So what if he had pumped himself up with steroids? They made him strong and they made him feel superior. That was all that really mattered. He couldn't stand those "intellectual cocksuckers and geeky computer wimps. They were all gay anyway. They didn't know what it really meant to be a man". He did. And at nineteen, he had turned himself into a real man.

Or so he thought.

Jake was alone in his apartment. He was alone because his roommate had just fled one last time in humiliation.

His roommate, Steve, was a cousin of his that Jake's parents had guilted him into taking in. "Guilted" on account of, while living alone, Jake was having trouble paying his bills. His parents insisted on Steve moving in. They were tired of taking care of Jake's debts. Steve had just finished grad school and needed someplace to get re-started. Steve was a smart guy who happened to be gay. He had received his degrees in art history and planned to do some private research. He wasn't exactly athletic, but he was toned and healthy. He even had some money saved because of the scholarships he had received and the library jobs he had kept while in school.

And Jake hated him.

He couldn't stand the fact that Steve wasn't what Jake thought a real man should be. Jake resented the fact that Steve was there anyway. And Jake let him know at every opportunity there was; anyway that he could. Teasing; tormenting; emotionally and physically. Jake bullied and belittled him until Steve either hid in his room or fled the apartment all together.

Jake hated that this cousin of his would never fight back like a man. And that was the worst part of all.

That morning, Jake had woken up in a foul mood and took it all out on Steve. It was this latest barrage that finally sent Steve out the apartment for good. He was sick of being told what a real man was and he was fed up with all of Jake's macho bullshit.

Trying not to cry, Steve ran to his room and started throwing all of his clothes and most of his books into a suitcase. One of his art history books fell open to a picture of a painting of a beautiful man. It was a portrait of an angel. Steve had seen it before and remembered it because it wasn't the typical portrayal of an angel. The figure had a thick, muscular body with a dark beard and a dense, hairy chest. It was masculinity personified, combined with a purity of spirit. The caption said "Salvation".

Still holding back tears, Steve thought, "All this crap of what a man is! That's what a real man should be. Someday I wish Jake would learn that lesson!"

He picked up his suitcase and hurried toward the front door. Jake was standing there ready with one last degrading comment, but before he could speak, Steve screamed out, "I wish to God that YOU'D learn what a real man was!" and ran out the door. Jake was so stunned that Steve had actually yelled at him, he just watched him leave and closed the door.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room felt thick and heavy; almost as though the air was pushing up against him. Still standing near the door, Jake glanced out the window to his side to see if the weather was changing, but saw the sun still shining. But it felt odd. It seemed as though the air in the apartment had the kind of close stillness one felt just before a storm usually hits.

And just as suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

For some reason, he felt uneasy. It wasn't because he was still dressed only in the yellow briefs he had slept in. He was used to walking around with not much on. But, at this moment, he didn't know why he was feeling on edge. In spite of not wanting to reach out, he found couldn't stop himself from turning the doorknob. Slowly opening the door, he was stunned to find himself face-to-face with a large, nude man.

He stood a full head taller than Jake and was thickly muscled. He had a dark beard and a full chest of hair. Jake could tell the guy was strong by the fullness of his arms and width of his chest and shoulders. The man didn't say anything, but Jake could tell he was unhappy with someone or something, because he just stood there with a scowl on his face.

They continued to stand in silence, face-to-face, in the doorway.

Finally Jake mananged to open his mouth and in the most sarcastic voice he could summon, he said, "You want something?"

"I have been summoned", the man said.

"S-summoned for what?" Jake stammered.

"Salvation", said the man.

"What's that supposed to mean? Look, man, you get outta here before I call the cops. What are you anyway? Some kind-a faggot running around butt naked?"

"I am your salvation", the man replied, "and you will learn."

Jake suddenly got angry and yelled, "Get the fuck away from me you asshole perv-!" And tried to take a swing at the man. But the man easily grabbed Jake's wrist and walked him into the apartment. When they got inside, Jake was dumbfounded as he watched the door close by itself behind them.

"You will learn", repeated the man. "You will learn what it is to be a real man; a true man. You will learn real strength. You will learn real compassion for your fellow man. You will learn to think. And you will learn to love."

Jake tried to pull away. "What the fuck are you talking about? I am a man and I don't need any shithole pervert giving me any lectures!"

