Date: Mon, 22 May 2017 09:38:10 +0100 From: tom Subject: Lab Technician Chapter 65 The Lab Technician Authors note: Usual caveats and warning apply, read this at your own risk, no representation of any person, animal, vegetable or mineral intended although if you do find yourself somewhere in this story with any of the aforementioned just think yourself very, very lucky! As ever all comments, ideas, suggestions, good bad or indifferent always welcome. Tom email: amias09@fastmail.fm ########################################################################### Chapter 65 – The fetid depths Not so much waking as stirring, Andy blinked briefly in the bright sunlight only to close his eyes again and allow himself to float back into semi-consciousness, he remained in the horizontal position. Any inducement to return to reality was offset to a large degree by the varied erotic thoughts and the wonderful feelings that were radiating from the hand wrapped around his cock. In any case, trying to recall what had happened and why exactly he was currently in such a strange situation was proving far harder than he imagined, so really why bother. Imagination being such a wonderful thing, it was as though he were being attended to by the hand of another, although in his dreamlike state experience dictated that a well lubricated left hand would indeed feel just like that of another. Whatever, there was no time for further thought. All too soon ejaculation was upon him, the hand gripped tighter as a powerful blast of semen showered down upon him as through from a great height. It was dark when he finally came round. At first glance it looked like the heavens and moon were directly above, but somehow the atmosphere wasn't clear enough, it felt stuffy and airless. Raising his head he was startled to discover the heavens were far closer that he had ever imagined possible, in fact they were undeniably tangible. So tangible in fact, they were within an inch of his head and he had actually thrust his face right into them. Frank, alias Francis the cross-dresser as he liked to be known, was all but sitting on Andy's face. The blond wig having slipped looked distinctly askew and revealed the darker hair beneath, the blue skirt had been decorously draped so as to cover both Andy's torso and Frank's bare bottom which straddled his face. The fact Andy had now shown a very positive sign of life was enough for Frank to lower himself onto him. Unsurprisingly Andy's continuing efforts in struggling hoping to break free only served to heighten Frank's state of arousal. In turn he pressed his bottom even further onto Andy's face totally muffling any cries for help and worse, added to Andy's already agitated state by squashing his nose with a very hairy sphincter. It was high time Frank ejaculated and to which end he was energetically pulling on a frighteningly large, if menacing organ which protruded from the hem of the skirt. A deluge of semen splattered across Andy's shirt, stomach and briefs, Frank's pulsating organ had added to this own unstinting contribution. Frank, drawing his fingers across the wet briefs sniffed and then licked them all the while pressing himself down onto Andy below. In terms of sheer stimulation Frank rated their encounter at one hundred and ten percent, it certainly wasn't every day that he could expect to come across a delightful young man, already unconscious and partially undressed just waiting to be toyed with and dishonoured The taste of semen lingered on Frank's lips as he completed his detailed inspection of Andy's nether regions and his now, rather sticky, flaccid cock. Preparing to get up, he sucked the last traces of semen from his fingers as he slowly prised himself off of Andy, only to be halted by the sound of a familiar voice. "Hey Frank, reckon he'd he let me have him after you've finished?" "What!" startled, Frank looked up quite unaware he had been observed. "Oh, fuck.. oh god! What the hell are you doing here, it's a bit off your patch isn't it?" "Well, I though I might get a fuck over here, the cottage is dead." "Well you can fuck me, `cause he can't," Frank grinned, stood up, straightening first his skirt and then lopsided wig, "and anyway he ain't a very big boy!" "Fuck you... again?" "Yeah me, again. Look, he's only a boy and he don't do nothing except lie there, besides he too young for that bloody great cock what you got." "Oh? Too young, pity. Well anyway I ain't risking no under age kid!" the voice moved to stand over Andy. "What's up with him? What you done to him other than wank over him?" "He's alright, just getting his breath back," Frank winked, "we had a go rimming, but he didn't quite get it!" "What, he knew what it was?" "No don't think so, but it was fun trying!" Once liberated, Andy might have been expected to have leapt up and remonstrated with Frank. Instead, he purposely remained where he was with eyes closed, feeling extremely vulnerable dressed in the reclaimed briefs and a little upset that he had been referred to as merely a boy with a