Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2014 20:34:29 -0400 From: Eff Del Subject: Flights of Angels-Chapter 9 Flights of Angels-Chapter 9 By Eff Del Never believe those who try to tell you that love hurts. It is Fear that hurts, anger hurts. Loneliness is an aching. Grief is an agony. Jealousy is a burning canker. Love is healing. It is a soothing balm that can of itself restore and cleanse. Love is the antithesis of pain. Those who tell you otherwise are fools or loveless liars. Love is the cure; it is never the cause of hurting. I turned the heavy cut crystal tumbler around in my hands; staring at it absently. I watched the light play against its faceted surface. As it passed through the glass and the golden liquid it contained, complex white and amber patterns danced crazily over the surface of my desk. While my eyes were involved in this distraction, my mind was busily reviewing the events of the past few days. The afternoon at the gun range had been wonderful. In a remarkably short time, Andy had worked his usual sorcery with Jack and Chris. Through osmosis or some personal magic, the ancient Welshman had imparted to the two novices the knowledge and the skill required to handle a shotgun with confidence and accuracy. While the speed and success of his instructions might appear miraculous to a stranger, it was simply typical Andy. We were all able to shoot several rotations in friendly competition with no one feeling incompetent or grossly unqualified. After we'd each destroyed our fair share of clay pigeons, Andy and Doc Swaim had begun another marathon shot for shot competition. These remarkable contests had been taking place between the two of them since the Professor's first visit to Joyous Gaurde all those many years ago. They took turns calling out and firing almost robotically as Sean manned the button on the target launcher. With no small regret, I'd finally brought this amazing demonstration of marksmanship to a halt after 300 clays had been launched and neither of the men had missed once. The Professor had kept Jack at Fish Camp for three more days gently drawing information about life in the NEST from the boy. These interrogations were liberally interspersed with long periods of diversion; particularly fishing. Sean had stayed with them the whole time so that Jack was never lonely or apprehensive. During Sean's absence, my bed had not been empty. Chris had shared it and his wonderful body with me. These erotic and energetic interludes had been stimulating and renewing for both my body and my soul. It had been years since I'd enjoyed sober adult sex and longer than that since I'd participated in anything even resembling an affectionate adult relationship. Chris was now gone. He had left early in the morning two days ago; driving up north to put his affairs in order before returning to begin his new life as a key player in the 'Great Game'. I'd walked to the garage with him and must have seemed like a fussy old Nana. I kept nagging; making certain he thought he had enough money. Smiling indulgently he assured me Phil had given him a significant cash advance and then reminded me that he also now carried three credit cards issued by separate individual companies within our network. He'd politely responded to my questions regarding his plans for the drive by reminding me that I'd assisted him in plotting the route and making the hotel reservations. He'd further pointed out that the black Lexus LX I was having him drive, had less than five thousand miles on it and was equipped with a high end navigation system. At my suggestion, he and Richard had gotten together and they had selected and ordered the furniture for his apartment. His original choices were far too Spartan and low end in my opinion and I'd insisted that he indulge in more pieces and of far better quality. It had actually taken some coaxing but he had finally agreed. Richard had assured him that he himself would oversee the delivery and placement of all the pieces. The apartment would be in move-in condition for him upon his return to the estate. It would of course, be up to him to personalize it and make it his home. Before opening the door to the shiny SUV, Chris had drawn me into tight hug. He gazed fiercely at me, his hazel eyes moist with unshed tears. His handsome face bore a weak half smile as he spoke in a quiet voice; assuring me that he would be back in two weeks. We had already spent many hours discussing our already confusing and potentially complicated relationship. Our best conclusion thus far, had been the simple realization that we shared deepening affection for each other. For now at least, that was sufficient. Everything else would work itself out through time and circumstances. We'd kissed discreetly and he'd climbed into the car and disappeared down the long winding drive towards the gatehouse. I was walking across the parking lot feeling more than a little melancholy, when the 'Red Kitty' wheeled in from the path through the woods. Sean skilfully parked his cart and the pair of them jumped out with waving arms and raucous calls of greeting. I was soon tackled and embraced by both exuberant, beautiful boys. Amid hello kisses and happy hugs, I received assurances from