.”
“Sure I will,” Juni said sarcastically, “Henry already showed me what love really is. If you loved me, you wouldn’t have given me that black eye last week.”
“You got in my way,” Matthew said.
“Yeah right. You’ve hit me more than once, and Henry knows that. He’d never treat me that way.”
“Give it up, Juni. Henry doesn’t love you, and he knows how unfaithful you’ve been.”
“What? Unfaithful?", Juni exclaimed.
“Yes-pursuing me, seducing me.”
“Liar, not in a million years! I’d never do that you creep!", she screamed.
“Well now he knows,” Matthew exclaimed.
Juni slapped Matthew and slumped down in her airplane seat. She pined for Henry, not Matthew.
They made it back to Germany, but Matthew had a different plan to keep her with him, and in the country. However, he couldn’t do it at the airport so it would be at his home in Berlin.
That night when they were in Matthew’s home, in his bedroom, he said “Juni I know that you’re upset and frustrated, and you need to relax. I can relax you..all you need to do is look into my eyes.”
She looked into his eyes and he said, “Good. Keep looking into them. As you look deeper into them, you are relaxing more and more, more and more. And you do want to relax don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Just keep looking, deeper and deeper..deeper and deeper. Relaxing more and more, more and more. You are so relaxed Juni, so relaxed-and you don’t want to look away from my deep relaxing eyes..my deep relaxing eyes.”
“Don’t want to look away,” she said.
“And as you are relaxing, your eyes are starting to feel heavy..very heavy but you will not close them until I command it.
Keep looking at me with your relaxed, heavy eyes.”
Her eyelids starting quivering and he continued, “You are getting sleepy now Juni, very sleepy and you can’t help it. So sleepy Juni, so very sleepy. Looking into my eyes makes you very sleepy.”
“Must stay awake,” she said.
“No you don’t want to stay awake,” Matthew said, “you want to close your tired eyes and sleep. You want to close your eyes and listen to my voice..to my soothing words. I know what’s best for you, Juni. Your sleepy mind is absorbing my words, and when I count to three your sleepy eyes will close and you will be able to listen to me.”
“Yes, must sleep,” she said.
“Okay..1, 2, 3..sleep.”
Juni’s eyes closed and her head slumped down. Matthew said, “Open your eyes but remain asleep.”
She opened her eyes, still in a hypnotic trance.
“Listen to me..I am the only one for you. Henry doesn’t love you and you don’t love him. You know this for a fact. You love me, and I’d never hurt you.”
“But..”
“Juni, I know what’s best for you and I’m telling you the truth.”
“Yes...you’re telling me the truth,” she said in a sleepy monotone.
“Good,” Matthew said-grinning evilly. Juni was back in his clutches. There was no way she was going back to Henry.
The next night Juni (de-hypnotized) was in her home when Henry came to see her again.
“Juni!", Henry exclaimed happily.
“No! I don’t love you and you don’t love me! Go away!", she exclaimed.
“Juni, what’s going on? What happened to you?”
“Matthew knows what’s best for me,” she said, “he told me the truth.”
“That’s NOT the truth!", the soldier exclaimed, “you know the kind of person Matthew is. He’s a very abusive person!”
“No..Matthew would never hurt me.”
“Listen to yourself,” Henry exclaimed, “you’re believing these lies. Somehow he’s brainwashed you. We both know the real truth. Matthew is abusive. Come with me Juni. Come with me and I’ll show you what real love is.”
“No..go away! I hate you!", she said, pulling her hand away from his.
“Juni, please.”
“Just go!", she exclaimed.
Angered, Henry said “You’re so wrong Juni. I DO love you. I’m going to get Matthew for this. Goodbye.”
Angrily the soldier left the house and managed to find Matthew on the street. Grabbing him by his white shirt, the soldier said, “What did you do to my girl?”
“Ahh..I see she told you. Oh I’m so sorry it had to be this way, but she’s made her choice,” Matthew said with mock sorrow, grinning evilly.
“No you made it for her,” Henry said, “somehow you brainwashed her and you’d better undo it.”
“Or else what?” the German asked, “we’re going to get into another fight? I’m not afraid of you. Only I can de-hypnotize her.”
“If you want a fight, I have no problem with that. When I’m done with you you’ll wish you had avoided me,” Henry said.
“I’d love to stay and have this pointless chat with you,” Matthew said arrogantly, “but I have somewhere to be and you’re making me late.”
