Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2019 03:30:48 +0200 (CEST) From: jacoblion@tutanota.com Subject: A Neglected Boy The Twins XVI Please support Nifty to keep these stories coming. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html Thanks Nifty staff for all your help. Remember this is fiction characters names are fabricated. *All locations are accurate. There may be some sex in the story it will be gentle and loving. For Readers who would like to follow the story using a NOAA Chart (nautical road map), Click on the link to Chart #12300 and save it. This is a very large area chart showing you the places our adventures will take place. Put your mouse in the center and at the top of the chart in the white area almost touching the yellow land. Click it will zoom in now click again or scroll. You should see Fishers Island, Fishers Sound and just above the letter d in the word Fishers Sound <<< You should see Mystic Seaport. Back out move to the right and you can find Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. https://www.nauticalchartsonline.com/chart/zoom?chart=12300 Another great story in Nifty Adult/Youth "Immigrant" by Jonah A Neglected Boy "The Twins" XVI Authors deserve your feedback; Please take a few moments to say so. Thank you jacoblion@tutanota.com A Neglected Boy, "The Twins" XVI . . . . The Stormy Return to Block Island We had just finished this huge lunch when it became slightly overcast. I told Jake, Liam and the boys I thought maybe it was time to head back to the boat. Kyle and Justin were a little disappointed because they were looking to play a game or two in the game room. Ethan came to the rescue and told the boys he would play a game with them on the way back to Block Island. By the time we reached Jabbering the clouds had increased and we had a breeze. I started the engine as Jake, Liam and Ethan quickly untied the boat. I slowly backed from the dock and headed Jabbering toward Block Island Sound. Jake went below and brought up all the foul weather gear just in case it should begin to rain. We passed the very tip of Point Judith and set a heading of 220 degrees. The clouds increased and we had a slight chop but the wind nearly perfect and I thought we could make good time on our return. I passed the helm to Liam as I showed Ethan how to set the auto pilot. Jake and the boys were below making sure everything was stashed and secure in the event we hit a little rough weather. Ethan learns quickly but he has also had some good training in the last 3 years. Jake, Justin and Kyle returned topside with the news that everything was shipshape below. Ethan didn't escape his promise and the boys quickly had him involved in a game in the salon. It was good timing for them to play a game as it was beginning to rain. I checked "Windy" our weather app and our radar and sure enough there was an approaching storm. The big question was would the waters and weather live up to the reputation of the greater Block Island area. The waters here can be dangerous. Although we have good water depth a storm approaching from the south can bring heavy swells and high seas caused from Cox Ledge to our south. The ocean here can cause the most dangerous storms and the old timers call them "a real snorter". It was just about 2 pm when Jake, Liam and I watched as the storm clouds rolled in toward us from the south. A heavy downpour blurred the southern horizon but the good news was we were making good time. Jake and Liam continued to scrutinize the incoming weather on "Windy" but the bad news was on the radar. The radar showed three separate cells and the weather was really beginning to intensify. Jabbering was now making 13 knots and leaning hard to starboard. Ethan, Kyle, and Justin appeared to see what was going on but Jake took them immediately below. They checked everything to make sure nothing would move. Jake got the boys to put on life jackets and gave them pillows and blankets to help keep them warm and to help protect them from sudden movement of the boat as it was really getting rough. Ethan wanted to come on deck to help but Jake and Liam thought best if he remained with Justin and Kyle to help protect them. It was difficult to just get up or down the 4 steps from salon to deck or deck to salon. Because the weather had deteriorated so quickly I decided instead of sailing straight toward Block Island, the shortest way, I tacked toward the shore to lessen the roll. However that also meant that we would have to tack again and run directly toward the inlet to Great Salt Pond as soon as we could. The storm had really come alive and rather than blow itself out quickly it just kept gaining strength. It was like an engine, like some machine out of a sci-fi movie that keeps running and it was feeding itself and we were dinner. Suddenly we were hit with a blast of very cold air and pelted with hard blowing sleet I told Liam to get below and help the boys stay calm as Jake and I continued to fight "The Tempest". Our NOAA alert system screeched, a sound we never wanted to hear, a waterspout had been spotted just 8 miles west of our location and moving directly at us. The foam from the whitecaps was blowing across Jabbering as she continued to be battered. In just seconds the downbursts sent and invisible wave of air rolling ahead of what we were now facing as the worst ever possible for us. We had reefed much of the main sail and were watching as the Jib was ripping apart, almost in slow motion, as if the hands of some invisible force tore it from left to right; it was only