Kurt
Life in The
Village, through the eyes of a student at the remote school.
This is an
original work of pure fiction (just an expression of a fantasy)
by Robert A. Armstrong (a pseudonym)
Copyright 2013-2022. Robert
Armstrong. This complete work of literary art is protected by US,
Australian and International copyright law. It is the sole property of the
author and may not be reproduced in any form whether in whole or in part
without the prior express written consent of the author.
License is granted to Nifty Archive Alliance, Inc. for electronic publication
on the Nifty.org website. All rights reserved.
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 81:
I see Jacko put his hand on Karl's thigh, exactly on
the spot where Dad does his `death grip', and he says, "I think they're trying
to tell you that they are going to have a baby. Or haven't you noticed anything
lately?"
"Two babies actually!" I announce. "Weren't you
listening? Helen did say `two'."
Standing, Jacko shakes Dad's hand and gives Helen a
hug. "Congratulations!"
I reach for my brother's chin to prevent his mouth
from catching flies or evening bugs.
Chapter
82 – Are You Kidding?
"Ooh!
Doesn't it look magnificent now?" Helen exclaims as we approach the pub.
"It's OK," I tell my Dad, at
the corner near the old church. "We can walk from here."
He lets Karl and me out, then he continues a bit
farther and parks near the pub.
Karl and I walk towards the school. I turn and walk
backwards so that I can see what Dad and Helen are doing. They both see me and wave,
then go inside, probably to find Mrs Smith so that they can tell her their
news, and to get a good look at the restorations.
I turn back around so that Karl and I are walking in
the same direction.
"What do you think about Dad and Helen having twins?"
I ask. "You seemed pretty shocked last night when they told us."
I don't let on that I already knew what was happening,
and I'm also surprised that my brother had never commented to me about Helen's
expanding tummy when, to me, it was becoming obvious.
"Yes, shocked is right!" he answers. "I just never
thought that they'd be having children."
"Why not?" I put to him. "What did you think that
they'd be doing in bed? It was going to happen sooner or later, don't you
reckon?"
"Well," he starts, "I remember when Dad talked to us
all about condoms, and I just never reckoned that they'd be doing stuff without
using one!"
"I think that a man only uses one if they don't want
the woman to get pregnant," I tell him.
"So, did they want Helen to get pregnant?" he asks.
"Obviously!" is my `duh' answer.
"Why?" Karl asks. "They already have the two of us!"
"Yes, Dad has the two of us," I say. "But, maybe,
Helen wants babies of her own."
"And, she's having two at once!" Karl says. "That's going
to be a handful!"
"You mean like we were for Mum and Dad?" I put to him.
"Double trouble, all right!" he says, turning to me
and grinning. "I remember what we used to get up to, even as little kids!"
"The difference," I start, "is that they will have two
older brothers to help keep them in check."
"Hey! Yeah!" Karl says. "I'm gonna be a big brother!
How neat is that?" Then he asks, "Did they say whether we're going to have
little brothers or little sisters? I don't remember them telling us that. Do
they know?"
Without going into details of how I know, I answer, "I
reckon they'll be two girls."
Karl stops, looks at me, then says, "Oh, yeah! Good! One
brother is enough!" He laughs at me and then takes off running towards the
school gate, looking over his shoulder to see whether I'm chasing him.
When I get to the gate, walking, I stop and look
around.
This doesn't look at all like The Village that I
remember from last Christmas!
The pub has had all of its different varieties of bricks
removed and the sandstone walls have all been made to look like new, and there is
a lot of pictures on the outside. I'll have to get a closer look, but I can
tell that they are probably advertising for different brands of beer, like the
old ones were.
All of the windows have been replaced by glass that
looks to be slightly grey with white strips of wood acting like little picture
frames.
All of this is protected by a new verandah roof that
spreads across the wooden footpath which runs all of the way around the pub.
It's wide enough to even have some tables and chairs on the outside, if Mr and
Mrs Smith wanted to.
I hope that we can have dinner inside one night. I'm
dying to see what they've done. Helen and Dad will probably tell us tonight.
But I still want to see everything for myself!