Suddenly, in one swift motion, the man let go of Jake's arm and quickly placed both hands on either side of his head.

"You will let go of your anger. You will let go of your cruelty. Your mind is calm and your thoughts are peaceful."

Jake felt himself relax.

Still holding Jake's head, the man continued. "You will appreciate all things in this life; art, music, nature, sport, health. You will find compassion and joy in all pursuits that improve body and mind."

Jake found his mind filling with thoughts and images of exciting new things; things he had never ever considered to be part of his life. Intellectual things; beautiful things.

The man, then moved his hands down from Jake's head onto the sides of his shoulders. "You will embody the strength that courage and a stalward nature brings. You will become strong and healthy."

Jake felt an energy he had never felt before. He looked at the man, and was confused to see that the man was getting shorter. But then quickly realized that he, Jake, was actually becoming taller. He felt the energy fill him with strength. Then he felt his muscles grow and expand with every wave of energy that flowed through him. With every heartbeat, his chest expanded; his arms swelled with thick beefiness. He could feel his shoulders getting wider as they pushed the man's hands apart. His legs felt tense, but he realized he was feeling the sensation of his thigh muscles pushing against the surrounding skin, forcing it to expand. He felt energized. He felt strong. He felt huge.

The man moved his hands from Jake's shoulders to his chest. "You will learn the wisdom of age".

It seemed to Jake that a breeze had suddenly begun to blow in his apartment. He realized that, indeed, he was being surrounded by a wind. It became a vortex of air swirling around him, even as the man's hands remained on his chest. Jake could see himself in the mirror that hung in the entryway. With curious excitement and a unexplainable feeling of erotisicm, he could see himself getting older. Losing the remains of his youthful face, it aged to a handsome sharpness. As he slowly changed to a man in his 30's, he could see his muscles thicken and take on the density that only a man of that age could have. As his body transformed, so did his mind. He seemed to see life differently. As though the added years gave him a perspective he never had before. There was a maturity that gave him confidence and peace.

The man then slowly moved his hands down Jake's body, lingering on each muscle, until he reached his crotch. "And, finally Jake, you will discover how to love your fellow man and learn what it means to be a true man." With that, there was a stirring in Jake's loins that had an intensity he never experinced before. He could feel a manliness from within that overwhelmed the rest of what he had just gone through. It was as though a thousand orgasms were happening simulatneously. His cock began to grow. And not just get hard; it was getting larger; longer. He could feel his balls doubling in size; pressing against his yellow skivvies; filling them with a huge manhood. Dark hair began sprouting on his chest and arms. His beard began to grow out; darkening and thickening in a way that excited him. He loved seeing the man he was becoming. He loved feeling the masculinity enveloping his being. He loved being a man. He loved men. He loved them. He loved everything that was pure and masculine and thick and hairy and sensitive and hot. He was a man!

The man looked at Jake and smiled. "You have learned well."

The man then slid his arms around Jake and embraced him, rubbing and caressing each new and stronger muscle; feeling the thickness of his shoulders, his back, his chest. And Jake returned the embrace with equal passion and equal tenderness. They rubbed their masculine, hairy torsos against each other, aware that their cocks were both hard.

The man suddenly pulled his face away from Jake and looked at him for a long time. Jake found himself staring back longingly. And the man kissed him; a long, passionate, loving, protective kiss. Jake could feel his own passion and kissed the man in return.

Suddenly the man stepped back and said, "I am done. Salvation is yours."

Stunned, Jake said, "Please. Don't go. I've only just begun to learn from you. You've only just started to teach me. I want to be with you; to love you."

The man repeated, "You have learned well. Go into this life sharing what I have given you. Share wisdom and peace and wisdom and love that a man can share and I will be with you always."

With that, the man, opened the door and vanished.

Jake closed the door and, once again, looked in the entryway mirror. He saw the man he had become; the true man he had always wanted to be.

He looked on the floor and noticed Steve's glasses. They must have fallen on the floor when he ran out. Jake leaned over and picked them up and, with a smile, put them on his face. He took hold of his new bulging crotch, still straining the fabric of his briefs and looked back in the mirror.

"Thanks, Steve", he said.

And Jake was, finally, happy. •