Kurt

 

Life in The Village, through the eyes of a student at the remote school.
(This is a parallel story to "Schoolie", but through different eyes.)
This longer chapter aligns, partially, with Chapters 51 and 52 of "Schoolie".

This is an original work of pure fiction (just an expression of a fantasy)
by Robert A. Armstrong (a pseudonym)

The resemblance of the characters by action, name, location or description to any real person is purely coincidental.

If it is illegal, or offensive, for you to read stories involving interactions of a sexual nature between adults and youths, then what are you doing here?

 

 

From Chapter 30:

The secret panel suddenly slams shut and we are in complete darkness. Then I hear, "Wooooo! I am the ghost of the big house!"

I know that it's not Mr Grant trying to scare us, but it sounds deeper than Andy's voice.

I hear some shuffling noises. I don't want to be in here with a ghost!

I know where the panel is, so I push on it and it opens again. I virtually jump out, followed by Andy. We leave Mr Grant behind and `escape'.

 

 

Chapter 31 – Multiple Ghosts

We make our way down the stairs, across the big hall, out of the front door and down the front steps. Andy follows me around the corner and under the house.

William, Karl and Jake are up on the driver's seat of the big buggy-thing. David and little Eric are standing, looking at the `big boys'. I help them both in, then Andy and I get in too.

William pretends to drive a team of horses and we, who are sitting in the passengers' seats, pretend to be bobbing around.

Mr Grant appears with a drink in one hand and food in the other hand, chewing and sipping. He goes across and speaks with Jane and her mum and Dad, as well as David and Eric's mother and some other adults. Then he calls out to us, "Hello there, in the Landau, can I join you?"

Now, at school, Mr Grant is always correcting everyone's English, so I'm not surprised when William says, "I'm sure that you meant, `MAY I...?' Sir," His voice sounds very sarcastic.

Mr Grant pauses for a moment and then says, "Is it possible, gentlemen, for me to fit into your carriage?"

He looks at us four, then at the three in the driver's seat. He appears to be staring at William when he says, "And, if there IS room, then MAY I please join Your Lordships in a circuit of the estate?" He bows and everyone laughs. So do Jane and the adults.

William answers, to everyone's delight, "By all means, good fellow," and he pretends to stop the horses so that Mr Grant can climb aboard. "Whoa!"

Andy and I separate so that Mr Grant can sit between us.

"You may drive on, my good man," Mr Grant indicates to William, "but be wary of highwaymen. Behold yonder mob of ruffians," he says, indicating Mr O'Brien and those talking around him. "They look to be particularly dangerous and undesirable characters." Jake turns around to look at Mr Grant, with a huge grin on his face at the pretended insult of his sister and parents, and especially his dad.

"Bale up!" Mr O'Brien suddenly shouts, jumping forward, joining in the game and pointing one hand, like a gun, at the three drivers. I would never have thought that the quiet old father of Jane and Jake would ever do such a thing. That makes it even funnier.

Mr Grant throws his hands into the air, and we kids all follow his lead, squealing and pleading for mercy.

"Your money or your lives!" the highwayman gives us the choice.

"Please, sir, we have no money!" Andy replies, doing a great impression of shaking with fear and, standing, displaying his pockets, turned inside out.

"Then it will have to be a life!" Mr O'Brien growls, pointing his finger-gun at each of us in turn.

When it's pointed at David, he instantly responds, "Here is a life, sir," holding his little brother, Eric, forward. "You can have this one."

Little Eric screams his protest at being sacrificed by his brother.

At about the same time, we hear a voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to move to the dining room and witness the signing of the title deeds."

Everyone thanks him, then the adults all come over to the `Landau' (as Mr Grant called it) and joke with everyone about the little play acting.

We are all happy, with one exception. Little Eric pouts, kicks David in the shins then jumps down and hides behind his mother.

Everybody starts to head for the doorway near the corner and then turn to go up the stairs. David has run ahead with Little Eric close behind, waving his clenched fists.

The young girls, waiting at the bottom of the stairs, want to take Mr Grant's hand.

Andy and I walk together behind William, Karl and Jake.

When I enter the dining room, it is almost full. People shuffle around to let everyone in. William, Karl, Andy and I cross the floor, past the chair with the papers and pen in front of it, and stand next to the window. Jake goes to stand with his mum and dad.

Andy's mum moves and stands behind him. Our Mr Grant's mother and Mr Grant, the pilot, stand behind William. Dad moves in behind Karl and me, next to Andy's mum.

Mr Grant stands with Mrs Smith from the pub; Davo, the gentleman that was in the library earlier; Chad, the cop and Ms O'Sullivan are all at the head of the table.

Mrs Smith asks Mr Grant to sit down.

Davo gives a speech about the homestead, the curse and how come Mr Grant is to be the new owner, then he invites anyone who wants to say something to do so.

Marty O'Brien is the first to speak, and I am shocked and amazed and flabbergasted when he says that Mr Grant saved his life soon after he arrived in The Village. I didn't hear about that! Or did William tell us and I forgot? He also comments about how kind Mr Grant has been to William.

Mr O'Brien, Jake's dad, goes next and then my Dad. Both of them say how Mr Grant has changed the children's attitude to school. They're right. I love going to school now, not to mention the extra `maths lessons' that nobody knows about! Mr Grant turns and smiles at me.

Jacko says that Mr Grant is a great guy and somebody else calls him `Mr Mayor' and asks when we can expect some real rain.

Marty's mum says `Thank you' to Mr Grant and gives him a hug.

William is next and Mr Grant looks really scared that he might be going to say something bad. But he doesn't. He tells everyone how much us school kids love Mr Grant, and all the kids in the room shout, "Yeah!"

Then William makes a joke about how handsome Mr Grant is because he looks like him. Everybody in the room laughs. But he IS handsome!

Next, he comments about how Marty and Mr Grant have looked after him after his bad mother left town, and I think about how Dad used to visit `Aunt Lilly' a lot. Mum didn't like her either. I miss Mum.

William tells about going to stay with Mr Grant's parents during the holidays and how Mr Grant found out who William's father was and introduced them to each other. And that William's father is here today. It's Mr Grant, the helicopter pilot! William then tells everyone how wonderful and generous his dad is, and not the bad person that `Aunt Lilly' always led everyone to believe that he was.

Mr Grant looks really embarrassed and asks William to be quiet. But William continues, "And, I have to tell you all something." Then he pauses, and there is dead silence in the room.

He says, "My father is also Mr Grant's father. So, Mr Grant is my brother. The one that I always wanted but never knew that I had."

There is silence.

Then William says, "I'm going to live with my brother, Tom, Mr Grant, in this house, and I'm going to buy a horse or two and ride around in that grand carriage downstairs."

The silence is broken by laughter at William's joke, or wish. Then he hugs Mr Grant, the pilot, his father. Our Mr Grant gets up and hugs them both. I think all three of them are crying. Happy tears.

Everybody cheers. I feel like crying too. I'm so happy for Mr Grant and for William.

So, Mr Grant, my Christmas wish, almost IS William's twin!

Mr Grant signs the papers. So do Ms O'Sullivan and Chad.

As soon as that is done, there is an almost-blinding flash of lightning and a deafening crash of thunder. A lot of the little kids scream, and there are a few people in the room who should have said, `Truck!'

Then there is silence.

Until the next flash and loud boom.

People swing around to look through the windows or come closer to them for a glimpse all along the length of the dining room.

"Look! It's raining!" somebody calls, and everyone presses even closer to the glass panes to take in the sight.

During the rumble of the thunder, I think I hear another version of `Truck!' because one of the mothers reprimands him for swearing in front of children. He apologises.

Someone else calls out, "Look! It's REAL rain! Not just the pretend, overnight stuff! Look at it!"

Everyone is happy. For a while. Then I hear people begin to talk about possible problems.

I hear Marty tell his mother, "We'd better not waste too much time in getting you back home. If it continues at this rate, any normal cars soon won't be able to grip the road and stay in a straight line."

I also hear Mr Smith say to Mr Grant, "It'll be OK for four or five hours, Tom, because the earth is quite compacted from years of being driven on. But, after that, if the water soaks right in and softens the earth, the thickening mud will prevent anything except horses and maybe a tractor or the best of 4-wheel drives from travelling on it."

Mr Grant comes around checking with all of us kids that we are OK, especially the little ones and tells them that there's nothing to be scared of. Besides, their parents are here to look after them if they need a hug. Jane, as she does at school, supports the young ones too.

Dad is talking to Ms O'Sullivan.

Andy, Karl and I go to talk with William and Jake about the rain.