each of them that the 'project' was over and that the Professor had given them the day off. Jack's day of testing in the library was scheduled for the next day. Thanks to assurances from Sean, and reinforcement from me, he was far less apprehensive of the ordeal than Sean had been. He was still concerned of course, and in my own mind that was a healthy attitude. I suggested they take their overnight bags upstairs and after unpacking, meet me in the pool. I did not have to make the suggestion twice and in what seemed like mere minutes we were all three naked and wet. An hour or so later, they had slaughtered me 10 to 4 in a game of two on one water polo. As gracefully as possible, I declined a rematch. Martha smiled all through lunch and dinner. Apparently the addition of another boy to the 'family table' was more than just alright with her; it was perfect and she was beside herself with happiness.. She and Jack had hit it off from the very start. It was almost comical to watch her cluck and fuss over her two 'little darlin's'. I noted with approval that Jack loved every second of her adoring attention as much as Sean did. Of course, neither of them remembered their mothers or grandmothers but in Martha, they certainly had an exquisite surrogate. Their shared bond and deep affection was instinctive. That evening, at Sean's suggestion, we had given Jack his first bath. Like Sean, the young red head only remembered showers. Having grown up in the collective environment of the NEST, any actual baths would have been experienced during infancy and were therefore forgotten. After allowing him the sybaritic pleasure of his first solitary hot soak for as long as we could stand it, Sean and I had given into temptation and joined him in the steaming, bubbling water. The three of us laughed and giggled as we played 'grab ass' splashing like small children in the big tub. I'd mused humorously to myself, that I might be becoming addicted to the feel of sleek wet boy flesh. Nothing had been mentioned regarding sleeping arrangements but I was not very surprised when two freshly dried but still naked boys followed me from the bathroom directly into my bedroom. Without a word, they crawled onto my bed smiling at me. I decided that future night time plans could be discussed later but for tonight, I simply climbed in with them and accepted the tactile pleasure as their warm smooth skin wiggled up against mine. After about half an hour of shared kisses and hugs, we had fallen asleep in a tangle of arms and legs. Sean and I walked Jack down the hall to the library the next morning. Despite assurances from both of us, the older boy was pensive and his face was as serious as I'd ever seen it. Doc Swaim met us at the door and with an encouraging smile at Jack and a friendly ruffling of his ginger hair, he escorted the boy into the room; leaving us outside in the hall. While Jack was behind closed doors undergoing his testing, Sean and I enjoyed what was suddenly becoming a rare event...a day spent together; just the two of us. As an initial diversion, we'd played a couple of games of 8 Ball in the game room. Under John's gentle tutelage, Sean was becoming quite accomplished for a 12 year old. It was fun to play against him even though the flow of the game was somewhat stilted by the fact that he needed to move his step stool almost every time it was his turn to take a shot. He was not yet so skilled that I couldn't beat him with relative ease, but I tried to make things seem more competitive without making it obvious. I also suspected that it would not be too long before the boy's abilities improved so much as to made such subterfuge unnecessary. The pleasure he derived from the game was apparent with every movement of his graceful body and every happy expression on his face. For the ten thousandth time I drank him in with my eyes marveling at the fact that this wonderful boy managed to find joy in everything he did. Watching him was for me, far more enjoyable than the game itself. Driven by an unspoken desire to spend our day engaged in diverse shared activity, we'd eventually left the game room and strolled across the car park to the garage. Spotting John over by his workbench, we'd walked over to talk with him. After a lengthy pleasant conversation, we'd roared away in the 'red cat' just to enjoy the ride and each other's company. Eventually, we'd found ourselves laughing over burritos while sitting at a table in Cocina Alfredo. In a light hearted way, we were actually playing catch up with each other after what seemed like a long separation. We had become very comfortable with our almost constant togetherness. It felt like we had been apart from each other much longer than we actually had been. Though neither of us spoke the words, it was obvious that we missed the exclusivity of the relatively private lifestyle we'd enjoyed together for so long. In a way, it was almost as if our privileged relationship had suddenly been intruded upon. There was room in both of our lives and hearts for other people, but no one else could match the passionate love we felt for each other. Ours was the rarest and purest of all possible associations and nothing or no one could touch it or mar it. I knew that