Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 13:21:12 -0700 From: Randall Austin Subject: What They Did To Julian - 10 What They Did to Julian Part Ten of Several Parts By Randall Austin This story is erotic fiction meant for mature readers and should only be read by adults over the age of eighteen years old. Please do not use my stories without my permission and please forward all comments to randallaustin2011@hotmail.com Randall Austin's Archive Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Randall_Austin_Stories Authors Comments: Please help us support Nifty and keep it a free site for all to enjoy. Please make a donation today. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html Thank you... Please Check Out My Nifty Prolific Author Story List: http://www.nifty.org/nifty/prolific.html#randallaustin Arnold and Jack walked slowly out of the field. Arnold's arm was about Jack's shoulder as they walked. It was an arm that felt like the embrace of love to Jack. Jack was high enough to let out a quiet, "I really like you, Arnold." Arnold responded just as quietly, "I like you too, Jack." As Arnold accompanied Jack back to the Baldwin/Fletcher Park Hotel, Jack asked, "Can I ask you something, Arnold?" "Sure, go ahead, ask anything you like?" They continued walking and Jack did not ask his question. Arnold looked at Jack quizzically. Jack finally responded to Arnold's questioning look, "What did you do to Julian?" Arnold kept his arm about Jack as they continued walking slowly, "What do you mean, Jack?" "What did you do to Julian to make him the way he now is?" Arnold was not quick to respond, so Jack repeated his question with a new emphasis, "What did you, or your trainers, do to Julian to make him do what he's doing? He seemed happy to me. Just like all of the other guys out in the field who are pretty much just like Julian. What do you do to them to make them seem content to be serving out their terms of indenturement in such a way?" Arnold thought as the two walked slowly along. He did not answer as he thought how best to respond to Jack's question. When no answer was forthcoming, Jack asked more probingly, "What do you do to them to make them appear as if they are content doing the things they have to do? What did you do to their pride? How do you turn guys like me into zoo animals?" Arnold shook his head and stopped. He took his arm off of Jack's shoulder, faced him straight on, and spoke, "I want to show you something. I am going to take you to an area of the compound that is strictly off limits to the general public." Arnold led Jack into an area that was just at the end of the visitor's section of the theme park. There was a building that was partitioned off with a barrier of fancy steel latticework. Arnold led Jack behind the latticework, and from that vantage it was clear that the entrance to the building was protected with extra fortification. Arnold entered a code into the locking system, and opened the door. The door led to an entryway. There were several signs posted on the door giving warnings of various sorts, `Authorized Personnel Only', `Photography Strictly Forbidden', `On Entering Disengage Climate Strobe'. They entered the large building. Arnold turned on some lights, and entered data into a control panel mounted on the wall. When he finished he looked at Jack and saw that he was taking in the sights with his mouth open in an expression of horror. Jack felt such foreboding that he was suddenly afraid to be alone with Arnold. He shook his head back and forth and muttered, "Oh my gawd! It's all true the things they say! Get me out of here! Now!" Arnold reached a hand out to Jack, but Jack backed away. Arnold tried to calm him, "Calm down, Jack. Let me explain." Jack's voice was raised in fear, "There's nothing to explain. This is a torture chamber more terrifying than anything I could ever have imagined!" "And you think we use this room on our servitors?" "Well, yeah. Why else would it be here?" "It's here because it was a bad marketing decision made by my late father, Arthur Baldwin, in the initial design stages of our theme park." It appeared to Arnold that his statement lessened Jack's apprehension, and he continued, "My father was, believe it or not, actually very much an `anti-slaver'. So he decided that he would use slaves in his vision of the theme park, while at the same time attempting to show the world that there is a way to treat slaves in an enlightened and humane way. That was his vision and it remains the vision that my brother, Retch, and me, follow to this day." "My dad, in the early stages of planning, had the idea that he would show the contrast between his humane treatment of slaves with slave handling practices from the past, and thus decided to have an exhibit that showed the horrors of slave handling practices from the past." "But once the construction of the park was completed, and the marketing and advertising people were