Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2001 15:33:02 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel - Book 3    chapter 17

Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts.
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.

Don't read this story if:
**You're not 18 or over,
**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,
**Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.

The author retains copyright to this story.  Placing this story on a
website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's
permission is a violation of that copyright.  Legal action will be taken
against violators.

I wish to extend my thank you to Ed for his editorial assistance with this
chapter.

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at
http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive'
comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.

               *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Although the boys in these stories have unprotected sex, I strongly urge
all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various
sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms when having intercourse.

               *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

The Castaway Hotel-Book 3-by BW (Young-Friends).  Copyright 2000 by billwstories
Chapter 17 - Problems and solutions.              December 2000

Monday proved to be a very busy day for me.  First I called and set up the
boys' test appointments for their permits.  Then I called an order the
things we would need for Kevin's birthday party.  After that I called Sally
and Steve to invite them to the party, before I took some of the boys with
me to choose a king-size bed and shop for birthday presents.  When all that
was done, I picked a date that I could go and meet the Lawrences and then I
called and reserved my ticket.  Next, I called to informed Nick and then
his parents about the various plans for us to get back to Oklahoma City.
Everyone seemed satisfied with the arrangements and I was ready to collapse
after I got off the phone, but I wasn't finished yet.  Now I called the
school, to check on some other information pertaining to the restarting of
school.  When I got done with that call, I went to round up the older boys.

Once I had them all together, I informed them that fall sports physicals
were to be held Wednesday morning and that they would have to decide if
they wanted to play sports again this year.  Then I told them that tryouts
would begin the following Monday and school would start the Monday after
that.  I didn't hear as many groans as I expected, but I know that they
were just knee-jerk reactions and that, for the most part, the boys really
did enjoy going to school.  I also informed them that I'd be flying out to
meet Nick's parents the following week and that I'd be gone for two days.
Some of the boys asked to go with me, but I told them that I'd have to do
this alone.  I informed them that I would ask Aunt Sally to stay overnight
at the house, helping with meals and taking care of things.  The older boys
argued that they were old enough to take care of things themselves and that
they didn't need Aunt Sally to stay over.  Rather than argue with them, I
told them that I'd tell Sally to do nothing but sleep there in my room and,
if they could prove to me that they could do everything for themselves, the
next time I would leave them on their own.  This wasn't quite what they
wanted but, after some grumbling, they gave in.  As they were leaving the
room, I asked Dustin, Danny, and Brandon to remain after the others had
left.

"I've scheduled your permit tests for tomorrow afternoon and we can go
looking at cars after you boys get done with your sports' physicals on
Wednesday, if that's all right with you."

"Sure, Pop, that sounds great!" Brandon told me.

"You're still going to let us help with picking out the vehicles?  Right,
Dad?" Danny wanted to know.

"Yes, but like I told you earlier, I'll make the final decision about what
we end up buying.  I'll consider your recommendations, but I'll have to go
with what I think will be best for all of us.  If you don't like what we
end up with, you won't be forced to drive them."

The boys looked puzzled by my response, but then one of them caught on.
"Do you think you'll discourage us that easily?" Dustin wanted to know.
"I'll drive a tractor if it means I can go places and do things on my own."

"Why, has your social life been that stifled since you've come to live
here?" I asked, jokingly.

"No, but you know that's not what I meant.  It's just that at our age you
don't want your daddy driving you every place.  It's just not cool."

"I understand, that's why I'm agreeing to this.  There will only be the two
vehicles for you three drivers to use though, so you'll have to be able to
work things out between you and you'll have to team up sometimes.  Kevin is
16 now too, so it will only be a few more months before he'll be able to
get his license, which means that then there will be four drivers for two
vehicles.  I just want to get you boys to pass your tests before I start
with him."

"We understand and we'll work things out between us," Danny responded.  "I
know you and what you will do if we can't work things out for ourselves.
You'll take the keys away to both cars if we start having fights over who
gets to drive or which car we're going to use."