small cock, yet thankful the visitor had declined his body. Without moving his head he strained through half closed eyes to see who it was that had joined Frank, whoever it was there was certainly well, in not very intimately acquainted and annoyingly, the voice sounded vaguely familiar. "Well bloody bend over then!" said Harry to the accompaniment of rustling and a zip being pulled down. "I ain't come all this way just to see you poncing about in your fucking frock!" "God, I'd forgotten how big it is!" said Frank looking down at the huge cock. "What about him down there?" Harry nodded towards Andy, who even though he was pretending to be flat out could not stop his cock raising it's head in response to witnessing the impending coupling and Harry sinking his monster organ into Frank. "He can bloody watch can't he, educate him a bit!" replied Harry before spitting into the palm of his hand and rubbing it around the head of his cock. "Now bend over." Andy was indeed intending to watch. Frank was leaning on a convenient tree trunk with his legs apart, Harry on throwing the skirt over Frank's head lined up the head of his cock and made a few tentative sorties to check the trajectory before ramming himself into Frank. Even Andy winced as Frank screamed with pain at Harry's entrance. Taking no notice of the suffering he was causing nor the very vocal objections he continued to force himself in until his balls were banging against Franks buttocks. "You've always had a lovely tight hole!" purred Harry. "Such a nice dress as well!" "You bitch!" protested Frank, the strained expression on his face saying it all. "No! You're the fucking bitch that wanted fucking!" countered Harry, continuing to mercilessly pound Franks bottom. "And, you know you bloody love it!" "For fucks sake go easy.. you'll split me!" cried Frank putting his hands behind to try to spread his buttocks and ease the pain. Silently, Andy watched totally gripped by the scene. What he was now witnessing was enough to get him aroused again, nevertheless he was actually quite shocked at what the men were doing to each other. It was certainly buggery, only not in the way he envisaged it when viewed through rose tinted spectacles where his own limited experience thought it as a gentle act, not at all rough and animalistic as this. Was this how older homosexuals generally behaved? There was no doubt that he had been really frightened by what had happened to him with Frank and it was not something he was going to forget, even though no real harm had taken place. The fact he had brought it all on himself by having been on a truly disgusting quest for evidence of sexual activity in an area known for sexual liaisons didn't enter into it! Eventually Frank's cries diminished leaving Harry grunting in appreciation of Frank's tight hole as he continued to vigorously pump away. It seemed to Andy that with both men now actively enjoying each others body it was his chance to escape. After looking around to check where all his possessions were, he suddenly leapt to his feet. Grabbing at his jeans and shoes he ran off through the bushes leaving the two men looking somewhat amused at his departure especially since he had set off wearing only his shirt and the torn, sodden briefs. Pausing only to pull his jeans and shoes on in the outer clearing he immediately started running again, this time to the safety of his car and his passage home. Slowly he pulled up outside the house and turned the ignition off, remaining seated he contemplated just how lucky he had been to escape with his bottom intact. "Wot's you been doing then?" Right on cue, in fact almost as though by magic if not possibly telepathy, Alfie seemed to know of Andy's arrival and appeared by the open car window. "Uumm.." replied Andy, taken by surprise, "how d'you know I was back?" "Dunno, I just seems to know. So where you been then?" Alfie beamed, quite delighted that he had spotted the car arrive from his front garden where he had been battling unsuccessfully with a flat tyre on his bike. "Oh.. uumm.. just been out." Andy was desperately trying to pull himself together after the mornings events. Still reeling from what he had only just escaped from, here he was now confronted by Alfie, the younger boy to whom he really was attracted. His position now totally reversed from being Frank's prey, to being Alfie's doting predator. "Would you gimmie a lift?" Alfie pushed his head in through the window, he smiled, noting the sparse bumfluff on Andy's chin. "Please." "A lift? Where? Why?" Andy moved in his seat not daring to make eye contact. "Well see, I'm `sposed to be playing football with Terry and them in the park." "Oh... so.. uumm... why ain't you there then?" It was to be a delayed answer since Alfie was carefully taking in every aspect of Andy's very dishevelled state. His eyes were immediately drawn to the partially open fly and the white of briefs within, the numerous blotches of dried semen on his shirt and a faint smell which could only be one thing. Clearly he had been