called in, they basically said to dad, regarding this exhibit, `What in the heck were you thinking?' This exhibit is only going to remind people that servitude, even under modern servitor husbandry models, is not exactly an ideal place to be." "Anyway, one of the marketing team members was friends with some Hollywood production people, and he alerted his friends at the studio that he had found, in this exhibit, a possible set for a film project that was underway." "The upshot is that this exhibit, this set, this room, has been used as a setting for a countless number of horror films since that first filming project, everything from high budget major studio productions, to low end porn. Basically the real estate here is paying for itself, and so dad, back then, decided not to convert it into some other exhibit. Since it still pays for itself, Retch and I continue to rent it out." Arnold noted Jack's complete relaxation and continued, "You did ask, however, what we did to Julian, how we train our servants to be the way they are. The details of how we train our servitors are trade secrets, but what you should note is the happy faces on all of the servitors out in the fields! They are not unhappy. In fact, they are all quite content." There was silence. Arnold slowly put his arm around Jack's shoulder in an effort to make sure that he was completely calmed down. After a bit he whispered, "You feel good." Jack smiled, wondering how he could ever have thought Arnold was some kind of monster. Arnold spoke, "I'll walk you back to the hotel, but I have to stop by the infirmary on the way." Arnold led Jack to a large modern building, with a well-manicured surrounding yard; they entered and took an elevator to the 2nd floor. They went to a door that secured the entrance to the theme park's hospital. There were signs outside the entrance, `Authorized Personnel Only', `All Photography Forbidden', `Emergency Entrance to left, Entrance 22'. Once they entered Arnold explained, "I check on the hospitalized boys every day." A female nurse greeted Arnold, and Arnold asked how everything was. The nurse reported that all four boys in the infirmary were doing very well, and that three of them would be ready to be released on the weekend. Arnold led Jack into the patients' ward, a large room with 14 cots. Reclining on the beds were four field boys, all were naked, two had erections, and all four of them were completely at ease when Arnold and Jack walked in. They all called out greetings to Arnold, and he did the same. Arnold introduced Jack to the infirm field boys, and explained the nature of their ailments; a sprained ankle, a case of tendonitis, a broken arm, and a bad cold. The nurse entered the room, and joined Arnold and Jack with some friendly banter with the field boys. Arnold, at one point, complimented the boys on their nice erections, and asked each of them when they last had sexual release. Because it was well over a week for all four of the boys, Arnold instructed the nurse on duty that all four boys were off `chastity guard' for the remainder of the day. As the boys whooped and thanked Arnold, Jack could only wonder all the more how the four field boys, all hot studs in their prime, could appear to be content living with enforced chastity, and be brought to a point where they were not only comfortable with their nudity, but with jutting erections on full display in front of everyone, including a female nurse. Jack had no answer to that question, but he was further convinced, from the way in that the field boys seemed to like Arnold, and the way in which Arnold relieved the boys of enforced chastity for the day, that Arnold was most likely a truly benign overseer. As Arnold and Jack exited the infirmary, they passed a security guard who greeted Arnold, and chatted briefly with him. Jack noticed that the security guard seemed to be looking him over as he chatted with Arnold. Arnold walked Jack back to the entrance of the visitor's hotel. As Jack was about to leave Arnold, Arnold spoke quietly, "I really liked spending time with you today." Jack smiled. So did his heart. *** Dunn Akers led the chastity caged Lloyd Reese into the training room for his late afternoon training session. Lloyd was naked except for a chastity cage. Dunn put a friendly arm around Lloyd, "Did you complete your journal entry, little guy?" Lloyd was by now not only used to being addressed by Dunn with familiar diminutives, but such terms of endearment had the effect of bonding him with his trainer, "I completed all of my assignments. Thank you, Mr. Akers, sir." Dunn looked Lloyd directly in the face, "You're making me very proud of you. You are making such wonderful progress." As Dunn continued to compliment the field slave in training, he unlocked and removed Lloyd's chastity cage. Lloyd's plump cock sprang into view. Dunn complimented Lloyd on his equipment, "Look at you! What a nice big boy you are. You are going to