Where William's old house, and our house, used to be,
I can see lots of new roofs. I'm glad that I helped to nail some of the wooden
shingles in place. They look fantastic! A couple of houses, closest to the
river in both the First and Second Streets appear to have had the most work
done on them, and might even be nearly finished.
So different! So wonderful! I think that Mum would
love this place now!
I feel a hand on my shoulder, which gives me a bit of
a shock, and I jump.
"Oh, hi, Mr Grant," I tell him, looking around. "I was
just looking at everything and thinking about how much our village has changed.
Dad and Helen have gone into the pub, probably to talk to Mrs Smith and then to
go over and have a look at the houses."
"Would you like to see the houses?" he asks.
"Oh, yes," I tell him. "They've done a lot more since
I was here, helping out."
Leaving the `Deputy-Sheriff', Jane, in charge, he
heads towards the pub. "Be back soon," he tells everyone.
I wait at the gate, knowing that Jane will be bossing
people around, back in the playground.
After a few minutes, I see Mr Grant heading back.
"All arranged!" he tells me, coming through the gate, jokingly
mussing my hair on the way. "When we take our morning break, you and Karl and
William and I will meet your Dad and Helen and have a
look through the houses."
It's difficult to concentrate on Maths and English.
From my seat, I can see all of the roofs, and I keep thinking about what they will
be like inside.
When Mr Grant announces that it's morning-break time,
he leaves the rest of the kids to the mercy of the `Deputy-Sheriff' then the
four of us head towards the pub, where I can see Dad and Helen waiting for us,
with Marty and Ash as well.
I'm surprised when Marty and Ash get Karl's and my
names correct. Or was it a guess?
"We'll be having dinner in the pub tonight," Dad says,
"so that you can see what we have just seen. William and Tom, too, if they like."
I can't wait!
"Thank you, Jan," Mr Grant tells my Dad,
"However, we're expecting some visitors and they'll be coming back to Jintabudjaree
with Will and me to have dinner and stay the night."
As we stroll down First Street, Ash describes the completed,
current and planned work to us. There are two-bedroom houses closest to the pub
and some three-bedroom ones at the end, near the river.
We get to the last one, where our house used to be.
"They're up to the wall linings in here," Ash says,
"so it's a good one to look at."
I really like it. Very bright. Upstairs there are two
bedrooms, a bathroom and a living area. And, downstairs, one big bedroom with
its own bathroom, plus the kitchen, lounge and dining room all combined (kind
of like the living area in our old house only much bigger). And, there's a lot
of windows. It's easy to look out at the `Village Green' and across to the old
church and the school. And some windows look at the gum trees along the river.
"This is really nice!" Helen says. "And so spacious!"
"It's special!" Marty announces. "The biggest one of
all of them."
"Why?" Dad asks.
It's Mr Grant who answers his question. "A special
house for some special people!"
"They must be special to get this one!" Helen replies.
"Yes, you are," Mr Grant tells her, then he looks directly
at my Dad.
There is silence while we all try to make sense of his
words, `You' instead of `They'.
Then, Mr Grant continues, "Helen and Jan, I hope that
you will enjoy house as Will's and my belated wedding present to you both."
Again there is silence. That is, until Helen bursts into
tears, and fishes for her handkerchief, which seems to have gotten itself lost.
I give her the easy-to-find one from my back pocket.
Dad, not often lost for words, finds one. "What?" Then,
his vocabulary doubles: "Why?"
"Like I said," Mr Grant replies. "It's a present."
"But we have a beautiful home out at Whispering Gums!"
Helen protests. "This is a very nice thought from you and Will,
but it is too much! Really."
Mr Grant replies, "Will thought that Karl and Kurt
might like a place to come back to straight after school, instead of waiting
around. And what better place than where their original house was?"
A thought crosses my mind: After school! Karl and
William can come back here, and I can spend some time with Mr Grant. Nice one,
William!
I look at William and Karl and they both have cheesy
grins on their faces.
How on earth did William convince Mr Grant to do this?