seconds later the view went completely white. Lightning crackled and thunder roared and the storm was charging at us at near 60 knots. Jake helped me disengage the wheel as I could no longer hold it and the auto pilot was engaged, we honestly prayed for the best. Jake and I were trapped on deck as lightning flickered in every direction. There was no horizon, no sky, no shore, no sea. The temperature tumbled and the rain was so hard that it felt like needle-pricks. Now it was just us and Jabbering against the sea and this horrendous storm. Then, without warning, this tempest dropped to nothing. No wind, no rain and we thought for just a second it was over .......... But a spontaneous roar drowned out anything we tried to say. Jabbering shuddered and shook and than a wall of air hit with a force unlike anything Jake, me or the boys had experienced on our trip from Florida. I thought this was the end as I held Jake as tight as I possibly could. The winds were now steady at 50 knots and gusting higher. The waves had reached 14 feet. We knew as we had studied the chart that we were in an area of many wrecks. Jabbering was struggling too and a different boat would not have made it this far. For 30 more minutes we endured these conditions and then just as if someone in the great somewhere had simply flicked a switch it stopped, disappeared, the sky turned from gray and purple to a beautiful blue. Jake and I were almost afraid to move. There was no wind. Block Island Sound lie flat. There was not a ripple on the water. The cockpit hatch slid back and the short door opened. First to appear were Kyle and Justin wiping away tears. Next to enter the cockpit was Ethan and Liam both visibly shook and wet. Jabbering had taken on water. Our weather app "Windy" and our radar showed nothing and this terrifying experience was over. I have no idea how we ended up where we were but we were only about 6 miles directly across from the entrance to Great Salt Pond. We set course and motored to the entrance of the Great Salt Pond. When we entered we found a number of boats that had either dragged anchor or broke from their moorings. As we approached our mooring Ethan's skiff was almost sunk and only 8 inches of the skiff were above water. Ethan was one of the lucky ones. Kyle and Justin were hugging Ethan and when they saw his skiff they started to cry. Ethan was just barely holding back the tears. I held Jabbering steady with the help of Justin and Kyle, well really they were clutching to my shorts and not about to let go. Jake, Liam and Ethan grabbed some toy sand castle pails and jumped in the water and began to bail out the skiff. It wasn't long before it was dry and Ethan was able to get in and so fortunate to start the outboard motor. We tied Jabbering to the mooring and then began the job of drying below decks. It was all hands and in about 40 minutes we were in good shape, exhausted but still alive and a family. Jake thought it best that Ethan check both the club and Dead Eye Dick's to see what damage there may have been. We all received hugs and as Ethan began to turn his skiff for shore Kyle and Justin began to cry again. Emotions were running high for everyone but the boys were having a very hard time as they had attached themselves to Ethan and were seeing him as their big brother. We needed a break, a chance to recover a bit, so we decided to make some fruit dishes topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup. It did for awhile put smiles on Kyle and Justin's faces but only for awhile. It was getting late and we could see the lights on many boats and a few fires on the beach. There was no breeze the stillness had brought no-see-ums so sitting in the cockpit area or on the forward deck was impossible. Just as we were to go below we heard a motor approaching. Justin and Kyle recognized the motor and ran to the rail to see Ethan as he approached. He came along side tied his boat and came aboard for a few minutes. Immediately the boys were attached to him. The story was that there was much damage to parts of the island almost as if it had been hit by a hurricane. Ethan continued to tell us the Yacht Club had very little damage but the launch had sunk and they would be working through the night to get it running for tomorrow. Then the bad news for Ethan; Dead Eye Dicks' had major damage and the entire back section where all the employee's rooms were was destroyed and Ethan had nothing left except the clothes in the skiff. Many of the staff from different restaurants would be staying at the Yacht Club and school gym. Jake wasn't about to see Ethan sleeping on the floor of the school gym so as Jake does he asked Ethan if he would like to stay with us until better arrangements could be made. The smile on Ethan's face said yes but we would never have allowed him to say no anyway. Justin and Kyle were hugging Ethan till he nearly passed out from not being able to breathe. We all helped to get his clothes while being bitten by the no-see-ums. Ethan said . . . "I don't know how to thank you all for helping me like this. I really do feel like you are my family and I love you." The day had caught up to Ethan and he broke down. The tears just ran and then the boys just hugged him and told him they loved him too and not to cry. When we look at Ethan sometimes we see a big boy growing into a young man and at other times we look at Ethan and we see a little boy trying to grow up. Tonight we have that big little boy. As difficult as it was for Ethan tonight he was adamant about returning to the Yacht Club in