today, in our own way, we were each trying to assure the other that our bond was as strong and unique as it ever was. When we'd returned to the estate, we headed straight for the pool house, shucked off our clothes and had a wonderful afternoon in the pool. It occurred to me that the water had become an essential element in our relationship. If the world seemed confusing, busy or intrusive, we seemed to instinctively retreat to the comfort and safety that the water provided. We were always drawn to each other and nurtured there. Sean showed off his blossoming diving skills and I'd noted that even without Chris there to correct and coach him, the boy's entrances into the water at the termination of each dive were becoming more and more vertical and clean. Sean had the inherent ability to learn a thing quickly and, having once learned something, he required little effort to perfect it. This was a talent of mind and body that I never ceased to wonder at and admire. As I watched, I also thought wistfully, that competitive diving was really missing the boat by not requiring all divers to compete nude. The sight of Sean; clad only in sunlight, soaring with such skill and grace through the air was nothing short of stunning. Throughout the afternoon, seldom did more than fifteen minutes pass without my boy finding an excuse and opportunity to hug and kiss me. More often than not, these precious exchanges were wordless...silent save for the occasional cute little giggle. The weather was exceptionally beautiful that afternoon but even if it had been overcast, my day would have been illuminated by the brightness of his perpetual smile. Around three o'clock, a very relieved looking Jack turned the corner by the tall hedge. He spied us, and with a grin, he ran towards the pool. He was pulling his shorts down and awkwardly trying to step out of them without breaking stride. The result was a comical spectacle and it ended with him tumbling headfirst into the water with his shorts bunched around his ankles. He remained under water for what seemed like an extended period. When he broke the surface, he'd quickly tossed his shorts onto the deck and, he was wearing his light blue underpants on his head like a cap. His green eyes flashed and a silly grin was stretched across his face. Waggling his eyebrows, he duck- dived below the surface. The last thing to slide below the water was his wonderful round ass effectively mooning Sean and me. Our retaliation for this 'insult' was swift and involved a great deal of groping and grabbing in very private places. The three of us played in the pool for another couple of hours before it was time to shower, dress and make our way inside for supper. The Professor joined us for the meal and a great deal of good-natured taunting and teasing banter flew across the table. It was fun watching the big man acting silly because it was something that he seldom did. After dinner, he explained that Jack's testing had been very satisfactory. While he would need a couple of days to complete his full evaluation, he expected both boys in the classroom tomorrow to resume their educations which had been 'neglected for too many days now'. Sean and Jack exchanged glances upon hearing this announcement and their contrived expressions of forlorn dismay were so hysterical that I couldn't control my laughter. The boys bid the professor good night and headed up to get ready for bed. I knew without ever discussing it that I would once again be sharing my bed with both of them. This was a situation I was going to need to evaluate and address soon but right at the moment, it was certainly not an unpleasant prospect and I had a more urgent matter to attend to. Doc and I sat in the library, drinks in hand. He had packed up all of the equipment he'd used today. The room held no indication of the activities that had taken place earlier. After some small talk, we got down to business. Reaching into his worn leather portfolio, he handed me a brown binder and looked at me pointedly. "Ah the wonders of Email and the Internet Eric," he smiled. "I sent the raw interview recordings to my assistant Tess back at the University and she transcribed them for me. In the old days, she would still be waiting for my tapes to arrive in the mail. I've edited out my actual questions unless it was useful to indicate them in the text. This way, it reads like a continuous narrative from the boy." I successfully suppressed a giggle as I watched his black rimmed eyeglasses slide down to the tip of his nose. Without thought, he pushed them back up with two fingers before he continued speaking. "This makes for fascinating reading Eric. The boy was certainly forthcoming with his answers to all of my questions although, truth be told, once he got started on his story; he required little prodding or even direction from me. You'll find it a straightforward account of a happy and stimulating youth spent under a unique system of child-rearing that has much to be admired. I shall look forward to discussing it with you once you've read it and absorbed the content." With that, we had both drained our glasses. I'd walked him to the back door and then taken the elevator up to my 'bed 'o boys'. The next morning, I'd walked