make so many people happy! What a special boy you are!" By this time in his training, Lloyd was happy to hear compliments, for it meant his trainer was happy with him, and it warmed him to hear such compliments. There was a knock on the door, and Dunn called out, "Come in!" A naked, tanned, field slave entered. Dunn signaled for him to approach, "Lloyd, this is Rod." Rod was meaty and handsome, and was adorned with a ring going through his right nipple. His cock was long and circumcised. Rod smiled at Lloyd and shook his hand, "Hi Lloyd. Mr. Akers has been telling me what a good boy you are. I am happy to meet you. And Mr. Akers was right, you are very handsome!" Rod gave a huge toothy smile. Dunn put an arm around both slaves, and addressed Lloyd, "Rod is here to help me make you happy. To help you feel good. Rod is your brother, just like all the field slaves are brothers, and he wants you to relax and be happy. You are Rod's brother, Lloyd. Look at him, so happy to see you. Why don't you two boys give each other a brotherly hug and show some real affection!" Rod was the one to act. He gave Lloyd a big smiling bear hug, and his ringed nipple pressed against Lloyd's chest. He rubbed his cheek against Lloyd's and spoke, "Hi, bro. Wow, you feel good to me. How do I feel to you?" Lloyd hugged back, but not with quite the same enthusiasm, and answered awkwardly with something he thought Mr. Akers wanted to hear, "You feel nice, too, Rod." Dunn could see that Lloyd was confused, but let the hugging of the two slaves go on for some time. He rolled a gurney to the center of the room, and nodded to Rod that the hugs could end. "Lloyd, I would like you to come over here and hop up on this gurney and lay on your side." Lloyd, always one to whimper and whine when uncertain, did his thing, "What are you going to do to me, Mr. Akers?" Dunn put a comforting hand on Lloyd's shoulder, "Now, now, you calm down big fella. Rod and I here just want to help you to relax and feel good all over." Dunn lubed up a small gauge comfort stop, and placed it up against Lloyd's asshole. He had Lloyd spread his legs so he could reach his balls, and gently tugged on the slave's balls as he slowly worked the comfort stop up Lloyd's hole, "That a boy! What a good boy you are. Let me get this all the way up inside of you." Lloyd's plump cock slowly started to erect as Dunn worked the stop up Lloyd's hole and as he gently tugged and manipulated the field slave's balls. Dunn was an expert at making big straight guys feel good. He knew how to work a straight boy's g-spot from both the inside with the comfort stop, and the outside, with a deft thumbing of the former footballer's perineum. Lloyd, having been chastity caged for days, did not object. When the first drop of precum appeared, Dunn spoke, "Now Lloyd, Rod is going to make you feel really good!" Rod bent over and slowly put his mouth over Lloyd's cock tip, before closing his lips. When he did close his lips and began a gentle sucking, Lloyd shuddered. Rod sucked slowly, and, as he had been instructed beforehand by Mr. Akers, was careful not to bring Lloyd initially to release. After a bit, Dunn gave a signal to Rod to stop the sucking action. By this time Rod was field-boy hard, and he placed his cock in front of Lloyd's face as Dunn spoke, "That felt good, didn't it Lloyd?" Lloyd answered, though embarrassed by his answer, "Yes sir, Mr. Akers, sir." "Rod made you feel real good just now. And now it would be good if you could make him feel good. Take a good look at his cock. See that beautiful mushroom shaped head. Open your lips into a nice `O' formation so that Rod can stick his cock slowly into your mouth." Lloyd winced. Rod put his cock to Lloyd's lips, but Lloyd didn't open them. Mr. Akers encouraged him, "Don't be afraid. If you let Rod put his cock in your mouth, Rod is going to continue to make you feel good. Remember, he's your brother now. You two are brothers, and it is the duty of brothers to serve one another, to make each other feel good." Dunn, continuing to work the comfort stop slowly in and out, while still slowly manipulating Lloyd's balls and perineum, was able to get Lloyd's cock purple-headed hard. "We want to make you feel good. Look at your big manly cock. It wants release Lloyd, and we are here to help you do that." Lloyd made an `O' with his lips, and Rod slowly inserted his cock, as Dunn instructed, "Now start to gently suck your brother." While Lloyd had a few tears of humiliation in his eyes, his shame was overridden by the intense feelings Mr. Akers was generating in his groin. Rod smiled, "Wow, it feels really good. Thank you, Lloyd. What a sweet brother you are!" Mr. Akers was successfully confusing Lloyd. Lloyd desperately needed love, encouragement, and good feelings in his life, and now he was getting them, but not in a way he could ever have imagined in his former, pre-indenturement, life. Rod slowly pulled his cock out of