I'm also watching Mr Grant's dad, his mother and her friend who are deep in conversation. There is a lot of head shaking, more discussion and, finally, they all nod agreement to something.

Making `come here' motions with her hand, Andy's mum indicates that she wants to talk to him.

He leaves us and I watch carefully. She speaks to him and he shakes his head. Not just once. She hugs him and whispers something to him. Andy shrieks, "NO!" and runs out of the room, crying.

Everyone can hear him above more thunder and all of the discussions going on. Many people turn to look at him.

I can tell that he does need a friend right now. I call out, "Andy! Andy! Wait!" and, weaving through all of the people, I chase after him. I know that William and Karl are following right behind me.

From the front door I see that some cars are already driving away from us, making dust because the weird thing is that it's not raining in front of the homestead. The rain is just off to my right, towards the south. Almost creepy.

For a guy with a sore leg, Andy is certainly moving fast!

I gain on him going down the front steps and around the corner of the building. I catch up to him as he is climbing into the `Landau'. He slumps onto the same seat where he was earlier.

"What's wrong, Andy?" I ask, stopping at the carriage door.

He is crying and sobbing too much to answer. If he was a little kid, I would call it `blubbering'.

I climb in, sit next to him, and hug him. "Are you OK?" Stupid question! Of course he's not OK! I ask again, "Andy, what's wrong?"

He throws his arms around me and continues to sob until he can speak. "It's not fair!" he manages two or three times between sobs.

He takes a big breath and gets it all out in one go, "Mum says that we have to go home. Now." And with one more gulp of air he says, "I don't want to go home now. I want to stay here. With you."

"Do you mean they want to go home later today instead of tomorrow? Later today?"

"No!" he cries. "Now! Right now!"

My own eyes fill up with tears. I'm as disappointed as he is. All my plans for mucking around with him in the secret passage this afternoon just totally disappeared! I think that my attraction to Andy is even stronger than my feelings for Ron and Mr Grant.

William and Karl join us in the Landau but their words of intended comfort are totally meaningless. I can't bear to hear them telling Andy, `Don't worry.' `It'll be OK.' `It's all for the best.'

What would they know?

When Karl says, "You'll get over it," I'm about to abandon the polite version, `Truck off!', lots of times, right in his face, but I see Mr Grant coming towards us, so I hold back any expression of my annoyance at him and my massive disappointment.

"Andy doesn't want to go home," I tell Mr Grant, without him having to ask the question that I see on his face. "He wants to stay, at least another night, as the adults had planned."

I expect some sympathy from Mr Grant, but what I hear is, "Sorry, guys. If it wasn't raining, it would have been OK for Andy to stay. Can the rest of you imagine what the roads here might become, after heavy rain? We need to get everyone to the airport this afternoon, while we still can."

William, Karl and Mr Grant leave Andy and me alone.

"Come on," I say to Andy, "Let's go and find your mum." I step down. "Come and give me a hug."

I think that does it. Andy wipes his face with his sleeve and climbs down. I don't know if it's my imagination, but he seems to be moving much better than when I first saw him early.

He wraps his arms around me, hugs me and, through his tear-filled eyes, almost pleads, "Will we ever see each other again?"

"I hope so!" I tell him. Then, giving his cock and balls a friendly feel, I say, "We have some unfinished business!"

That, at least, brings a smile to his face. He does the same to me. Junior is happy!

"Tom knows where I live," he tells me. "Maybe you can come and visit me."

"I'd love to do that, if you can't come back here," I tell him. "My mum lives in Brisbane."

We let go of each other and walk towards the front of the house where the adults are waiting. Mr Grant is talking to them.

As Andy and I get close to them, I hear William say to his father, "I'm driving. It will be good experience for me."

Our Mr Grant announces to the others, "I'll take Andy to get his bag from Marty's and then we'll meet you all back at the pub."

William, plus his father, Mr Grant's mother and Andy's mother all get into William's car and, waving and tooting, he drives off.

"Come on guys," Dad says to Karl and me. "Say goodbye to Andy and then jump in."

Karl gives Andy a brief hug.

My turn. Andy holds me tighter, longer. There is no extra touchy-feely stuff like before, with Dad, Karl and Mr Grant watching us. And, I'm hoping that they don't notice the overflowing tears on my face which would tell them something! I proclaim `dust', and wipe my face with each shoulder of my shirt.

Andy wipes his face with the palm of his `good' hand, then rubs it down the side of his jeans.

This is saying `good-bye', knowing it's possible that I will never see him again. First Ron. Then the scare of us having to go and live with Mum and not ever seeing Mr Grant any more, now Andy. My head, heart, gut and Junior are all miserable! All at the same time.

I let Karl sit in the front with Dad so that I can turn around in the back and wave to Andy. He's waving too. I keep looking back as long as possible so that Dad can't see my face in the rear-view mirror. I continue to use my fingers to wipe away my tears.

When I finally turn back around, Dad glances at me in the mirror, smiles, but says nothing.

Dad does a lot of the talking on the way home. The homestead. The Landau. The food. Mr Grant. I get the feeling that he is not mentioning Andy deliberately. He knows! I love my Dad.

Dad pulls up before we cross the bridge. "Will you look at that!" he says. "I've never seen anything like it. It's dry on this side and raining across on the other side. Just like back at the homestead."

Karl comments, "Yeah. Weird."

I take a deep breath and sigh.

At home, we all make a quick dash from the car to the verandah to keep as dry as possible.

"Come on!" Dad says. "Cup of coffee, and let's see what there is left to munch on. I'll put the jug on while you two change your clothes."

I don't know where Dad had stashed the peanut cookies, but I'm glad that he did, or there would have been none left by now! Especially with William as a regular visitor.

We stand side by side on the verandah, munching and drinking. It is Karl who raises the issue of Andy. "What happened to him?" he asks. "Why does he walk funny and talk funny?"

"I was speaking with Mr Grant about Andy," Dad says. "He told me that Andy recently had a really bad accident with broken bones, and was unconscious in hospital for a long time. His brain was injured which affected his coordination, his speech and he even lost his senses of taste and smell. It's amazing that he was well enough to travel out here with his mother at all. And what everybody finds surprising is exactly how much his condition has improved in just one day out here."

Then, as Dad is telling us all about rain and mud and difficulties with driving, we hear The Beast again, this time coming back from the direction of Marty O'Brien's place. A minute later, Mr Grant pulls up outside our place.

When he sees Mr Grant and Andy get out and head for our verandah, Dad greets them with, "Hi, Tom! What's up?"

Mr Grant explains to Dad that he needs to drive Andy and his mother, his own mum and his dad to the airport at Cunnamulla so that they won't be stranded here if the rain sets in, and that Andy wanted to say a proper goodbye to Karl and to me. I can tell from his smirk, that bringing Andy here is basically for my benefit. Or Andy's.

He knows something too!

He reckons that we boys might have about 10 minutes to say goodbye while he helps the others with their luggage at the pub.

"No problem," Dad tells him, then he smiles at me.

Mr Grant heads back to The Beast down our trampled-dirt path, almost running to avoid getting too wet. He slips on the fresh mud and I have no idea how he manages to stay on his feet. His arms look like a windmill. Hilarious!

Still laughing, we watch him drive back over to the pub.

"Come and see our house," I say to Andy. I lead him inside. Dad and Karl follow us.

From just inside the doorway, I give him an almost complete tour of the place with one sweep of my arm. I point out the kitchen, living room, Dad's room and the bathroom. Then I head to my bedroom. Andy and Karl follow.

"That's Karl's bed, and this one's mine," I tell him, sitting on it. Andy joins me. Karl sits opposite us.

There is an uncomfortable silence for a while until Andy tells Karl. "I like Kurt. He's my friend."

I reply to Andy, "William and Karl are my friends."

Andy says, "I like Will. He's my friend too."

Karl asks, "Do you like Mr Grant, our teacher?"

Andy responds, "Yes. I like Tom. He's my really, truly friend. He helps me when I need to do things."

I'm sensing Karl's negative attitude to Andy, but it's not as bad as what he had against Ron. I don't want Karl to hate Andy, for any reason. I say, "Andy, would you like Karl to be your friend too? He's my twin brother."

Karl gives me a strange look. Not a frown, but not exactly enthusiastic either. More like shock.

Andy jumps up and puts out his arms to Karl. "Hug," he says.

While Karl's response appears half-hearted, Andy gives him a good hug. "I like you, Karl," Andy says, "You're my friend."

Karl looks dumbfounded. He can't be his normal negative self towards Andy, given that Andy's attitude to him is so obviously positive, and with what Karl now knows about Andy's accident. "Would you like a peanut cookie?" is Karl's attempt at kindness.

