Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2008 17:58:48 -0600 From: Andy Smith Subject: Asleep on the Beach 22 Asleep on the Beach Chapter 21 Disclaimer: Please be advised that under aged youths are advised to not read this material, and indeed doing so may be illegal where you are -- so check your local laws first as there are sexual encounters ahead by youngsters in this story. If this offends you, perhaps you should not have read this far, and I certainly would not advise continuing further. Everyone else is welcome. Any comments are welcomed: prompt and courteous replies from: andyoutwest@live.com Chapter 22 Jason's Return Tuesday is the first day of school -- I'm a High Schooler this year. Freshman. I'm a little younger than most freshmen, but that don't bother me, because I've been just behind the kids in my class every since I started school! So, this year is no big deal. But, I am afraid of facing this without Jason. We've ALAYS been together for these big days since I can really remember. I mean...he'll be here by Tuesday...see...grrr...I guess I have to back up a little here. Jason comes home today, Friday! In fact, I'm here at his house waiting for him to get here. I know how to let myself in (been doing it for years now), and I talked Mom and Dad into letting me come over and wait for him. Mom and his Mom went after him. Dad had to go to work...I was just too nervous to go. I know...that makes no sense. My stomach is tied up in knots...I've had to sit on the pot all morning. I don't know why I'm so nervous, but I just am. I mean, what if they've brainwashed him somehow? What happens if after thinking and talking about all this shit he's decided he doesn't want to...to do stuff with me anymore? Worse yet...what if they have convinced him to stop being friends with me! What am I going to do if they have taken my best friend in the whole entire world from me? I want to cry about it...I'm that scared...but I promised Jason I'd be strong. So, I can't even cry my way through this. I keep telling myself to breathe. I'm so scared. When he drives up I want to jump out the door, tear him from the car, through him on the ground and smother him in kisses and hugs; I don't care who sees, or what they think -- I only want to be in his arms. *Sigh* Looking around his room I begin to notice things I guess have just been so familiar to me that I've taken them for granted. On the desk, beside his computer is a photo of us in our baseball uniforms. We'd just won the game, our uniforms stained and dirty, our hair all sweaty...standing arms-over-shoulders in a very typical "best-buds" pose. The obvious happiness and camaraderie upon our faces reflected simpler times...before all the weight of the recent summer. I wondered if this was taken before Cody raped Jason...I wondered why I hadn't noticed a change in him. How good of a friend am I if I can't even tell when my best friend...no...my brother (I feel that close to him...closer even) has been brutalized and abused. *Sigh* I hate this shit. God. Why does life have to be so complicated? Why can't we just be two boys contented and happy to be together? Why is it such a blight on humanity if we want to kiss, to cuddle, to...to make love together? Why? What difference does that make in the scheme of life? Who are we hurting? Who suffers if me and Jason are happy? I don't get it...I just don't get it. I see more pictures...me and Jason sledding in the snow on a make-shift toboggan when we went to Colorado for a vacation. We learned to ski that year -- that's a whole `nother story! There's a picture of my old dog (named him Skip after the dog in the movie...but he didn't look a thing like that dog) before he got lost (or stolen). My heart hurt slightly just looking at the picture of him...Jason loved him as much as me. Jason's Dad would never let him have a dog -- so Skip belonged to both of us...only he stayed with me...it was a pact between two best buds. Funny thing is, Skip knew he belonged to both of us too...hmmm...or is it possible that even back then a dog knew more about me and Jason than we did? I giggled to myself...a gay-sniffing dog! Ha! That's either funny...or scary as shit...gotta dump that thought right away. Maybe he just knew we belonged to each other...and he belonged to us. I'll stick to that thought. I see team trophies from each year of baseball we played together are lined up all neato-mosquito on a shelf. Typical Jason to have each lined up by year, size, and activity. Everything is so neat and organized. He does that with almost no effort...but it's so important to him for everything to be just perfect. It would drive me crazy! I'd a whole lot rather just let Jason fiddle with that shit...I've too much to think about to worry about it...things like Xbox, boarding...jackin-off! (oops! Did I