"You're right about that and I hope that you all remember that.  Any
problems and the vehicles will be either restricted in their use or taken
away from you completely, no matter how inconvenient that is for you or for
me.  And then there will be no further discussion or debate if it comes to
my having to make that decision.  It's up to you boys to make sure that it
never comes to that."

"We will," they chimed in unison.  "So let's just let the discussion end
here," Danny added.

Later that evening Kevin came up to me, something I was kind of expecting.
"Dad, I know you're letting Dusty, Danny, and Brandon get their licenses
and Dusty tells me you're going to buy a couple of cars for them to use.
I'm sixteen now.  Can't I get my permit now, too?"

"Kevin, you know you can't get your license until you're 16 1/2, even
though you can get your permit at 16.  If you don't mind, I'd rather get
this group through first.  I promise that I'll include you as soon as I
can., but I even think that three is too many to start with"

"But, Dad, why can't I start now too?  Danny and Brandon aren't 16 1/2 yet
either."

"No, but Brandon will be next month and Danny will be in November.  You
won't be that old until February.  That gives me more time to teach you,
after I've been able to work with them.  If it will make you feel better,
I'll let you sign up for driver's training at school at the same time as
the rest of them.  I'm not sure if you'll be able to get into it for the
first half of the year or not, but you'll be able to take it second half
for sure."

"But, Dad, please?  I want to start driving when Dusty does."

"Kevin, I understand that, but they all had to wait a few months after they
turned sixteen, before they could start too.  You'll have to do the same
thing and you'll just have to be patient."

"But, Dad." I cut him off.

"Kevin, I know how you're feeling, but it's either that or you can forget
about it altogether."  He gave me a very mean look and stormed off.  I
understood how important it was to him, as I had felt the same way when I
was his age and I had gone through it with my older two sons.  I hated to
make him feel so bad, especially just before his birthday party, but he had
to learn patience and it was time that he figured out that life is not
fair.  He didn't speak to me for the rest of the evening and he went to bed
early.  I told Dustin what was up, so he'd be prepared for his wrath too,
in case he redirected it."

Tuesday I had a lot more things to do, including going in to school for a
couple of hours before I took the boys for their written permit test.  They
had been studying for it since we spoke about it the first time, at the end
of the last school year, but I wasn't how sure how much they'd remember
after our long summer and only a couple of days of cramming.  I figured at
least one of them might fail, and then they could wait and go through this
again with Kevin.  After what seemed like an eternity of waiting for them,
I discovered that they had all passed their written tests and now they had
their permits.  It was good news for them, but I knew that this would do
nothing to improve Kevin's disposition.  We went home and they told the
other boys about their success and everyone seemed to be happy for them,
that is everyone except Kevin.  He slinked up the stairs and I heard the
door to his room shut behind him.  Other than that, the only other time I
saw Kevin that day was at dinner, and he didn't say a single word to
anyone.  I was really beginning to feel bad about this, as I didn't want
him in this funk for his party, but there was no way I was going to give in
to his childish temper tantrum.

Wednesday came and I took the athletes down for their physicals and we
picked up Jay on the way.  Kevin rode as far back in the van as he could,
not speaking to anyone, including Dustin.  I let them off, told them that
I'd be back in an hour, and then I went to my own school building to do a
little more work.  When I picked the boys up later, Kevin still wasn't
speaking to me, but he was now mumbling a few words to the others.  I
wasn't going to approach him yet, as I'd give him until tomorrow night to
get over this, and then I'd give him an ultimatum, if necessary.  I hated
for it to have to come to that, but I wasn't going to go through his
birthday party with a sour guest of honor.  I took the boys home, but I
told Dustin, Danny, and Brandon to stay in the van and we'd go car
shopping.  They were very excited about this and we were soon on our way to
look around.