"Yes, please, Karl," Andy replies.

Despite the two of us being left alone together, I don't see how Andy and I can do anything like what I had previously planned for the secret passage. I stand and hug him. Facing the doorway, I will see when Karl returns.

Andy gives me a tight hug and we press our bodies together. I squeeze his glutes. He has nice ones too. He copies me.

I risk being seen by Dad or Karl but still place my hand over his `gear' and have a feel of it. He copies me.

"I'm gonna miss you," I tell him. He copies me.

"I wish that we could spend some time together," I say.

He replies, "I would like to spend more time with you, Kurt. You make my cock get hard."

I squeeze him. He's right! Junior copies him.

I sense that it should be about time for Karl to return and I say, "Shirts out," and I step back and do it. He smiles and copies me. We both return to sitting on my bed.

Karl comes in with a plate of cookies and offers them to Andy. "Take two," Karl says.

Andy does. "Thank you, Karl." I'm expecting the `you are my friend' bit, but Andy surprises both of us with, "That's very kind of you."

It's Karl's idea for us to go and eat our cookies on the verandah. He says, "Come on. No crumbs on the bed, and we can keep a watch for Mr Grant to come back."

I immediately think of being in the pirates' crow's nest, looking for a ship to chase down and rob.

Andy follows Karl and I follow Andy.

We see everyone at the hotel put their luggage into the back of The Beast. Mr Grant drives over and turns so that the back door is right at the end of our path.

The passenger's window goes down and I see William sitting there. Mr Grant leans across him and calls out, "OK, Andy. Let's go!"

Andy hugs Karl and says, "Goodbye Karl." He hugs me the same way and says, "Goodbye Kurt." From the sameness of his actions and words to my brother and me, nobody would infer anything about Andy's and my feelings for each other. But, I think that Mr Grant and my Dad might, because of their smirks.

Andy holds out his good hand to my Dad who shakes it and ruffles Andy's hair with his other hand. Dad says, "See you, champ. It was a pleasure meeting you. Next time, stay a bit longer, eh?"

I feel like shouting, `Amen to that!' Or, to use William's latest favourite expression, `Hell, yeah!'

I think Andy's eyes have tears in them. Mine copy his.

Andy turns and runs, as best he can, without becoming a human windmill like Mr Grant, and gets to the car.

Mr Grant, the pilot, opens the door for Andy to climb in. The door closes behind him.

Dad, Karl and I wave to them.

"Drive safely, Tom," Dad calls.

"See you, Mr Grant," Karl calls out.

"Bye, Andy," I manage to call after him, choked up. It's all that I can manage without totally bursting into tears.

I notice Andy, inside The Beast, waving his arms around and pointing, and then there is a rearrangement of where the people were sitting. Andy and his mother sit behind Mr Grant and William. Mr Grant's mum and his dad move to the back.

They wave. We wave. Mr Grant drives. I wave. The Beast turns the corner at the pub. I wave.

I have very little energy. I feel exhausted. I feel miserable. I don't want to talk to anybody. I certainly don't want to answer any questions about me and Andy, if Dad and Karl have any.

"I'm really tired," I say to Dad. "Would it be OK if I go and lie down?"

"Of course," Dad tells me. Then he asks, "Are you OK, son?"

"I don't know," I reply. "I just don't feel too good. Maybe it was something that I ate."

Dad tells Karl to find something quiet to do, and to leave me alone so that I can rest, then he comes with me into the bedroom.

I lie down. Dad feels my forehead and tells me that my temperature is normal. Then he gets to the point. "You really like Andy, don't you, son?"

A timid "Yes," is all that I can reply, feeling myself becoming very emotional, thinking about Andy having gone home.

"I'm very proud of you," Dad says. "You certainly looked after him today. Mr Grant noticed it and Andy's mother commented on it too."

I immediately feel very uncomfortable hearing that so many people, Dad included, had been watching me and Andy. I hope that they didn't see anything of our `personal' time together. I would die of embarrassment! Or hope to!

Maybe Dad can read the fear on my face, because he says, "It's OK to be friends with somebody Kurt, especially if that person needs a friend. And it's all right if you feel `close' to him, too. After all, for all these years, you've really only had your brother and William as friends. I'm sure that making a `new friend' must be very exciting for you."

He pauses and waits for my response. I run his words through my head, `it's all right if you feel close to him', then I say, "I like him Dad, and he likes me. He told me so."

"And now, you feel miserable because the friend that you found so quickly, has gone, just as quickly. And you didn't really have the opportunity to get to know each other better. Is that right?"

How can Dad read me so well? How could Ron read me so well? Is this something that adults can do? I can already read my brother pretty well! Am I turning into an adult? I have the `chicken feathers' growing down below like an adult. And I have a good cock and balls and nice glutes – Ron and Mr Grant think so. I want an Adam's apple, like Andy. And Ron. And Mr Grant. And my Dad. And William. I'll check out my neck in the mirror later!

I give his question a nervous "Yes" answer.

"It's all part of growing up!" Dad tells me, running his fingers through my hair, almost like a comb. "It can be both scary and wonderful at the same time."

I close my eyes and hope that he takes the hint. I'm not ready to discuss my attraction to Andy, or Ron or any other guy, like Mr Grant for instance. Especially Mr Grant!

Andy could be like my other brother. We could have a bath or a shower together, and walk around naked together, and jack off together. Dad might accept all of these as `growing up', but I think that he would react really badly if he knew that I liked doing `stuff' with my teacher. Not only would he hate me, it would destroy his admiration for Mr Grant. Maybe he would even do something violent to him. No way! My lips are sealed. Glued. I also think of my promise to Ron. Double glued!

"A bit of rest will do you the world of good," Dad says. He kisses me on the forehead and closes the door as he leaves.

Without Dad here, my hand seems to automatically seek out Junior, inside my underpants.

I remember what Ron taught me about jacking off, pretending that he was with me. `Left hand, you're doing me. Right hand, I'm doing you.'

As I play with a hardening Junior, I say to myself, `Right hand, Andy's doing me. Left hand, I'm doing Andy.'

I swap hands, back and forth, and feel myself falling asleep. A wonderful sleep. A wonderful dream. Hidden in our secret passage. Andy's doing me. And I'm doing Andy.

An alarm clock goes off somewhere in my body and I reach mechanically for my spunk rag. Just in time!

I'm half awake. I milk Junior dry as I replay in my head what I can recall of my dream. I stow the rag. Junior goes back to sleep and so do I.

A knock on the door rouses me.

I look up to see Karl's face looking around the partly-opened door. He says quietly, "Mr Grant and William just pulled up at the school. Do you want to come and see what they're doing?"

"How come they're back so soon?" I ask.

"You've been asleep for over four hours. Dad said that it was OK to wake you up. It will be dinner time soon, anyway."

Then I do wonder what they're doing there. Perhaps Mr Grant forgot to take something home with him and he's just picking it up. If that's the case, they won't be there for very long. "OK," I tell Karl. "Give me a minute to wake up. Is it still raining?"

"Dad says it's more `drizzle' than the heavy rain that we had earlier," he replies. Then he adds, "Oh, and we have a visitor for coffee."

I quickly wake up fully and I head out into the living area. Dad is in his chair. The visitor is sitting in Mum's chair and both are holding a mug. "Hello Ms O'Sullivan," I say.

I like her.

"Hello Kurt," she says, smiling at me. "Your father said that you were having a rest, so we were trying to be as quiet as possible."

Karl has already told Dad that we plan on going to see what Mr Grant is doing.

"Try not to get too wet!" Dad says.

"How do we do that?" Karl asks.

"You'll only get half as wet if you dodge every second rain drop," he smirks.

I can see Karl processing the impossibility of Dad's solution.

"Or, we can just run twice as fast," I tell them. "That way, we'll only be in the rain for half of the time."

"Very clever!" Ms O'Sullivan compliments me.

I wonder why she is here.

We walk to the end of the verandah. "If we run on the edge of the track where there is more grass," Karl says, "then we shouldn't slip over. Ready, set, go..."

I beat him, but he does a better job of keeping up with me than usual.

We don't slow down until we are actually on the school verandah, causing a lot of noise apart from our laughing, as we `put on our brakes'.

Mr Grant meets us. He stands at the internal door to the classroom. Karl and I, stand outside the main door and shake our heads from side to side, flinging water off our hair in all directions. I look at Karl, wet blond hair mostly covering his face, and I wonder whether I look just as funny!

"We saw your car, Mr Grant," Karl tells him.

I add, "And we decided to make a run for it to see what you and William were doing here."

