Spring Break 16

This is a fictional story of loving between friends, young and old. If you don't like friendship, don't read it. If you don't like love, I'm sorry for you. If you are not old enough to legally read this, find your friend and have him read it to you.

Namaste!

Stocking Stuffer - Spring Break Part 16

Steph grabbed me round the neck and kissed me and nuzzled into my cheek.

I saw Scotty was in Gene's arms too and seeing the odd man out, I motioned WKE and he came over beside my chair and Steph automatically pulled him in and shared with him our embrace.

We hugged and nuzzled and just sat a while and then Stephy's unfed tapeworm gave a little growl. He started giggling and soon everyone was laughing, Mikey through his tears.

WKE broke and brought Steph an apple danish and watched in fascination as the nose appraised it first and finding it good, the mouth sucked it down. Steph hopped up himself to get another.

Before we could start much more planning for the day, WKE cleared his throat and seemed to magically fan out a stack of brightly colored cards in his hand for us to see. "I have managed to obtain, at great risk to life and limb I must add, these Invitations to the Knightly Joust today at Medieval Times!" all three little ones were at his side and trying hard to see what caused this so official tone. "We must return here by 2 and take care of naps and cleaning-up," he gave a grin, the boy's protested they were way too old for NAPS! And he continued, "The King has asked the pleasure of our company at his feast and we must not make him wait, the car will pick us up at 5!"

He was mobbed with questions, "What's a joust?" "What King?" "I DON'T take NAPS!" but the master showman seemed to make his cards just disappear and wouldn't say another word. Looking at us, the boy's tried their questions once again, but Brian, Gene and I just shrugged our incomprehension. Turning to Tommy, the info-maniacs attacked and chased him fairly bleeding from the room. I heard him shouting, "Knights and Armor, Horses, Swords, Camelot!" as he tried to resist the fact that every answer caused three more questions.

Finally the boys all drifted back to the balcony dressed and ready for another day in Paradise.

I started with, "Okay, let me guess, Splash..."

"Mountain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" they cried and licked their thumbs and hooked their pinkies and shouted "Jinx!"

Everyone else just groaned!

Our exit from the suite and to the monorail stop was no less whirling dervish for the boys or still of hand than ever before. It seemed the pent up energy must be held in the very water molecules of their beings and each of those eight oxygen electrons and the two lonely hydrogen mates were spinning round those nuclei at some fearful and alarming rate. No wonder they could eat so much. I'd have to walk an hour to burn 500 calories, just standing "still" they must have burned a thousand a minute. No wonder I hardly needed a blanket anymore at night. The collisions of those molecules just lying there were like a nuclear inferno; I would gladly sacrifice myself to death by Stephy radiation!

Steph grabbed Mikey's hand as we got off the monorail and boldly marched right up to a uniformed park attendant at the gate. I heard him proudly say, "Hi, I'm Steph and this is Mikey! We're going to Splash Mountain!" The surprised attendant smiled and laughed back, "Well Steph and Mikey, have a blast!" and watched them follow us inside. Mikey was a little ashen faced, but Steph had decided on the battle plan, the kid was toast!

I've never noticed how many uniforms there are out there in a big and crowded world like Main Street USA. Stephy didn't miss a one. Mikey was paraded before a sweeping custodian, a doorman, a Marine visiting with his own kids, a security guard and at least two policemen before we had made it half way down the street. Brian was at first worried, then practically laughing his head off as he watched Steph spot another one and drag Mikey off again.

"I've heard of total language and certain aversion therapies," Brian laughed, "but who would have ever thought of cop immersion! Steph's going to have him enlisted before the day's done!"

We watched them meet a Sailor and a Soldier, two more Marines, some kind of fancy braided officer and a half a dozen more security guards and police before we got around to the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade. Scotty had been left behind in all this Steph and Mikey authority greeting, and as we passed the Arcade I watched him shiftily looking everywhere. Not finding whatever it was he feared, he relaxed and watched as Steph pulled Mikey to another guard. This time I heard Steph announce, "Hi, we saw you yesterday here didn't we?"

The surprised guard replied, "Yes, this is where I work."

Then Steph shoved Mikey out in front and poked him. Mikey looked up at the guard and then down at his feet and mumbled the now familiar mantra, "Hi, I'm Mikey, this is Steph, we're going to Splash Mountain."

"Well you boys have fun," the guard said and actually reached out and tousled Mikey's hair.

As the boys turned back to us, I heard Steph tell him, "See they won't take you. They like you! They know you didn't do anything wrong!" Then approaching us, he grabbed his crotch and gave me a pained look, "Nick I have to go the bathroom!"