involved in some form sexual activity which wisely Alfie decided best not to comment on at that time, lest Andy not to be forthcoming at all. Since their last conversation had been curtailed, Alfie had been trying to think of some way to raise the question of sex again without overly pushing the subject, this he reasoned could well be his chance. "You alright, you looks a bit of mess?" somehow Alfie managed to keep his eyes away from the open fly and not mention it. "Yeah, yeah... but why, why can't you go on yer bike then?" said Andy wanting to deflect any such questions and change the subject, his heart rate having already rapidly increased in proportion to the close proximity of Alfie through the window. "It's gotta gert flat tyre innit." Alfie smiled again and edged a little nearer. "I knows the inner tubes had it, won't stay up at all now, me dad says he'll get me a new tube sometime this morning." "And uumm.. so where's the football then?" asked Andy reluctantly, accepting that giving him a lift now seemed inevitable. "Only in the park innit, just with me mates and that innit." "That ain't far, why can't you walk?" The answer was intended to fend off Alfie's advances. However, with Alfie infatuated with the older boy it was to prove difficult to resist. Luckily catching Andy's eye, Alfie took the opportunity to rather unfairly perceiver with his plan and play what was in his opinion a trump card intended to take full advantage of Andy's predilections. "Look, I even got me football shorts on under me blue shorts." Andy flinched and clenched his fists, how he wanted Alfie. To him this was really what being homosexual was all about, it was being with younger boys with no hint of violence, merely being attracted to each other with mutual sexual exploration. "Uumm.. oh god! But, but why, why under yer other shorts?" Andy cleared his throat, he glanced down confirming Alfie was indeed wearing pale blue shorts on top. "Wot d'you mean football shorts, you mean the school ones, them white ones?" "Yeah, `cause when we plays football we can see who's wearing wot under 'em!" Alfie giggled. "You knows wot I means don't you?" "Oh shit!" surprised, Andy certainly did know what he meant. It also confirmed what he had previously thought, that Alfie and his friends were more than just interested in underwear. "So, so you all likes doing that then, seeing wot's under their shorts?" "Oh yeah, course we does! Terry loves it!" Alfie nodded enthusiastically. "But, I thinks it's a bit embarrassing to be seen walking about in 'em innit? Well, `cause we both knows that everybody in the street can see right through 'em to our pants can't they?" "They can.. could... well I `spose." blushing, Andy gulped there was no supposing about it. It was fact as he knew only too well, recalling the innumerable times he had stared out of the laboratory window to see exactly just that, as boys paraded innocently past the building en route to the playing fields. "So you gonna give me a lift then? Go on, won't take long will it?" "I `spose so." Escape there was not, neither morally or physically. Even before Andy had completed giving his answer Alfie was eagerly opening the passenger door to get into the car beside him. "So I'll take me shorts off now then?" It was a pointless and rhetorical question. Here was Alfie in the car with his paragon and from their previous conversation both knew they would dearly like to be more intimate. Yet whilst Alfie had no objections in pursuing further physical contact, it appeared to him that Andy was still ruled by his conscience, something which Alfie couldn't quite grasp. Notwithstanding he was thrilled at the prospect of being alone with Andy again and wanted to continue where they had previously left off. Having no conception of Andy's inner conflict with his beleaguered conscience, Alfie was already frantically tugging at the waistband aiming to remove his blue shorts in the minimum of time. His idea was to entice Andy physically or at least verbally, by provocatively flaunting his red briefs which he knew were virtually luminous through the thin white shorts beneath. "Oh god!" Andy didn't dare look again, temptation already had his cock throbbing, instead he started the engine and set off. "There, they's off!" Even before they had got to the bottom of the road Alfie had thrown the blue shorts onto the floor and was waiting for some appreciative comment. Shuffling about on the seat, he squeezed his legs together whilst looking hopefully towards Andy who was determined to resist all approaches by staring straight ahead down the road. "Oh fuck!" was Andy's comment, even if muttered under his breath. Finally having been unable to resist peeking over he saw that Alfie had now provocatively inserted a hand up the leg of the flimsy shorts. "Sorry, me pants musta gotta bit twisted!" he giggled and flushed. It would have been obvious to a blind man that from the lump in the front of the shorts and his actions, Alfie was very much aroused and very much wanting to draw