Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:23:24 -0800 (PST) From: T. Chase McPhee Subject: Adventures in Nature 01 The story below is a work of fiction, set in the format of reality. Any resemblances to real people, alive or in the hereafter, is entirely coincidental in nature. It is not meant to accurately reflect upon persons, in towns, cities, countries, nor governmental areas, which the story is staged. If a sexual scene involving male-to-male relationships offends you, then you should not read this story. Additionally, if you are under 18 years of age, in most state and countries, you are not allowed to read this story, by law. Check with your local laws regarding such. % Sexual safety matters. Remember guys, this is fiction. In real life, use protection. % "Adventures in Nature" 01 wriTten by T. Chase McPhee % The continuing saga of "Nature Walk" % "Oh-mi-gosh!" Michael called out, turning his face from the alarm clock, flopping over, his hand slapping against Kevin's hairy stomach. "C'mon, ya gotta wake up, Kevin!" "Whaaa?" Kevin squinted awake. "Remember I told you about Tony singing in church?" "Tony who?" Kevin quizzes his lover, still trying to get a grip on keeping his eyes open. "Tony Padrezza? Foreman who rebuilt the dining room? Pavoratti look alike?" Michael added the simulation. "Who's Padarotti?" "Oh man are you dense! C'mon," Michael took hold of Kevin's hand, dragging him towards the edge of the bed, as he stood, Kevin's morning erection hanging onto the sheet as if a clothes hook. "I promised Tony we would come hear him sing his solo." "I don't even have time to take care of this?" Kevin asks, shucking the sheet, holding his hand around his hard, shaft. "Don't even think it." "I'll make it a quickie?" Kevin asks, eyes pleading. "Okay, but you better be done by the time I come out of the shower," Michael warns him. Nodding, Kevin asks, "What about yours?" "Y'know, you're such a pain?" Michael kneels on the bed, straddles Kevin's pits, planting his knees deep into his lover's hairy arm pockets, he leans forwards, jabbing his 9c in between Kevin's smiling lips. Sitting up, Michael pulses his cock in and out, flexing his glutes, as if fucking his lover's ass. With haste on his mind, plus the pleasuring of his cock, wetness all around the hard shaft, moving in and out of the perfectly shaped lips, it doesn't take long before he's shooting his load down Kevin's throat tube. "Felt good, didn't it?" Kevin asks, smiling. "Not as good as the `other end', but it'll suffice!" Michael tells him, before reporting to the jon, a sly smile on his face. Along with stroking himself off, Kevin swishes his tongue around in his mouth, savoring the remnants of the salty treat, as he takes care of his still hard shaft. % "Almost ready to go?" Justin shouts to Christian, in the bedroom, as he fixes his hair in the jon mirror. "Gotta brush my brighty-whities," Christian responds, walking through the door, a smile adorning his face. In the reflection, Justin stops combing his hair, seeing his blond lover, with light blue dress shirt and coordinating tie. "Hi handsome!" he says, grinning. "Whatsamatter? It's like you never saw me dressed up before, Jus." "Oh yes I have. Like Christmas, Easter and a couple of times in between?" "Yeah, so?" Christian says, shrugging his shoulders, as he loads his toothbrush up with paste. Setting his comb down, Justin turns from the reflection, to the `nonreflective Christian'. "So, what's the occasion today?" "Well, I figure since this is the way I'll be dressing up for work from now on, I'd get some practice in." "So, you'll be looking this handsome everyday now, eh?" Justin says, passing behind Christian, giving him a swat on the ass. Rinsing, with an elated feeling, he bends to spit. "Oh nooooo!" "What?" Justin asks, making an about-face. Standing there, a frustrated look on his face, Christian looks down at his own bod, holding up what was once his new blue tie, soiled with `toothpaste-spit' and water. "I `was' going to tell you to watch your tie, when you go to spit. From experience. `Ruined a good tie that way myself," Justin points out. When he bobbed back up, from spitting, the wet, soiled tie left a splotch of moistness on his stomach. "There goes my new $25 tie. I better change." Knowing Christian worked hard for the little money he had saved, threw him into a downcast mood as well. He also knew if they didn't leave the house soon, they would be extremely late for choir. But somethings demanded more attention. "That was quick!" Justin says when he spots Christian, stripped, redressing in a clean dress shirt. "Yeah," is all Christian