with them to the classroom in the south wing and then crossed the lawn to my study in the main part of the house. Jack was excited to be beginning his tutelage under the big mysterious Professor and Sean seemed thrilled to be sharing his 'private wizard' with his good friend. It was early, but I'd poured myself a drink anyway and now sat absent mindedly staring at the glass. I reached for the brown binder, whimsically wondering how I'd gotten myself so involved in this project. Short months ago, what went on behind the walls of the NEST, would have been among the last things I'd ever have been curious about. Despite my half resolve to delay doing so, I took a serious sip of the whisky in my glass and opened the cover. Settling back into the soft luxury of my new Scandinavian desk chair, I began to read. ******************************************************* "The Jack Interview" submitted by Richard Swaim, PHD My name is Jack. Most of the time, back at the NEST, they call me Rufus. I know my real name must be John or something like that, but nobody has ever called me John and if I had a last name when I was a baby, I don't remember ever hearing what it was. Anyway, we never use last names and mostly, we use the names we give each other. I know there are at least three other John's in my tier but only one is ever called John. The rest use their NEST names like mine's Rufus'. Some of the first stuff I remember are the "Underpants Ceremonies" because to us little kids, it was a big deal to welcome new ones up from being babies. You see, when someone living in the "Babies Section" of the nursery building was able to go a whole month using a potty and not having any accident and not even needing a diaper to sleep in, then he was told he was growing up and they moved him to 'Juniors Section' to live and sleep in his tier. A tier is the other kids in the same age group more or less. Anyway, I remember when the kids came into the Juniors for the first time, they all looked so confused and scared and cute so we were all trained to make a big fuss over them and cuddle them and tell them how proud we all were. That first night, we all sat in the mess hall just wearing our underpants and the new kid was sat up at the head of his table except he didn't have any real underpants just the training pants from the 'Babies section'. After dinner we'd all bang our spoons on the table which usually made the poor little kid scared but then, a couple of the oldest juniors would walk up to him and presented him with a bag full of his first pairs of underpants. We'd all cheer and make a big deal out of it while the kid stood up and took off his training pants and put on real underwear for the first time. The new kid would smile with pride and he never felt lonely or unwelcome with us. It was the first time he knew that everybody cared about what he did and he felt like he belonged. I don't remember my own "Underpants Ceremony" but I must have liked it a lot because I always enjoyed being part of them. I remember when Sean came up because it was just before I moved out of the Nursery Building and into the "Senior Building". Even then there was something special about Sean and he laughed through the whole thing. I never dreamed that someday I would be his 'Lead Senior' though. In the dorms, the different tiers slept in the same room, showered together and did sports together. Other than that, everyone in the Juniors did everything else together. The youngest kids mostly made up 'Mouse Tier' cause different kids came up at different ages. I guess kids just potty train when they're ready. The tiers didn't start by age until five years old and from then on, you moved up a tier on your birthday until you turned eight and then you moved out of the Nursery into another building with the big kids...the 'Seniors Building'. I don't actually remember all that much about life in the Nursery building except that I remember I was never afraid of anybody or anything. I know that what was happening is that we were learning to get along and respect each other and to be proud of each other and to help each other. You learned from an early age that when someone needed help with something no matter what his age was, you helped if you could. You also learned to expect the same help from others. It was simple. If you had a problem or a question, you could always go to one of the adult proctors; they were never very far away, but more often than not, they would refer you back to the other kids and so, pretty soon we learned to depend upon each other. Of course there were rules and sometimes the Proctors did have to intervene but when they did, it was always in a gentle and constructive way. Even when they did something, it was really so that we would sort of be forced to figure out the right thing to do. I can remember when I was about six years old, there was another kid in my tier; Peter and we just were not getting along for some reason. We fought and argued over every little thing and I know that it was getting to be disturbing for all the kids in the whole house. The older kids tried talking with us and trying to make us see the light but finally, they had to ask the Proctors to step in before we drove everybody