Tin Man

Michael is in the south of France, hiking along a trail. He ducks into a seemingly abandoned monastery and falls asleep, but when he wakes up, he is met by a silent priest who brings him food. That night, the priest brings Michael food again, and Michael asks the man to stay and eat with him. As a storm rages outside, Michael feels desire and a need for someone else. The priest holds Michael, and Michael lets go, feeling as though he is broken. When Michael wakes the next morning, he leaves some money on the table before departing.

As Michael walks, he remembers telling G about cicadas, and how they would spend most of their life underground, developing. Only when they reached maturity would they come out to sing. G and Michael decided that cicadas were an apt metaphor for gay men. The day grows hot, and Michael stumbles upon a mas, a farmhouse with rooms for rent. He likes that the mas is close to town but far enough away for peace, and he sees a vacancy sign. Michael rents a small room, and as he changes into a bathing suit, he finds that he is afraid to look at his naked body because he is worried that he may find the telltale lesions that are a sign of his AIDS infection.