Summer of Twelve - Chapter 8

In which I reacquaint myself with my siblings and Critter and me meet the peeper.

When I woke up the next morning, Mikey was lying in bed with me quietly playing with some stuffed toys. I rolled out from under him and let my erection lead me to the bathroom so I could pee. The bathroom we kids shared had a door that opened directly into Lisa's room. It was closed, but I could hear her talking on the phone with Molly. I wondered if they had stayed up talking all night.

I needed to pee, but my boner was pointing straight up. One of my guilty pleasures was peeing in the shower. I didn't see any problem with it, porcelain was porcelain, and it was just pee. But my mom didn't agree, so I'd learned to keep it a secret.

I turned on the water in the tub and adjusted it to temperature. I stepped over the rim of the tub then pulled the shower curtain closed, not that it gave me any privacy, being completely clear.

When the warm water hit me in the chest I let out a groan of relief as I relaxed and made a golden geyser in front of myself. I liked the sensation of peeing with a boner, I just didn't get to enjoy it often. Merely emptying my bladder did not relieve me of my erection, so I started to tug out a quickie. Some observer part of my brain noted that I had not masturbated by myself in weeks. Critter was always there to give me a hand, or a mouth, if all I wanted was a quick orgasm.

Showing off for Lisa

That's when Lisa walked in. I was mid-stroke but with the transparent shower curtain and no steam build up yet, there was no point in stopping. She was just a few feet away, wearing only a pair of panties. Her hands instantly went to her chest to cover her non-existent boobs.

"What're you doing!?" she said.

"Jackin' off," I said. I didn't stop, but I did slow down. I wasn't in a hurry anymore.

"I'm tellin'!" she said.

"Ugh . . . " I groaned. "Does bein' a tattle-tale ever get old for you?"

She sighed. It was the first time I could remember her seeming to regret something.

"And besides, Mom won't be mad at me for jackin' off. She knows about that already," I said.

"Hunh?" was all she had to say. Her eyes were still glued to my hand as it moved slowly up and down my boner.

"And don't imagine that you washing Donny's wiener is a secret," I said. "You should know he's a little blabbermouth. He tells his mom everything."

"How did you know that?" she said, then flushed when she realized she had just confirmed it.

"Mikey already knows that Donny is a blabbermouth," I said, "And he literally heard Donny telling his mom, so he knows she doesn't care. So he told me." I continued to stroke myself, taking my time.

"Okay, okay . . . you got me," Lisa said. "I promise I won't tell on you."

I shrugged. "Go ahead and tell if it makes you feel good. The worst she'll do is make me scrub the shower."

"So can I ask one little thing then? So you don't have to scrub the shower?" Lisa said.

"Sure."

"Can I watch?" she said. "I mean watch you jackin' off?"

"Boys shouldn't be modest," I said.

Lisa put the lid down on the toilet and sat on it, her legs spread wide. She moved her hands so that she was using just one to cover her nipples. The other she reached down the front of her panties. From my recent experience with Spencer, I knew exactly what she was doing. With her middle finger, she diddled her clit.

We lasted about three minutes that way. Our view of each other was only slightly distorted by the shower curtain, so she could see everything I was doing. Her hand was down the front of her panties, but I didn't need to see through her panties to know what she was doing. It was an odd moment but the closest I had come to being 'friends' with Lisa since I could remember.

Suddenly, she crunched over, crossed her legs over the hand in her panties and squeezed tight. She gave up using the other hand to cover her nipples. Instead, she placed that hand over the wrist of the hand down her panties and used both hands on her clit. I figured out then that loud cums were an individual thing, not a girl thing, because she hardly made a sound.

Since Lisa wasn't paying any attention to me anymore, it was a simple thing for me to finish. Half a dozen quick strokes and I was cumming myself. I turned off the water and got out of the shower. My hair wasn't even wet, since it wasn't a real shower, just an excuse to pee, and then jack off.

"Can I ask you for one little thing?" I said as I towelled off.

"Sure." she said.

"Stop bein' mean to Critter."

"But . . . but I like Critter!" Lisa said. "He's cute and funny."

"You've got a weird way of showing it!"

"Doesn't he understand?"

"Understand what?" I said. "That you hate his guts?"

"No! No! No!" she said. "I want him to be my boyfriend, but he's so dense he doesn't get it."

"You know, Mom is right when she says `boys are simple creatures'" I said. "If you like him, just tell him! Don't make it a puzzle he has to figure out."

"So, what are you gonna offer to get me to be nice to Critter?" she said, ever the manipulator.