When we arrived at one of my friend's car lots, I told the boys that we'd
look for the mini-van first.  It seems that as I turned in one direction,
the boys went in the other.  I found a couple of possibilities, a Dodge
Caravan and a Chevy Venture, but they didn't hold as many passengers as I
would have liked.  They were only designed for 7 people and, with Brandon
living with us now, we had 8 going to the high school.  We might end having
to have the boys drive both vehicles each day, each carrying part of our
brood.  As I was pondering this dilemma, the boys came back and dragged me
off to a vehicle they had found.  Soon I was standing next to a two-year
old GMC Suburban as the boys pointed out its advantages too me.  My first
reaction was that this was almost as large as our van, except it would be
easier to see out of, having a full spread of windows.  Besides being easy
to see out of, it would also seat 9 boys.  Now we debated the idea some
more, though I still wasn't convinced by their arguments, until they talked
me into talking it out for a test drive.  I drove it out of the lot and
down the street, soon discovering that this was a much easier vehicle to
drive that our big old van.  It looked like I would give in to them on this
selection, but we still had to choose a car.  When I told them of my
decision, a chorus of satisfied comments ensued, before we pulled back into
the lot and parked it.  As we exited the vehicle, the boys grabbed me by my
arms and dragged me off again.

This time they tugged me in the direction of the used cars and I soon
discovered they had been doing their research.  They had been eying cars
online, so they would have some idea about what they wanted, and they had
found something that they all agreed on.  As we bounced among the rows of
cars, like metal balls in a pinball machine, they finally came upon their
choice, a three-year old Pontiac Grand Am.  I looked it over, checked it
out, and then we talked about it for a minute or two.  It was a mid-size
car, would seat five, and it would be a good vehicle to teach the boys how
to drive on.  We took it out for a test drive and I liked the way it
handled.  We went back to the lot, I talked to my friend, we hassled
briefly over prices, and then I bought both vehicles.  My friend told me it
would take a couple of days to take care of the paperwork, get the vehicles
inspected, and register them for me, so we said good-bye.  Just before we
got to the van, all three boys hugged me and thanked me for buying both
vehicles that they had selected.  Then they explained their reasons.
First, they wanted an SUV instead of a mini-van, as they thought they were
much cooler.  They realized a standard SUV wouldn't accommodate the numbers
we needed but, when they saw the Suburban, they concluded it was a
practical compromise between the two.  As for the Grand Am, they knew that
it was the type of car I looking for, but it was also sporty looking and
wouldn't be exactly a 'family car', where their friends were concerned.
They were excited, I was satisfied, and we could start the driving lessons
as soon as the vehicles were in our possession.

When we got back home, they told the other boys about our purchases.
Everyone seemed pretty enthused about this, except for Kevin.  I think he
felt that it was just something else he had been left out of.  I would have
asked him to join us and help make the selections but, with his attitude as
of late, I just didn't want the hassle.  Again I felt bad for him, but it
was another problem that he had brought upon himself by his immature
reaction to being asked to hold off a couple of months before he got his
permit.  I know it's hard for a kid his age to delay gratification, but I
feel it is important that he learns this now and avoid other problems of
this type in the future.  Obviously he didn't agree with my logic and soon
he disappeared again, going off somewhere to sulk alone.

That night after dinner, the boys wanted me to take them to school so they
could have a pick-up soccer game.  Everyone was going to play, including
picking up Jay, and they ask me to play too, to even up the teams.  When I
agreed, Kevin acted like he wasn't going to go, but Dustin talked to him,
rather sternly, and Kevin went anyway.  To make matters worse, we ended up
playing on the same team.  Kevin played only half-heartedly and we were
getting trounced.  Boys from both teams were getting on him about his
attitude, and then the boys decided to stop the game and just go back home.
Now almost everyone was pissed at Kevin and he'd be lucky if his birthday
party didn't turn into a roast, and I mean that literally, or a one-man
event.  Dustin was so mad at him that he asked to sleep in with me that
night.

