Founders School for Boys

By bottomboy1011@yahoo.com

Also find FSB and other stories my website

https://storiesfromthebearcave.wordpress.com/

I am a little ADD so it is hard for me to sit down and write. I will not do it if I do not get feedback. Nifty gives us an outlet to write things that we cannot talk about in the real world, so donate http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html  and be sure to give the authors feedback on what you think after you read their stories..

 

CHAPTER 32

Brian Finds His Song

 

After watching the video, we were hanging around just talking and getting to know each other when we heard someone playing the guitar. I looked up to see that it was Timmy. He was on stage with Mr. Carter playing and talking. Mr. Carter said, "You are very good. What is your favorite song to play?"

"Well my dad taught me this one song, and it took about a year for me to get is close to the guy that actually did it."

"What is the song?"

"Well, it is not really a song, it's just cool guitar music. It's called People Get Ready by an awesome guitar player named Jeff Beck."

"There is no way you can play that."

"Can too."

"Ok superstar, do it."

I had to sit down before I fell down. He was amazing. It was a side of Timmy that I had never seen before. I could not believe that he was playing like that. Mr. Carter added to the music by playing the drums. It was like a real concert right here in the basement of this house.

When they finished Mr. Carter stood up and bowed to Timmy. "That was outstanding young man. I know some great guitar players that can't come close to Beck's playing, and you just did. I had the honor to play drums for Beck once during a concert. That man is a legend. There is one thing that you got wrong though."

Timmy got a defeated look on his face, I think he thought he did everything right, but Mr. Carter found a mistake. "What did I do wrong?"

Timmy was looking at the ground, so Mr. Carter put a finger under his chin so that Timmy was looking at him. "No, Timmy, the music was played very well. I did notice a few minor things, but that is not what I am talking about. You said it was not a song, but it is. A singer named Rod Stewart did lyrics for the music and it became a big hit."

"Timmy looked surprised at this news and said, "I didn't know that."

Mr. Carter then spoke up so that we could all hear him. "As you all know, there are three weeks before the fourth of July. I have talked with the ones in charge of the event, and we have permission to do a talent show before the fireworks begin. I will be posting on the Crossman website about it." He looked at Timmy and said, "I think you should do People Get Ready and if we can find a singer for it, it would be a showstopper."

He took Timmy over to the iPad and found what he was looking for. He put ear buds in Timmy's ears and hit the play button. Timmy listened and I guess he liked what he was hearing. Then his eyes got real big, and he looked our direction. When the song was done he said, "That was great, and I know who can sing it."

"Really, you have someone in mind?"

"Yes, he doesn't sound exactly like that guy, but I think he can come close."

"So Timmy, who do you think you want to sing this?"

Timmy looked straight at me and I got real nervous. I was relieved when he walked over to us and asked, "Owen, would you be willing to sing this song?"

Owen was shocked, "You want me to sing? Why me?"

"Because when I heard the song, you are the one I pictured singing it. Come here."

He dragged Owen over to the iPad and put the ear buds in his ears and hit the play button."

I had to ask, "Mr. Carter, why can't we all hear it?"

"That is a fair question Brian. Here is the answer, because I want you to hear Timmy and maybe Owen for the first time when they present it. If you decide to sing something or do something for the talent show, I will do everything in my power to let it be a surprise as well."

When the song ended, Owen said, "I could never do it like that. That guys voice is unique. I have never heard a voice like that."

Mr. Carter said, "That is true, Rod has a very unique voice. I don't want you to sing like him, I want you to put your own spin on it, and I will help you do that if you are interested."

You could see Timmy begging with his eyes until Owen said, "Ok, sounds like fun."

We hung around and talked till almost five. I looked up and saw the time and said, "I have to get going, Ma will have dinner about ready and she does not know where I am."

All the kids agreed, so we all went to our homes and said that we would see each other tomorrow. I got home and Pa asked, "Were have you been we were looking for you."

"Sorry, would it be ok if I told you about it during dinner?"

Pa looked a Ma who nodded her head and said, "Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes."