say that out loud?). I walked over to his dresser, pulling open his underwear drawer (yes, I know which one). Half the underwear in here are mine! Of course, everything is all neatly folded and placed just so in the drawer; his on one side, mine on the other. It makes me smile. I notice one pair in "my" stack that aren't folded -- they are just sort of wadded up and sticking out from under more neatly folded pairs. I pulled them out and discover they ARE mine! And they are dirty! OMG! I smell them -- still have my smell on them...only I hadn't really ever identified "my" smell before...does he do the same thing I do?! More smiles. Instant boner! I pulled them to my cheek and think of Jason doing the same thing. I think I'll have to shoot a load in these to surprise him. More smiles. Nearly cream myself just thinking about it. Lying back on his bed, I rolled over on his pillow and smelled his lingering scent. As I ease my shorts and boxers down my slab-hard dick slaps back against my belly. I decide I'll wear my old ones, leave him these I have on...with something extra. My fingers trail through my pubes...I remember how much Jason loves nuzzling me there. My dick leaks a little pre-cum below my belly button. I swipe it up with my finger and stick my finger in my mouth. Sweet. Makes me think of Jason even more. Jacking now...only a few tugs...treasure in my boxers for Jason. Reluctantly I get up and place them back where found the other pair, trying to be careful to leave them like I found them...he'll know. Of course...he'll know for sure when he finds my hidden love-gift. Smiles again. Have to sniff them myself one more time. Damn. I'm a weirdo. On the bed once more, old boxers on, shorts pulled up; I wrapped my arms around the pillow and hugged it to myself while curling up into a ball. My hand ends up inside my shorts gently holding my boyhood (a typical position for me when I'm alone in my bed...it's a comfort thing...sort of like a worry-doll I suppose). I love Jason so much it hurts. I am so afraid of losing him. We agreed together that nothing could come between us, but every day that goes by I am forced to acknowledge how very little control I have over my own life right now...and Jason is in the same boat. It has me an emotional wreck right now. I couldn't eat breakfast. I did manage to drink some coffee...but which I hadn't done that even now, as I REALLY need to go pee...but not bad enough to get up off the bed. Squeezing my eyes together as tight as I could in order to forbid any tears from escaping beyond the vanguard I had for them...I must have dosed. I was dreaming that it was still hot summertime...my head was in Jason's lap and we were lounging. Somewhere. I can't exactly determine where...a breeze is trying to cool us...not very well though. I feel his fingers running through my hair, can feel the warmth of his thighs against my cheek. I realize in my dream I'm slobbering on his soft cotton shorts, so I close my mouth and try to stop the leaking. This makes me adjust my head deeper into his lap and I wrap my single arm around the part of his thigh I can reach the way I`m positioned. I'm as hard as a rock. I feel a dampness in my boxers; must be a powerful dream. Oddly enough, I can tell he is getting an erection with the weight of my head resting on his lap. It makes me smile knowing I can do that to him. This is a strange dream...because I can smell him. I can feel him. He whispers to me... My heart skipped several beats...I think I'm having a heart attack! Shifting suddenly I turned to see him looking down at me! I screamed and jumped up into his arms! "I thought I was dreaming!" I exclaim while nearly choking him to death with my arms wrapped around his neck. "When did you get here? How long...Oh god I've missed you so much! Thank God your are here!" I was smothering him now in kisses and pushed him backwards on the bed and climbed atop him. He was all smiles and wrapped his arms around me just letting me have my way with the greetings. Pulling back to see the smile on his face and the warmth in his eyes, I couldn't help but fall in love with him all over again. I lower myself to his tender lips and kiss him with all the passion I know how to share. "I missed you too!" he said as we pulled apart for air. He rolled me on my side so we could look one another in the eyes. I could feel the weight of his leg as he draped it over mine, and the warmth of his hand that he placed on my chest. "Oh Jason," I cried, "promise me you won't ever leave me again! It felt as though you were gone a year instead of a month." "Yea, I know...it was a long, long time," his smile was as radiant as sunshine, and just as comforting too. "I want to know everything!" I exclaimed. But then I remembered all the fear welling in my heart. "No...No! I don't want to know