Thursday the king-sized bed was to be delivered, sometime between breakfast
and lunch, so we had to get ready for it.  The house was a flurry of
activity.  Some of the boys took down Pat's single bed and moved it into
the old master bedroom, while another group took down the double bed from
the jungle room and reassembled it in Pat's room.  Neither group asked
Kevin to help them.  Kevin tried to act like this didn't bother him, but I
could see that being excluded hurt him more than anything else.  By the
time the furniture store truck pulled up, all they had to do was carry
everything up to the jungle room and assemble it.  By lunchtime everything
was done.

Later, while I was preparing dinner, Dustin came up and asked me a
question.  "Dad, will you take us to the park again tonight?"

"Is everyone going to go?"

"No, we're not going to ask Kevin to go again."

"That's not very nice.  I expect better of you than that."

"But he ruined the game last night and no one wants him to do that again."

"Couldn't you just tell him that?"

"No, because he's not talking to anyone."

"Couldn't you try?"

"I could, but I'm not sure that I want to.  He's acting like a jerk."

"What if you were the one who wanted to be included now, and not have to
wait until later?  Do you think you'd react differently?"

"Yes, I do.  I know that this can't be easy for him, but he doesn't have to
act like he is and ruing things for everyone else because of it.  He
spoiled our game last night and we don't want to give him a second chance
to do it again."

"And everyone feels the same way?"

"Yes, EVERYONE!" Dustin assured me.

"Well, as badly as I feel for Kevin, I do realize that he brought this upon
himself.  Maybe it will make him realize what he's done."  I agreed to take
them later and Dustin went off to tell the other boys.  When dinnertime
came, Kevin came down to eat and then went right back up to his room.  The
other boys went out and got in the van and I drove them down, picked up Jay
again, and left them off at the field.  I told them that I'd come back
later, to pick them up.  When I arrived back home, Kevin was sitting on the
front porch crying his eyes out.  I went over and gave him a hug.

"How come you still like me?" he asked.  "Nobody else does."

"I'll always love you, Kevin.  I just don't like the way you're acting
right now.  Do you want to talk about it?"  He merely nodded and buried his
head into my chest.  After a few minutes of a good cry, Kevin sat up and
looked at me.

"I'm sorry I acted like such a brat, but it's just that getting my license
is important to me."

"I know it is.  It's important to a lot of kids your age, but sometimes we
have to wait for things that we want.  You know, if you continued this much
longer, I was ready to call of your party.  I wasn't about to throw you a
party, if you were going to be such an miserable guest of honor."

"You were really going to do that?"  He thought for a few seconds.  "Well,
I guess I couldn't have blamed you if you did.  I was pretty awful.
Everyone else hates me now, don't they?"

"No, they're just upset about how you ruined their game last night.  They
didn't want to give you a chance to do it again."

"Do you think they'll ever forgive me?"

"Sure, I think they will, if you tell them you're sorry."

"Can I ride down with you, when you go to pick them up?  That way I can
apologize to Jay, too."

"Sure, I have no problem with that.  Do you want to come in and spend time
with the old man until it's time to go?"

"Yeah, thanks Dad.  I'm sorry I was such a baby about everything."

"You know I haven't seen that big of a temper tantrum in a long time.  It
brought back some memories," I told him as I hugged him to me.

"None of them good, though.  Right?"

"Right.  But your tantrum had to be one of the best yet."  Kevin looked at
me stunned for a second, and then I flashed him a big smile.  When he
figured out that I was joking with him, he punched me in the shoulder.

"It's mean to tease me like that, especially when I'm feeling badly enough
already," he told me.  I knew that he was at least partially serious with
that comment.

"Then you shouldn't act like the wrong end of a horse and I wouldn't be
able to."  I don't think he expected that response and he gave me another
shocked look.  I hugged him and then he began to laugh.

"You don't like to pull any punches, do you?  I guess I deserve that,
though.  I guess that I wanted my permit so much that I didn't just think
about anything else.  I'm sorry about the things I did, Dad.  Will you
forgive me?"