"Ok, I'll be there." I ran into my room and crawled into my closet. I covered myself up with the blanket and said, "Donny, are you here?"

I waited about a minute before I heard, "I am here little brother, what's happening?"

I told him all about my day and about the new family that moved in. "Timmy is really good at the guitar and had found a song for the talent show."

"Why do you sound sad?"

"I guess because he chose Owen to sing it instead of me."

"Did you want to sing it with him?"

"I don't know, and I'm not mad or anything. I guess I am just a bit jealous."

"You know that we saw the video of the play you guys did, right?"

"Yeah I know, you guys told us how much you liked it."

"We didn't like it, we loved it and thought you guys did an excellent job. The big thing for us, was we never thought we would see you do something like that, we were so proud. I thought mom and dad would explode with the pride they were feeling."

"Really, you're not just saying that?"

"Have you ever known me to lie?"

"I guess not."

"I brought that up, because I wanted you to know what else we noticed while watching it."

He stop talking and I was getting frustrated. He knows that I hate it when he stops talking and laughs when I get mad at him. "Come on Donny what did you notice?"

Like always, he laughed. "What we noticed was that you and Owen have very different singing voices. Dad even said that he knew Timmy would pick Owen. His voice is a lot closer to Mr. Stewarts then yours is."

"You were watching?"

"I told you months ago, that we see everything. We will always watch over you."

"So... you really see me having sex?"

"No we turn away. We are not mad about it, and it is your life, but we still don't agree with it."

"Do you hate me for it?"

"There is nothing you could do that would make us hate you. We love everything about your life as a Crossman with the exception of the sex. They have given you things that we couldn't. They gave you friends that love you, a school that challenges you, and a future that you can see now. You never saw a real future until you got there did you."

"No, not really. Now I think I know what I want to do when I get older. I never thought about it before."

"What are you thinking you might want to do?"

"I want to be like Mr. Anderson. I am not sure I want to be a lawyer, but I do know that I want to help kids like Jamie and Hudson."

"There you go again dang it."

"What did I do?"

"You have got us bursting with pride again." I giggled. "As for Timmy and Owen, I would not worry about that. I think you will find your own thing. If you are going to sing, try to find something that has meaning to you. Don't just pick a song at random and do it, find one that represents how you feel, and what you want to say. Now, Ma is about to call you to dinner, so we will say goodnight brother. We love you."

"I love you too. I miss you every day."

"We know you do, but just remember we are always with you."

Right then Ma yelled, "Brian, dinner. Wash up first."

I pushed the blanket off and left the closet. I went to the bathroom, peed, and washed my hands and face. When I got to the table it was all set up with Ma and Pa sitting there waiting for me.

I sat down and Pa asked, "How is Donny?"

"He is ok. He freaked me out a little bit."

"How's that?"

"He says that they are watching me and that they see everything, including the sex."

"Is he mad?"

I smiled, "Not at me, just you." I laughed, them not so much. "No, he said that they were not happy about it, so they turn away when it is happening."

"I am sorry that it is upsetting them. We never meant for that to happen."

"It's ok I guess. I like my life now and Donny thinks that everything except the sex is great. Since the sex is a very low percentage of what being a Crossman is about, I am good with it."

I then went on to tell them all about the new family that moved in. I told them all about Colt and his amazing voice, Timmy's guitar playing, and how Owen is going to sing with Timmy playing at the talent show.

Ma asked, "Are you going to sing at the talent show?"

"I don't know, maybe. Donny says that I need to find a song that means something to me."

Pa asked, "Do you have a song in mind?"

"No, I have never really listened to much music. Sometimes Donny and I would listen to music together in his room, but I can't remember any of the songs. For me it was more about being with Donny than listening to the music. I know that he had CD's with music on it, but they must be in storage somewhere, but I don't know where."

Pa said, "I would assume that they are with all of your stuff at the warehouse on the other side of the ranch."

"No, I mean the stuff in storage in Milbourn."