"I'm gonna go give Mikey a blow job." I said. "If you wanna watch, all you gotta do is get his permission."

Lisa took a minute to go into her room and put on a camisole, then joined us in the bedroom I shared with Mikey. He was still playing whatever quiet game he had been playing with his plushies. They seemed to be working out some kind of family problem.

Mikey looked up and said, "Hi Lisa."

"Hi Mikey," said Lisa.

"I told you a little fib last night," I said.

"Was it the part about having to wait three days before I could give you paybacks?" he asked me.

"No, that's the rules," I said. "We can't change those. You still gotta wait 'til Tuesday night to give me paybacks. The fib was that what I did for you last night was not washin' your wiener. The real name for it is blow job."

"But all you did was suck."

"I know," I said "It's a dumb name but I didn't make it up. Anyway, I want to give you another blow job. Is it okay if Lisa watches?"

"I promise I won't tell," Lisa said.

"Pinkie swear?" Mikey said.

They made the solemn vow.

A minute later, Mikey was lying on his back on the edge of the bed, his legs spread wide, me crouched between them. I was trying to make my little brother's second cum at least as good as his first. Lisa watched, but I didn't pay much attention to her, I was focused on Mikey.

At some point, our mom poked her head into the room. "I'm making pancakes this morning," she said. "Blueberry or strawberry?"

I couldn't answer, because I had a mouthful of Mikey, but both of my siblings shouted "Blueberry!"

Pancakes and Funny Pages

Forty-five minutes later us kids were groaning happily, our bellies filled. Mom didn't make breakfast often, but when she did, it was a masterpiece. The only downside for me was doing the dishes, but she surprised me by announcing that the girls were going to do the dishes this morning. Lisa whined about it until Mom told her it was really an excuse for some girl talk. Mikey and me got shooed out of the kitchen.

I looked out the front door and could see the Sunday paper sitting at the end of the driveway. I didn't want to get dressed yet, but I wanted to read the funnies. Mikey solved the problem for me by scampering out the front door and grabbing the paper. He needed both hands to carry it, so he couldn't wave to the car that passed as he was bringing it in.

There was an envelope stuck under the rubber band that held the paper rolled up. I almost set it aside for my mom, thinking it was the collection envelope for the paper delivery. But it was a plain white envelope, not the preprinted one the paperboy used, and on the side that had been facing the newspaper, my name was written. Inside was a note:

I read it a couple of times while Mikey found the funny pages and got them spread out on the living room floor. I read the ones I liked to Mikey. I explained to him that the others were like soap operas, they weren't supposed to be funny. But he wanted me to read one of those to him, so he could understand what I meant. So we dived into Prince Valiant. At least it had knights and swords in it.

By the time I explained it to Mikey, I was interested to see where the story would go next week. But my mind kept going back to the note sitting beside us. I was terribly curious about Daffy now. I had so many things I guessed about him, and now he had something important to tell me. My curiosity finally got the better of me.

"Why don't we get on our bikes and ride over to Donny's house," I said.

"Can we take the funnies with us?" he said.

"I bet Donny's mom gets the paper too," I said. "But we can call and ask to be sure."

At the phone in the kitchen, I promised Mom and Lisa I would make it quick, so we wouldn't interrupt their girl talk. After Critter confirmed they got the Sunday paper, I told him Mikey and me were going to ride our bikes to his house if it was okay with his mom.

We boys put on some clothes, grabbed our bikes from the garage and headed for Critter's house. Critter was helping Donny fill a new plastic pool in the backyard. Mikey forgot about the funnies instantly.

As soon as I had a chance, I pulled Critter aside and told him about Daffy's note. We went inside and called Spencer, but she was busy with her dad in the darkroom, so we knew it was up to us.

Critter and me had some fun filling the pool with the little boys, then made a pile of sandwiches and took off to meet Daffy. He was waiting for us when we got there.

He stood by the gate into the fenced area that enclosed the pump jack. He was wearing the same thing he had been on Saturday. When Critter and I broke from the wood line into the clearing around the oil well, he waved to us, then looked all around the clearing like he was afraid somebody might be watching us.

"I'm glad you guys could make it," he said. "Where's the other . . . Spence?"

"Spence couldn't make it," I said. "He's helpin' his dad with some chores today."

"That's probably good," Daffy said. "I couldn't really be sure about Spence, but I'm sure about you two because you look alike."

"We're both adopted," Critter said. "We might be related."