"Me too"

"And me!" from Scotty and Mike. Steph grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the restroom.

As we entered the boys were holding hands and looked at the row of urinals and then the stalls, Steph led them all towards the last big handicapped accessible stall and peeking in, he basically shoved the other two in and pulled me in behind. I knew these boys had bathrooms like this at school, but the intimidation of hundreds of people and a strange environment I guess made them feel a little safer in the big stall. They weren't inhibited by each other though and soon they were all poking elbows at each other and giggling moons at me as they all crowded around the commode and together took their pee.

Back on the path to Splash Mountain and they were the laughing, crazy boys of yesterday morning. Tommy and WKE were part of THEM today. They Raced from the bottom of the ride back again in line. No grownups required, thank you very much! Thank god there weren't a million people, it took about a half hour for each round trip and they did it three times.

The last ride they came flying over to us and grinning jumped into their famous hugs. "Space Mountain!" Scotty intoned and Steph and Mikey shook their heads in agreement.

Brian groaned at the thought of completely traversing the park, but what can one do. We followed our Duke of York and he marched us down and up again. Strangely the greeting of the guard and the bathroom break were repeated as we walked past the Shootin' Arcade again. Then on to Space Mountain and a boy and grown-up first ride. They were so kind to us! But then a mad dash with Tommy back in line and they did one on their own. This time they even left WKE in their wake.

When they were done we were smothered again in hugs and Mikey shouted, "Splash Mountain!"

I groaned this time, but once again, who were we to deny!

Again the stop and talk to "our" special guard, who knew their names unbidden and a brief refreshing pause in "our" handicapped stall. I was beginning to think these kids were imprinting on the pattern! Geesh what would we do next week?!

One more trip on Splash Mountain and then the operative word was LUNCH! We wandered to an eatery and splurged again on burgers and fries. Then the looks on the faces told me to get ready to walk! We were headed again to Space Mountain!

One more visit to our guard: I realized Scotty was never there. I looked and say him hugging tight to Gene, then he was with us in the bathroom and all was giggles and wiggling butts and flashing cheeks above their pulled down shorts.

On to Space Mountain and after the second time around the boys had seemed to have their fill. Each was hanging on their man and we couldn't even interest them in the Buzz Lightyear Spin. Yeah, sure, those boys didn't ever take a NAP! They were completely zapped. I think we carried them from the monorail to the suites, thank goodness WKE could get Tommy awake somehow. He was shocked again, but we just threw them all on WKE's bed and left him in the lurch. I think we all napped a couple of hours too!

I woke to silence in the suite and couldn't face the din. I grabbed a couple of fists of beer and headed out across the hall. Sure enough Gene and Brian were on the balcony, but poor WKE was being pillaged, I could hear the splashing laughing exuberance from the shower stall.

Handing beer around I was greeted with two smiles and then Brian chortled, "They have been in there almost a full half hour!"

"My God!" I said amazed. "I wonder if he'll ever trust us to leave him alone with them again."

"I wonder if he'll ever sing tenor again!" Gene theorized.

Soon three laughing, prancing, dripping boys were draping themselves across our laps, I noticed no sign of WKE or Tommy, in fact I noticed the shower did not go off.

Stephy whispered in my ear, "He's nice and Tommy really likes him, but you make me go better Nick!" and he sealed it with a kiss. I could not imagine a secret compliment that ever touched me so.

Eventually young Tommy and WKE came out and joined our group. WKE looked dazed, almost, I imagined, a shell shocked look, but Tommy was on fire. You could see his eyes were burning and his mind was aflame with love. He had the virile look of lust and sex about him too. His shirt was clear pale green and pressed as though the creases were meant to cut. His chinos made him seem another inch or two taller than before, but the fire in his soft green eyes told us he had found his man and even if the room service waiter looked, you could tell Tommy wouldn't give a damn, he could only see WKE.

WKE was dressed well too, but I had a little suspicion that the boy had dressed the man. I think Tommy could have lead him right across the balcony rail and into a falling oblivion. He would have gladly gone where ever his boy god said.

Taking charge I ordered the boys to get their magic pants and pick a shirt, we had damsels in distress to save and minstrel music to which we would hearken, and Yes! I think there will be sword fighting!

The poor floor tiles, if they weren't unglued by the many frictioned tennis shoed feet it was a miracle of science.

Arriving at the lobby, Steph was not done with Mikey. He pushed him at the gaudily uniformed doorman and then when our long sleek limousine arrived he poked him at the driver too.