"And what did you think that we'd be doing?" Mr Grant asks, stepping back into the classroom.

While trying to think of a better answer than the thing that I couldn't prevent from crossing my mind, Karl and I follow him through into the classroom and then stop dead at the sight!

I can't believe my eyes. What's going on?

My face grins.

All I can think of to say is from Mr Grant's recent story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears to the little kids. I grin and growl, like a bear, "Somebody's been sitting in my chair!"

"Guilty!" Andy responds, smiling back at me. Then he adds, "But I didn't eat your porridge, honest!"

Karl also joins in. "OK, Goldilocks. We won't eat you this time. But don't try sleeping in our beds. Understand?"

Who does he think he is? Father bear?

Almost without thinking and following on from my earlier dream, I say, "He's welcome to try mine."

I suddenly realise what I've said. Especially since I said `he' (meaning Andy) instead of `she' (Goldilocks). This is so embarrassing! I put my hands over my ears. I don't want to hear what my brother will say. Or William. Or Mr Grant. What will Andy think? They all start looking at one another.

I look at Mr Grant. My eyes call, `Help!' and I can feel everyone's eyes turn to me.

My Christmas and Birthday Wish comes to my rescue. He calmly says, "Well, that all depends on which bear you are, Kurt, doesn't it? Remember? Father Bear's bed is too hard; Mother Bear's bed is too soft; but Baby Bear's bed is just right."

I'm feeling more relaxed. Until...

Mr Grant continues and asks, "So, Kurt, which one are you - hard, soft or just right?"

I'm shocked! So are the others, by the look on their faces. But Mr Grant smirks very broadly and all four of us burst into laughter. It was a joke. He caught us! Thank goodness!

However, the play is not over.

"I reckon he's hard," William teases, looking straight at my shorts.

Not to be outdone, Karl grabs my crotch and tells everyone, "Nope, he's soft."

Then Andy almost whispers, "I think he might be just right!"

"OK, guys. Enough!" Mr Grant says, calling an end to a conversation that could easily get out of hand. I'm glad!

Mr Grant immediately says to Karl and me, "Come on, I'll drop you two home, to stop you getting any wetter, if that's possible."

He comes towards Karl and me, ruffles my brother's wet hair and mine, puts one arm around each of our shoulders and guides us towards, then through, both doors.

William calls after us, "Hey, there are two puddles on the floor. Did you guys just pee yourselves?"

I turn to give him a disgusted look then see the expression on Andy's face. He thinks that William's comment is hilarious. He points at me and Karl and bursts out laughing.

Mr Grant says, "There are towels behind the front seat, guys. Please use them so that you don't wet the seats."

"Yeah," William adds. "No peeing on the seats either!"

Andy laughs the loudest. I'm thrilled to see him, but what is he even doing here? I thought that he went back home with his mother.

 

We sit behind Mr Grant and Andy. William sits behind Karl and me.

"Is that Ms O'Sullivan's SUV?" Mr Grant asks as he does a U-turn in front of our house and parks as close to the path as he can get us.

"Yes," Karl says. "She's having coffee with Dad." He and I head up the path.

Dad, on the verandah, indicates for Mr Grant to come and join him.

He gets wet, but he's not as wet as Karl and me!

Ms O'Sullivan comes out of the house with towels, one for Karl and one for me. "Do you need one, too, Tom?" she asks.

"Thanks, Helen, but I have a couple in the car," he replies.

Then... "Tom," Dad starts. "Could I ask a favour?"

"Of course, neighbour," Mr Grant replies, smiling.

I have no idea what Dad is going to ask. He hesitates, then I hear, "Say `no' if this is an imposition, Tom, but is there any chance that Will could keep an eye on these two ruffians tonight?" as he, again, messes with our already-tangled wet, blond hair.

I wonder, what is the point of me brushing my hair if all that everyone wants to do is mess it up?

Mr Grant opens his mouth to say something, but Dad beats him to it. "I've asked Helen whether she would like to spend the rest of today and tonight out at Whispering Gums. I'm not sure what we'll find out there after this sudden change in the weather, but I could possibly use an extra hand. Perhaps it's still dry. Wither way, I'm sure that the owners and Helen would love to swap more stories before the new purchaser moves in, whoever it is. They have said that the last time with her was all too short."

Mr Grant smiles at Ms O'Sullivan then tells Dad, "Of course, Jan. Will would be delighted."

I'm happy at the prospect of spending the night with William, but I thought that Mr Grant would, at least, have asked him first.

Mr Grant appears to be thinking, then calls to the car, "Will. Can you come here for a minute, please?"

Coming up to the verandah, William takes fewer steps than Mr Grant did, and so, he doesn't get as wet.

Mr Grant repeats Dad's request, which is met with Will's almost-predictable "Hell, Yeah!", or at least the beginning of it, followed by a more sedate, "I mean, yes, I'd be happy to help out, Mr Andersen." There are smiles all around.

William suggests, "I have a great idea. Why don't we all go and stay out at the homestead? There are enough bedrooms for everyone. Marty has some lanterns in his garage and we could sit around and tell ghost stories, or something." He adds, "And it wasn't raining out there when we left."

Karl's face appears as excited at the prospect, maybe as much as how my stomach is feeling.

Mr Grant says, "Well, I suppose that we could do that. Julie Smith's husband said that he would lend me a small fridge for the salads and meat that he left us plus a generator and some fuel."

Without any further discussion, Karl and I rush inside to collect our `things'. "Hell Yeah!" Karl lets out.

We re-emerge with our pillows, and our backpacks with our pyjamas and toothbrushes and a change of clothes.

I notice Andy peering at us through the Beast's windows, obviously wondering what is going on.

Helen asks, "Do you have enough pillows and blankets?"

Mr Grant replies that he thinks so.

So do I, from what I remember seeing.

Dad says, "Let me get you some extra food," then he disappears indoors. He comes back with a shopping bag full of stuff and he is also carrying a lantern. "LED with new batteries," he says. "It's much better at coping with the dark than candles would be."

William, Karl and I head for The Beast. All three of us immediately start to tell Andy what is going to happen. It's a wonder that he can understand any of it, with three versions all mixed together. Andy lets out a `Trucking hell, Yeah!' then covers his mouth in case the adults heard it. A bit late for that!

Mr Grant talks to Dad and Ms O'Sullivan for a bit longer, shakes hands with them then heads back to us.

We wave them goodbye. They are smiling and waving back. How come they look so excited? Both of them.

We get to the pub and Mr Grant asks William, "Are you going to leave your car here at the pub? It might be a good idea to drive it down to Marty's while the road is still good."

William agrees with Mr Grant's suggestion then asks, "Who wants to ride with me?" Karl volunteers, of course.

Mr Grant tells him, "I'll go first. I'll use the spotlights to show the way. Just make sure that you drive in my tracks. OK?"

William agrees.

At the pub Karl and William hop out of The Beast and into William's car. Andy stays with me.

Despite the time of day, it's quite dark, because of the clouds and the rain. Mr Grant turns on the driving lights and we can see everything! It's almost like daylight again.

"Wow!" Andy says. "Look at that! I love your car, Tom."

We don't travel at a fast speed. Sometimes William gets too close, and his car is sprayed with mud. Mr Grant says, "If he leaves it just outside Marty's garage the rain should wash it clean."

When we turn off the road onto the track to Marty's, Mr Grant goes pretty slowly. It has rained a lot here. In some places I can't even see the ground. I hope he knows where he's going!

Mr Grant tells us, "Don't worry! I know where the track is!"

We stop in front of Marty's place and William continues driving around to the back door.

Mr Grant leads us in through the front door and, from the smell, I can tell that Marty is cooking dinner. He is also singing. Sounds OK, too.

We get to the kitchen. Andy and I stop still, wondering whether to continue or not. At first, I think, from seeing his bare backside, that Marty might be naked. However, when he turns to speak to us, he is wearing his small apron, obviously to protect his `guy stuff' from any splatters from the stove.

I think that Andy's eyes are going to pop.

Marty faces him and casually says, "Hello, sunshine. Did you miss your plane? Let me check the timetable for the next one." He pauses and flips the pages of a pretended list on a pretended clipboard. "Nope. None scheduled," he jokes. "So, it looks like you're stuck here. Did the adults abandon you or something?"

He turns and smiles at me, catching me staring at his apron and imagining what's underneath.

Fortunately, I don't need to explain myself or show my embarrassment because, followed by Karl, William comes in from the back door. He looks at Marty then comments, "I should have known!"

Then, turning to Andy and me William says, "Don't worry! It's one of Marty's House Rules - I'll explain it in the car."