Ma said, "We know what you meant. All of that stuff was moved to the warehouse here on the ranch. With the exception of your mom's and most of your dad's clothes. I thought your mother and father would be happy having them donated to their church. I hope you are not mad at me for making that decision without asking you."

My eyes got a little teary as I jumped out of my chair and went over to give Ma a big hug. "I think they would have loved that. Thank you so much for not making me do it."

When I got back into my chair Ma said, "Just so you know, I didn't donate all of their clothes. I have a few sweaters of your moms sealed in plastic for you. I also kept a few t-shirts of your dads for you as well."

I was confused, "Why did you keep my mom's sweaters? Didn't other people need them?"

"I didn't think anyone would need them as much as you would."

I giggled, "What, you think they would look good on me?"

"No silly boy. I just think one day when you are really missing your mom, they will help you."

"How?"

"Because they still have her scent on them. As I was going through everything I could smell her perfume on them, so I put them in airtight bags and saved them for you when you need them."

I could not believe what I was hearing. She did all this for me. I was the luckiest kid in the world. With tears streaming down my face I said, "Thank you so much, I would have never thought about doing that. Do you think maybe tomorrow we could go get one?"

"We don't need to, I have them in my closet."

I could not help it, I had to give here another hug. Afterwards I leaned back and asked, "What about Donny's stuff, did you donate that too?"

"No, I kept everything of Donny's. The clothes you will grow into and you might want some of them. All of his other stuff is there when you are ready to go through it."

I started kissing her all over her face, "Thank you... Thank you... Thank you. I love you so much."

She kissed me back and we finished our dinner. I helped her clear off the table and put the dishes in the dish washer. Then we all went to the living room to watch TV. Now, it is still light out and I could go play with the guys, but I like this time with Ma and Pa. It makes me feel like I am still part of a family.

We snuggled up on the couch and turned on the TV. There was breaking news on all the channels. A black man was shot by police and the black community was angry. At first it was just a demonstration walking down the street, but it was not just black people. There were white people, and Mexican people as well. They were chanting "Black Live Matter" over and over again. I looked a Pa and asked, "Why did the police shoot that man."

"I am not sure why this man was shot. The problem is that for a long time, black people have been stopped and harassed by police. Some of the time it is because they have done something wrong, but there are other times when they didn't do anything wrong and were stopped just because they were black."

"That's not right. The police should only stop people if they did something wrong and not because of the color of their skin."

"You are absolutely right."

"Are the police bad?"

"Some are but think of it this way but let me ask you this. When you got to this school, and you fought Kyle because he was being a bully to Timmy, did you think that everyone in the school was a bully?"

"Of course not. There were only a few here."

"So what percentage of the student body do you think were bullies?"

I sat up and looked at him, he was doing math, and I love math. "I don't know. I would have to have all of the numbers."

"Good point let's figure it out. With the number of kids in this school, and let's say for the sake of argument, there were ten bullies in this school when you got here, and let's round the number of boys at the school to say... eighteen hundred. What percentage of the boys at this school were bullies?"

I thought about is for a second and said, "It would be just over point five percent."

"Very good. With that in your head, you have to figure that there are like a million police officers in the U.S. and of those I am going to throw this number out, but you have to know that I don't have all of the facts. So, out of all of those law enforcement officers out there, my best guess is that ninety percent of those officers want to protect the people in their communities and keep them safe. That leaves approximately ten percent of these men and woman out there who like the power or feel that their badge gives them the right to dictate the law as they see fit. The issue is that those ten percent are the only ones that make the news."

I was about to ask another question when the news cameras started showing people burning cars, breaking windows, and steeling things from stores. With panic in my voice I asked, "What is happening? Why are the demonstrators doing that? Those aren't police cars, and those store owners didn't do anything wrong."

I was getting really upset by what I was seeing. Pa wrapped me up in a hug and asked, "Did the people that we saw marching when we sat down, do anything like what you are seeing here?"

"No Pa, but they are now."