Mikey knew his part, "Hi, we're going to save the princess and eat with Knights and Kings," he happily told these strangers.

The driver was magnificent. He bent slightly forward and with an exaggerated wink to us and in a loud whisper he told Mikey, "The food is good young squire, the ale flows by the flagon. The fighting's hard and bloody, but watch out for the DRAGON!!!!!!!"

I thought Mikey's eyes would pop out they got so big!

I didn't need to worry about a window cleaning bill, the boys were huddled in an intense debate concerning dragons the whole ride. Oh Harry Potter! You've done so much for dragon kind, they even knew the names of a species or two and intensely debated if they could make friends or if they'd need to hide.

Tommy and WKE were not among the boys, nor were they with the men. They sat in raptured silence holding hands. Brian poked Gene and me and rolled his eyes.

We piled out of the car and the boys were struck completely dumb. It was a castle right in front of them. Not a frilly Cinderella Castle built by someone named Ludwig, but a real He-Man Castle with a drawbridge and a moat designed by someone with a name like Angus. There were big flaming wall sconces and huge chains to lift the bridge, and coming from the moat below the sounds of alligators thrashing and growling in the pit.

Their eyes were glued straight up as we pushed them past the portcullis gate and into a dark forbidding hall. The silent suits of armor and displays of lance and pikes were guaranteed to fire the imagination of a prepubescent crowd. We made them search their magic pants and in amazement each found their admittance document. Tommy found two and was shocked to find this pair of pants seemed to work. Proffering the sacred tickets, we were led right through the stables. Yes, these were real live horses, we were really walking on the stable straw. My smelly boy's eyes were opened wide: that was certainly real horse shit!

Then out into the arena, we were lead to our private booth. It was just like in the movies, I looked around for Arthur, I'm sure he would have been at home. The evening was a glorious celebration of imagination and fantasy. Knights rode horses not ten feet away, the minstrels sang, the damsels waved their flowing scarves. I expected to hear the strains of Queen and We Will Rock You any moment. The King made a grand trumpeted entry and the food was not half bad. I'm glad I got to see this night through the eyes of Steph and Scott and Mike. I'm sure I would have found it hokey any other way. But here with our three magic boys, Camelot seemed a clear and present possibility.

Even Tommy and WKE came up for air during the jousting match, and when Merlin did show up, it was right at our table, amongst the boys. He graced us with some basic magic tricks, a little slight of hand and then just when we thought he was done and moving on somehow the Dragon appeared on our table amidst a flash of light and a swirling wisp of smoke. It was so amazing, Merlin talked to it a bit in some strange dragon-tongue and it looked full on each boy both big and small as he introduced them by name. Then it winked at them and vanished. I have no clue how they did it, or how they knew the names, but I had an idea our driver had just tripled up his tip!

We couldn't make it out of course without wandering through the hall of petty merchants. Each boy found enough in magic pockets to buy one thing their heart demanded. WKE and Tommy ended at the silversmith, I saw them choosing bracelets. Scotty bought a tiny dragon, Mikey bought a sword. I don't know what I expected, but Stephy stopped at Merlin's table and bought a book of spells. I thought of buying the anti-spells, but realized I trusted him and didn't need to worry.

If Valdemont had died a hundred times between the theater and the restaurant early on that dog filled day, then tonight the bad knights died a thousand hideous deaths by sword and magic and dragon. The boy and dragon secret special alliance seemed to energize them all; the amazing power of a wink!

All three men tipped the driver.

Everyone else headed for the suites, but I stopped in the little grocery gift shop and found what I was looking for. Arriving in the room, I called "Hot Chocolate!" and soon had seven takers, sniffing and sighing and settling down from mortal combat.

Brian and I together managed to steer Tommy and WKE into their room. Then each man was carrying his own sleepy boy and each was off to their own beds.

I slept the sleep of the righteous, or at least the exhausted. But once again I heard the voices, "Three days and he's there everyday. We have to stop him!" "We will, we'll stop him, it's okay, don't worry, go to sleep."

I woke to giggles and wiggles and found my bed once more full of boys. This time they had preceded me awake and seemed to be pouring over my face and chest with the searching tiny spiders of their fingers. I peeked one eye barely open and saw they were not yet aware that I was awake. So putting on my best dragon imitation I rose up from the seeming dead agrowl with grasping arms. I had a screaming mass of writhing flesh to tickle and torment. I was most surprised to find the largest treasure in my new found horde was Tommy just as laughing, giggling, naked and screaming as the rest.

Giving them a little pause to catch their breath, I heard Brian from the living room, "Yep, sounds like they're awake!"