Lloyd's mouth and touched him on his face, "I love you, bro. I am so happy to have you for my brother." With that he went back down on Lloyd, and started a slow sucking as Mr. Akers continued with his perineum, ass, and ball, work. A smile broke out on Lloyd's face as he breathed heavily. He had never felt such a building orgasm. Rod, a master cock sucker, could read a guys body with the best of them, looked at and nodded to Dunn when he sensed that Lloyd was about to shoot. With Rod's signal, Dunn sped up the action of his work on Lloyd's perineum, and both Rod and Dunn knew they were successful when Lloyd started moaning over and over, "Ohh gawd, oooh gaaawd, oohhhh!" Rod happily swallowed the hot footballer's load, as Dunn slowly removed the comfort stop. Once Rod got every last drop out of Lloyd's prick, he helped Lloyd get into a sitting position on the gurney, and gave him a big embrace, "That was beautiful, bro. I really like you." Rod meant it, and Lloyd believed it. Lloyd was dazed at what he had just done, sucked a cock, and been sucked off by a guy, but he felt good feelings coming from a fellow slave and his trainer. Dunn thanked Rod for the excellent work, and as Rod exited he smiled at Lloyd, "I can hardly wait until you join us out in the field, Lloyd!" Lloyd waved at him with a smile. Dunn went up to Lloyd, and patted him on the head, "What a good boy you are." He had Lloyd stand up, "Come on little guy, it's time for a bath after all of that exertion! I want to get you nice and clean and introduce you to some more of your brothers!" If Lloyd once found being bathed and treated almost as if he were a child confusing, it could not compare with the confusion and conflict he was facing after just having had sex with a guy for the first time in his life, and being overwhelmed by Rod's and Dunn's expressions of what seemed to be genuine love. *** The first thing Jack did when he returned to his hotel room, as he did each evening, was to send the contents of his lapel cam to his home computer. Once he completed that important task, Jack was able to think about the intoxicating afternoon he had spent in the fields with the hundreds of on duty field servitors. He had just seen, in a couple of hours, more hot naked men then he had ever seen in the locker room during his combined four years in high school and two years in college. The things that Jack wondered about, things such as how the field slaves were trained, and why all of the slaves seemed to be happy and having fun, now were examined and wondered about in a new light: the light of Arnold Baldwin. Jack was more and more convinced that Arnold Baldwin was a good man. And he wondered if all of the field slaves were as infatuated with Arnold in the same way he was. Jack's mind was racing with wonder. He wondered if he had obtained evidence to prove the Baldwin/Fletcher Farms guilty of entrapment, and with such evidence would he be able to free his friends from their terms of indenturement; he wondered if Arnold, the man he was now obsessed with, had tasted/sexed everyone of the field boys he owned; he wondered, even though he was convinced otherwise, if Arnold could even remotely be the awful person he had been warned about by so many; he wondered if he would even be able to go ahead with his plan to prove that his friends had been entrapped, now that he was so infatuated with Arnold; he wondered if Arnold was cut or uncut; he wondered why every touch of Arnold felt like delicious electricity; he even wondered, for one fleeting moment, if he should let himself be captured raping one of Arnold's servants, and thus allow himself to become one of Arnold's slaves. Jack plopped himself on his bed, overwhelmed. He thought of the happy smiles of the hundreds of toiling laughing slaves; the bouncing, ringed, cocks, erect and non erect; the young girls in the viewing areas agog at the sights before them. It all was beyond sensuality. It was an explosion of rare ecstasy. He touched his groin, wondering what world he was in, and what world he wanted to be in. There was a knock on the door. Jack looked through the door viewer and saw Scootch. He opened the door with a smile, and was greeted in return by a wide-eyed, smiling, Scootch. Scootch was dressed in linen slacks, a loose sleeved linen shirt, and sandals. Scootch's personality was open and genuine, his face glistened, and his Mohawk was alluringly styled. He gave off such animal magnetism that Jack was quite overcome by his presence. Jack's original plan was to question Scootch about his life at the Farms, his training, and Arnold Baldwin. But the sheer sensuality of Scootch took him off his mission. Scootch took Jack's hand. Jack was surprised but pleased, and asked, "What should I call you?" "My name is Scootch." "I don't want to call you that. It's demeaning." "It doesn't bother me. It does bother some. So next month the Baldwin's are announcing a new naming policy. We can use