"I already have."

When the time came, we drove down to the park to pick everyone up.  Kevin
got out of the van first and went over to apologize to everyone, especially
Dustin.  Soon, Dustin was hugging him again and I could tell that everyone
else forgave him too.  They all got in the van and we headed home.  All the
boys played around together once we got back and then Dustin moved out of
my room and back in with Kevin.

Friday I got a call that our vehicles were ready to be picked up and I
talked my friend into driving up to pick me up, so I could drive each
vehicle home.  I drove the Suburban home first, parked it in the driveway,
got back in with my friend who had followed me home, and I rode back to
drive the Grand Am home.  I thanked my friend for all of his help, buckled
up in the car, and I drove to our house.  As I pulled in the driveway, all
the boys, including Kevin, were checking out the Suburban, crawling in and
out of it as they inspected it.  They started to wander over to the car, to
inspect it too, and the older boys began to tease me to take them out to
practice.  I explained that I had other things to do right then, but that I
would take them down to the school lot after dinner and they could all take
a turn.  That satisfied them and we all went back to the house.  While I
was doing some paperwork, taking care of the backlog of mail, and preparing
for school to start again, the boys disappeared and entertained themselves
and each other.

As soon as we finished dinner that evening, the trio began to pester me
about going.  Kevin volunteered to clean up the dinner dishes so we could
go sooner, so we all thanked him and I gave him a hug and a kiss on the
forehead before we left.  I drove the boys down to the school parking lot
and then Dustin and I switched seats so he could drive first.  I went over
the list of things that they should do each time before driving, like
adjusting the seat, putting on the seat belts, making sure the car is in
the correct gear, checking your mirrors, and then easing out into traffic,
though there was none here.  Dustin did fairly well for his first time,
just having to be reminded to take his foot a little further off the
accelerator when he made a turn.  After about 30 minutes of practice, I had
him stop and park the car, so he and Danny could trade places with him.
Once they were back in the car and buckled in, I told Danny he could begin.

Danny did even a little better than Dustin had done, having learned from
some of the instructions I had given to Dustin.  I was beginning to think
that we might not need to spend so much time in the parking lot and that we
might get out for some street practice earlier than I first anticipated.
My biggest complaint with Danny's performance was that he was too
nonchalant about gripping the steering wheel, wanting to drive with one
hand and using a somewhat relaxed grip.  I explained to him that hitting a
pothole or an object in the road while driving like that, the steering
wheel could get ripped out of his hand and that would send his vehicle out
of control.  After my warning, he worked harder at driving with both hands
and he used a slightly tighter grip.  When his half hour was up, he pulled
over, changed seats with Brandon, and we began with our last 'student'.

Brandon took my advice to Danny, about gripping the steering wheel tightly,
a little too seriously.  He had a death grip on the wheel, his knuckles
turning white from lack of blood.  I had to convince him that he could
relax his grip a little before we started out.  Brandon seemed a little
tense behind the wheel and I tried to calm him down.  When I told him to
take off, he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, sending us all
lurching backward.  As he started to ease of the gas, I asked him to stop,
so I could tell him what he did wrong.  He removed his foot from the gas
pedal, slamming it on the brake, sending us all hurtling forward.  Luckily
we were all wearing our seatbelts, or else some of might have suffered
facial injuries.  After we recovered and Brandon apologized for his
mistakes.  I told him that it was all right and that's why we were
practicing, though the two in the rear weren't as merciful and they ragged
on him terribly.  I explained how to gently push on the gas pedal to start
up and then I told him how to keep his heel on the floor as he applied
pressure on the brake, gradually letting up as he came closer to totally
stopping.  We practiced both a couple of times before we took a couple of
spins around the lot.  When his 30 minutes was up, he and I switched places
and I drove us all home.