"I don't know how he does it. Scotty never, ever was away from me, yet two nights in a row and old Pied Piper there calls them in his sleep!" Gene replied.

I'll show him OLD Pied Piper I vowed. Then WKE's voice clearly awed, "But all four? And all night? I can hardly survive a single shower!"

Grabbing more handfuls of wiggle worms I roared, "Begone boys! I have GOT TO PEE!" and they fled screaming hysterically from the room.

I made my way from bath to coffee as if my adult dignity was intact and that none had heard our screaming fun commotion. Gene handed me a ready cup and as I walked out to the balcony I was greeted by the sun of sky and four perfect moons draped upon the railing smiling back at me. Tommy's sure was cute standing a foot above the rest, but I'd swear my Steph outshone them all, of course Gene probably thought Scotty best. Well never mind, I just sat to enjoy the fabulous view.

They must have sensed our presence, and completely unaffected they turned and faced our chairs. Steph came gliding across into my arms, but the others stayed swathed across the rail, a garland of softest gold upon the hard black metal. Tommy was certainly a dream, his pubic hair a small tight patch the exact silver color of his head. A bright silver anklet setting off a gracious pointed foot. I'd never seen an older boy so sure of his place, so at ease with his body, but then that explained that fabulous emerald green almost thong. Stephy whispered, "Love you Nick."

I kissed his head and whispered too, "Love you back, Tiger."

WKE cleared his throat and started, "Nick?"

I groaned, now what?

"Nick, there was a mistake in the advertising of the signings for the book stores and what was supposed to be Friday and Saturday was publicized as today and tomorrow."

I turned to look at him and let him stew a moment.

"Now, don't be mad, it was an honest mistake. I thought we could go to the beach with the boys and then have a final day to ride Splash Mountain again on Saturday. Is that okay?"

I growled a little and turned to Steph, "Well what do you think? You ready for the sharks today?"

"Yeah!" he cried. "Scotty and Mikey and I practiced last Saturday, we'll be so fast they can never get us!"

"Okay WKE, just this once, but no ties until we get there."

"No ties at all Nick! Let's go in beachwear!"

"All right!" I agreed.

The day was a sun filled blast of an entirely different kind than the Magic Kingdom. The boys dressed for a multipurpose day in shorts and T's, Gene and Brian much the same. As we got to the hotel lobby, Mikey practically attacked our limo driver with his news that I was a famous author and going to sign some books, he was a fast swimmer and going to outrun the sharks and Stephy and Scotty were his friends and that we were all going to the beach! And to think this little one had hidden from this same man just a few days ago!

WKE directed the driver to take us to a beachwear shop and soon we were all decked out in the latest brightest prints. The little boys of course had found the dragon shirts. I didn't know they were such the rage, but they were soon in yellow, red, black and blue with writhing beasties and flame streaked shirttails and arms. They proudly shouted a not so secret boy and dragon alliance today. I settled for a more sedately bright flame red and white hibiscus. Gene and Brian found some fruity pineapple and papaya prints. Tommy and WKE found the Big Dogs and they were in deep blue with matching stately royal palms and the Big Dogs romping in the grass. I wondered if the vividly erect trees and grass rolling dogs were as Freudian as they seemed! Brian and I just looked at each other and grinned.

The signing was more typical than the boyfilled splurge on Sunday. There were a few lads with the adults, but mostly grandmas in this crowd sending love back North to grandsons. This was our first glimpse of the elderly side of Florida. The difference between a signing here and nearer home was these grandmas each bought multiple copies and some even had lists of grandsons names. In two hours I think I signed 150 books, not bad, but nothing like the frenzy in the gift shop.

The boys had gone with Gene and Brian and looked at books, then walked the little open air shopping plaza. When we were finished WKE seemed to be connected telepathically with Tommy because he led me from the bookstore directly to the ice cream store where all our boys were dribbling sweet chocolate and vanilla drips on chins and fingers. Perhaps he wasn't really connected with Tommy, it was just the boy in him sniffing out the ice cream. Anyway, I arrived just in time to pay! Oh Joy!

Our driver found our car and we headed for the beach.

It's about an hours drive from Orlando to the barrier island and Cocoa Beach, the boys were their usual poking and laughing and oohing and ahhing selves, I could see the window washing bill coming my way again. Then as the high rise strip came into view they were plastered more to the windows than each other. As if he knew the hearts and minds, or at least the stomachs, of our tribe, the driver pulled up in front of Coconuts On the Beach. The boy's were piling out and yelling and chasing each other around the parking lot as if they'd been bound and gagged for hours instead of just confined in a huge car for one. We let them blow off a little steam while Gene went in to arrange our table for nine, we had decided the driver was one of us today!