anything! Let's just not talk about it right now...okay? Please? I just want to enjoy being here with you. Please, can we wait to talk about what you..." "Shhhhhh..." Jason soothed, "Shhhhhh...don't talk silly boy. Don't talk. Just hold me a long time. We've plenty of time to talk later. I just want to feel safe. You make me feel safe. Just hold me." The damn burst. We rolled up together and cried in each other's arms and held one another. A long time. A really long, long time. A tap at the door caused us to pull away only slightly. "Yea?" Jason said to the tapper at the door. Jason's Mom and my Mom stuck their heads in the door. A smile broke out across their faces as they peered around to see us entwined upon the bed in an embrace foreign to most boys our age. "Are you two getting hungry? We were thinking about Micky-D's." Jason's Mom asked. Momma's eyes raise as if she'd asked the question. Jason and I looked at each other and our stomachs each growled audibly simultaneously! This got all four of us laughing, so Jason and I untangled ourselves and rolled out of the bed. In an act of defiance, Jason held his hand out to me and looked at me expectantly. He was offering me his hand. OMG. I took it. We smiled at each other knowingly. With me by the hand (the boy-friends kind of hand-holding) Jason led me out of the room passing both of our mothers. I'm not sure just how they felt about us holding hands, or how things would be from here out, but I did feel the re-assurgent Jason setting the stage for what his expectations were. In this simple action he told me more than a week of talks could yield. Jason meant for us to be together despite, or in spite of what anyone else wanted. If I was willing to take his hand, he was willing to lead us to the next stage of our relationship. I smiled as we plodded noisily down the stairs -- a full out run out the door to the car. When we got there he pinned me against the back-seat door and pressed full body weight into me and kissed me full on the lips with a VERY passionate kiss. God. "Ahhhuuum," Mom teased as she opened her door, "save that for the bedroom. I thought you two were starving to death?" We both blushed slightly, pecked out another kiss then hopped in the car. "Carlie told me that this is my life. She said it's mine, and whomever's I want to share it with...nobody else's," Jason said as he looked straight out at the water. We were out on the beach, it was getting very late, but we were not in any hurry to go home. I was leaning against him, holding on to his arm, his hand was draped in my lap. (No, we weren't doing THAT! Just innocent cuddling. There was just too much "stuff" going on in our heads to be too horney...besides we were in a very public place. No one was bothering us, I'm not sure even if anyone was looking at us if they could tell we were two boys, as my hair had gotten pretty long by now, and his was so short. We had on shorts and tee-shirts...I guess we looked like any other couple out on the beach that evening). "Carlie is the group leader of the group I was in," he offered, sensing my question. I'm wondering if he picked up some ESP while he was gone (god knows he was gone long enough!) "Oh," I nodded understanding, "Strange name, I never heard it before." "Me neither," Jason replied. "She told us it stands for Carlyle, but she hates that...says it sounds too `butch'." I blushed...I didn't know he knew that word. "She is really smart, though...for a girl," Jason said absentmindedly. I grinned up at him...we both had that much chauvinistic views at the time to say such silliness. Though, down deep we didn't really believe that kind of stuff...it was still the "thing" to say. Jason sighed. I snuggled into him a bit more. I wasn't going to prod, or hurry him. I had all the time he needed. I talked to Dad. Dad is pretty smart most of the times (don't tell him I said that, okay?)... "Liam, Son," Dad said, "what Jason has been through is like a maze. Sometimes the more we try to help Jason sort it all out, the more we kept him disoriented." He paused to gather his words, "Do you remember the funny house at the carnival we went to earlier in the summer? The one with all the silly mirrors?" I nodded. "They are intended to keep us off balance, and guessing about reality. The illusion works because we have to think about reality...therefore the scary parts have just enough time to catch us off guard and work their sinister best." I waited for more, sensing he wasn't through. "Often what is required is someone to hold your hand to anchor you so you can navigate you way through the smoke and mirrors. That's what you should be for Jason just now...and anchor." I smiled at the thought. "Just hold on to him and let him find his way," Dad said. So, I'm holding on. I feel good. I love Jason, and I'm being of use. I'm