Mr Grant adds, "And, there's the added advantage that
Helen might like to spend some time here, in town, and have other ladies to
talk to, including Julie Smith." He deliberately looks at Helen's `bump' and
adds, "Especially, now, if what I see is what I think it is!"
"Oh, yes," Dad tells him. "I forgot to mention that we
are expecting another set of twins."
"See!" Mr Grant tells him. "In a few years, wouldn't
it be convenient for the new twins to be here, close to the school during the
week, instead of travelling to and from Whispering Gums every day?"
"More twins?" William asks, surprised. "What are they
going to..." He stops.
I know what he was going to ask.
"We're not sure exactly what they will be," Helen
replies smiling. "At least, not yet."
"Two girls!" I announce. Then I add, "Like Karl said,
`one brother is enough'!"
Everyone knows that we are joking, but it prevents all
sorts of questions about how I am so certain.
Helen is still mopping her eyes.
Knowing that the house will be theirs, Dad and Helen
walk through it again, paying more attention to everything this time.
So do William and Karl.
"Gee, Mr Grant," I tell him, "This is very kind and
really generous of you."
"It was part of my plan from the beginning, Kurt," he
tells me. "Only now, you won't have to walk through the long grass between here
and the school, and you'll have the beautiful Village Green to play on, as a
backyard."
"It will certainly different to the dusty playground
at the school," I say to him. "Will it really be green all of the time?"
"Ash has done all of the research and planning," Mr
Grant tells me. "The grass is a special type which doesn't need mowing and thanks
to your Dad's original windmill, it will be
continually watered by the underground pipes that you saw them laying down."
Pointing to the sounds of Karl, William, Dad and
Helen, upstairs, talking, I say, "I guess that they're planning where people
are going to sleep. But, it could get pretty noisy
with two babies in the room next to Karl and me," I tell him.
"Well, you are always welcome to spend some nights at
Jintabudjaree, if you need to, or want to," he replies, smiling. "Just like you
do now."
So many possibilities run through my head...
Karl and I back together in the same bedroom; crying
babies next door; perhaps they will stay downstairs with Dad and Helen. If I
was to stay at Jintabudjaree, it should be OK, because Mr Grant has to come in
for school anyway. But, I don't want to miss out on
`family time' with Dad, Helen, Karl and my sisters! And, if we're in here,
who's going to look after Whispering Gums? That's really my home now! I love it
out there. Maybe this house will just be a place to come after school for a
while, like William said. But we couldn't travel home afterwards every day.
It's too far to go back and forth. Maybe Dad or Helen will work it all out, but,
hey, I'm supposed to be the planner and organiser in the family, aren't I?
I'll give it some thought!
The weeks pass. I enjoy the occasional breakfast at
Marty's. And his dress code. And the sausages. Marty tells us a lot of what's
going on around the place.
Helen's `bump' has grown.
There is only one person in town who is unhappy at Helen
and Dad's good news – Marty's mother. She's not unhappy because Helen is pregnant
and having twins, but only that she wasn't among the first to know about it.
She only found out because one of the workers who
likes Marty's sister, Anna, asked Marty's mum what she thought about it while
he was having dinner one night with Anna, Mrs O'Brien and Marty.
Marty told us that after Anna's `boyfriend' left, `all
hell broke loose'. Marty's words! And, who do you reckon copped the blame for
Mrs O'Brien not knowing? Marty! Especially when he let
slip that he was one of the first people that my Dad told.
I wish that I could have seen her throwing things at
Marty, and him using a cushion to defend himself. I can just imagine him with
his shield in one hand, and maybe a sword in the other hand, fighting `the
dragon'! Marty's words again, not mine!
And, Marty reckons that the guy likes Anna and Anna
likes him. And Mrs O'Brien likes the fact that it won't be long before there is
another wedding in town – if she has anything to say about it!
Marty also keeps us updated on reports from Sean, in
charge of the ambulance station attached to the hospital, on the continuing condition
of Melinda / Robert. Some days she seems to be recovering and on other days
they think that she is about to die.
"I don't think that pinching other people's stories is
entirely her fault," Marty told us one morning. "If a publishing company
refused to publish work which they couldn't verify as hers, maybe she wouldn't
do it. So, they should accept some of the blame."