our real names or any name we choose. But I'm going to stay with Scootch. A lot of the other guys are also going to keep the servitor names we were originally given by the Baldwin brothers." "You act as if you're happy here." "I am happy. Why would you think I'm not happy? I was arrested for selling pot. This sure beats doing prison time." Jack had more questions, but when Scootch led him to a couch, the eroticism of the moment was too strong. So Jack decided to drop the questions, in part because he had doubts about whether Scootch was giving honest answers, or the answers Arnold wanted him to give. They sat on the couch and moved close together. Scootch gave Jack an embrace, and Jack suddenly found himself very much aroused by the handsome, finely sculpted, mohawked, sweet smelling, field slave. The embrace quickly advanced to strong hugs and kissing. Slave and free boy unbuttoned each other's shirts and undid each other's clothing in synchronized fashion; and once naked they each grabbed the other's large, bobbing, boner. Jack spoke almost as if dazed, "You are so wild looking! You are so fucking hot with your dyed skin, your muscled body!" Scootch squeezed Jack's rod all the harder, "You are such a stud! I love getting fucked by free boys. Please, fuck me, free boy!" Jack fucked the slave happily, not letting the potentially dangerous situation he could be in bother his enjoyment of the slave's masterful ass work. Scootch's ass did all the work for Jack. Scootch pumped his ass for Jack, and artfully used his sphincter muscles to grip and release Jack's college-boy pole. The slave and the free boy came together, and they made plenty of noise doing so. When it was over they both laughed out loud at the noise they had made, and soon fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms. *** At 5 AM the following morning, Scootch gently tapped Jack awake, and told him he had to get back to his quarters and shower with his herd. Jack and Scootch thanked each other for the great time they had, and kissed each other goodbye. Jack made his way to the bathroom, took a piss, put on his pajamas, and went back to bed. Two hours later Jack was awakened by loud knocking on his door. Jack called out drowsily, "Who's there?" "Mr. Jack Deeks! It's security. Open up!" Jack felt as if he had been hit by an iceberg. He broke out into a cold sweat, terrified. He looked through the door viewer and saw three males in uniform. He was afraid as he had never been before, and called out, "What do you want?" "We just have a few questions for you. We are Baldwin/Fletcher security personnel, and we have a police officer with us." Jack felt like crying. His life, as he knew it, perhaps was over. He unlocked the door, and the two security people and police office, entered Jack's hotel room. One of the men from Baldwin/Fletcher Security spoke, "Mr. Deeks, one of our fellow security officers who saw you coming out of the servitors' patient ward, accompanied by Arnold Baldwin, believed he spotted a transformer clamp attached to your belt, and a lapel pin attached to your shirt collar, and that led him to suspect that you were filming in a restricted area of the complex." "We asked Mr. Baldwin if he had given you permission to film in the hospital, and he said he did not. Therefore we must ask you, Mr. Deeks, if you have in your possession a stealth camera of any kind." Jack did not know what to say. After a moment of silence the security officer continued, "Mr. Deeks, if you do not respond we have here with us a member of the Fresno County Sheriff's Department with a search warrant." When Jack, frozen in fear, did not respond, the officer continued, "Mr. Deeks, all we want to do is examine the make and contents of your stealth device. You are in no present danger of losing either your camera or your freedom." Jack, with a feeling of dread, fetched his lapel cam and handed it to the security officer. The officer took out a device from his pocket, connected it to Jack's lapel cam, and copied the contents of Jack's camera. Within two minutes the officer's work was done; he handed the lapel cam back to Jack, and spoke, "Thank you for your cooperation, sir, and we're sorry for the inconvenience." When they left, Jack was frightened and depressed. He was glad that he had backups of every day's events, but his fear left him cold. And he was sad. Did this mean that Arnold was playing a game with him and had finally won the game, had caught him in illegal activity, and that all of his shows of affection were nothing but horrible and cruel deceptions. Jack wanted to cry his heart out at his betrayal. But he was too afraid to cry. *** Bruce Wagner and Clarence Thorpe, two gay guys in their mid-thirties from Norwood, Ohio, were settling down in front of their TV to watch the next episode of `American Immortal', the latest hit reality show. Bruce set out a cheese and cracker plate on that foregone conclusion of American