He turned my head to look at him, "No Brian they are not. The ones we saw at the beginning, were asking us to see them marching peacefully for something that really mattered to them. They were showing the world that what the bad police did to them, and what those police think about them. The people you are seeing now are using the protest so they can get away with being criminals. What they are doing now is telling the world that they deserve to be treated the way they have been treated. The problem is that what they are really doing is overshadowing the good that the protesters were doing. It is shameful and sad."

I was really upset now, "But those store owners and the people that owned those cars that are on fire are not the bad guys. It is not fair."

"No Brian, it is not. However, there is always someone out there with something of value that someone else figures should be theirs and will do bad things to get it."

I just didn't know what to say. I was mad and sad at the same time. Then Ma jumped up and grabbed my hand, pulling me into my room. She sat down at my desk and turned on my laptop. "What's wrong Ma?"

"Well, you were trying to figure out a song to sing, and I think I know what it is."

She opened up an app called Amazon music and searched for a song. When she found it she hit the play button and it started with a flute. We listened to it and it was just like we talked about a few minutes ago. The song was called One Tin Soldier and it was everything I wanted to say. "That is cool, but I don't get the tin soldier thing."

Ma said, "This song tells the story of a battle in olden times over a buried treasure. One side has and are willing to share it, while the other side is willing to smite their neighbors for the promise of riches. ... The song's message is that human greed and violence is futile - a "tin soldier" is a miniature toy soldier, representing the inhuman aspect of the pursuit."

I knew that would be my song. I hugged Ma again for helping me.

When Ma and I got back to the living room the TV was off. Pa said, "I think we have had enough of TV tonight, let's just read instead. I turned around and ran back to my room and grabbed a book I was reading called The History of the Ancient World. I snuggled in between Ma and Pa and we all read for about an hour and a half.

Pa said, "Ok buddy, let's get ready for bed."

We all went into Ma and Pa's bathroom where we all got in the shower and I got my cunt cleaning done by Ma, then we all showered. I liked showering with them. It was cool being washed by both of them at the same time. Once we were all dry I ran to my bathroom and brushed my teeth. Then I ran back into their room and jumped on the bed in mounting position, hoping Pa would get the message.

Ma came in first and laid down beside me. When Pa came in he picked me up and set me face down on Ma so that I was on my knees between her legs. That put my face at her breasts. Pa lubed me up and entered me while Ma held me. Once Pa was all the way in he guided my mouth to Ma's left breast. I started sucking on her nipple while Pa was going to town on my cunt. It started out slow at first but sped up to a nice cunt pounding. You may be asking why a gay boy like me is sucking a woman's breast, so I will tell you. Sucking her nipples does nothing for me. I don't really like it or hate it. So, here is the thing. Ma really likes it, and with everything she does for me, I will do almost anything to make her happy. As long as I don't have to do anything lower, I am happy.

I guess Ma found out when I had my first tingles, because I kinda bit down and she yelled, "Ouch". Although I was lost in my pleasure, I was able to take her nipple out of my mouth and finish my orgasm. When it was over I looked and saw bite marks on her nipple, "I am so sorry Ma, I didn't mean to."

"I know you didn't sweetheart." She smiled.

Pa then guided my mouth to her other nipple and started going in and out of me slowly. He started kissing my neck and licking my ears. He knows that drives me crazy. The tingles were back, and I was about to go over the edge. I was able to think enough to take Ma's nipples out of my mouth before it happened. Ma just wrapped me in a hug and held me through it.

I felt Pa grow inside me and then I could feel the warmth as he filled me with his cum. Once I recovered and he pulled out I ran to the bathroom for the cunt plug. When I got back, Ma was going to town sucking and cleaning his cock.

"Hey, that is my job."

Ma smiled and said, "No way little boy, this was my cock before it was yours. You are just going to have to learn to share."

Once I was plugged, I crawled between them and we all fell into a happy sleep.

After breakfast I ran out of the house and over to Mr. Carters house. I knocked on the door and waited. A naked lady opened the door and asked, "Can I help you?"