says, his frustrated mind still hovering over the wet tie incident. "Here, let me do that," Justin tells him, not giving him a choice to button up, as his hands are woven between Christian's arms and ribs. "Thanks," he replies, watching the pair of hands go to work, buttoning down his shirt. "I hope I'm doing it right?" "Oh, you're doing fine," Christian replies, as he feels something butting up against his ass. "I thought you were in such a hurry?" "I am," Justin replies, with more humping motion. "Just be careful, will ya?" "Huh?" "I don't want you to mess up these pants," Justin tugs at the fabric. % "Figures," Kev said to himself, returning from taking his morning leak in the hallway jon, passing by his brother's room, peeking in through the already opened crack, opening it to find the two naked men in bed. Halfway down the hall, he caught himself yawning in the body-sized mirror, arms behind his head, viewing his hair-defined pecs, the abs trail bending to the contour of his overhead stretches to the left and the right, then the swirl of hair around his navel. Afterwards, he hiked his boxer-briefs up an inch, into a comfortable hang from his torso. In the kitchen, he held two cereal boxes in his hands, weighing his selection between shredded wheat and Froot Loops. "No competition," he deemed, picking the cereal box with the little colored circles on the front, the friendly toucan smiling at him. "Yeah, easy for you to be happy... you don't have a boyfriend that just dumped you!" he conversed with the tropical bird. Going through the motions, Kev gathered the bowl, milk, spoon and juice glass of OJ. "Got the coffee brewing?" "Tom, you know I don't drink coffee." "Still, you could have made it for your big bro?" "Um, hint... don't drink it-don't know how to make it?" Kev says sarcastically. Ditching yesterday's grinds, Tom asks, "How did you sleep?" "I slept. How about you `two'?" "Stalking the bedroom, are we?" Tom inquires, shoveling grinds into the basket. "Your door was left open a mile." Knowing it not to be the case, Tom states, "I suspect Hurricane Kevin blew it open!" Instead of fessing up, Kev eludes to, "So, you and Ethan are a couple now?" "Geez, Kev. I took the guy out to the club for one night. I hardly think it constitutes a full blown love affair!" "Oh? Who blew who?" Kev snidely remarks, a grin creasing his lips. "I think what goes on in my bed, is my own business!" With a lull in the conversation, Tom turns his attention to Kev, who sits back in his chair, hands behind his head, flaunting his hairy pits. "Penny for your thoughts," Tom probes his bro's mind. "Oh, I was just thinking back to when I was nine year old." "Don't tell me you're never going to forget `that', Kev?" With a broad grin, Kev says, "Remember how I used to bribe you so I wouldn't tell mom and dad?" "Dirtiest trick you ever pulled on me! Using a measly thunderstorm to come into my bed!" Kev exclaims, "I was scared shit! You know I was always scared of lightning. Besides, if I hadn't I most likely would have never found out I'm gay." Sitting down at the table, Tom says, "Then you should've been thankful, instead of weaseling me out of my paper route money!" Taking up his spoon, feeding his Froot Loops into his mouth, Kev tells him, "Maybe I should pay you back." "What? A lousy hundred bucks? A lotta good it's going to do now. Besides, you're broke anyway," his brother says. "I'm not... `that' broke," Kev tries to argue. "But I was thinking," he scratches his chest, a finger lingering over his left pec, "maybe I should try to get a job that pays more money." "Running away from John is not going to help." "John is `not' the reason. I need a job that pays more," Kev says adamantly. "Alright," Tom rephrases his question, "let's say this is about more money. You go and get a job paying twice what you make at Barrs & Bridges. What are you going to do about patching up your relationship with John?" "John and I are history. Do I have to remind you `he' dumped `me'?" "Really now... the way I figure it, the moment you decided to sleep with Kirk, it became the other way around?" "Listen. Let's just drop it, Tom?" Tossing his milk-laden bowl in the sink, along with his spoon, Kev high tailed it out of there. Tom sat there, pondering over his brother giving up on such a perfect match, until he heard, "Do I smell coffee?" "C'mon in Ethan," Tom invited him into the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind. I borrowed a pair of your boxers." Turning his head, Tom found reason to smile, seeing his boxer shorts barely clinging to Ethan's torso, hiked down a couple of inches, seeing his untanned, hairy