holding on. Sorry...back to the beach...I can't help it okay? My mind just does shit like this... "So many kids there, Liam," Jason continued, "it was horrible listening to all the stories. Most of them had been raped by their dad's or uncles, cousins, or brothers. I think everyone in the group had been forced to have sex before we were ready, or by someone we didn't want to have sex with. Listening to them made us cry. At first we didn't. At first we were all tough guys. Didn't want anyone to know we'd had sex...or that we didn't want to have sex when we did...or with who we did. There was almost as many boys there as girls. There was seventeen girls, and twelve boys. Our group was between the ages of twelve and seventeen. There was a group of younger kids...if you can believe that shit." He spat from between his teeth. "This one girl told us that her Dad AND brother was fucking her from the time she turned nine until this year. She was fifteen. She got pregnant. Her mom got mad, blamed her for getting pregnant and ruining their home. Demanded Julie (the girl) get an abortion. Julie said she just couldn't do it...abort the baby. Everything is just so screwed up. And none if it was her fault. Her life was a total wreck. All she wanted was to be `normal' but there's no way in hell she'll ever know what `normal' is now. The bastards." Jason rarely swore like this. I knew he was feeling considerable angst over all he'd heard. If every story was like that, I wondered how he could have come out of there sane at all. "You know what?" he asked me quietly. I shrugged. "About half of the guy's there are gay," he said matter of factly. "They asked me if I was gay...I said `I don't want to be'..." I felt my ears burn. The moment has come. I'm not ready for this. I squirm and try to get up. I don't know why, but I'm feeling a panic attack come on. My face is all screwed up fighting back tears, while I'm fighting to get up off my ass an on my feet. "Wait!" Jason near yelled, grabbing at my arm and pulling me back on my ass. Damn. "Please...please don't leave me...please...I need to say this," Jason said through his tears. I can't really see them...I know they're there though. They don't comfort me...they heighten my own fears. It's over. I know it. He's going to tell me it's all been a mistake. I hate him for saying it...he hasn't SAID it yet...he's about too... I hit him. Right on the left breast with my closed fist, palm and knuckle side (I know that sounds kinda effeminate, but even as upset as I was I really wasn't trying to HURT him, only to demonstrate my anger). I hit him again. I push him away. This time I get up and away cleanly...he's off guard because I hit him. "Damn you!" I cry as I flee from him. I'm hysterical. In a flash, I'm off the beach and stumbling among the brush and grasses clumped up off the shore line. My eyes are full of damned tears and I can't seem to get focused on what is in front of me, therefore I fall several times. I'm crying audibly now. This whole month's worth of stress has burst the dam...my worst fears now are realized. He's come home and been all nice to me, he doesn't want to just cut me off heartlessly...but that would be easier than this! God, I've been such a fool. How could I have possibly believed this would work? I should have known his mind would be poisoned to me and that my heart was about to be ripped right out of my chest. Damn, double damn, and goddamnittomutherfuckinghell! Finally, I can't run anymore. Collapsed behind a clump of itchy grass, I roll over on my stomach, my head cradled in the crook of my arm and I cry. I cry for fear. I cry for love, for love lost. I cry for shame; shame for leaving Jason back on the beach, for crying in the first place; shame for being so goddamned vulnerable, so gullible. I cry. If I had a knife right now... Jason is here now. I just know he's here, but I couldn't really hear him walk up. The air has changed. Though it's now fully dark -- I know he's standing there watching me cry. I think he's crying too. He'll want me to stop...to come back with him. I hate him. I can't possibly turn over now, can't look at him, can't even think of how to say anything to him. It's over. My life, our love: the universe, the whole goddamned thing. I hear him drop to his knees. His hand touches my tee-shirted back. I don't acknowledge him. Jason sighs, wipes tears from his eyes (don't know how I know that, but I do). Without asking permission, or a word of explanation Jason shifts to position himself to lay full body-weight across my back. I moan at the weight of him. He nuzzles his face into my neck and the back of my hair, chin on my shoulder. Feel his breath. No words. Just his weight. I feel his breathing; both on my cheek and neck, and the movement of his abdomen rising and falling in sync with his breath. I