When we arrived back home, some of the boys rushed out to meet us.  They
asked how the practice had gone and Dustin and Danny began their amusing
account of Brandon's first effort.  Brandon took the ribbing
good-naturedly, even adding some of his own embellishments to the story,
and then he and Danny began their account of Dustin's cornering techniques,
complete with the sound effects for squealing tires and showing how their
bodies slid in the seats.  After this little bit of humor, Brandon and
Dustin mimicked Danny's lackadaisical driving method, with one hand held
loosely on the wheel and the other arm over the back of the seat.  After
this amusing recounting of day 1 at the 'Currie Driving Academy', the boys
all went in to clean up and relax for the rest of the evening.

Saturday was a flurry of activity, as we prepared for Kevin's party.  I
wanted to make sure everything went well, especially after the disastrous
first part of the week we had together.  After lunch, Kevin, Dustin and I
got in the Suburban and drove off to pick up Kevin's old friends.  I hadn't
seen them in a while and they were also happy to see Kevin and Dustin
again.  It was quite a happy reunion and the boys were recounting tales of
old adventures they had together and joking about things that had happened
at other parties.  They kept this up nearly all the way back.  When we got
to the house, Kevin asked if it would be possible to take everyone to the
school, so they could have a pick-up soccer game.  I agreed and we squeezed
all of the boys into the van.  It was a good thing it was only a short
trip, as it must have been very uncomfortable mashed together like that.
When we arrived, the boys eagerly pried themselves apart and got out of the
van, then they spent more than an hour playing their game.  I sat and
watched as they ran up and down the field, passing the ball back and forth
and taking shots on goal.  After about the first 20 or 30 minutes of this,
the four youngest dropped out of the game and went to play by themselves.
This made the teams smaller, but the level of competition picked up and the
boys played harder, seeing they didn't have to worry about hurting the
younger boys.  It was one hell of a game and the boys were exhausted by the
time they stopped.

We went home and, on the ride back, we noticed that the boys were smelling
a bit ripe.  When we got back to the house, I had the boys round them up
some clothes that would fit our guests, and then I sent boys to all three
showers to clean up.  Seeing most of these boys weren't gay and they had
fooled around with Kevin or Dustin, everyone took a shower alone.  It took
a while to run everyone through this process and it's a good thing that I
have a hot water heater that recovers quickly.  When they were all finished
with their showers, I threw their clothing into the washing machine, so
they'd have them to wear back home tomorrow.  After that, the boys went off
to entertain themselves while I got things ready for the cookout.  Sally
and the Shays would be here at 5:00, so we'd have to hurry.  Danny and
Brandon helped me get the grills started (we used two for such large
get-togethers) and they also helped me take things out back to the picnic
tables.  When Aunt Sally, Aunt Mary, and Uncle Steve arrived, we started
putting the hamburgers, hotdogs, and chicken on the grill.  The boys also
took the salads out of the refrigerator and carried them out to the tables
as well.  We all chatted while the food was cooking, and some of the boys
were throwing a football around, while another group was kicking a soccer
ball around.  When the meat was ready, we called the boys in and watched
everything disappear in the blink of an eye.  I was already working on a
second round of meat on the grills and the boys were snapping everything up
almost as soon as it hit the platter.  I went in and go more meat from the
refrigerator, throwing that on the grills next, but soon the boys started
to slow down on their eating and I finally was able to get something for
myself.  We all ate our fill and then we sat around and relaxed, deciding
to wait an hour or so before we had the cake and ice cream.  After a short
time, the boys went back to playing ball and entertaining themselves.