Mr Grant begins to introduce Karl and me to Marty, who cuts him off. "Hey," Marty says, "I know these guys! I live in this little corner of the world too, remember? Not to mention, that I had dinner with them and everyone else at the pub. Remember?"

"Oh, yes," Mr Grant says quietly. Then he explains what our intentions are and asks, "I don't suppose you have a couple of lanterns that we could borrow?"

"Sure," Marty says. "I'll get them for you, but it's a while since I used them. I'm not sure about the batteries." Marty heads for the back door, and I observe that my eyes are not the only ones following his slightly hairy and muscly backside as he walks past us. So, I don't feel so guilty.

William invites us to follow him while he collects some things from his room. "This is Tom's bed on the bottom, and that one on the top is mine," he says. Then he whispers, "I did tell you that I sleep with him."

I'm not sure that Andy gets the joke, but Karl and I do.

Mr Grant comes into the room and starts putting some things into a bag too.

We all go back into the living area and wait for Marty to return.

"Why don't you all come back for breakfast tomorrow?" Marty suggests, coming back with a lantern in each hand. "It will be good to have a house full of guys again."

Mr Grant asks, "Does that include the local dress code?"

"Of course, unless that poses a problem for anyone," Marty replies, smirking.

"Conference. My room!" Mr Grant says to us. We follow him. William comes in last and closes the door.

"Guys," Mr Grant begins, and takes a deep breath. "One of Marty's House Rules is that there are no women or girls allowed here." We all smile and think that that's pretty cool. "And," he continues, "that, while here, guys usually wear no clothes too."

"Wow!" I say.

Andy whispers in my ear, "Does that mean that everyone walks around naked?"

"I guess so," I whisper back.

"Including Tom?" he asks. I nod.

Andy grins.

"Mr Grant," Karl says, "You've seen my brother and me naked in the weir, and we've seen you too, so I don't think that there would be a problem with that. And we've all seen William without any clothes."

William adds, "And Andy and us (indicating Mr Grant and him) have all seen each other naked in the showers at the beach."

I think for a moment and feel like I have to ask a question.

Mr Grant and I are obviously on the same wavelength because he beats me to it., "So, Andy," he says, "how do you feel about being naked in front of Karl, Kurt and Marty, and about him seeing you without any clothes on?"

There is a moment of silence. "It could be embarrassing," Andy says. He covers his crotch and then adds, "You know, like Father Bear's bed? I can't control it. It just happens."

I know what he means. I'm thinking the same thing. Hard.

Mr Grant says, "I assure you Andy, that if you get hard, you probably won't be the only one!" He turns and looks straight at William.

Andy isn't convinced. "But what if I've got the smallest one?" he asks.

William puts his arm around Andy's shoulder and tells him, "Believe me, Andy. From everything that I've seen, you wouldn't be the shortest!" He looks at Karl and me. I didn't know that Andy had a bigger one than mine! This is going to be great fun! And it won't matter if Junior is stiff, if everybody else gets one too.

"If it's a problem for anyone, we don't have to do it. Marty will be OK." Mr Grant says. "Whatever you guys feel comfortable with."

"No, it's really OK, I guess," Andy says, clearing his throat. I think that he's trying to be brave about it.

William then tells us, "The other one of Marty's house rules is `what happens in the house stays in the house'. That means that whatever you see, or hear, or do, nobody must ever tell anyone else. Are we all OK with that?"

He gets assurances from everyone that nothing will be said to anyone else about our breakfast frolic, or anything else for that matter.

"So, my mum won't find out?" Andy asks.

I know what he means. I wouldn't want my Dad to find out either!

"That's right!" William says. "Nobody's allowed to tell anybody." Then he adds, "If anyone says anything, we'll just have to cut his balls off and feed them to the dogs!"

We all cover our balls and groan in mock pain, and I sense a pervading camaraderie! I don't know where those two words came from! Maybe a pirate book.

Andy's face breaks into a huge grin.

William puts out his hand and says, "OK. Gimme a group `Hell, Yeah!"

We all pile our hands onto his.

"Hell, Yeah!" and the deal is sealed.

In my mind I think, `Fucking Hell Yeah!' and tell Junior to behave himself.

We all go back into the living area and Mr Grant tells Marty that it's a `YES'.

Marty replies, "Great! I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more sausages than usual at breakfast."

We all break out laughing. I think that he means more than the sausages which he will be cooking!

Andy is still grinning.

"Who wants to ride shotgun with me?" Mr Grant asks.

We all decline. I want to sit behind him with Andy, and Karl wants to sit up the back with William.

 

We stop at the pub and Mr Grant helps Mr Smith load the refrigerator and generator. William takes some more supplies from Mrs Smith, puts them into the back and closes the tailgate.

When we cross the bridge, it's very weird. It's still daylight on this side. The sun is setting.

As we drive, I look behind us to see a cloud of red dust, while the clouds out to our left are black and full of rain.

Mr Grant says, "There are four bedrooms, guys, and five of us. How do you want to arrange things tonight?"

Andy replies straight away. "Tom, I really don't want to sleep by myself in the big house. It could be really scary!"

Mr Grant reassures him. "That's perfectly understandable, Andy. I'm sure you're not the only one, and thank you for having the courage to say so."

Andy and I turn around to talk about it with William and Karl.

There is a lot of pointing back and forth, but it doesn't take long to reach a conclusion.

William tells Mr Grant, "OK, Karl is going to share with me, and Andy will share with Kurt. That leaves you in a bed by yourself, but if we hear you crying because you're scared to be alone then one of us will come and give you a hug!"

I think he's making fun of Mr Grant and I'm shocked that he's actually saying it, but it doesn't stop me and the other two from giggling.

I wonder whether I could actually get into bed with Mr Grant and tell him (and the others if they found out) that I thought I heard him being scared! Junior is having one of his now-frequent, uncontrollable moments!

"Good choice!" Mr Grant says, and looks in his rear vision mirror at all of our faces. I grin, cheesily, at him.

 

We reach the homestead and Mr Grant drives around to the back of the house and parks The Beast next to the Landau. Nice pair. The very old with the very new.

I grab my bag and pillow and follow Mr Grant up the stairs. We all stand in front of the door.

Mr Grant asks, "Karl, could you open the door, please?"

He tries, but can't open it. "It must be locked, Mr Grant," Karl tells him.

"Kurt?" Mr Grant looks at me. I grip the door knob tightly and try to turn it. Nothing happens.

"Will?" Same result.

"Andy?" Andy walks up to the door, bangs the knocker loudly three times, only touches the handle and the door swings open.

"How the hell, did you do that?" Karl asks. "Did Mr Grant give you a key?"

"Search me!" Andy replies. "I dunno! Maybe it's magic, or something!" Then he asks, "None of you knocked first, did you?"

Could it be that simple? Is the door knocker somehow connected to the door latch? Like a security code?

I don't know if he's joking or serious, but Mr Grant says, "So don't get locked out unless you have Andy with you!"

I know it sounds ridiculous but we all laugh, as though he's pulling our leg and we're on to his attempted joke.

We leave our bags and backpacks in the `great hall', as Mr Grant has named it, and head back down to the ground level.

William and Mr Grant carry the small refrigerator.

Karl and I bring the portable generator and Andy carries the 5L tin of fuel.

We put everything down on the verandah where Mr Smith had been cooking the food earlier.

William says, "I've helped Marty do this sort of stuff heaps of times." He fills the generator, connects the fridge and then kicks the generator over. There is an initial puff of smelly, blue smoke and then the noise settles down.

We all pitch in to carry the food, including Dad's hamper, and I'm amazed that everything fits so well into the fridge.

"OK, guys," Mr Grant says. "Let's get set up inside. You can choose whichever room you like, except the black and white one next to the bathroom. I've got dibs on that one."

William and Karl choose the green room next to the bathroom on the south side of the house. Neither Andy nor I like the `girly-pink' one, so we take the other one on the north side, the blue one next to Mr Grant's room.

"OK," Mr Grant tells us. "Go and get settled and try out the beds. I'll meet you back down here in 10 minutes. Does anyone need a lantern yet?"

Karl replies, "No," and I say the same but add a `thank you'. William and Andy show their manners too.

We all look at each other, grab our things and take off for the stairs, running and laughing.

As we reach the top of the stairs, Mr Grant calls, "Make sure that you each take a towel with you from one of the bathrooms."

Andy and I emerge from the bathroom and see Mr Grant, with one of the lanterns, heading up the stairs in our direction. We pick up our bags again and dash for our room and close the door behind us.