"Yeah, we'll get to that soon," Daffy said. "But two things first. Number one: let's duck into the wood line. I hate being out like this where anyone could be watching us and we wouldn't even know. And number two: did you guys bring me a spare sandwich?"

"We brought you two, and chips and soda besides." I said.

"Oh, thank god!" Daffy said. "I'm starving."

"We can eat in the tree house," I said.

"The tree house . . . " he said. He tipped his head to one side and his eyes shifted like he was trying to remember something. "Where you found the dirty magazines?" he said.

"Yeah," I said. "How did you know. Did you read 'em too?"

"Go ahead, lead me to the tree house," he said. "This should be interesting."

We walked back the way Critter and me had come until we got under the trees and screened from the clearing by the shrubs and saplings at the edges.

"It's just this way," I said, but suddenly I wasn't sure. We walked for a few minutes with me in the lead. I grew more confused by the moment.

"You never told me about the tree house before," Critter said.

"It must have slipped my mind," I said, then stopped. "I think I've got myself turned around under the trees here. I don't think it's this way."

Daffy waved it off. "Don't worry about it man, I don't want to freak you out before lunch," he said. "Right here is fine. We've got a couple of logs and a stump. What kind of sandwiches did you bring me?"

Daffy ate like a teenager. He was skinny, but he put his two sandwiches away before Critter and me ate our one each. He belched after he drained the last of his soda.

"I'm sorry man," he said. "It was mean of me to mess with you about the tree house. I don't want to be mean to you guys. Because we're about to go into the fucking Twilight Zone."

"That's a signpost up ahead: your next stop: the Twilight Zone!" Critter said.

"You know the show," Daffy said.

"Yeah, I love it! When I'm allowed to watch it," Critter said.

"Well I gotta warn you, seein' it on TV is way less scary than living it."

"I guess this is what you wanted to talk to us about," I said.

Daffy's story

"You both have a bald spot on the back of your head," Daffy said. "It's right in the center, under the pointy part. Put your finger back there and wiggle it down through your hair until you find it."

Critter and me each found it. We looked at each other wide-eyed.

"Now feel it on the other guy," Daffy said.

Critter and me took turns feeling each other's scalps.

"Now use this to get a really close look at what's on the back of Critter's head," Daffy said as he handed me a magnifying glass. The handle was broken off so it was just the lens.

Critter leaned his head way forward to make it easier for me to get the angle. I pulled his hair aside from all around the bald spot. It was only about as big as the end of my pinkie finger.

"It looks like a little belly button" I said. "But there's symbols around it, like little tattoos."

"Now trade," Daffy said. "Critter, you look at Chris's memory hole."

After examining me, Critter said, "I see the same as Chris."

"Those little symbols you see around the outside," Daffy said, "those are your model and serial numbers. You guys aren't just related, you're clones. Your bodies are as alike as identical twins, but you're about three years apart in age. That's not an accident."

"How do you know all this stuff about us?" I said.

"Because I'm a clone myself," he said. "Come look at the back of my head."

Critter and me took turns looking at the back of his head with the magnifying glass. He had the same teeny-belly-button looking bald spot as both of us, except his had another one, smaller yet, right above it.

"Okay, I'm convinced," I said. "We're all clones. But what does it mean? Do we need to do something different? Are we in danger?"

"I'm living on borrowed time," Daffy said. "But you guys are safe for a few years yet. How old are you Chris?"

"Twelve," I said.

Daffy made a twisted face, then said, "That's what somebody told you. I doubt you're actually that old. But the main problem is starting puberty. That's why I'm on borrowed time."

He looked back and forth between Critter and me. "I've had close to a year to figure out what's happening, and I'm still figuring," he said. "It's only fair to tell you guys that I'm crazy. I mean mad-hatter crazy. Daffy Duck ain't got nothin' on me. But just because I'm crazy doesn't mean I'm wrong."

"Wrong about what?" Critter said.

"You guys need to make an escape plan." Daffy said. "Eventually the aliens are going to come and reclaim you. They'll take you to their laboratory and stick a probe in your memory hole and erase your mind."

"And you know this . . . how?" I said.

"Because they tried to do it to me," he said. "But something went wrong. There was an explosion and I got away in the confusion."

"Why didn't you run back to your mom and dad?" Critter said.

"Because they're not my mom and dad anymore!" Daffy said. "They sold me out! When the aliens sent their agents to collect me, my mom and dad just handed me over."

"Why would they do that?" I asked.