"Hi, I am Brian Burke, and I was wondering if I could please speak to Mr. Carter?"

"Sure you can Brian, won't you please come in?"

I entered the house and heard someone running down the hall. Colt and a girl that looked to be about my age came running in. Colt said, "Brian! I am so glad to see you. This is my sister Beth, Beth, this is one of the boys I told you about yesterday. His name is Brian."

She was very cute for a girl I guess, but the thing I noticed first were her eyes. They were the bluest eyes I have ever seen. The second thing I noticed about her were her dimples. When she smiled her dimples were even deeper then Tyler's. "It's nice to meet you Brian."

"It is nice to meet you to Beth."

"Did you come over to see my brothers?"

"No, I came to see your dad."

"Oh, he is downstairs. Do you know the way?"

"Yes, we were down there yesterday."

I half expected them to follow me, but they didn't. I got to the bottom of the stairs and found Mr. Carter sitting on a chair looking at his iPad. "Hello Brian, how are you on this fine day?"

"I am good Sir. I was hoping to talk to you if it's ok."

"Sure it is. What's up?"

"I found a song that I would like to sing in the talent show and was wondering if it would be ok."

"Come over here and sit on the stage with me and tell me about it."

We sat on the edge of the stage and I told him all about last night and how upset I was by it. Then I told him how Ma knew just the song I should be singing.

"Great, what is the name of the song?"

"It is called One Tin Soldier."

He thought for a second and shook his head, "I don't think I know that one. Let's see if we can find it online." He poked at the iPad a few times, and then I heard the song coming through the speakers spread around the room. When the song was over he said, "I think that is a very good choice. He then tapped on the iPad a few more times and a printer on the table in the corner started going off. He stood up and grabbed whatever printed out and a book.

"Ok Brian, here are the lyrics to the song, so that you can study them." He then opened the book which turned out to be a calendar book. He turned the page and said, "Today is Tuesday, how about you study the lyrics and come back on Thursday so that we can work on it. How about three o'clock."

I was real excited and said, "Yes Sir, I will be here."

I ran back up the stairs stopping at the top. I looked at Mrs. Carter, standing there naked. Last year at this time I would have thought that these people are weird, but now it doesn't even faze me. Beth has a nice body and although I am not into girls, I can't help but notice that she really is pretty. "I looked over at Mrs. Carter and said, "It was really nice to meet you, thank you for letting me see your husband."

She smiled, "You can see him any time Brian. You are welcome to come over to see him or any of my children."

"Thank you mam." Beth looked like she wanted to ask me something, but Colt kept telling her to mind her own business. "Beth don't listen to your brother, if you want to ask me something I will answer it."

She blushed a little bit, then asked, "What happened to your balls?"

Mrs. Carter said, "Beth that was rude."

"I am sorry mom, but he said I could ask."

I laughed a little bit and said, "It's ok Mrs. Carter, I don't mind." I looked at Beth and said, "I was born way earlier then I should have been. They thought I would not make it, but with the love of my family I lived, in spite of those doctors. Then they figured I would just be retarded." I giggled at that.

Mrs. Carter asked, "Why is that funny?"

"I just always thought it was a stupid word. I mean, is a person born traded, then gets better, and then gets retarded? It just never made sense to me. I know people with challenges, but have never met a traded person, or a retarded person."

She laughed, "I guess I never thought about it that way."

"Yeah, and it sucks for those Doctors who wrote me off, because I probably have a higher IQ then any of them." I laughed harder. "Anyway back to your question. Turns out my only birth defect was with my dick and balls. My dick just never really grew, but my balls did. The real problem there was that they hurt all the time. Last year I got the mumps and that just did them in. There was no choice but to cut them off."

Colt was in shock, "Did it hurt? Do you miss them? How did I not notice them yesterday?"

I could not help but laugh again, "I think that we are desensitized about each other's junk because we see it all the time. When I first became a Crossman I always looked at the other guys junk, but I don't even notice it anymore. Beth noticed it because she is a girl, and it is in her D&A to notice. I don't even like girls, but I noticed her body, and never really even looked at yours."