crack exposed, as his twenty-eight year old bedfellow reached for a coffee mug from the rack above. "Oh, you didn't get yours?" "I'll get it." "No. Sit," Ethan said, persuasively. Peering over his shoulder, Tom got a reprise of the boxers hiking down. "Checking me out?" Ethan asked. "What?" Tom asked, acting puzzled. "Saw your reflection in the microwave window." "Yeah well, it's not like you were hiding it!" Making a point, as he sets the two mugs of coffee on the table, Ethan pulls the boxers up, over his navel. "Too high," Tom jokes, with a sly smile. All it takes is letting go of the elastic waistband, for the boxers to fall, showing a good portion of Ethan's dark brown, hairy pubes, the dark treasure trail connecting the rest of his bod. "Nothing there I didn't see last night!" "I hope you liked the service you got." Tom kids, "Sure I do. I like it when my coffee is served to me in the morning." "I was talking about my tongue serving your bod!" Laughing his ass off, Tom didn't leave any doubt in Ethan's mind, saying, "I knew you had more talent than slinging charcoal." Leaning across the table, Ethan puts his hand behind Tom's head, zeroing in for a kiss. % "Sleep good?" "Like a baby in a cradle," Darryl says, nestled against Julian, as their two bods fit together like a puzzle. "Thanks for staying again." "No problem. Where else can I get a two hour fuck for free?" Julian responds, lying there, feeling up Darryl's smooth chest, wishing it was more than complimenting him on last night's activities. "You always did have a tight ass," Darryl compliments. "Yeah and I'll be missing you plugging it, when you decide to give me the boot." "It's not going to happen anytime soon, I suspect," Darryl relays. "Denis will most likely be in the psych wing at the hospital for weeks." "Doesn't it bother you?" "What? Having you as a side-dish?" "Exactly," Julian says. "Nah. I told Denis you were staying with me, for company. He understood." "Wait. Want to run that by me again?" Julian asks, as one bicep is threaded into his white tee. "Sure. Denis was very sensitive to my feelings, of how lonely I am without him," Darryl explained. "Right," Julian analyzed the situation, "the key word here is `Denis', not whomever you decide to cuddle up with at night." "Listen. Just trust me. He's okay with it, alright?" "If you say so. Well listen, I've got to be going. Got some work to do for school tomorrow," Julian says. "But you will be back tonight, won't you?" Trying to outweigh the pros and cons, Julian thought over the facts. "Yeah, I'll be back tonight." "Make it early. Always happens, after I visit with Denis, I get all horned up!" % "What do you mean you're all alone?" At ten o'clock, Sunday morning, Jose wheels himself into Denis' room, telling him, "Clif got discharged. His brother came to pick him up." "I didn't know they could discharge people on Sunday," Denis asks, as if a serious matter. "Oh yes. Anybody can get discharged any ole time," Jose fills him in. To make conversation, Denis inquires, "What did he look like?" "Who?" "Clif's bro." Moving closer, the seventeen year old faces Denis, sitting in the chair more eye level, than reclining in the bed, telling, "So much alike, they could pass for twins." "Really?" "Yup. Same height, looks to be the same weight, blond, a clone of Clif, only he's two years older I found out, `cause I asked!" "Gay?" "I didn't get `that' personal," Jose tells him, with a smirk. "So..." Denis could only think of saying, when the conversation hit dust. "How are you and Darryl making out?" Jose beats him to the punch. "He's a cool guy." "Yeah, he is. Have you like... done anything yet?" "Kissed. After the last guy, I'm taking it easy. I want to get to know Darryl, instead of getting into a dead end relationship." "That's cool, so you seeing anybody else?" "Nope, but I think one of the guys on the swim team has a crush on me," Denis says. "Oh? Who?" "His name is Anthony Gagliardi... Tony, for short." "What's he like?" Jose probes. "He's this beefy Italian guy. Not fat, but not a total muscle guy. He's kind of cute, especially the way he acts." "How did you meet? I mean did he come up to you and ask you for a date or something?" Denis giggled, explaining, "'Something' is right! He asked me to shave him." "Shave him?" "Yeah. Y'see, it's a rule Coach Hollister has for every member of the swim team. We have to keep our bodies shaved from neck to navel." "At least you get to keep your treasure trail!" "Um, yeah," Denis replies, keen to Jose's observation. As if sharing secrets, Jose says, "I've got a little bit coming in, down there. Want to see it?" "Sure," Denis