attention to himself and the contents of the red briefs that were now perfectly visible through the thin shorts. "Oh fuck!" Andy was afraid to look again, his will to resist rapidly dwindling away. "Oooh now that's betterer!" replied Alfie, removing his hand and transferring it down the front of the shorts whilst continuing to wriggle about in an exaggerated manner. "Well it's because yer willy's up innit?" Andy bit his tongue immediately he said it, such minimal resistance as he had now seemed rather futile since Alfie had succeeded in drawing him into the conversation. "Isn't yours?" instantly responded Alfie. "Uumm.." he was trapped, he was very aroused and on the verge of dropping all pretence that he should resist Alfie's overtures. "Bet you can you see me red pants through these shorts, can't you?" there was no let-up, Alfie continued to move around on the seat and even leant over on his side to show the red encasing his bottom. Andy slowly nodded, but remained silent. He was again lusting after the twelve year old boy who lived next door. What was he to do, would he give in on this occasion? "Andy, you knows wot we was talking about last time we was together?" Alfie had decided to try another approach. He genuinely believed that Andy really wanted to do something with him, but it was simply that the age difference was making him a little reticent and that he just needed some gentle encouragement to get started. That anything between them would be illegal and that Andy did indeed have severe reservations, even if no will to resist the continual advances, was of no consequence to Alfie. "Wot was that then?" asked Andy, pretending to play the innocent. "You knows, wot we was talking about, don't you" Alfie looked around for any invisible eavesdroppers in the car, "you knows... about wanking and that." "Oh.. that.. so, so wot did we say, I've forgotten?" mumbled Andy, his remaining resolve to put Satan and the temptations of the flesh behind him having all but vanished on hearing that magic word, the key word in his life, wanking. "Then see, if like I say, well, uumm.." even Alfie was having difficulty in expressing his feelings, "that I've been wanking with Mark and yer brother Mart, then I don't see why I shouldn't wank with you... `cause there ain't no real reason is there?" "Oh, ah uumm.. well.. I dunno.." Andy paused, not one shred of resistance was to seen, detected, felt nor heard from his inner self. In which case, Alfie's suggestion now appeared to be actually a very good one and he couldn't see any reason why not either, especially as the feeling was decidedly mutual. However, just in case there were any nagging doubts then maybe Alfie should take the lead so he wouldn't feel too guilty in accepting the offer. "Go on.. please, you knows I won't tell no one." Alfie managed a cherubic smile. "Well, so wot you saying is we actually do it then?" "It's like this," Alfie again looked around for hidden eavesdroppers in the car or behind the traffic lights they were currently stopped at, "see, now don't tell nobody, but I sucks 'em, see?" "No, no I don't see." Andy was at a loss, surely Alfie wasn't alluding to what he thought he was, especially with his brother Martin. In his confused state the irony of the Alfie breaking another sworn, never to tell secret was missed. "They both say's I'm real good at sucking and I do likes doing it!" he blushed at the admission and again checked for any hidden listeners. "So if you lets me suck you.." "Cocks?" Andy suddenly interrupted. "Wot! You've been sucking our Mart's cock?" "Yeah! That's wot I said innit, cock sucking." Alfie glowed with pride and reiterated the facts so there could be no mistake. "They loves it and says I'm real good at it." "Fucking hell!" exclaimed Andy, sexual matters between the new neighbours had certainly moved on apace with Martin presumably sworn to silence. "Yeah, I loves doing it," reiterated Alfie enthusiastically, "so, so... well you could play with me willy through me shorts if you wants, like while I sucks you." "Wot, you'd suck me," interrupted Andy very excitedly, "till I cums in yer mouth?" "If you wants, `cause we both really likes each other and I knows you's always wanted to get inside me pants ain't you?" There was no stopping now, Andy took a deep breath. "And, you'd cum for me?" "Course, if you rubs me willy the right way." replied Alfie stating what was to him the obvious. "Is there somewhere we could stop now on the way to football?" "Wot, d'you mean do something now? Right now?" "Well, yeah course, that's wot we been saying innit?" "We have?" replied Andy rather nervously on realising it was the moment of truth from which there would be no going back. "But, but wot about football?" "Fuck the football!" Alfie giggled. "Rather play with yer balls instead!" As if to confirm matters he leant over towards Andy, who all of two nano seconds later leapt off his seat as Alfie's hand pushed it's way in through the open fly. "Fuck! How d'you get in there" shrieked Andy making a lightening getaway