"What publishing company would do that?" Mr Grant
asked.
Marty replied, "Sean said that she kept rambling about
getting `her new work' to SABR so that she could be paid. It's pronounced the
same as `sabre' but spelled without the `e'."
"Is that like a sword, used to fight pirates?" I
asked.
"Or a light sabre, in `Star Wars'," Mr Grant added.
"What do you suppose S-A-B-R stands for?" Karl asked.
Mr Grant offered "Sell All Books Regardless, I expect."
Marty preferred his version, "Steal Anyone's Books
Regardless!"
But, when Ash suggested, "South American Big River," I
looked at him, puzzled.
"I'll explain it to you in a Geography lesson," Mr
Grant told Karl and me. Then he added, "Good one, Ash!"
Just over three weeks to Christmas, now!
Just before we do our clean-up for the week, Mr Grant
tells the class, "Next Friday, we are going to have two visitors. They are the
sons of the owners of the motel where William and I stay at when we are travelling
on holidays."
"How old are they, Mr Grant?" David asks.
"One is about Jake's age and the other is older than
you but about a year younger than Karl and Kurt," he replies.
David and the girls all groan. Their initial
excitement at the possibility of the visitors being girls, or at least younger
kids, turns to disappointment.
"How long will they be staying, Mr Grant," David asks,
always wanting more information.
"Not long, David," Mr Grant replies. "They will only
be here for the day on Friday, maybe only half the day, depending on how early
they leave in the morning. It's a long drive.
The following Friday. Morning recess. Still no sign of
the visitors! Mr Grant is obviously aware of our interest as everybody, in the
playground, keeps staring up the road from Cunnamulla. Even David.
"Gee, Mr Grant," David says, standing alongside of
him. "Are they really going to come?"
"Patience, David!" Mr Grant tells him. "I did say that
they had a long way to drive."
We give up looking when Deputy Sheriff Jane tells
everyone that it's time to go back inside.
About 30 minutes into our weekly art lesson, David,
standing up and pointing, announces, "They're here! Their car just pulled up
near the gate. There's a lady and two big boys."
The reaction from everyone in the room is instant. We
all stand up to have a look.
"OK, start packing up your materials," Mr Grant says, then
he heads out to the gate.
Jane helps the little kids put their drawings, into
the other room.
"You're gonna love these guys!" William whispers to us
boys, as he moves around our table, collecting everything.
"How come?" Karl whispers back.
"You'll see!" is all that William tells us, grinning.
I can't even imagine what he's talking about!
Mr Grant returns with the two boys. The have their
shirts hanging out, like Andy and I do when we are trying to hide our excited,
chunky things. But, why would these guys be excited just because they are
visiting us? And, yet, as they take a couple of steps into the classroom, I
suspect that their shirts ARE concealing something. Both of them! Hmm.
"Everyone," Mr Grant says. "I'd like to introduce Sam
and Mikey to you. They're from the motel that I told you about. They've brought
some of their schoolwork with them, but, instead of them doing that now, I think
that you might like to talk with them and find out what they do at the motel.
One question at a time. Be polite. William, you're in charge until I get back.
I'm going to introduce their mother to Mrs Smith."
He leaves.
I much prefer William as a Deputy Sheriff instead of
Jane!
He gives the big boy, Sam, his seat at the end of our
table, and Mikey sits where Andy used to be, opposite me. William stands up so
that he can see everyone.
"Yes?" William says, pointing to David's raised hand.
"What's a motel?" David asks. "And what do you do
there?"
I'm sure that he's not the only person who wants to
know, but David is never shy in saying what he thinks.
All eyes turn to Sam. I suppose, as the big brother,
it's natural for him to give the answer.
"Motel is short for a motor-hotel. It's a place that
people drive to and stay the night, sometimes more than one night," He adds,
"We have twelve rooms for people, each with beds and a bathroom. And, usually, the
people have dinner and breakfast in our big dining room. Mikey and I help our
mother in the kitchen, preparing food and cleaning up. And I help by showing
people to their rooms. Sometimes we clean the rooms and set them up for the
next lot of people."