"The agents said they were from the adoption agency and they found my real dad. My parents, my fake parents said I should go with them, the agents, and meet my dad, that we would work everything out later. But it was all a lie."

"How do you know?" Critter said.

"Because when the explosion happened, instead of erasing my brain, I got a whole lot of stuff, memories, plans, ideas, all injected into my brain instead," Daffy said. "I know so much stuff I shouldn't have any way of knowing. I have all kinds of memories that aren't mine. There's like a hundred people in here now," he said, pointing to his head.

Critter got up, went to Daffy and hugged him.

"You're one of the huggy ones," Daffy said. "Thanks! I guess I could use a hug about now."

"How do you know that puberty is the time when we're in danger?" I asked.

"Because, of all the memories, all the different clones' lives I've got in my head now," Daffy said, "I'm the oldest. There's no memory in my head of anyone as old as me. I think we're not supposed to get old enough to make babies."

"Are you?" I said.

"As of a couple months ago," he said. "I've been living on the streets for almost a year now. I'm the oldest clone ever, I think. I bet when the aliens finally catch up with me, if they can't capture me, they'll just . . . I dunno."

I joined Critter in the hug. Daffy was unwashed, but that didn't matter at the moment.

"I need to tell so many other clones they're in danger." Daffy said. "But I'm worn out from being on the run for a year, living on the streets, doing what I had to, just to survive. But now that I've warned you, I think I might let them catch me. They'll wipe my brain and I won't care after that. I don't think it matters anymore for me. But you have to tell the others."

Critter and me looked at each other. At the same moment we both said "Grandpa Winchester."

Grandpa Gets a Surprise

Critter and me rang the doorbell at Grandpa Winchester's house. He opened the door and gave us both a big hug, then led us in to the living room.

"You're a bit early for more chores," he said, "but you know I'm always happy to see you. Did you come over for a swim?"

"We're on an adventure!" Critter said.

"Excellent! Stories to tell your own grandchildren when the time comes," he said.

"You can help with this one," I said.

"I'm a bit old for adventures, but I might have one or two left in me," he said. "What do I need to do?"

"Do you remember, when we first came over to do chores for you, you said you wished there was a way you could help the peeper?" I said.

"I do remember that," he said. "And it still holds."

"We met him," Critter said. "And he knows he needs help."

"But he doesn't trust grownups," I said.

"He wasn't going to come at all until Chris told him how much you argued with the cops when they caught him," Critter said.

"Where is he?" Grandpa said.

"In your back yard," I said. "But he swears he'll make a run for it the first second it looks like you're going to try to catch him, or call the cops."

"I'll treat him like a spooked horse then," Grandpa said. "You boys lead me out the back door."

Daffy was standing on the far side of the swimming pool when we walked out the back door. He could have hopped the fence before anyone got around to him. Grandpa moved a chair under an umbrella and sat in it, leaving the pool between him and Daffy.

"Hello young man," he said. "I want very much to help you, no matter what kind of trouble you're in. But we'll take it slow, as slow as you like, your pace, and you're always free to go."

Critter and me sat on the patio on one side of him, as we often did when listening to his stories.

Daffy seemed to relax a little. "They told me you weren't like other grownups," Daffy said.

Daffy walked around the pool until he came to where Critter and me were sitting, keeping us between him and Grandpa, but he stopped about ten feet away.

"If you want to help me, I need you to not ask too many questions," Daffy said. "You wouldn't believe what I told you, and I don't want to have to lie to you about it. I'd rather you just didn't know."

"Not ask too many questions . . . "Grandpa said. "That's a condition I've heard before, though it's been a very long time. I got it right that first time, maybe too right, but I promise you I won't be nosy."

Daffy came up closer, standing right behind me and Critter. That's when Grandpa started looking at him funny, like he had suddenly remembered something, then his eyes went wide.

"David?" he said, then shook his head. "No, no, it can't be."

"My name's Daffy. But I'm not named after the duck..."

"It's the Welsh version of Davy," Grandpa said. "But I knew you as David."

"Have we met?" Daffy said.

Grandpa shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "No, dear boy. Of course not," he said. "It's just my old eyes playing tricks on my old brain. But you look uncannily like my big brother when he was about your age."

Grandpa started to get misty so Critter climbed into his lap and hugged him.

After a few moments, Grandpa recovered himself. "Please excuse me," he said. "I'm a maudlin old man who's let his imagination run away. That was sixty years ago."

Daffy suddenly sat down beside me and leaned against me. I looked over at him. His eyes were wide, as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Johnny, is that you?" he said.