from the lights as his foot slipped off the clutch. "For fucks sake not when I'm driving or we'll bloody crash or something!" "Sorry." instantly retracting his hand, Alfie prayed he hadn't ruined the moment, especially when it seemed that Andy was more than amenable to his advances. "It's alright, I'll find somewhere to stop, so we can at least talk." he said after a few moments reflection to confirm that he certainly didn't want to loose the moment either. "How d'you get me zip undone?" "Yer zips been down showing yer pants all along, I thought you'd done it when I got in, sorta like you been inviting me inside yer jeans!" delighted with his pseudo detective progress and incorrect deductions Alfie grinned, he rubbed his fingers together now sticky with semen. "You musta cum some place just before you got home, they's all sticky. Wot you been doing then, who with?" Andy went white, he had totally forgotten he had dressed in complete panic whilst literally escaping from Frank clutches. Most embarrassingly he was still wearing the soiled briefs found in the bushes, now also soaked with a combination of both his and Frank's discharge. It was though now too late to evade Alfie and he would just have to bluff his way, although there seemed a very good chance that Alfie might well appreciate his attire! "We gotta stop `cause we both wants to do something now don't us?" pleaded Alfie. "There must be somewhere round yer." "I knows just the place, ain't much further." replied Andy, having morally capitulated and lecherously eyeing the white shorts with the red showing through beneath. There was indeed somewhere. It was the very same spot that he had stopped at with Mark and Martin only a few days before. It wasn't much of a detour so that only minutes later they found themselves surveying a fairly empty carpark. "Wot now then?" asked Andy hurriedly parking by the hedge, he turned to see Alfie rubbing the front of his shorts. "Looks like yer all ready!" Blushing, Alfie nodded, his dream having come true. Positively ecstatic at the prospect of having Andy all to himself, he hadn't really thought very far ahead as to what they might do, although moments later did make a very forward suggestion. "I, I wants to see you in yer pants and then I'll suck you!" he blushed again on the admission, it was exactly what he had been fantasising about the previous evening. "So, so `spose you lets me pull yer jeans down.. then.. you can feel me willy and.." "Well quick, come round yer by me door," it was the third time Andy had interrupted him, this time opening the car door and beckoned with his finger as he did so, "now there ain't nobody gonna see you round this side, so just stand by me seat." In the time taken for Alfie to hop out and rush around to the drivers door, Andy had already unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down to his feet. "Cor.. look at.." Alfie was rarely speechless, but this proved to be one occasion when he was, he stopped talking before he had even started and just stared. Rather proud of the way the heavily stained Y-fronts were tenting and making his cock seem considerably larger than it actually was, Andy sat impatiently awaiting Alfie's attention. "Cor," repeated Alfie in reverence of the stained briefs, "can I really touch `em?" "Well that's wot we're yer for innit?" Andy grinned. "So bloody get on with it!" "Them pants is a right mess," observed Alfie, who's interest in underwear was rapidly leaning towards the more repellant when it came to bodily stains and fluids, in fact just as favoured by his brother Mark, "and they smells a bit!" "Yeah well, don't worry about `em." Andy looked down, a mess was something of an understatement. "Now come on and stand right by me so's I can feel yer bottom and you can bend over and suck me cock!" For the next few minutes hands were everywhere. Alfie's were exploring the very dubious delights of the Y-fronts and their multi-seeded semen coating, which he couldn't quite believe what he was actually handling. He had to admit the briefs looked incredibly inviting wrapped around Andy's throbbing organ before being pulled aside to allow oral operations to commence. Meanwhile Andy had been fully occupied massaging every inch of the white shorts and was about to graduate to the onerous task of pushing a hand up the leg. The goal was of course to finally get hold of Alfie's cock and persuade it to ejaculate in his hand, but that would be after a thorough exploration of the red briefs including, unbeknown to Alfie a full anal probing. It was Alfie that broke the silence, who after tugging at the Y-fronts finally managed to get them down far enough to expose Andy's rampant cock and unfortunately also display part of the tear in the rear panel. "Hey Andy, there's a gert tear in yer pants, right by yer bumhole, wot the hell you been doing?" "Fuck!" mumbled Andy hoping to instantly come up with an excuse. He failed! "Gawd! And, they stinks of spunk!" continued Alfie excitedly. "Nah, they don't." countered Andy avoiding all