"You don't like girls?" Beth asked.

"No, I am gay. However, Owen is straight, and he is really cute."

"When do I get to meet Owen?" Beth asked while wiggling her eyebrows.

"Elizabeth Carter." Her mom said, trying to be mad but smiling.

I leaned in and whispered, "Soon, he is at the door." Then I spoke louder. "Me losing my balls is nothing. You should see Timmy. That boy is so forgetful, he went to bed one night and woke up missing his. He just can't remember where he left them." I said with a giggle.

Just then the door opened, and Timmy came in, punched me in the arm and said, "I didn't lose them, they are in my room somewhere, I think."

Me, Timmy, and Owen were laughing so hard, that I am sure the Carter's thought we were nuts. When we regained our composure, I said, "Mrs. Carter and Beth, this tall boney guy with no balls is one of my best friends Timmy, and this super cute guy is Owen." I said as I pinched his cheeks. He pushed my hand away, but not before blushing. "Guys, this is Mrs. Carter and her daughter Beth."

Timmy was being Timmy and jumped right in shaking hands and complementing both girls on how pretty they were. Owen and I were trying not to laugh. Beth walked up to Owen, and said, "Hi Owen, I am Beth."

Owen was completely tongue tied. "It... it's... I mean, it is nice to meet you."

Timmy and I were giggling until Owen shot us daggers in his look. I changed the subject, "Are you guys here to work on your song?"

Timmy answered, "Yes, are you going to stick around and listen?"

"No, I don't want to hear it until the show. Ma found me a great song to sing. We found it last night, which is funny, because it was right after Donny told me to find a song that meant something to me, and I did. See ya, I am going to see if Ma will help me with it."

 

Timmy & Owen

Brian had just left the house when Beth asked, "Who is Donny, another friend?"

Owen and I sat down on the couch. I said, "He was Brian's best friend, and maybe still is. Donny is Brian's brother, he and their parents were doing volunteer work in another country with refugees, when the village they were in was attacked by rebels. Everyone in the village was killed including Brian's family."

Mrs. Carter said, "Oh my, that poor boy. Wait, I don't understand, he said that he talked to Donny yesterday."

Owen took a deep breath, "When Brian was born, the first hand he held was Donny's. The first hug he received was from Donny, and until his family left the country, in nine years, he never went to sleep without kissing and hugging Donny goodnight."

Owen had to stop and dry his eyes, so I took over. "Donny was his world and when he lost his family, he got so depressed that we were not sure we were going to get him back. Now at least once a day, he crawls into his closet, covers himself with a blanket and has a conversation with Donny."

Colt said, "I don't understand, if Donny is dead, how is he talking with him?"

"He told us, that Donny told him, that because of the bond that they have, their souls are linked. At first I thought my friend was losing it, but then one day he told me about a conversation I had with my dad about him. There was no way he could have known about it, so I asked him. He said that Donny told him."

Owen said, "We don't know if he is nuts or not, but he believes it and it makes him feel better about what happened, so since we love him, we say he talks to Donny. What you saw happening right here with the three of us, was the first time he has been that much fun since before his family was killed. We are just happy he is back with us."

Mr. Carter spoke which made us jump. "It sounds to me like Brian is one lucky boy to have friends like you."

Owen and I looked at each other, "Maybe, but we feel pretty lucky to have him as our friend and brother. He has made a big difference in both our lives."

Mr. Carter said, "Well then, let's get to rehearsing shall we?"

 

Brian

I ran back in the door and Ma asked, "I thought you were hanging out with the boys today."

"No, they are with Mr. Carter rehearsing their song."

"Didn't you want to stay and listen?"

"No, Mr. Carters says that we should not hear each other's songs until we perform them at the talent show. Look, he printed me off the lyrics of my song so I can practice. Where is Pa?"

"He left before you did to play golf with Mr. Jackson and Mr. Robinson. He will be back soon."