love him. Why does life have to be so fucking complicated. He knows I've calmed down, changed my mind already. He knows I love him, and I don't hate him. But I have to say it. "Goddamnit Jason, I love you," my quivering voice sounds like someone else's, "why?...why does it hurt so much? I wish I never ever knew you." My heart stopped beating. I didn't mean to say it...it just came out. "Shhhhh..." is all he says. Damn. We lie there like that for a great while. The sand is almost uncomfortable. It's gritty. I smell the sand. I want to smell Jason. I'm not to going to turn over though. I have an erection. Jason moves his weight and tries to turn me over. I resist. He stops. Waits. "Liam?" he says tenderly. Too tenderly. Why is he being so fucking nice when he has a dagger threatening to plunge me to my mortal death. One look from him could kill me. One word, and the world as I know it is over. He's too kind. He's making it worse. "Liam?" he says again. I remain silent. I won't make this murder of my soul easier. I see his chest rise and fall. Against my will, my eyes look up to his face. He's praying. Literally. Praying. "What the fuck are you doing?" I asked I can't believe my crassness. I hurt too much to breathe, much less control my tongue. Besides, that is just what was rattling around in my head. "Don't be cussing like that," he says after finishing his prayer. I'm embarrassed. He is in control again. How does he do that? Damn. "Why the fuck not?" I ask, not threateningly, but sort of with resignation. My life is over...what's a few foul words going to matter? I'm sad now. Empty. I feel alone. Erection is gone too. I don't want to look at him. I hate him. I've known him all my life for crying out loud. How can he do this to me? Haven't I meant anything at all to him. Is me wanting to kiss him...to feel him inside me a crime? Is it such a sin that it warrants being treated like this. A tear falls. I hate it for doing that. "Liam," Jason aid with greater control, care, and tenderness than I've ever known from another person before, or since, "I'm trying to tell you I love you Liam." The pause after that statement was pregnant. "Huh?" Now I felt like a stupid head. This is not how you treat people you love. I want to scream that to him...I screw up the curage to do so...draw the breath...open my mouth...and say... Nothing. Nothing will come out. "Look," he says with more care, "I'm sorry for pissing you off back there. I really don't know what that was all about...what THIS is all about...but I know I did it to you. I'm sorry. Really. "I'm so screwed up in my head right now, Liam...so...if I say stupid stuff...or if I am not making sense...I need you to be patient with me." Jason drew in a deep breath. I'm leaning up on my elbows now...looking at him with a bit of awe and uncertainty all mixed together. "I'm in love with you Liam. I don't just love you. That is what I have decided. I have decided that I don't know shit about shit. I don't know if I am gay. I don't know if you are gay. I don't even know if I care if you...we...are gay. I don't know if being gay is a good thing or bad thing. I don't know if we should or should not be together. I don't know if being together is a sin. I don't know if anybody else knows for sure either. I don't anything...anything but this..." he said and leaned in to me and kissed me full on the lips. Wordlessly, he pushed me over on my back and positioned himself full on top of me; my legs spread and his between mine. Our dicks began grinding together as we hugged and kissed. My lips were trembling even though we were kissing...I so wanted to believe this was real...but I was so afraid it was a mirage, a dream...a fantasy. I pulled him tighter. Our humping grew more desperate. The heat generated at our crotches was nearly searing. His pelvis pressed all the harder...our dicks exploded sperm simultaneously, amidst our combined groans, moans, panting, and gasping for breath. I held him desperately. Convulsing. Ecstasy. We rolled apart. Looked at each other, and broke out into giggles like schoolboys. Jason got up and took his shirt off to clean us up. I think he would have licked it all up if it wasn't for all the sand. He stood, and held out his hand to me. My heart skipped a beat again. He is amazing. Sexuality dripping from him (almost literally), and still he's thinking with his heart, not his head (either one). I smile and take his hand. Pulling me up, our eyes are locked on one another. I take his other hand and square up to be completely in front of him. I mouth "I never hated you." ""Shhhh..." he said again to me. I placed my head on his shoulder, he hugged me tight. My arms wrapped around his back, His skin is soft. "We should be getting back home," Jason said, "They'll have the Army out after us soon." We both laughed a