mention of torn condition. "They bloody does!" replied Alfie, his head virtually inside, inspecting the state of Andy's cock prior to taking it in his mouth. "Oh, just get sucking and shut up!" "So wot was it you'd been doing before we come yer `cause it's all a bit sticky innit," mumbled Alfie from between Andy's legs, adding condescendingly as though he had serviced multitudes of cocks, "and I don't suck cocks unless they's clean!" "You cheeky sod, it is clean!" Andy persisted in ignoring the question, the fingers of his right hand now inside the red briefs and only an inch away from the promised land, his left hand well on the way to holding Alfie's cock. "Well, sort of and `cause I really likes you, I'm gonna do it anyway," continued Alfie, "`cause at least it ain't as bad as our Mark's!" "Wot's mean, as bad as Mark's?" Andy was only too keen to learn anything of Mark's sex life, which hopefully might also deflect Alfie from repeating his question. "Why, why wot's he got then?" "Cheese!" Alfie started giggling, rather appropriately since Andy was now fondling his foreskin within the red briefs. "Well he don't never wash it do he, so it's got gert lumps of cheese stuck to it, innit?" "Cheese? Wot cheese?" Being circumcised and having led a decidedly solitary sex life, Andy's total ignorance where other boys were concerned combined with his lack of communal hands-on experience was really showing. It would be extremely embarrassing should Alfie guess the truth. "You knows wot I means," Alfie continued giggling thinking it had been said as a joke, "it's the cheese wot lives under his winkle thing innit!" "Oh yeah, course, that cheese!" Andy laughed, although still unable to visualise exactly what Alfie was talking about. "Now shut up and get sucking before I cums." "Right." Both were very aroused and in danger of premature ejaculation, Alfie not wishing to admit that didn't hesitate in making the first step, taking a deep breath he quickly disappeared out of sight between Andy's legs. This was his dream coming true and being made all the more realistic by Andy's finger which was tracing it's way slowly around his sphincter. Immediately inside the fetid underpants, he took in the head of Andy's cock in his mouth, his lips forming a perfect seal around the base of the head as he set to work on the oozing slit with his tongue. For his part Andy was more than happy to continue the sphincter massage once he had pulled Alfie's shorts down to give unfettered access, something which did not appear to bother Alfie in the slightest. With just the skimpy red briefs acting as a barrier it was only a minute later before Alfie's reaction to having his foreskin manipulated progressed to the start of an unstoppable chain reaction between them. So excited with the whole situation, Alfie ejaculated into the palm of the waiting hand only seconds later. Andy just couldn't believe how erotic the feeling of receiving the younger boys spunk was and followed it by poking his finger right up Alfie's bottom, if that weren't enough he too began to uncontrollably ejaculate. Somehow Alfie had sensed what was going to happen and despite their collective gyrations had managed to remain in oral contact determined he was going to taste Andy's sperm. Maybe it was just because it was Andy's, but Alfie thought it tasted quite different from other boys, resulting in him eagerly swallowing all he could. Grinning wildly Alfie arose from the fetid depths, his face splattered with semen appearing to confirm there was absolutely no question that he had not enjoyed himself. Besides, to further bind the relationship with his alter ego he had ingested a considerable quantity of the available semen and thought he couldn't get much closer than that. Naturally assuming that Andy was equally keen to repeat the situation he progressed to thinking it would it be wonderful if only Spunky and Terry could join in, but then he was sworn to secrecy wasn't he? Ultimately, from Andy's perspective the initial rosy glow of their encounter would be displaced by the cold light of day. Now the sexual act was over, the truth was he had seduced a twelve year old boy, if proof were ever needed his hands were still inside the boys underpants! The warning thoughts that had occurred to him at the very outset and had been instantly relegated to the back of his mind were slowly returning to haunt him. One thought above all others was the worry that Alfie would tell somebody of what they had done to each other, particularly if Andy tried to curtail their friendship in some way. Whilst temptation may have won the day and temporarily replaced all logic, somehow he was going to have to live with what he had allowed himself to do and try to keep the infatuated Alfie at arms length. That was assuming he wanted to keep him at arms length in the first place or should he simply acquiesce to his penchant for younger boys and hope he didn't get caught in the future? ################################################################### Chap 66 to follow