the morning to run the club launch. After everyone had something to eat we decided to show Ethan how to make his bed and we all called it a night. Liam, Kyle and Justin went to the forward cabin so Jake and I could have a good night to recover, Ethan had a big bed in the salon and Jake and I were in our cabin. The night was still and sleep came in seconds. I don't think Jake nor I moved much in the night and the morning light and a gentle knock on the door woke us at just 6:30. It was Liam telling us to take a look. Jake and I already knew what we would see and as we peeked out into the salon there were Justin and Kyle all snuggled up to Ethan. Ethan had pulled the cover up tightly and we could see he had his arm around Justin and Kyle was wrapped around Ethan. We were all still exhausted and just went back to sleep till 8 am. The hour and half passed quickly and we were tired and hurt in places we didn't even know we had. The sounds of Liam, Kyle, Justin and Ethan making breakfast told us tired and hurting or not we had to get up. We joined the crew and were greeted with smiles and hugs and kisses from the rug-rats. Ethan was dressed in his Yacht Club uniform and would be on his way right after breakfast. Liam and the boys had made a delicious hot breakfast of oatmeal and fruit with our usual drinks. We decided that with so much damage after the storm that there would probably be a number of people that needed help. We asked Ethan to take us with him and we would volunteer at the Yacht Club to help as needed. Rug-rats were excited and Ethan was all smiles. It was a short ride and upon approach to the Yacht Club we began to see the amount of damage to the buildings and boats. There were already about 60 people there ready to help with various jobs from making sandwiches to trying clear debris and repair the front porch at the Yacht Club. Ethan was off to see his supervisor and with Kyle and Justin with us we were asked to help clean around the area. Liam and Jake were asked to help with the porch while Justin, Kyle and I went about picking up small debris and branches. The morning passed rather quickly and lunch was sandwiches and chips and water provided by the club's ladies group. I must say this these ladies were used to hard work and after lunch they were right with us cleaning a very large area around the club. It was around 4 pm and the lawn and garden area looked almost back to normal. The ladies then enlisted the help of everyone who could stay to help set up tables for a cookout this evening for guests that had either lost everything or were very bad shape. It would be simple hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and potato salad and water. Cases of water had already been stacked on the porch, one lady called it "The Veranda" but I heard another lady say . . . "I just call it a porch". Jake, Liam the boys and I remained to lend a hand however they needed. It was almost 7 pm and we had not seen Ethan. Kyle and Justin were very tired but have found two other kids and they are close playing soccer or football as the rest of the world calls it. Liam motioned to Jake and me as he saw Ethan walking our way. Ethan looked whipped. His face looked tired but more it looked sad, very sad. We all smiled and tried to get his reaction to respond with a smile but no luck not even as he was attacked by Justin and Kyle. I just asked . . . "Ethan you look worn out but a little smile and a hamburger might help." Ethan was just about to cry and we immediately found out why as he said ......... "The club launch won't start the engine is ruined and they think it's best to just wait and get a new engine. I may not have a job after tomorrow and they said they would let me know in about an hour. I helped that fishing boat you saw this morning reset about half of the moorings that had moved in the storm and will help finish moving the rest tomorrow." We all helped cheer Ethan up and I said . . . "Ethan I think they will find a way to keep you for the rest of the summer and a new engine for the launch could be here in 3 or 4 days. So here is something to make you smile we will just stay all of us Jake, me, Liam, the rug-rats till you have a new place and see if you still have a job; so 3 days 4 or 5 or 10 we will just hound and pester you and sic Kyle and Justin on you every morning till you smile and keep smiling." That did it Ethan began to laugh and started messing with the boys and was ready for a burger a double burger with cheese and then this grandmother type heaped the plate with potato salad and I saw her slip Ethan a candy bar. We saw two members of the Yacht Club board of directors walking toward Ethan and I guess we were about to find out what was going to happen. Jake and I were sure they were going to say they were sending for a new engine and would make new living arrangements for him till the end of the summer. Ethan shook hands with the two gentleman and we saw him nod two or three times as if he agreed or understood and then he turned and began to walk toward us with the decision of the board ............ To be continued . . . . A Neglected Boy "The Twins XVI" New photos at https://jacoblion.weebly.com/a-neglected-boy-the-twins.html **If you like this story please let me know I enjoy hearing from you.** If you enjoyed this story you will also enjoy the following stories by Jonah on Nifty's Gay Adult/Youth Archive. Letter from America, Stranger on a Train, Marooned, Boston Tea Party, "Immigrant". Please Check Jonah's new Page ..... https://jacoblion.weebly.com/jonah-stories.html