I wonder if they have a dad, and what he does, but I
think that it would be rude of me to ask.
Fortunately, Mikey tells everyone, "And our dad does
lots of stuff when he's home. He's usually away, working in the coal mines. He
drives a huge truck. Even the wheels are taller than he is. He works for ten
days and then comes home for four days. He's home at the moment which is why
mum and us are able to come and visit you. We have to be back by tomorrow night"
Jane asks, "Sam, is your motel in a big town?"
"No," he replies. "We're quite a few of hours from the
nearest town, which is why some people choose to stay with us, and rest
overnight, instead of continuing to drive a longer distance. It's safer to rest
than to continue driving if you're tired."
"So, we get to do all of the work," Mikey tells
everyone, grinning, "Lucky, eh?"
That sounds like sarcasm to me. I can be good at that
too! I like this kid. I smile at him and he grins back at me.
"But our parents pay us for what we do," Sam says.
"So, we're not slaves. And we have schoolwork to do as well."
David again: "Where do you go to school?"
Sam answers, "We do our lessons at home. They post
them out to us every month and we post things back to them when they're
complete."
"We older kids do the same here," Jake tells him. "Mr
Grant helps us with things if we don't understand them."
"Our mum helps us," Mikey says. "But,
our dad likes to help too, when he's home, so Sam and I usually leave a few
things to ask him about."
"But, nothing that's too hard!" Sam adds, grinning.
I like both of these guys! And, I can't wait to find
out why their shirts are hanging out!
Sam and Mikey continue to answer everyone's questions.
It's really interesting. I can see some similarities between their motel and
Dad's intention of having farm stay people out at Whispering Gums. Except, even
though their motel guests pay, they don't have to do some of the work. Haha for
us!
Before long, Mr Grant returns and tells us that Mrs
Smith is going to bring some food for Sam and Mikey's lunch, and that their
mother will be coming back as well. He says that, if we want to, we can eat
inside today with them, or outside on the verandah as usual. Our choice.
Lunch time begins as soon as Sam and Mikey's mum arrives
with Mrs Smith.
The little kids choose to eat on the verandah, with
Deputy Sheriff, Jane, supervising. That leaves only us guys inside with Sam,
Mikey and their mum. Plus, William and Mr Grant.
"What a handsome crop of young men you have out here!"
their mum says, looking around at us.
Jake surprises me when he replies, "Well, you'd have
to thank our parents for that!"
She answers, "Well, you must all have very handsome
parents!"
I like her. She reminds me of Mrs Cameron and Ma.
We guys finish eating quickly and all head outside to
play soccer, leaving Mr Grant to do the talking.
Will organises to have Mikey and me on his team, with
Sam and Karl on Jake's team. Then, all of the others are shared according to
their ages, just like we usually do.
The way we play, we pass the ball to each other so
that everybody gets a kick, even the little kids. While we are running, I see
Sam's shirt fly up a few times. It's difficult not to stare at what is flopping
around!
Sam stops and asks William something. William points
to the boys' toilet then he and Sam head off towards it.
Almost immediately, with the game stopped, David comes
over to Karl and me, talking with Mikey, and starts, or continues, to ask him
lots of questions.
Karl and I look at each other and I can tell what he's
thinking. I nod and we both head towards the toilet. On the way, Jake joins us.
"I know what you two want to see!" Jake says to us. "I've
been wondering about it myself."
Inside, Karl announces, "We need to pee too!" He steps
up between Sam and William. I can tell that their dicks are chunky. Junior
doesn't want to be left out and starts to grow.
I stand on Sam's other side and, looking along the
row, I can tell that all five of us are getting hard. It's difficult to pee
like this, but I manage a few squirts.
It's my brother who says, "Wow, Sam, I've never seen
one that big before. Except on a horse." Then, I'm surprised when he asks, "Can
I feel it?"
I know that he means `May I...' but this isn't the place
or time for an English lesson!
"If you want to," Sam replies, grinning at him.
"You can feel mine if you like," Karl tells him, and
Sam takes hold of my brother's stiffy.
"Me too?" I ask.