bit. Both of us knew he was right. Of course, Jason is almost always right. I kissed him, we turned and headed back toward the beach and the general direction of home; hand in hand. It was dark, and no-one could see us well enough to make out who we were, or what we were doing. "Liiiaammm!!!" we heard a distant call from down the beach. "Told ya!" Jason giggled. "COMMMIIINNNG!!!" I yelled into my cupped hands. We hastened our pace toward the voice. Soon we saw Dad jogging towards us. A twinge of guilt panged at me...I'm uncertain of why...maybe because it was late...but we told them we would be late. As Dad got closer he had an all business look to his face. "Ahh...there you two are," Dad said as he paused to catch his breath. "Sorry, Pops!" I said brightly to him. "If I'd known we was gonna give you a heart-attack we would have come back an hour ago!" "Smart-ass," Dad said humorously as he swiped a broad back-hand toward my back-side. I easily side-stepped the blow. Dad didn't say stuff like that. I'm not sure I like this new liberal side of him. I'm worried a bit about him. "Have you two seen Lenny?" aid as he stood up-right once more, hands on hips. "No," we both replied in practiced unison. "Help me find them. His Dad called and said that he and Brant were to meet down at the beach this afternoon, but were supposed to be back in time to go catch a show with him this evening after work. He got home, but the boys haven't shown up. He called our house to see if they popped in before coming home." Dad was looking around the beach as he explained what was going on. "Dad, we've been sitting here on the beach all evening, watching the water roll in," I said. "We would have seen them if they had come down on this side of the beach." Jason and I both nodded agreement at my assessment. "They probably went down by the cove where all of the gang goes after baseball," Jason said. He is always clear-headed in situations like this. He was right. Most likely Brant and Lenny would go to where we always went. Tonight Jason and I chose this part of the beach particularly because we wanted to be alone. "Probably," Dad agreed while looking out toward that part of the beach. "Come on, let's walk down there and see if we see them." We all turned and plodded toward our favorite spot. Jason and I led the way while Dad fell in behind us. He never said a word about Jason and I holding hands as we walked. "Leeennnnyyyyy!!!" I called, once we got to the place us kids always hung out. "Llllleeeeennnnyyyy!!!" All three of us split up instinctively and walked around calling to him. "Brrrrannnntt!" I called out. We came back together. Neither of us saw or heard anything, nor received a response. I started to get a tiny bit worried. Even Lenny wouldn't sit out here all this time in the dark...unless something was wrong. He was an impetuous kid...but only so far as sex was concerned...and that was only with me...or...at least I THINK he'd only be that way with me...maybe he might be with Brant. I had an Idea. "Jason!" I called out, motioning him to come over for a conspiratorial consult. "Yea? You got an idea?" Jason asked, correctly interpreting my body language. "Remember what Lenny told us about spying on Brant and Ray before?" I asked in hushed tones. Jason thought a second, then nodded. A light came on in his mind. He looked up at me with a knowing look. "Great idea!" he said. "Come on!" he yelled as he grabbed my hand and drug me off down the beach to the "secret" place Lenny showed us before where he's spied on us from before we accepted him in our circle. Dad stayed down at the beach as we scampered away. I suppose he figured we had an idea. "Leeennnyyy!!" we yelled. "Leeennnyyyy...Brannnnnnttt!" Nothing. "Hmmmm..." Jason said with concern now apparent in his voice. This wasn't good. Jason is the rock-solid one amongst us. A noise...a whimpering noise. I heard it. Preening my head toward the noise so my ears could zone in on it, I listened with strained intensity. Nothing. It was gone. Probably nothing. "What," Jason asked, recognizing my gestures. I shrugged, indicating it was gone...or was nothing. Jason darted off past me into the darkness, leaving me flat-footed in the sand. Gathering my wits, I turned in pursuit. Abruptly I collided with someone. Jason. He'd stopped dead in his tracks. "Owww!" I howled, rubbing the knot on my head and my shoulder simultaneously with both hands. "Shhhhhh..." Jason said and he stared wide-eyed out into the darkened dunes. "Come on," he whispered as he slowly walked forward into the darkness. I followed silently. Heart racing. I assumed that IF they were still out there that they were probably screwing like rabbits, or something. I just wasn't worried at all...that's what I kept telling myself I was thinking...but really I was thinking every terrible