"Mariya" by Luis Woolsbury (Luis_Woolsbury@hotmail.com). Guest review by Figment.

This is not a "sex story" per se. That is, if you want to read a lot of dirty words, don't go here. "Mariya" touches the heart more than any other part of the body.

The narrator is a thirtysomething professional who finds himself falling for a girl who rides his bus. The girl, Mariya, is young - she's in junior high or high school (the narrator doesn't ask, and he isn't good at guessing ages), and she's an immigrant from Belarus. She leads a sheltered life until the narrator takes her under his wing. He takes her out for lunch; he takes her to a movie; he takes her shopping for clothes her mother can't afford; and finally, he takes her virginity.

I won't say more about the plot - you should read the story for it. "Mariya" is an impressive work of fiction. It actually evokes emotion. Again, though, don't read it if you just want something to masturbate to. There's a very sad undertone to the whole story; the author sets it up from the beginning, when the narrator first sees Mariya waiting for the bus in the gloomy weather. The narrator seems to really regret what happens between him and Mariya - not because making love to a girl so young is wrong by society's standards; but because the two of them genuinely do love one another, and it's apparent from square one that Mariya's age (and her ethnicity) will prevent the couple from living happily ever after.

This story is sad, but it isn't depressing - merely touching. The sex _is_ well-written - it's very realistic; and you don't feel like you're reading your typical nasty-pedophile-fucks-little-girl-and-she-likes-it story. In fact, you don't feel like you're reading anything "wrong." The way the author has set the story up, you understand why the narrator is having sex with Mariya; only the most hardcore Christian Coalitionist would label the narrator a pervert. Anyone else'd just say he was in love.