I put my backpack down, drop the towel on top of it and dive onto the bed. I roll over and say to Andy, "Come on! Mr Grant told us to try it out."

He grins, puts his bag and towel down and walks to the side of the bed. He sits, twists and lays himself backward and then turns towards me. "Please be careful of my arm," he tells me, and then rolls and, aided by his good arm and a bit of wriggling, lands on top of me, face to face.

I reach around him, grasp his glutes and pull his body against my own.

We lie here and just enjoy the feeling of closeness. I feel him get hard and Junior responds similarly. Or was it the other way `round?

"Oh, no!" he whispers.

Anyway, all I know is that we seem to be enjoying the same fun. Thinking about what William said earlier about Andy not having the smallest one, I ask him, "So how big is yours?"

He rolls off me and, lying closely, face to face, we take the opportunity to feel each other's body. Below the belt. Erections.

"Oh, no!" he whispers again.

I squeeze him and he does it to me.

I rub his cock up and down, through his shorts. He only starts to do it to me when he freezes. I feel his penis throb, and he cries out, "Oh no! Aargh!"

Without looking down, I'm pretty sure that I know what just happened. I feel the wetness through his shorts. And I think about when Mr Grant's cock did the same thing.

"Now what am I gonna do?" he asks. I think that he's about to cry.

"Hey. It's OK." I tell him. "It happens to me sometimes, although usually while I'm asleep."

"I know," he says. "Big boy dreams. Except, I'm not asleep. I am awake!"

"I've brought extra clothes," I tell him. "You can share mine. I think that we're about the same size." Then I add, "At least I think that our clothes are the same size. Maybe what's in them isn't. Yours feels longer than mine." I giggle. He laughs.

"And yours is fatter than mine," he tells me. "I can tell without even seeing it."

"Would you like to see it?" I ask him. I know that he would. Then I say, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." I know that it sounds very corny. But it's appropriate.

I get off the bed, drop my gear and grab a towel, which I offer to him.

Junior is still excited and Andy has a good look. Then he gets off the bed, drops his shorts and undies and steps out of them. He rubs himself, drying off as much spunk as he can.

"Let me help you," I tell him, even though I know that his good hand is perfectly capable of doing it.

I kneel down and wipe his cock, his balls and his `chicken feathers', which look more like William's than Karl's and mine – thicker, longer and starting to curl.

"Can I wipe yours?" he asks.

"But I didn't cum," I tell him.

"Can I pretend that you did?" he replies. He uses the towel on me, then drops it and finishes rubbing with just his bare hand. "You have nice balls," he says.

"And if you keep doing that, I'm gonna have a wide-awake big boy dream too." I say. Then I add, "But we really don't have time now. You can do it later if you like, and take your time. We can have a good play with each other when we come to bed. What do you say?"

He's picked up William's favourite saying, and adds a word that he learned somewhere: "Trucking hell yeah!"

We hug, with our cocks touching. Then I get him a pair of my shorts.

"Dinner! Anybody hungry?" we hear from downstairs.

We head down, and Andy seems to be moving a lot more freely. He almost keeps up with me.

I see Mr Grant checking out Andy's shorts. Does he know? Can he tell? Andy stands right next to Mr Grant who massages Andy's shoulders. I hear him whisper, "Are you OK?" Andy turns and smiles at him, nodding.

I hear giggling. When I look up, I see William and Karl walking down the top flight of stairs, totally naked, half boned up. They stop on the landing.

William doesn't wait for anyone to comment. "Hey," he calls down to us. "What's the difference? Tonight, or tomorrow morning at Marty's?" He adds, "We could have our own House Rule about clothing, right here."

Andy looks at me then we both turn together and look at Mr Grant. When he just shrugs, Andy and I take off up the stairs. As I pass my brother, I take a swipe at his sticking-out cock, but his reaction time is pretty quick, and he steps back. I laugh and just keep running.

Just as Andy and I enter our bedroom, I hear William say, "You too!" I can only guess from the tone of his voice that he's talking to Mr Grant! And his voice carries, "We figured that if anyone was going to be embarrassed, then why not get it over and done with tonight instead of in front of Marty." Then I close our door.

Andy and I strip off our clothes and throw them onto the bed. I head for the door, but Andy hesitates.

"What's up?" I ask him.

"I don't mind being naked', Andy replies, "but whenever you touch me too much, I feel like I am going to spurt, and that I might not be able to stop it. That would be way too embarrassing!"

I lead the way. "Come on." I tell him. "It's OK,"

"Just don't touch me, please," Andy pleads, "or I think it might happen again."

I joke with him, "At least you won't have to change out of another pair of shorts."

I look at his face. I'm not sure whether his expression is a smirk or a grimace.

Andy and I move to join William and Karl at the bottom of the stairs. Going first I put my finger on my lips and frown to signal to the pair of them not to make any smart-alec wise cracks to, or about, Andy!

I stand next to William; Andy positions himself, almost automatically, next to Karl. He and William are both hard. Andy and I are swelling too, but not all the way, yet.

Andy obviously appreciates not having to stand next to me because of his fear of spurting if I was to touch him. He grins across at me and mouths, `Thanks!'

Karl points to the top of the stairs and we see Mr Grant. Standing. Looking. Thinking. He starts down. The closer he gets to us, his penis becomes noticeably longer and thicker and harder. He looks embarrassed. It's not what I was expecting!

Karl says, "It's OK, Mr Grant. We won't say anything. It can be another House Rule, can't it? Like at Marty's."

I realise that it's very unusual for my brother to commence any discussion with Mr Grant. He usually only speaks to him when he is spoken to (which was one of Pa's favourite rules when we were little kids!) or when he is asked a question in class.

Mr Grant joins us, and we all seem unsure of what to do. Until William calls out, Group hug!" and the four of us instantly surround Mr Grant and hug him, pressing our bodies against his. I reach behind Mr Grant to squeeze his butt, only to find Andy's hand there first. I'm tempted to take hold of Andy's hand and squeeze it, but think about the potential consequences, so I don't.

When we separate and look at each other, Karl says, "Father Bear's bed!"

William adds, "Times five!"

We all laugh.

Andy looks far more comfortable. He's not the shortest! A centimetre or two doesn't bother me at all!

Mr Grant says, "OK, guys. Let's get dinner. And I thought, instead of eating in the dining room, which would be perfect if we had electricity, that we'll have our food over in the lounge area. Let's call it the `Gentlemen's Lounge'."

We all think that's a great name. We're all gentlemen. And it's our lounge.

"Right." Mr Grant says. "Let's each collect a plate and some cutlery from the kitchen and then see what we can scrounge from the refrigerator around on the verandah."

It's cooler outside and, thinking about food instead of our bodies, everything quickly reduces to its normal size. When the three of us are soft, Andy, Karl and I almost look identical. Except for our chicken feathers and his Adam's apple!

The five of us sit on the big brown lounges and put our plates on the low coffee table. Mr Grant says, "I can't eat leaning over like this," and puts his plate on his knees. The idea is repeated by four copy cats.

The empty plates (William's first) are put onto the coffee table. When the last person finished (that would be me) adds the fifth plate to the table, Mr Grant says, "OK. Kitchen. And everybody washes his own stuff."

When we return to the `Gentlemen's Lounge', Mr Grant indicates the fireplace, with the wood and kindling all set up and ready to light. "How do you reckon we can light the fire?" he asks. "I don't see any matches."

Andy jumps in with, "We could rub two sticks together and start a fire."

I think that it's only Andy's condition that prevents everyone from rubbishing his idea. I've never been able to start a fire that way, even though I tried when I was younger. Karl rolls his eyes. William shakes his head. Mr Grant smiles.

I say, "Well, then, we might just have to huddle under a couple of blankets to keep warm." Almost everyone giggles. Andy looks nervous.

I thought that it was a great idea! And I wouldn't touch Andy. I'd position myself right next to Mr Grant!

Karl says, "If Mr Smith was here, he could light it. He smokes, you know."

Suddenly, William jumps up and dashes out of the room.

After a few moments, "That's the front door knocker," Andy says, and ventures out into the hall.

William and Andy appear at the loungeroom doorway. "I still don't get it, but you were right about taking Andy with us if we go outside," William says. Then, from behind his back, he produces a cigarette lighter. "Ta-dah!"

Before the `how' and `where' questions are even completed, William tells us, "Mr Smith must have left it after he lit the barbecue earlier. I noticed it up one end of the window sill when we set up the fridge."

"Well spotted!" Mr Grant tells him. "In that case, you deserve to do the honours."

"Hey," William replies, "I've told you that I can see things which most people don't."