replies. Of course Jose had to lift his hospital gown, revealing more than the small stripe of brown hair under his navel. "Nice," Denis told him, taking in more than his fellow teen's treasure trail. "Mark showed me his. He's more bushy than mine," Jose says. "Yeah, well his dad is like a `bear', so he's prolly going to be real hairy." "Bear?" "Yeah. His dad has this dark brown hair covering his pecs and stomach. he's sooo, so hairy!" The two giggled. "I think hairy guys are hot," Jose tells. "That's good, because prolly Mark will turn out hairy. My dad is smooth. Like me, all he has is a treasure trail." "Cool. Darryl has a nice chest, too." Curiously, Denis asks, "When did you have the opportunity to see it?" "Lots of times. When we were doing community projects. Darryl always strips his shirt when it's hot out. He says he wants to `catch some rays', but he never seems to get tanned." "When I get out of here, I think I'd like to do some community stuff." "It's very rewarding. At least that's how I feel about it, like working here at the hospital," Jose says. "Oh, by the way," Denis confides, "I want to thank you for what you did for me." "Harry was a bad seed. He got what was coming to him. I knew you couldn't do anything like what he was saying you did." "Oh? How would you know? You don't even know me," Denis says. "True," Jose tells him, "but I know Mark and he told me you would never do anything to hurt anybody." "Yeah, but you got hurt doing it. I owe you." "No you don't," Jose says, "and don't start getting all mushy over it!" "Still, I'll never forget what you did," Denis keeps up. "The lawyer said I could've gone to jail and...." "But it's not the way it is, Denis, so don't go getting yourself depressed over it." "Well, I'll always consider you a good friend." "Hey, if Mark and I get married, we could be related!" "Mark and you? Oh, so that's who you meant, when you said `your boyfriend'?" "Yeah," Jose smiles, reluctantly adding, "I wasn't sure how you were going to take it, so didn't say much about it when I first mentioned it." A pause in their conversation made Jose wonder what Denis was thinking about. "Um, Mark... did he say... I mean he tell you anything about us?" Denis asks, their brotherly escapades on his mind. Knowing, Jose let on, "Yeah, he told me all about what you guys did, but it doesn't bother me, so you can forget about it. I'm not going to go blabbing it all around, if that's what's got you going." Cooling down, Denis relaxed his spine, leaning his back in the chair. To be more reassuring, Jose tells him, "I don't think anything is wrong with it, anyway." "You don't?" "Nope. I look at it like you and Mark having sex together, well it's like you and any ordinary guy. Besides, it happens all the time. I've read statistics on how teen guys have sex with each other all the time. Most of the time it's out of curiosity." "Have you ever.. um, been with a guy?" Denis quizzes the seventeen year old. "Not really. Yeah, well, when I was fifteen, an older guy. We held each other's cock and jerked off. I wouldn't consider it `sex'. Felt okay, but I'm holding out for the `right' guy. Know what I mean?" "Sure I do. It's one of the things Mark and I talked about when we lay in bed together. We felt we had something special because we are brothers, so saying something like you just laid on me, we both think of the same thing. Am I explaining myself okay?" Denis said, sketchy about his complete thought. "Sure. Like I said, I'm okay with everything, Denis." "Cool. Thanks for saying so." "Anybody hungry?" Jack says, walking in with two stacked portions of breakfast food, adding, "What's this? Show and tell?" "Oops!" Jose says, the front of his gown still up, from showing Denis his dark-brown teen treasure trail. He quickly covers it up, then stands up, asking Jack, "What are they trying to poison us with today?" Denis, getting up, is keenly observant, watching Jack place his arms around Jose, hugging him, as Jack says, "No breakfast for you until you show me the move I taught you yesterday." "Which? This one?" Jose says, lifting his knee up, connecting with Jack's bod. "Uggggh! Oh shit!" Jack says, releasing Jose, bending over, walking around the room, groaning as he holds his balls. "Sorry, Jack. I guess you thought I meant the `elbow-to-the-gut' move!" "No.... problem..." Jack squeals in a high-pitched tone. "I think you just ruined my nightly jerk off!" Denis, seeing Jack is not really hurt, though still fondling his own crotch, says, "I guess Jose knows how to defend himself?" "Yeah," Jose explains, "after being with Harry, in the closet, Jack has been showing me some