crazy with our fighting. So Proctor Thomas called everybody together; all the kids in the Juniors and sat everyone in a group in the playground and he told everybody that since we couldn't seem to stop fighting, then me and Peter needed to spend some time in the 'Get-Along Shirt'. Now nobody knew what that meant because it had never happened to anyone living in the Juniors at that time so me and Peter were really nervous. Well, one of the other Proctors brought out this big blue sweatshirt. It looked huge but it must've just been an extra-large adult shirt except the sleeves had been sewn shorter to fit our little kid arms. Proctor Thomas had me and Peter stand side by side and he pulled the big blue shirt over us so that our heads were sticking out of the neck hole together. I put my left arm through the left sleeve and Peter put his right arm through the right sleeve and suddenly, we were like stuck together. If we wanted to go anywhere, we had to coordinate our steps, if we wanted to pick up anything or even drink or eat, we had to cooperate with our hands. Let me tell you, going to the bathroom was the WORST! When they told us we would have to sleep together like that, we got really upset but you know what? Being stuck together in that one big shirt taught us to get along and talk things over and by the end of the day, we told Proctor Thomas that we weren't mad at each other anymore. Funny thing is, it was the truth; not only had we learned to cooperate, Peter and I wound up being good friends. More importantly, from then on, whenever two kids were having trouble with each other, all anyone had to do was mention how maybe they needed to spend some time in the 'Get-Along Shirt' and they worked it out fast. The Proctors always did stuff like that; even when they were teaching you a lesson, in the end it wound up being something you could joke about. I've read in books and seen in movies that in other places it's not always that nice for kids when they make a mistake or they're not good at something. I wouldn't have liked growing up like that. None of us were ever really afraid of making a mistake or of trying something new; nobody ever yelled at you or made fun of you. We all laughed almost all of the time and when something made one of us sad, he had everybody; not just his tier to cheer him up and make him feel better. I think that's a nice way to be but then, it's the only way I really know. As long as I can remember, we were being read to. Reading was one of our favorite things and it wasn't just the Proctor who read to us, it was the older kids too. We started learning the alphabet and the sounds the letters made when we were about four and by the time a kid was five and in the 'Fives Tier' he could read at least simple books. By the end of the 'Fives Tier' the Proctors were helping the kids learn different things like Art, Music, Science and Math. By the time a kid entered the 'Sixes Tier', he could add and subtract simple numbers, read a book with chapters and most were beginning to play a musical instrument. I tried a bunch of different ones before I settled on the violin. I've been playing it now since I was five and a half and if I say so, I'm not bad. As I think you know, Sean chose the guitar when he was a 'Fiver' and he's pretty amazing at it now. It was the same way with sports. Even when a kid first came up and was a 'Mouse', he was subjected to athletics training in team and individual sports. Nobody ever got laughed at if they were no good at something. All that was ever expected was that you try. You got so much support and encouragement from all the other guys that you just naturally wanted to try your best. If you didn't understand how to do something, there were the other kids; especially the older kids to help you and show you. Of course there were also always the Proctors as well. It was always a case of trying to do your best and always knowing there were people there to help you excel as far as your body and your talent would allow you to. We were encouraged to enjoy our personal successes but at the same time, we learned to admire and encourage the success that others achieved. Of course everyone knew that some kids were considerably better at some things than the rest and we naturally admired those but, since we all tried so hard at excelling at everything, we were really a school full of champions and we knew that. It was especially obvious when we got a little older and we began competing against other schools and we found out how much better even our most average guys were comp aired to kids from the normal schools. That's what we called them by the way; the 'Normal Schools' but between ourselves, we called all those kids 'Normans'. By the time you got into the 'Sevens'...the seven year old tier, you knew that you were a 'Nester' and you pretty much were certain that 'Nesters' were better at everything than 'Normans'. The 'Sevens' were as high as you went in the Juniors. When you turned eight, you left the Nursery building and moved across the compound into the Senior building. This was a pretty nervous time because up until now, your friends who were a few months older than you only moved up a tier on their birthdays and you still got to see