Reluctantly the soldier let go of his shirt and Matthew walked off confidently.
“Stupid American,” he said.
Henry went back to Juni’s home and said “Listen to me.”
“I told you to go away!", she exclaimed.
The soldier grabbed her arm and said, “Look at these bruises!”
She looked at her arm bruises and said, “Noo..I fell or something.”
“Matthew did this to you,” he exclaimed, “and somehow he’s brainwashed you into thinking that he’s a good person. Don’t you remember? Don’t you remember telling me how much he abused you and how many times you tried to get away from him?”
At first it was all a blur to her, but looking at the bruises she started to remember. The blur was disappearing, and slowly the memories were coming back to her.
“Yes,” she said slowly, “Yes, it’s coming back to me; it’s all slowly coming back to me now.”
“See, it’s all coming back,” the soldier said, “you’re remembering everything.”
Yes, It’s all back. Matthew, the abuse, the bruises..but every time I try to get away from him he always brings me back. I can’t escape.”
“Yes you can,” the soldier said, “and we’ve done it so many times before. Matthew can’t keep hurting you like this.”
“Yes, it’s coming back now; all that time of physical abuse,” she said, “but I can’t stop him from doing it.”
“You can’t, but I can,” Henry said, “I’m going to protect you Juni. He’s not going to lay a hand on you.”
“I’ll go with you,” she said, “he can’t manipulate and abuse me like this anymore.”
“Do you know where he is?” Henry asked.
“Yes,” she said, “I believe he said he was go to MusikZentrum,".
“What’s that?", the soldier asked.
“It’s a dance club here in Berlin, and it’s open until midnight. We can go now.”
“What kind of music do they play?", Henry asked.
“Disco, rap, whatever.”
The soldier had a baffled look on his face and Juni said, grinning, “let’s go now. I’ll show you.”
They two went outside and she hailed a taxi.
They got in and she told the driver, “Fahren Sie uns bitte zu MusikZentrum.”
The driver drove them to the dance club and she paid him. After the taxi left, they went inside the building where the music was pumping loudly.
“You call this music?” Henry shouted above the noise, “in my time it was a little simpler! And what’s with this type of dancing?”
“Don’t worry about that!", she shouted, “we have to find Matthew! By the way, welcome to the 21st-century!”
Her male friend, a waiter at the club asked, “Hi Juni, can I get you and your friend a table?”
“No thanks,” she shouted, “we’re here to find someone!”
“Okay,” her friend shouted back.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before they spotted Matthew-dancing with another girl. She and Henry went to them and Juni said, “Hallo Matthew.”
Matthew turned around in shock and said, “What are you doing here?”
“That’s none of your business,” she said, “and by the way..”
“What?", he asked, annoyed.
Juni slapped him in the face, for the second time.
(DJ turns music off).
“What are you doing?", asked the white German girl Matthew was with.
“Getting my revenge,” she said, “and this creep deserves it.”
“Luder (bitch), don’t do this please,” he said.
“You mean after all this?", she asked, and raised her shirt sleeve, exposing her bare arm, showing her bruises.
This time he was highly embarrassed, with the crowd now looking at him suspiciously.
“Matthew I’ve taken your manipulation and abuse for the last time, and it stops today.”
“And what if it doesn’t?”
“Then I’ve got a lot of interesting stories to tell these people,” Juni said-grinning, “and don’t even try anything here because I’ve got protection.”
Matthew grew increasingly uncomfortable, to the point of wanting to die. The embarrassment was very apparent.
“Get out of here Juni,” he said, quietly, “haven’t you embarrassed me enough?”
“Not quite,” she said, grinning, “there is just one more thing.”
“What is it?", he asked.
“Agree to stop abusing and manipulating me, or by the end of the night there will be some very interesting stories going around this club and on the street.”
“Okay I promise,” he said.
“I can’t hear you.”
“I promise!", Matthew exclaimed.
“That’s better,” she said, “now was that so hard?”
He just glared at her angrily.
“Wonderful,” she said cheerily, “now let’s get back to the music!”
With that, The DJ turned the music back on and everyone was dancing again. A few minutes later Juni and Henry sat down at a table and the waiter came by again.
“Root beer please,” she said.
“Okay,” the waiter said.
In a few minutes he came back with the glass of root beer and she sipped it. Revenge really was sweet.