moves to protect myself. You should learn them too, Denis." "Might come in handy. Sure. Why not." "Show Denis, Jack." "Oh no. My balls taking one beating, is enough for one day!" Jose led off the giggling, both seeing Jack smiling, a sign he didn't suffer any real damage. "Still, I'd like to learn self-defense sometime," Denis tells him. "You never know." "Maybe later," Jack tells them. "I have to get busy," driving the point home, "doing the rest of Jose's `chores'!" After Jack leaves, Jose says, "It was real cool having Jack show me stuff. He's got a cool set up in his basement." "You went to his house?" "Yup. He lives with his mom and dad... takes care of them. Anyway, he showed me how to use his exercise machines. He's got an awesome chest and hot six pack." "He showed you?" "Sure. I asked him. He didn't mind taking his shirt off to show me. He has nice arms, too," Jose said. Flexing his puny arms, he imitates, "and big bulging biceps." They ate their breakfast, Jose sitting at the foot of the bed, Denis across from him. "What else did Jack show you?" "I guess I can tell you, if you promise not to tell anybody else?" Jose asked. "Sure. Whatever it is, I can keep a secret." "When Jack was showing me stuff about self-defense, he only had his jock on." "Cool! Is he like... hung?" Denis immediately thought up. "Yeah, he's got big balls and it's funny. Jack felt he had to apologize to me for getting hard. He says he's into his balls." "Into his balls?" Denis questions, not sure where this is headed, but aching to find out. "Yup. Somethin', huh?" "I don't think I get what you mean, Jose. Want to clue me in?" "I didn't say anything a few minutes ago, but I know Jack wasn't feeling any pain when my knee caught him in the balls." "Come off it Jose. Jack was bending over, holding his crotch, moaning with pain." "I guess he had you fooled, didn't he?" "What do you mean fooled?" "It wasn't the first time I kicked Jack in the balls," Jose tells. "You mean, when he was showing you some self-defense tips you kicked him there, right?" "That too." "Huh?" Denis asked, perplexed. Taking in a deep breath of air, Jose says, "Okay, here goes.... What I mean is, Jack `likes' to get hit in the balls." "Likes it? To get hit in the balls?" "And other stuff," Jose replies. "Like what other stuff?" "He calls it kinky stuff. He showed me. He took off the jock strap, spread his legs and put some clothespins on his balls." "And he liked it?" Denis asks, a look on his face as if seeing something disgusting. "Yup. After he put more clothespins on his balls, he jerked off. You should see the cum!" "You're shittin' me?" "Nope. It's something I never even thought about," Jose admitted. "Me neither," Denis confesses. After thinking about it a minute, he asks, "So, do you mean to tell me, when you kicked Jack in the balls, he was liking it?" "That's what I was trying to tell you. In fact, it's how I learned how to do that particular self-dense move. Jack had me practice on him." "He let you kick him in the balls?" "Yup, but not real hard. Well, not on purpose, at least. My heel did accidentally hit him hard in the balls once." "He must've caved in," Denis says. "Yeah, but he got over it real quick." "So, you felt alright kicking him in the balls?" "Believe me, at first I refused, but he assured me I couldn't hurt him. After a couple of times, I was convinced I wasn't hurting Jack. He started moaning like two guys in heat, plus he stroked his cock. Pre cum was oozing out of it, as if he was enjoying something sexual." "Unreal!" Denis exclaimed. "Jack says he's not the only guy into having his balls played with. He says other guys like to have other stuff done to their balls that cause a lot more pain. Jack says he's a novice at it, but hopes to build up to where he can take more." "I guess you can't put a guy down for doing what turns him on." "It's good you can be open to it, Denis. I had a tough time when Jack first mentioned it, but I'm cool with it now too." "Did Jack let you use his exercise machines?" "Oh sure. Jack said I had nice pecs and a taut stomach, but if I really wanted to grab a guy's attention I should think about bulking up." "And?" "I told him I'd think about it. He said I had `cart blonch' to use his equipment, whatever that means, but by the way he said it, it's like I could use it anytime. Darryl says he has a nice exercise set up in his basement, too." "That's cool. So have you seen it? Worked out with him?" Denis asks. "Nope." "Why not?" Denis questions. "He said when I turn eighteen he'd have me over. He said something about having a minor in his house and that it wouldn't look good, being on