them and talk to them. Same way when you moved up on your birthday, you still got to see and talk to your younger friends even though you'd changed tiers. When you turned eight though, you left behind everything you'd known all of your life. You spent your birthday in the Nursery building with all of your friends and you even had a cake and a party. Everybody tried to be cheery and happy but you knew that the next morning, you would leave everyone and everything behind. Of course, we'd all seen boys from the Senior Building off and on and once a week they would even come over to our fields to help out with sports training but pretty much, they and their lives were a mystery to us 'Wee Ones". I remember how nervous I was the night of my eighth birthday. I lay on my bed and couldn't sleep a wink. It was probably the first time since I was a baby that I was really and truly afraid. It was the first time in my life that I would be doing something without the total support of all of my friends. I just laid there in the dark and I pulled my blanket up over my head because I didn't want the other kids to hear me crying. The next morning, as I had been instructed to do, I showered and dressed and walked down to the Proctors' room. I knocked on the door and a voice that didn't sound old enough to be a Proctor told me to come in. There were no Proctors in the large lounge just a bigger boy dressed in a red collared shirt and blue shorts. He looked so much older than me of course I know now that he was twelve years old. He smiled at me and it was such a friendly smile that I felt not so nervous any more. "Hello Jack." He said and he walked over and put an arm around my shoulder and led me to a table that I hadn't noticed when I'd entered. It was set up as a dining table for two. "My name is Taylor but you'll learn most of the guys call me Tip. You can call me whichever you choose. I'm your Lead Senior and you're my Follow Boy. I'm going to make sure everything goes right for you and you and me are going to be great friends OK?" Of course I had a million questions but Tip was so friendly and so encouraging that I just said; "OK". He indicated I should sit down and he sat down across from me. He raised the covers off the dishes on the table and we enjoyed a breakfast of eggs and bacon. As we ate, he explained that a 'Lead Senior" was the personal mentor for his "Follow Boy" and that his job was to make certain I got settled into the Senior Building and learned the ropes and wasn't afraid. I asked my questions and he cheerfully answered them all. When breakfast was over, we got up from the table and he handed me a package that contained a red shirt and blue shorts identical to those he was wearing. "Change out of those 'Wee One' clothes" he said indicating the tan shirt and shorts which I'd more or less worn all of my life as had all of the kids I'd ever known. "You're a big kid now Jack, you need to look like one." After I'd changed, Tip looked me over and rewarded me with a big smile. It made me feel safe and it made me feel good. I still love his smile. Tip walked across the room and opened the door to the outside. With a swing of his arm, he said; "Come on Jack, your whole life is waiting for you." Together we walked across the compound to the big building I'd never set foot in before. It was new and it was strange but now that I had Tip with me, I wasn't in the least bit afraid. ****************************************************** I let out a breath and laid the manuscript down on the desk. Just as Doc had indicated, this was turning out to be a fascinating document. I was having a very hard time thinking any negative thoughts about the NEST right now. Aside from being raised by loving parents, I couldn't imagine a much better way for a child to grow up; at least up until this point. I knew of course that the sinister aspect of life for boys raised in the Academy was yet to come in this narrative. My long empty crystal tumbler was sitting on the desk. I picked it up and turning to the credenza, I plopped in two ice cubes and filled it with single malt scotch. I took a slow contemplative slip and leaned back in my wonderful new Ekornes office chair. One of these had been obtained by either Walter or Phil when the big conference room had been furnished in the revised South Wing and I'd fallen so in love with its comfort and style that I'd gotten one for my study as well. While the soft leather embraced me, my mind replayed what I'd read so far. My thinking regarding the NEST was changing with every new bit of knowledge I obtained and I found myself confused and curious at the same time. I obviously need to continue reading but I was almost afraid of what I was going to learn. (to be continued) NEXT...we'll hear more of Jack's life growing up in the NEST especially about how he met Sean and how he began his "special" NEST training. Thank you to everyone for your wonderful emails! It is so heartening to hear from you and know that you're enjoying this little tale and of course I've been very interested in your suggestions and (as some of you can see) I've adopted some of your ideas. PLEASE keep the responses coming...they're the only reward a NIFTY writer gets for his work you know.