Karl kneels down in front of the fire to watch. "Whoever laid this fire, certainly knew what they were doing!" Karl tells everyone. "Our Dad taught us how to do it. This is perfect!"

One flick of the cigarette lighter and it's done. The flames catch quickly.

"Good wood, too," Karl adds.

"And there's plenty stacked next to the fireplace," Mr Grant says. "Although I have no idea where it came from. There are no trees anywhere around here."

"I'll bet that my Dad will know!" I tell everyone. "He and Mr Cameron know a lot about trees and plants and animals."

Mr Grant adds, "And I hear that Ms O'Sullivan is pretty good around a farm as well."

"I think that my Dad likes her," Karl says.

And, yeah. I've noticed that too. For some reason, I remember the night of the dinner at the pub when Dad first met her. And when he took us home, he went back to `talk to everyone'. And then he didn't come home until it was nearly morning. Hmmm.

I keep my growing thoughts about the two of them to myself because I now understand `physical attraction' and what people want to do together. Karl and William. Ron and me. Mr Grant and me. Andy and me. Dad and Aunt Lilly. Dad and Ms O'Sullivan. LOL.

We move the chairs and side tables back away from the fire to make more room.

Mr Grant and William sit down. Karl sits next to William (of course) and I squeeze between William and Mr Grant. Andy sits on Mr Grant's other side, where he's safe from my `magic' touch.

We sit in a semi-circle (Maths!) facing the fire, with our knees touching.

Mr Grant whispers something to Andy, who nods in response.

Mr Grant puts one arm around Andy's shoulders and another around mine. It's like he's joining the two of us together, without us actually touching. I think he understands.

The other two look at us, and then William puts his arm over Karl's shoulders.

Karl rests his hand on William's thigh. Way too close to William's `gear', I think!

I wonder. I put my hand on Mr Grant's thigh, but at a `safe distance'. He looks at it, then at me, and whispers, "Be careful, Kurt!"

I think, `William and Karl know that I like Mr Grant, so I think that it's OK. If Karl can do it, then so can I.' Andy looks at my hand then puts his `good' hand on Mr Grant's other thigh. Then he leans forward, looking past Mr Grant's chest, and smiles at me.

Nothing else happens. We sit, enjoying the dancing flames and the warmth of the fire and of each other's body.

Everybody seems happy.

Then Karl comments, "Do you think that this place could really be haunted?"

"What? You mean like... ghosts?" Andy asks, removing his hand and sitting a little more upright at the thought.

"I hope not!" I reply.

William says, "Well, something is very weird here. This place used to keep disappearing and re-appearing. And, whenever it came back, somebody always died. And what about the front door? That's creepy! And how come there's no dust?"

Andy says, "Aren't haunted houses supposed to be dusty and covered in cobwebs?"

Mr Grant tells us, "Maybe that's just what the film directors want you to believe, so that you picture it as really creepy. I'll bet that very few of them, if any, have ever been inside a real haunted house."

"Hey, that doesn't help," Andy complains. "So, you're saying it could still be haunted, even without cobwebs!"

"What do you reckon a ghost looks like?" I ask everyone.

Andy says, "Well, there's Casper, the friendly ghost, and he looks like a smiling blob of ice cream."

Karl gives us his interpretation, with no more experience than I have. "I think bad ghosts are black and that they would float around like smoke in the air."

"I've seen movies," Andy tells us, "where the ghosts look like real people, except you can see right through them, and they can go through walls."

"Again," Mr Grant says, "that's a movie director's version of what he imagines what a ghost is like."

Mr Grant stands up and turns his back to the fire. Andy joins him. Not to be left out, I get up too and stand on Mr Grant's other side to Andy. We rub our cool hands on our hot skin, legs and butts.

William and Karl join us.

It's Karl who notices our shadows, created by the fire. They appear to be moving and dancing, as the flames flicker. "Now, that's really sort of creepy, don't you think?" he whispers, pointing them out.

I can't resist! I put my arms out to the side and then wave them around. My shadow across the floor to the far wall looks like the bad ghost that Karl described. I even add the sound effects, "Woooo!"

For my efforts, all I receive is a slap to the back of my head from my brother.

Mr Grant is the first to move away from the now-roaring fire. He rubs his backside and says, "Rump steak's becoming a little too well-done!"

We laugh and join him in our original semi-circle, but huddle a little closer together.

I look at everybody else's face. They're all glowing, like a ghost's.

Mr Grant tells us a `Goldilocks and the Three Ghosts' story version of The Three Bears. His voice of the Father Ghost sounds really scary.

Andy tries to frighten us by telling us about a monster that he just saw slide in behind the curtains. And the giant spider.

Karl tells us that the ghost of the zebra on the wall comes to life and goes around at midnight stomping on any boys that it finds so that their guts burst out.

I'm tempted to make up a killer possum story. Or a really good one about ghost pirates.

But William gets us all trembling with...

"Now, I don't believe this rumour for a minute," he starts, "BUT, I've heard lots of different people say this. And most of them weren't drunk at the time."

Well, I'm hooked!

When he adds, `but...', there has to be some truth to whatever he's going to say!

He continues, "Apparently, irrespective of whether the homestead was visible or not, the ghost of the Jintabudjaree elder who was killed, roams around every time there is a second full moon in a month. Sometimes the day before; or even the day after."

William looks around us, leans forward and lowers his voice as though he doesn't want anybody else (like the ghost) to hear. "He roams around looking for a white boy. And do you know what he wants him for?"

Nobody speaks, but we all shake our heads.

"He uses a stone knife to cut the balls off the first white boy that he finds, so that he can feed them to `the spirits of his ancestors'.

I feel very uncomfortable. My balls tingle, but not from what usually happens in bed!

"Then that boy dies," William continues, "and his body mysteriously disappears before morning."

"Then, I'm glad that it's not a full moon this weekend," Andy croaks.

There is a moment of absolute silence.

"But it is," William whispers to him. "Tomorrow."

I think that he's right! I've heard Dad say something about it.

"Well, it's not the second one this month is it?" Karl asks.

"What's the date tomorrow, Tom?" William asks.

"The twenty-ninth," Mr Grant answers.

William continues, "Isn't there a full moon every 28 days?"

"Yes," Mr Grant tells him.

William whispers, "Then, doesn't that mean that there was a full moon on the first of the month? And that tomorrow's will be the second one this month?"

William looks at everybody's face in turn until each one of us does the maths!

I feel a shiver and hair stand up all over my skin. Arms and neck, and I think even the chicken feathers too. A moment ago, I was just feeling scared. Now I'm shit-scared. I don't know whether William is making this up, or if it's true.

Andy cries, "You're scaring me, Will. Real bad! Now I've gotta go and pee." He jumps up, holding his penis, and heads for the door.

"Do you need the lantern?" Mr Grant asks him, indicating the one that he had set by the door.

Andy calls, sounding a little scared as he walks, "Thank you, Tom, but I can see OK. The fire is lighting up a lot of the hall out here."

I step out with Mr Grant to check if there is enough light for Andy to see where he's going. It seems OK up at this end but the other end looks pretty dark to me. "What about inside the bathroom?" Mr Grant asks. Then he says to Andy, "Why don't you take this lantern anyway?"

He points out the on/off switch then Andy hurries off towards the stairs.

I suddenly feel the need to go as well, so I chase after Andy.

It sparks a chain reaction.

Andy and I go to the right. William stops on the landing under the zebra and tells us, "Hurry up with the lantern. Karl and I will wait here for it." He checks with Karl then he calls again, "We're not in a desperate hurry, but don't be long".

"Would you boys like a second lantern?" I hear Mr Grant call out.

"No thanks. It's OK," William calls back.

"We'll be quick," I call, "Andy and I can pee together." And I expect that Karl and William will do the same. I can just imagine them smiling now, being given the perfect opportunity.

We go through the bathroom door and head for the toilet. Andy starts peeing. "Aaah," he says, "That feels better."

I copy him. "Please don't touch me," he says. "You know what will happen!"

"Yeah! Later!" I tell him.

He laughs.

It's surprising how quickly you can pee, when that's all that you need to do! And for how long, too!

We walk down the steps. Andy sits with his feet on the bottom step while I continue, giving the lantern to Karl and William, who disappear up the stairs and into their bathroom.

I wait for them on their side. It's dark, without a lantern.

Karl comes down the stairs and stands with me. "William is still peeing, and has the lantern," he tells me.

At this dark end of the `great hall', the only thing which is clearly visible is the white stripes on the zebra skin.

Then I hear it. "Woooo! I am the ghost of the big house! I've come for a white boy." It's almost like a growl.