the police force and all." "Why not, if he's being a big brother to you? It's not like anything is going to `happen'," Denis said, as if to punctuate a sexual matter. "I figured so, but I trust Darryl, so just let it go. It doesn't matter. I can always take Jack up on his offer. Look, Denis, I have to get back to my room. Dr. Itagaki is supposed to examine me. Have you seen him? He's about your height." "Really?" Then, as if Jose intended Denis to lead him on, he asks, "Anything else I should know about him?" "He told me I could call him Tom." "How old is this doc-dude?" "Well, Jack found out he's twenty-eight," Jose says. "Jack, huh? He's got the hots for him?" Denis asks, wiggling his eyebrows. "Not Jack's type, at least that's what Jack tells me, but he says Tom is going to make some guy a nice catch someday." "How does Jack even know Tom is gay?" "Believe me when I tell you... Jack `knows'!" Jose said, smiling. Crossing his arms over his chest, Denis says, "I hope Jack really meant it when he said he wanted to show me some self-defense moves. He sounds like a nice friend to have." "He is. Jack is always looking out for me around here, making sure I get enough to eat.. stuff like that. Once I told him I go home to an empty house. So, he's invited me to stay at his place whenever I feel like it. He said his folks would love having another son around the house." "Cool! Have you?" "A few times. It's cool too, because I sleep in a second bed, in Jack's room. He has all this jock stuff hanging out, like a football, posters of cool athletes and an authentic basketball hoop hanging on the back of his door." Then, in a more risque tone, Jose clues Denis in, "Plus, I get to see Jack when he's coming and going to the shower or changing his clothes. I hope I have a bod like his when I get older." "I hope I have balls like his!" Denis exclaims, the two laughing it off. "Yours aren't exactly acorns," Jose jokes. After he said it, Jose wasn't sure if that was the context Denis meant, regarding the sensitivity of a guy's balls. "Okay if I come in?" Being the attention-grabber, Mark stood there as both Jose and Denis looked at him. Moving towards the two, getting up out of their chairs, Mark hugged Denis, leaving it to handing Jose a red box of chocolates. To Denis, he extended a hand, clutching a plastic shopping bag. "Here, I thought you might like this." Taking it, Denis opened the top, putting on a smile, saying, "My football... cool!" Like a pro, Denis tossed it up in the air and caught it. Even though his football career only carried over his freshman and sophomore years, he was a pro at tossing it up in the air and catching it, without missing a single time. When Mark turned around, Jose was already into the box of chocolates, his mouth twisting and turning in odd fashion, as he tried chewing up a caramel. "Hey, bro?" Denis called out. Mark, who slung his head over his shoulder, pointing towards Denis, asks, "What's up?" Denis replies, shrugging his shoulders, "I know about you and Jose, so if you want to hug or kiss or somethin', it's okay." "Kiss that?" Mark joked, pointing to Jose, who smiled, his teeth covered in two shades of brown. Before the joke could be carried any further, a knock came to the door, along with a tall dude admitting himself. "Hey, Denis, alright if I come in for a quick visit?" "Hi Tony," Mark beat Denis to greeting the Italian swimmer, who traded off grabbing up right hands, tightly hugging their arms between them, pinned to their chests. However, when it was Denis' turn, he offered his hand, only to have it swept aside, Tony giving Denis a bear hug. Before Denis could breathe, Tony's lips glided past his cheek, lips making contact. Breaking, Tony asks, "How you making out? Ready to get out of this prison?" "Anytime," Denis replied, even though he knew the doctors would have plenty of `red tape' to keep him there. "Hey, I got an idea," Tony said, spying the football on the chair. "Wanna play some football?" One massive hand picked up the pigskin oval, Tony taking steps back. "Go out for a play," he directed at Denis. Running towards the far side of the two-bedded room, Denis prepares himself for the catch, throwing himself on the extra hospital bed, as he jumped for it. "Awesome!" Tony yelled out. Denis smiled a toothy grin, like he hadn't done in a while. "Now your turn," he shouted across the room. "Oops!" Both said when the football impacted with the plastic pitcher of water. "No sweat," Jose said, squatting down to pick it up. % Copyright 2007 T. Chase McPhee This story may not be sold, nor made part of any collection, without prior consent from the author.