"Ok." I said as I headed to my room. I was studying the lyrics to One Tin Soldier for about an hour when Pa stopped at my door. He was on the way to his room to shower and change. "How was golf?"

He gave me a flustered look and said, "Brian, I think those guys cheated. I mean, how else could I have lost so bad?"

I started laughing hard and said, "Could it be because you are just bad at golf?"

He stormed into my room and started tickling me. "I though you loved me how could you say something like that?"

He was smiling now, "Because it is true." I said between laughing and trying to breath.

He stopped tickling me, thought for a second, and said, "Wait a minute, you may be on to something. No, you are. I just remembered that I can't play golf." We were just getting our laughter under control with he asked, "So what are you doing?"

"I am trying to memorize my song."

"But all you are doing is memorizing the words, not the song."

"You are silly, the words are the song."

"No they are not. They are just words; they need music to be a song."

I thought about that for a second, "But I don't have the music yet. Mr. Carter will help me with that."

"Can I show you something?" I nodded my head. He opened the laptop and the music program Ma used yesterday. Once he found the song, he hit play. "The music is right here." He opened the desk drawer and pulled out a pair of headphones. He put them on my head, plugged them into the laptop, and said, "Now, if you use the mouse on this line here, you can move the song backwards or forwards as you are listening to it. That way you can use the song, to help you remember the words."

"Cool! Thanks Pa, I love you." I put the headphones on and worked on the song. Pa was right, it was easier to do it this way. I guess I had been working on it for about an hour, and had it memorized. I was singing it when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Ma and Pa were standing at the door looking and smiling at me. I took off my headphones and asked, "What are you goofballs smiling about?"

Pa said, "You have that song down, and you are really quite good."

"Thanks Pa. What did you think Ma?"

"I think it was wonderful. I was just wondering... never mind."

I stood up, took off my headphones, and walked right up to Ma. I looked up into her face, and with a base in my voice I said, "You can't start saying something and then stop. It aint fair." She looked down at me and with a smile, she leaned over a kissed me on the nose. I backed up and wiped my nose and ran around yelling "Girl cooties. Pa, she gave me girl cooties."

They both laughed. Ma reached out, grabbed me, and pulled me into a hug. "I will show you girl cooties." Then she started kissing my cheeks, neck, and ears.

I was laughing so hard, I thought I was going to pee. "Ok... Ok... I give up. I like girl cooties." Once she released me, I ran to the bathroom. I told you I had to pee. When I got back I asked, "What were you going to say about the song."

"Well, I am wondering if instead of singing the verse, why not act it out? Then you can sing the chorus."

"What do you mean?"

"Like the first verse, "Listen, children, to a story that was written long ago 'Bout a kingdom on a mountain and the valley-folk below." So my thinking is what if you were telling a story instead of singing a song. Now, you would be singing the chorus, but is might be a better way of telling the story you want people to hear."

I had to think about it for a minute, "Do you think that would be ok? Wouldn't Mr. Carter expect it to be a song though?"

"This is not a song fest; it is a talent show. Some people will sing, some will just play and instrument, some may do magic, or who knows what else. You are wanting to tell a story about something that happened a long time ago, but even after all those people died, there are those out there that still have to take what someone else has instead of working for it."

"Like those people who were stealing from those stores instead working for the things that they want."

"Correct."

I worked on the story/song all the next day, and most of Thursday. When it was close to time for me to go, Ma came into my room as I was pacing back and forth? I looked at Ma and said, "I can't do it, I can't go."

"Why not sweetheart? You know this backwards and forwards."

"But what if he don't like it? Mr. Carter may not like the fact that I changed it." I was starting to feel a panic attack coming on. I have not had one in a long time.

"Brian, calm down and breathe." Once I was calm Ma said, "I am sorry for pushing you, I didn't realize that Mr. Carter was such a jerk. Maybe I should go over a talk to him about his attitude."

I reached up and grabbed her, "No Ma he is not a jerk, he is real nice."

Ma smiled and I knew she set me up again. "So what you are telling me is that you have no idea what he will say."