His is big enough for both Karl and me to hold and
feel at the same time, and I like it when Sam gives Junior a squeeze. Junior
jumps and Sam squeezes it again. A couple of times.
"Wow. Thanks," I tell him, Junior and my curiosity
both satisfied. Then I step back so that Jake can also have a turn.
Happy now, Jake, Karl, William and I leave our shirts untucked
before heading back to the playground.
As we are leaving, William turns and tells Sam, "You'd
better wash your face and arms in cold water before you come out! It will
help!" He looks at Sam's giant hard dick then adds, "Lots of cold water!"
Karl and I walk ahead of Jake and William. I hear Jake
comment, "I could tell that it was big, but didn't think that it was THAT big!
He could win a prize at the Cunnamulla Show!"
Jake and William head for the bench alongside the
school building. My brother and I head towards Mikey to rescue him from David.
After a few minutes, I see Sam come out and head
towards William and Jake. I don't know where he's tucked it, but the cold water
must have worked. Maybe he washed that too!
David is still asking questions when Mikey tells him,
"Sorry buddy, but I need to take a pee!"
Karl and I offer, unnecessarily, to show him where it
is.
I'm glad that David doesn't need to pee as well! He
heads towards his little brother, Eric.
"Does that kid ever shut up?" Mikey asks us, as we
enter the toilet's private space.
"No!" Karl and I answer together, then laugh.
Mikey lifts his shirt, pulls his shorts down to his
knees and starts hosing the urinal wall.
Karl and I also drop our shorts, but can manage no
more than one brief squirt.
"How old are you?" Karl asks.
"Twelve and eleven twelfths," Mikey answers.
"So, you'll be thirteen in January!" Karl adds. Simple
maths! "Kurt and I will be fourteen in February.
I think, hmm, he's a year younger than me, but his
dick is already bigger! I wonder how old he will be when it gets to be the same
size as Sam's?
And, I consider how lucky Andy and I are to be able to
give ourselves to each other completely, in bed. We couldn't do it if our dicks
were as big as Sam's! Maybe Sam and Mikey will just have to spend their lives
jerking off! Maybe a bit more. Fun, but sad!
Although, jacking off and sucking and pushing their
dicks through each other's legs doesn't seem to limit the fun that Jacko and
Karl are having! So, Sam and Mikey should be OK.
"Want me to hold that for you while you hold mine?" I
ask, waggling Junior, now at full stretch again.
At Mikey's firm but gentle touch, Junior jumps, and I
feel his do the same. Just as well he has finished peeing! He is so hard!
We play with each other for a bit, jerking each other.
Karl says, "Umm. What about me?" He points his dick in
Mikey's direction.
Mikey ends up with one hand on each of my brother and
me. Karl takes over jerking Mikey's dick while I play with his balls.
Soon Mikey says, "Hey! That really tickles, and I
think that I'm gonna ..."
And he spurts onto the urinal wall, grunting as
quietly as possible.
"OMG. You guys are good," he tells us, milking the
last drops from his dick. "I don't normally squirt that quick! Pity we're not
staying around longer. I think the three of us could have a lot of fun."
"Maybe you can come and visit us at our property some
time," Karl replies. "We have horses and quad bikes and some private workers'
huts. And we have lots of fun there. Kurt and I will give you our mobile phone
numbers. Hopefully, we can arrange something."
"Or you could come and stay with us at the motel,"
Mikey says. Then he grins, "And help me do the dishes."
Karl says, "That would be me, I suppose. Kurt's the
chef. And, we have a rule at our place – the cook doesn't do the dishes!"
"Right now," I add, "we'd all better wash in cold
water and tuck things away. And get out of here before anyone comes looking for
us. And leave our shirts out!"
After lunch, we do about half an hour of our work; so do Sam and Mikey. Then Mr Grant tells us that we will
sing a few songs before Jane reads everyone a story.
I love the folk songs. My favourite is `The Wild
Colonial Boy' which Mr Grant and I sang the day the we sneaked up on William
and Karl at our old place and caught them naked and mucking around.
Sam has a deep voice like Mr Grant, and Mikey sounds
like Karl and me. Both of them sing really well and we all enjoy having two new
voices join in.
