"Doubts and Uncertainties" by Kim (ghost@nym.alias.net). In the first few paragraphs of this story we are given the vivid impression that a man who raped the narrator has now been captured and is going to be executed by her in revenge. Specifically, she's going to burn down the wooden shed he's in, while he's securely chained to the workbench by a chain around his balls. The only way he can escape would be ripping off his own balls....

If you have ever watched Dragnet, you may recall that the plots often consisted of an essay embedded into the dialogue. I'm convinced that the screenwriter would read an article on, say, the need to lock one's doors at night. Then he would write a story about a middle-aged women with two little children who would fail to lock her door at night. Sergeant Friday and his faithful psychic would then come and interrogate her, and the dialogue would include things like this:

"You really have to lock your doors at night."

"I know, but sometimes I forget."

"When you forget, bad things might happen. I know, because I'm a cop."

Kim does something similar here; but she does a much better job, because she's a smut writer, not a cop. Since I have given this story high ratings, you can pretty well assume that it's not a senseless rape and torture story. For more details - and for an interesting embedded essay - I recommend you take a look at this story.