Looking at the floor I said, "No Ma, I don't know what he will say about it."

"Sounds like you need to give him the benefit of the doubt."

"I guess. I don't suppose you would like to come with me?"

"I would be happy to go with you. Let me put on my Crocs and we will go."

When she left the room, I ran to the closet and grabbed my Crocs. Ma's were pink, but she got me some that were blue, and I liked them. We walked over to the Carters hand in hand.

I knocked on the door and Mrs. Carter opened the door, "Hi Mrs. Carter, I want you to meet Ma, I mean Mrs. Walters."

"Nice to meet you, I have heard a lot about you from Timmy and Owen. I am Cathy, won't you please come in?"

"It is nice to meet you Cathy, I am Evilyn."

We all went downstairs where I did the introductions again. "It is very nice to meet you Evilyn, please have a seat. I want you to meet Gunner, he is my oldest and this is Zach. Zach is going to do the flute part of your song Brian."

Zach looked like he was fifteen or sixteen. He is short at about five six, with jet black hair, and brown eyes. He like all the boys was hairless and wore a clear PCU on his dick. He was not ugly but had a lot of zits on his face and braces. "It is so nice to meet all of you." Looking back at Mr. Carter Ma says, "Brian is so excited to show you what he has done. I can't wait to see what you think."

"Brian has already showed me the song he wants to do." Then looking at me he asks, "Did you change songs Brian?"

"No Sir, not exactly." I got all nervous and looked at Ma. She just nodded, so I looked back and Mr. Carter, took a deep breath, and with courage I was not sure I had I said, "It's the same song Sir, but I am not doing it the way they did in the original version. I hope that is ok."

I stood there on shaking legs waiting for him to yell at me. But he didn't. Instead he smiled, and said, "This sounds interesting. Tell me more." I told him about being in the show and how Ma is also my drama teacher. I explained how I wanted to do the song and then waited. "That is a wonderful idea! Do you know how that will affect the music?"

After breathing a sigh of relief I said, "I am not very musical, but when Ma and me were working on it, if felt like the music may have to be stretched out a little on the verses, but the chorus will stay the same."

"Very good, I like this. I know you were here when Timmy asked Owen to sing the lyrics to his song." I nodded my head. "Owen was worried about it because he doesn't sound like the guy that sang it. I told him not to worry about that and just make it his own. I am glad you decided to make this song yours and not just copy it. Why don't you hop up on the stage and let's take it from the top, shall we? I will figure out how to adjust the music after a few run throughs.

We ran through the song three times while Mr. Carter took notes. Once I was done with the third time he made the adjustments to the music and we did it three more times. When we were done he had the three of us sit down on the stage and said, "That was fantastic boys, how did it feel to you?"

Zach said, "I really like it. I have never heard that song before, but I can see why you chose it. My dad says that, "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got." It seems like we humans just can't figure that out."

Mr. Carter asked, "Zach, do you know where your father heard that?"

Looking a bit ashamed Zach said, "Yes Sir, he learned it in AA. My dad used to drink a lot, but he doesn't do that anymore."

Mr. Carter put his hand on Zach's shoulder, "Don't be ashamed that your dad is an alcoholic, we all have our issues. Be proud that he no longer drinks. That shows a strong-willed person. I can tell you from working in the music industry that you will never lose an addiction; you can only fight every day to overcome it." Zach puffed out his chest a little and smiled. Mr. Carter looked at Gunner, "Well son what did you think?"

"I listened to the song a bunch of times while I learned to play it, and I definitely like Brian's version better."

Mr. Carter looked at me, "And you sir, what did you think?"

I must have been smiling from ear to ear, " I loved it. I was not sure if it would really work this way, but the way you made the music softer while I was telling the story and extended it out is awesome!"

"Good, so we will get together for rehearsals twice a week for the next few weeks, and then we will do it again before the big day. Feel free to get together and work on it if your schedules work out."

We all left and Ma told me how proud she was of me. Me and the guys got together at least one extra day a week to rehearse. I was getting more and more excited with the show just around the corner.