Then I hear Andy cry out, "That's not funny Kurt! Just as well I've already had a pee!"

I call back, "It wasn't me!"

"Of course it was!" Andy replies. "I know it was you. Like before!"

"It wasn't him!" Karl says. "I'm standing right next to him. He didn't say anything."

There is silence.

If it wasn't me who scared Andy, and if it wasn't Karl next to me, and if it wasn't William because he's still in the bathroom, then who...? I know that it wasn't Mr Grant because he is still back in the `Gentlemen's Lounge'.

I feel a chill run up my spine and overtake my whole body. Fortunately, my legs still work and I'm off down the stairs, with Karl right on my tail. And we can hear Andy clomping down behind us.

We reach the `Gentlemen's Lounge' in Olympic time. Panting, as much from fear as from the sprint. We don't stop at the door and head straight past Mr Grant for the warmth of the fire.

Panting. Scared. Thumping heart. Hugs.

"What's going on?" William says, coming behind us through the lounge room doorway, and turning off the lantern.

"There's a real fucking ghost," I tell him. "Oops. Sorry, Mr Grant."

"A real trucking ghost," Andy corrects me.

I smile and my heart slows by a few beats.

 

"There's no such thing as a real gh..." William starts, almost laughing. Then, looking at our faces, he stops mid-sentence. "You're all as white as a ..." Again, he stops himself.

"I heard it too," Mr Grant tells William, who only shakes his head.

Mr Grant calls for a group hug, after which he says, "Let's sit and talk."

We sit and bunch even closer than we were earlier. Thigh against thigh. Mr Grant sits between Andy and me and is rubbing our backs to reassure us that we are safe.

"There can't be a ghost," William says.

"What about the second full moon?" Karl asks.

"I made it all up." William confesses. "It was only a story! And I knew about the full moons thing from Marty, which is why I included it."

I'm not buying it! I know what I heard! Karl did too. He said so. And it wasn't William just adding to his story!

I'm trying really hard not to shiver with fright, but I'm enjoying the feeling of Mr Grant's hand on my bare back. Especially when he runs it down to my glutes.

What I don't get, is, how come Andy isn't scared? I think that he's more afraid of me touching him than he is of having his balls cut off by an aboriginal ghost! In fact, he's smiling at me. Is he making fun of how scared I am?

After a few minutes, Andy bursts out laughing, "I got you all! Ha ha!" He owns up, "I was the ghost. I said it with the deep voice that I can make so you wouldn't think that it was me."

"But you thought it was me," I tell him. "You told me that you didn't appreciate me doing it and scaring you!"

"Yeah!" Andy says. "That's why you didn't think it was me. And it worked! Funny eh? You should have heard yourselves and seen your faces. You, too, Tom," He cackles.

Karl, William, Mr Grant and I all look at each other, and nod. There is no need to discuss what is in our minds!

All four of us wrestle Andy to the ground. We're careful of his plastered arm. But not so careful of his ribs and balls! He yells and kicks. Each time he shrieks I can tell that his balls have taken another yank or scrunch from someone.

When Andy looks as though he could die from the lack of oxygen getting in, because of all the yelling and squealing coming out, Mr Grant calls a halt to his `punishment'.

"And, let's leave the fire to burn itself out," he suggests. "I'll add one more log then we can all go up to our bedrooms. You can each have a lantern in case you need to get up in the middle of the night. However, the moon will be up sometime if there's no cloud then the bright light through the windows should be enough for you to see your way to the bathroom and back."

Everyone gives Mr Grant a hug. Even Karl.

Andy and I take the lantern that we used earlier. "I'll get the other one from the dining room," William tells everyone. Then he and Karl scurry off together.

Mr Grant walks with Andy and me. When we get to his door, Andy and I give him another hug. He ruffles our hair and gives us both a gripping tail-swat good night.

I close our door and put the lantern on the floor. I am alone with Andy. We're already naked.

I have a really strong desire to hug him and hold my body against his and to explore it with my hands. But I'm not sure whether he would want me to do that.

"What do you want to do?" I ask him.

He's about to answer, but he stops. Thinking. "Can I try an experiment?" he asks.

Mr Grant would have corrected his English, but I don't care. I'm open to experiments. With him.

"Sure!" I tell him. "What did you have in mind?" Whatever it is, Junior is suddenly interested in experiments.

"Well," Andy starts, "I want to find out if the feeling I get when you touch me, happens when I touch you."

That's fair enough, I suppose.

"Go for it," I tell him. And I add, "Touch me anywhere you like!" That causes us both a fit of giggling.

He very tentatively extends his hand and lays it on my shoulder.

"Well?" I ask.

"That's OK," he replies.

He moves his hand and places it flat on my chest. I contract my pec muscle. He giggles.

"Still OK?" I ask him.

"Yep!"

He walks around behind me and rubs my back. Then, gradually moving lower, rubs and squeezes my glutes. "Nice," he says. Then he adds, giggling again, "Still experimenting!"

I like how this research is going!

When he comes around to the front again, I can see that Junior isn't the only penis in the room that is enjoying the experiment.

I point at his erection and ask, "So what does that mean?"

He looks down. And at Junior. "It means that you're my friend!" He laughs. I laugh.

"What's next?" I ask him.

"Do the same to me," he tells me. "Everything." Then, "Wait! Where's the towel? Just in case."

I grab the towel off the bed and sling it over my shoulder.

I face him. "Ready?" I ask. He nods.

I rest my hand on his shoulder.

"Well?" I ask.

He closes his eyes, and whispers, "That's OK."

Then, my hand on his chest. I'm copying what he did, but I cheat and also squeeze his pec muscle.

"Ooh!" he says. "Yes!"

"What's happening?" I ask, interested in whether he's getting excited.

"That feels really nice," he answers.

"Anything happening down below?" I ask.

"Maybe," he says. "Keep going."

I don't spend quite as much time on his back as he did on mine. But he gets more glute squeezing than I did.

"Ooh," he moans. "That started something,"

Then I hug him and press Junior against the crack between his glutes.

"Stop!" he says. "That feels too nice."

I move back around to his front. I look at his hard, longer-than-mine penis. He looks at Junior, thicker than his.

"You want to take this experiment a bit further?" I ask him.

He doesn't answer. He just takes hold of Junior, which jumps and throbs at his touch.

"OK. Do it!" he tells me.

Instead of just grabbing him, I make a tunnel with my hand and slide it along his penis, which I find already producing enough pre-cum to make my hand slippery. Junior responds.

"Aargh! He growls, almost silently. "Get the towel ready,"

What follows is some frenzied cock jerking by both of us.

He grabs the towel with the hand of his plastered arm and, holding it between us, almost at the same time, we both spurt into it.

We hug, and collapse onto the bed.

"So," I ask him, "what's the conclusion to your experiment?"

He giggles, "I can last longer if I start." Then he adds, "Nobody else has the same effect on me that you do. They normally..."

He stops.

Maybe he has realised that he was about to let some secrets slip out.

So, he's not new to this! I could tell that from what he was doing with his hand. Should I ask him `Who?'

No. I don't want to pry into anyone's secrets. And I want to keep my promises to people too. Ron. Mr Grant.

"Shoosh!" I say. "You really don't want to tell me. And I really don't want to know. Just let's work on you and me!"

"Thanks, Kurt," Andy replies. "You are my friend," and gives me a hug. This time he says it with sincerity, instead of with the mechanical response that I have heard previously.

"So, how are we going to do this?" I ask. "Do we have to stay apart in bed? No touching?"

"Let's wait a bit and then try another experiment," Andy tells me.

"Like what?" I ask.

"Like, you can lie on your back or side and I will put my arm over you. Maybe even my leg." He says.

I definitely like where this is going! "And then?" I put to him, smiling.

"You can do the same to me," Andy says, "and see if anything happens. You know what I mean."

"What if it does?" I ask, not sure how he will reply.

Andy giggles, "Well, I can't have an endless supply, can I? The geyser has to stop some time! And then I'd just like us to lie together, and be comfortable. Is that OK?"

"Hell yeah!" I say. "Trucking hell yeah!"

Andy whispers, "Fucking hell yeah!" and we both giggle.

 

I'm not sure where the experiment gets to, before I fall asleep in his arms. Very comfortable. Very happy. And, with a very wet towel between us.

 

(to be continued)

 

The parallel version to this story, is told through the eyes of Tom Grant, the `Schoolie'.
Find it at https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/schoolie

If you'd like a full picture of their lives and thoughts, you should read both concurrently.

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rob.zz@hotmail.com

I try to reply to everyone, though maybe not the same day. Please be patient.

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