Sally, Mary, Steve, and I chatted for a while and then they helped me clean
up, by taking the remaining food and breakable dishes back into the house.
Then they helped me carry out the presents, cake, and ice cream, ready for
the main part of the party to begin.  We called the boys in, sang 'Happy
Birthday' to Kevin, and then we started serving the cake and ice cream.
While this was going on, Kevin opened his gifts.  It was the usual
assortment of presents, until he came to the ones from the family.  He
unwrapped the first one to discover a driver's manual and a copy of his
appointment to take his written test in January.  He simply held it up and
beamed, giving me a wink in the process.  Next, Kevin opened his big gift
from the family.  The gift idea was something that surprised me when he
mentioned it a few days ago but, the more I thought about it the more I
liked it.  It was a guitar and a couple of books on how to play, the first
one showing him how to play all the major chords.  He beamed even more with
this present and then he came over and hugged me.  As he did it, he
whispered in my ear.  "I'm sorry I was such a jerk about the driving
lessons earlier this week.  You're the best, Dad.  Thanks for everything."
I gave him a hug back and then I sent him on his way.

After the party, Sally, Mary, and Steve all said their good-byes before
they left.  They said farewell to Kevin as they passed through the house,
as he was in trying to learn some chords on the guitar with the help of a
couple of his old friends.  He ran over, hugged them all, and gave his
'Aunts' a kiss, before I walked our visitors out, thanked them for coming,
and I watched them pull away.  They really were a valuable part of this
family.

As soon as it got dark, the boys went outside and played a game of
hide-and-seek and then they came back in and watched a video.  I left the
boys to themselves and I went to my room and packed for my two-day trip to
visit Nick and his parents.  I would leave early Tuesday and return late on
Wednesday, just long enough to meet his mom and dad and get to know his
parents a little better.  After the video, the boys got ready to sleep,
spreading their sleeping bags out, and collecting most of the pillows from
the bedrooms upstairs.  All of the boys slept in the family room, with
Kevin and his guests, talking late into the night and horsing around for
most of the evening.  I waited awhile, before I put a little surprise I had
laid out earlier, into motion.

The family room had been added on to the side of our house, a one-story
structure extending from the front right side of the building.  Next to the
family room was a large tree, which had branches extending over the roof of
the family room.  I had rigged a hefty branch onto one of the limbs, tied a
piece of clothesline to that limb, and secured the rope outside the window
in the downstairs bathroom.  When the boys started calming down, I went
into the bathroom, pulled on the rope, and let the branch bang on the roof
of the family room.  I did it a few times and then went across the hall to
my bedroom.  Soon I heard a commotion in the family room, a few shouts, and
then some running around.  Finally, Graham came racing into my room, quite
excited.  "Dad, something is on the roof of the family room."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because it's banging."

I walked back to the family room with him and then a few of the boys
followed me out as I check around with my flashlight.  I made sure that I
didn't shine the light on the rope, but the boys who followed me out helped
me investigate the whole roof and we saw nothing.  The boys decided that
whatever it was had gone and things were back to normal.  I let them settle
down and then I went into the bathroom and did it again.  I barely got back
into my room before a group of boys came running in.  "It happened again,"
someone yelled.  "Something's out there."

"What are you talking about?" I asked them.

"Something pounding on the roof in there.  It banged real loud, so it must
be pretty big," one of Kevin's friends told me.

I got my flashlight once more and we went back out, again finding nothing.
This time they also made me flash the light up on the main roof, seeing if
what ever it was had gone higher.  Finding nothing out there, we went back
inside.  I just barely let them get back into the family room before I did
it again.  This time I didn't even have time to get out of the bathroom
before there were a bunch of boys screaming for me.  I told them that I'd
be right out, but I gave one final hard jerk, pulled the rope from the
limb, and that caused the branch to crash onto the roof.  The boys left in
the family room came running out, just as I emerged from the toilet,
telling me that something feel on the roof this time.  We got several
flashlights this time, went out as a group, and we searched the roof to the
family room, the roof to the house, and we walked all around looking for
this mysterious creature.  Nothing was ever discovered, though I kicked a
thick branch up against the side of the house, and then we went inside.
The boys went in, listened for a while longer, and then finally fell
asleep.  Another birthday party was out of the way and another gag had been
successfully pulled off by Dad!

                  *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at
http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section.
E-mails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.