Jane reads us all `Jack and the Beanstalk' which gives
me an idea for Helen's next Goldilocks story!
The Deputy Sheriff is actually very good at reading and
the little kids love her, and stare at her, totally absorbed by her voices of
the different characters. So are Sam and Mikey.
And everyone pretends to be afraid when, as the giant,
Jane booms out, `Fee-fi-fo-fum!' Each time that she says it, little Eric even
ducks under his table, hiding.
At the end of the story, everyone claps. Mr Grant
thanks Jane and, when she smiles, she looks more like a big sister than an evil
giant or a bossy Deputy Sheriff.
As a change to our normal Friday afternoon routine, we
do our clean-up early and then Mr Grant leads us across to the weir, mostly for
Sam and Mikey's benefit because, he says, there is nothing like it where they
live.
There are enough fallen trees for everyone to find a
place. Karl and I sit either side of Mikey. Sam is between William and Jake.
Jane organises spots for all of the little kids.
Mr Grant starts by asking the little kids what they
like best to eat, and gives each of them a chance to answer. He stops David's
list; everything in his mother's pantry and refrigerator!
I'm not sure where this is heading until Mr Grant
tells us, "Taste is one of our five senses. Who can tell me any of the other
four?"
Sam, Mikey, Jake and Karl complete the list of sight,
hearing, touch and smell.
"So," Mr Grant continues, "Everyone close your eyes
and concentrate on what you can hear, and then you can share."
The obvious things are the water tumbling over the
weir and the different birds. Jake comments on the sounds from the pub and Karl
mentions the cars and trucks driving away from the buildings and the pub.
Not wanting to be left out, little Eric's hearing of a
helicopter is met with groans and moans from everyone and a `don't be stupid'
comment from David.
Eric responds, hoping that everyone will believe him,
"I did hear one, but it's gone now."
Smells include the earthy water of the river and the
gum trees.
When everyone has contributed what they can see,
William begins a list of some other things: obvious when he tells us, but
nothing that we had spotted or mentioned. Things like the differences in
people's shoes and their hair colour, and the different colours of the gum
leaves on their front and back. And the swirls in the water upstream of the
weir. And more!
"Amazing!" Mr Grant tells him. "Thank you."
Following William's lead, a few people add more
things, like the difference of shadows on the ground and on the water and the broken
tree branches.
Little Eric's mention of seeing a `snake' has two
results: first, everyone being scared, then another rebuke from David, this
time with a cuff to the back of his brother's head.
We finish our `Senses' lesson with everyone sharing
how they feel. I don't mention that I feel Mikey and me nudging each other's
thighs. He started it! He's playful! I like him.
Dad, Helen, the guys' mum, and a few others, are
waiting at the school gate. Many of them get a `high-five' as we file back
inside to collect our bags.
I tear the corner of a page out of one of my exercise
books to ensure that Mikey has my phone number.
We say `Good afternoon' to Mr Grant, and everyone
shakes hands with Sam and Mikey. "Thanks heaps!" Mikey whispers to Karl and me.
It's not just for my phone number. I know what else for! So does Karl.
While they both wait with William and Mr Grant to lock
up, Karl and I head back to Dad and Helen. It looks like we'll be having an
early dinner before driving home!
As we walk back in the direction of the pub, Dad says,
"I had a phone call from Archie's dad today. They are coming tomorrow night for
dinner and staying until after lunch on Sunday."
Junior has already had a bit of excitement today, but
that news quickly wakes him up again!
(to be continued)
[Author: Thank you
to everyone for your words of encouragement for quick healing. I'm doing well!]
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If you like the story, and haven't said 'hello'
yet, please take a couple of minutes to email me.
rob.zz@hotmail.com
I try to reply to everyone, though maybe not
immediately. Please be patient.
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The partly-parallel
version to this story, `Schoolie', told through the eyes of Tom Grant, gives
the backstory specifically for Tom, William, Andy and Jintabudjaree.
Find `Schoolie' at https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/schoolie
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If you're interested, I have 26 (A-Z) short stories
at
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-friends/massage-tales
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