decorating, the coffee table, as Clarence opened a bottle of California Riesling. An ad appeared on the TV screen that was designed not to look overly flashy and glitzy, but rather low key, direct, and honest. Julian Raider, so well known to the American pop culture audience, appeared on the screen dressed in business casual clothes. The ad's lighting was designed to mystify his refined features. Julian's lightly dyed skin, along with his outré Mohawk hairdo, made him appear as a refined figure of sensuality, on one hand human and hot, and on the other as something rather more mysterious, and even possibly slightly dangerous. Julian spoke calmly, with a smile of perfect teeth that seemed to convey true contentment, "Hi everyone! I'm Julian Raider, and I am hoping that you and yours will come to visit the Baldwin/Fletcher Farms this summer, and see my five hundred friends and me having a ball `neath the California sun!" "We are offering a summer special: a luxurious family suite at the elegant Baldwin/Fletcher Hotel for just $250 a night, Tuesdays through Thursday nights only, from now until September 15th! There is limited availability, so be sure to give us a call, now!" The ad faded on Julian's perfect and inviting smile. Bruce was floored, "Shit, I can't believe they let that ad air here in Ohio." Clarence, not quite so politically minded, replied, "Let's do it! Let's go to Fresno on our vacation." Bruce shook his head, "Fresno? You want to go to Fresno on our vacation? What in the hell else does Fresno have besides Baldwin/Fletcher?" Clarence jumped up and hit Bruce on the shoulder, "Who gives a shit what else Fresno's got? It's got a fucking theme park full of five hundred naked, gorgeous, guys on display!" *** Jack was tired, but he knew he could never fall asleep, as concerned as he was over his predicament. His thoughts were not cleared, for he sensed that any moment the police would be after him. He was sweating, and his sweating would not stop. He called his friends, Rick and Granger, and they were surprised and disturbed at Jack's agitated tone. It was not like Jack to be uncalm. After his phone conversations, Jack was soaked in sweat, and took a long, rather cool, shower. As he got dressed, he decided to pack his things and leave the hotel early and spend some time in Fresno, before catching his afternoon flight back to Bellingham. It was a difficult decision for him to make, because he wanted to see Arnold before he left, to apologize, to express his love. He wanted to do something, but he knew that anything he did would appear phony to Arnold. There was a knock on the door. A very nervous Jack opened the door, and there was Arnold. Arnold smiled, "Good morning. I thought we could go out for breakfast and then I could drive you to the airport." Jack's heart fluttered. He felt it fluttering and wondered if he was having a medical condition. He tried to say something, "I, I, was very surprised this morning by some of your people." Arnold dismissed it, "Oh yeah, security just told me about it. Sorry about that. They always check stuff like that out. I have no idea what was going on?" Jack didn't know what to feel. He had gotten himself into a situation so conflicted that he didn't know which exit from his predicament was the correct one. He was embarrassed to have Arnold find out he had a stealth camera; but he was confused by Arnold's seeming not to make a big deal out of it. He was in love with Arnold, and now felt like he had the strength to finally admit it. But was Arnold now suspicious of him? And once he got back to Bellingham, would he even have the guts to reveal his entrapment video to authorities in an attempt to free his friends enslaved at Baldwin/Fletcher. And even if he had the guts, did he have the strength to do it; was freeing his friends from servitude more important than possibly connecting with the love of his life. The breakfast was a quiet and friendly affair. At one point Jack asked quietly, "Do you still like me?" "Why do you ask?" Jack could not answer the question in a cool and convincing fashion; he was too embarrassed by the fact that Arnold knew he had been surreptitiously filming his visit to the Farms. Arnold knew exactly what Jack was going through, what he was feeling. As Arnold's silver and black Mercedes arrived at Jack's airline terminal, Arnold wondered, "Did you have a good time with Scootch?" Jack, as defeated as he was, decided to answer honestly; there was a catch in his voice, "Yes, I did. But not as good a time as I would have had with you." Arnold put a hand on Jack's shoulder, leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. To be continued For more of Randall Austin Stories, Please visit the Randall Austin Archive Group. While it does not yet contain all of Randall's stories [it will eventually], it gathers the stories in one convenient location. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Randall_Austin_Stories