thing in the world. I reached out for Jason's hand. It was warm, and he let me hold his hand without question or explanation. We stepped forward another twenty-five yards or so, then stopped again. This time I heard it. A child's sniff. Unmistakably a child was out there in the dunes. Alone probably. Scared most likely. Hurt...I shuttered at the thought. My heart sank to my knees. Guilt flashed across my mind for thinking the boys were screwing around when they could be in serious trouble. "God, no...please don't let it be him!" I pleaded in my mind. "Anyone, but Lenny..." More guilt flashed my mind. "No, God, I don't want ANY kid to be hurt...just PLEASE not Lenny!" Jason pulled me forward and to the left a short distance. I sensed, more than saw, a clump of dune grass much like I'd stumbled over only a short period of time earlier that evening. A kid could hide behind some of this stuff. Panic welled in my throat. I wanted to vomit. Together Jason and I crept toward the dune and grass. We stepped to the other side. Something was there. "AAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" a blood curdling scream pierced the darkness. I screamed in response. Jason screamed. We jumped into each other's arms and nearly fell over. Jason instinctively shoved me behind himself and took a defensive posture, ready to pounce on what the hell ever that was out there. I pressed into his ass that was stuck up as the rest of him was crouched in attack mode. He pushed me back with his ass... "DOOONNNTT HUUUURRRRTTT MEEEEEE!!!" the voice screamed out. My God. It was Brant. Jason and I both recognized his voice instantaneously and with no further hesitation we pounced forward to the crying boy. He, thinking we were his attacker, not being able to focus on our features due to the darkness, tried scrambling backwards to get away from us. He was balled up on the sand and trying to back-peddle, or crawl away like a crab. Panic and fear was palpable. "Hey, easy there Buddy...it's me...Jason, and Liam." Jason said trying to reassure the frightened boy. The moon wasn't totally up yet, so it was hard to see, but even in the darkness we could tell things were not good for the little boy cowering away from us. He was panicked; he was obviously hurting, he was afraid. Jason's words weren't getting through, as Brant managed to scoot back to a position from which he could spring to his feet. He was about to bolt and run by the time we got over to him. The little tyke was struggling and giving a valiant effort to resist. Jason and I were working hard to restrain him and let him know we were not going to hurt him, that we were friends, that we were there to help. It was going from bad, to really bad, to horribly awful, and Brant was in near hysterics by now. "STOP!" came an adult's calmingly assertive demand. The fight instantly left Brant, he collapsed (either from exhaustion, submission, recognition...or all of the above), causing Jason and I to fall upon him in a heap. It was Dad. He'd heard the commotion and came running up to find us struggling to hold on to the terrified Brant. "Let him go," Dad said calmly. Jason and I rolled off him, and Brant spun on a dime and jumped back into the darkness. "Brant," Dad said to him softly, using a voice only a father could use -- it was at once calming and assuring, and equally authoritative at the same time. "Brant, honey, it's me...Liam's Dad, Larry." He paused for that to soak in to the boy who was still retreating my ears informed me. "Brant...it's okay...I've come to help you. I need you to come back and let me help you. No one will hurt you anymore." We heard sniffling, then the shuffle of feet in the sand. Soon the presence of the young trembling Brant was visible. He was shaking like a leaf. Dirty. And naked. I hadn't noticed at first. His clothes were totally non-existent. Gone. He was nude, vulnerable, afraid, and alone. He was crying. Jason and me were too. Dad reached out a hand to him indicating he should come to Dad, Brant silently walked over to him and the two embraced like father and son. Dad cradled his head against his lower abdomen with one hand, and gently hugged the boy to him with the other. Brant wrapped his arms around Dad's waist and began to howl and bawl. Not snibbling, or snffling. Not a few tears...howling, sobbing tears. Anguish. Relief. Rescue. Dad turned and picked the boy up in his arms, cradling him like a tiny child. He was tiny; just a small boy. He was half the size of me and Jason. Who ever had hurt him had hurt a little boy. Dad was in full-on Daddy mode and was taking him without question to safety. Brant continued to cry uncontrollably. Jason and I trailed, clutching each other's arms and terrified ourselves for what had happened... ...and just where the hell is Lenny! Comments welcome! andyoutwest@live.com