God Save Us from the Men Who Want To: Graham Masterton's "Picnic at Lac du Sang"

God save us from the men who want to.

That thought stuck in my mind as I read Graham Masterton's short story, "Picnic at Lac du Sang" from his 2000 collection, Feelings of Fear. Masterton is an expert at writing stories that get under your skin in one way or another, but none has ever really punched me in the gut quite like "Picnic."

The story opens with the recently divorced Vincent traveling to a rural brothel with his friend Barnaby. Barnaby is a regular at the out-of-the way bordello, but Vincent has never done anything like this before. Upon arrival, he is struck by the youth of the girls, who, outside of the owner, Madame Leduc, all appear to be no older than 18 or 19, as well as the old fashioned decor and atmosphere of the Gothic mansion where they live.

Vincent is particularly transfixed by a quiet girl named Catherine, whom he soon learns is pregnant. Masterton details their very explicit sex scene (outside of horror, Masterton is a prolific author of sex manuals) beautifully, and it is no surprise to the reader when the somewhat sentimental Vincent quickly finds himself falling in love with the strange young beauty. He returns to Madame Leduc's just three days after his first visit, alone this time, to beg the Madame to let him take Catherine away from the brothel to give birth. She and Catherine both attempt to explain the supernatural reasons why they are bound to stay in the house, but Vincent refuses to believe them.

Thus, Vincent comes up with an ill-advised plan to "save" Catherine against her will. He kidnaps her in an effort to "help" her and unintentionally leads her to her doom. As he physically drags her out of her home, she fights him tooth and nail, and when they reach his apartment in Montreal, she begs him to take her back. Vincent has ostensibly been the hero of this story, but while he may believe he is acting with the best of intentions, he behaves selfishly in violently ripping Catherine away from her home and ignoring her wishes and needs.

How often do we see this play out so tragically in the real world? How often do men, under the guise of doing what they believe is best for a woman or women in general, irreparably harm us? From the olden days when women weren't allowed to own property or vote (too strenuous for our minds and temperaments) to modern abortion laws, such as the ones that recently passed in Georgia and Alabama (allegedly in the interest of "reproductive healthcare"), men have sought to regulate women's lives and bodies for centuries.

Masterton's story is so effective, because, despite its fantastical elements, it is ultimately all too real.