Tommy corralled the little ones and got them back in some semblance of order and we headed inside. You'd think these kids had never eaten out! Well, they actually hadn't much beyond Donatello's I guess. Surely a few months ago Steph had never been in a theme restaurant other than McDonald's and Mikey hadn't been anywhere else either it appeared. Coconuts isn't fancy or outrageous, just a popular beach side dinner and dance club. We were a little past lunch hour because of my signing, so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. As the boys stumbled by the fake palm trees and parrots and grass shack décor, we were lead out on the patio and they were suddenly, completely in love. The patio led directly onto the beach and there not 100 yards away a surf was crashing and the gulls were wheeling and crying.

Gene and the waiter had arranged a group of tables for us, but the boys were glued to the deck rail looking out at the ocean and the waves, pointing to the gulls and what surely must be sharks! We couldn't even get their attention to order drinks so I ordered a half a dozen each fish finger platters, chicken finger platters and fried shrimp platters as well as enough Coke to float a boat. When the food did arrive everyboy's nose led them to the table and in minutes food designed for 18 had disappeared.

As they finished there were rounds of going to the bathroom and exploring and soon I had beseeching cries from every side. Seems there is a Coconuts Parrot Bird Shirt that just had to be bought for everyone. These guys were so cute and so unskilled in the wiles of shopping with a parent that I gave in right away. I had witnessed much better performances by tikes over the years, but I guess this was almost the first time for our kids. As I brought the shirts back to the table, they surprised everyone by immediately shucking the shirts they already were wearing and soon everyone was parrot bedecked. The Coconuts manager was laughing and alternately teasing and praising the boys on their good taste in clothes, both the dragons and the parrots. Our wonderful driver had an armful of dragon and floral prints and was getting ready to take them to the car when the kids asked if they could go to the beach now? Looking at the manager to gain permission to launch our rockets off his deck, Brian got the okay and gave it to the boys. If the shucking of dragons had surprised everyone the sudden almost complete disrobing of the entire tribe was shocking. I know the cooks and back bartenders heard the commotion and came to watch. It was an amazing sight to see five boys from 8 to 24 simply strip in seconds down to those stunning tiny jewel like rainbow collection of speedos. WKE was even gracing a pair of black and gray ones today. Then with hollers of thanx, our missiles charged down onto the sand and directly into the surf. As I helped pick up the rest of the clothes our driver told me how lucky we were to have such well behaved and beautiful boys. He blushed as I told him he sure was right.

The remaining afternoon was waves and splashes and sand castles and sand races and finding the worlds best shells and suntan oil and coconut smells and swimming out into the waves and body surfing back towards shore and racing to the Coconuts Beach Cabana for soda and beer and Eskimo Pies and tag with other boys among the running break and chasing sand crabs and feeding hamburger buns from some where to the gulls and more suntan oil and lying still for two whole minutes to work on someone's tan and laughing and smiling and shouting and yelling and running and walking and skipping and hugging all followed of course by more waves and splashing.

When I finally called them all out of the surf near seven PM, the Coconuts manager was at my side and telling me our table was ready and the drinks were poured and the special dinner selections would be served within the next half hour! I looked at him amazed and looked at WKE, but it was our driver blushing on the beach in his new parrot shirt. He'd had a ball all afternoon just trying to keep up with a tenth of what our kids had done. We walked a happy laughing group back to our table on the deck, all our boys jewels of sparkling beauty among the other evening dinner guests. I watched as the boys including WKE and Tommy barely managed to hold their bodies in a chair. They'd sit on feet, then be more or less kneeling in the chair, then almost draped across its back while talking to their mates, then stretching out and up and down and around and in and out. I wondered how their teachers ever kept them in their seats. Perhaps they didn't try: why cage a sunbeam dancing in the air?

The chef had outdone himself when three huge platters of divine coconut crusted mahi-mahi, fried shrimp and crab cakes hit the tables. We served ourselves family style and the rapturous sounds of delighted boy eating scrumptious food may have boosted sales at every table ten percent. As the sun went down and it cooled a little our driver was quickly ready with parrot shirts and everyboy was Polly Proud by desert.

As we headed back to the hotel, the boys were asleep in one huge pile on Tommy and WKE in minutes. I think I was asleep against Gene's shoulder thirty seconds behind.

Beach kids at www.81x.com/nicholas693/edgar

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Namaste!