Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 16:50:19 -0500 From: Andy West Subject: Asleep on the Beach - Chapter 36 Chapter 36 -- Happy Campers Disclaimer: Under-aged sexual relationships are recorded beyond this point. If this is not legal in your corner of the world, perhaps you should not continue. If these things are offensive to you, how have you made it this far into my little tale. Please, if you have made it this far, I'd hope you continue the journey with us. I hoped this would end the story...but there remain two more installments, perhaps three. Writer's Notes: As always, remember you'll receive a prompt courteous reply when you write to me at: andyoutwest@live.com or perhaps you would like to visit my story page at: http://weststories.altervista.org (and even if you do visit there...please let me know how you feel about the chapter!). Chapter 36 -- Happy Campers We finally got away from home! Man...you'd think we were going to Lower Africa or something. Everyone was making a huge fuss. Especially the women. Gaaaaa! Well, the Dad's can be a pain too. I know that everyone's just concerned for us boys, considering all the stuff we've been through. But, please...it's only a camping trip! We're gonna be ok. First, there are no bears in this part of South Central Texas (yes, there are bears in Texas...just not around here...). Second, we're not babies. Sure, some bad things have happened, but we have to live. We cannot just become shut-ins to our own bedrooms never to interact with the outside world again. That would be wrong, and sick. Simply not an option. Third thing is, DAD WILL BE RIGHT THERE!!!! Grrrr...what could possibly happen with Dad, Big Jim, Leslie, and Jason's Dad all there? I mean, seriously...Jason's Dad has a gun. Okay. I'll calm down now. Sorry. I hate you had to witness my little tantrum here...but I think you get my frustrations. ANOTHER big deal is...Dad promised we'd discover a huge surprise later today after we get to camp. OMG!!!!!!!!!!! He can't do that to ME! It's against the rules. No secrets form favorite sons. Okay. I just made the rule up. But, DANGAMIGHTY! I hate that. Just freaking TELL ME ALREADY!!! Ok...he ain't gonna. Shit. Well, as I was saying...here we go. We had to take two vehicles. Dad is driving all us boys in his van, and Lenny's Dad is driving his Jeep with Jason's Dad. They even went and rented a little mini-trailer to haul the fire-wood and some gear in. After Dad and I went camping last time, we insisted that we bring a small cart to haul the firewood from the vehicle to the camp site. Damn. That shit gets way heavy after like only a dozen yards or something. The farm where we are going has woods...but Dad says we need to take our own and not be "molesting" the place for firewood. *Sigh* Makes you want to camp without a fire! But...what's the point if there is no camp-fire? That is two-thirds the fun if the trip! Well...I have a sneaking feeling this trip might prove to be fun without a campfire. I got a feeling we may be making plenty of heat inside our tents to keep everyone warm enough! Lol. All the planning and dreaming of this trip has paid off. Because now it finally is true! The last of the bags, guns, ammo, firewood, food, snacks, sleeping bags, tents, and all the rest of the camping gear stowed carefully (far too many adults on this trip...way too organized here), and all that was left was loading the human cargo. Us! Seems Big Jim and his nephew (Roger) would be joining us at the campsite later in the day. I told Dad he'd have to ride Coach and Shotgun all at the same time this time...cause me and Jason, Lenny, and Brant were all riding in the back so we could sleep on the way. Well...sleeping ain't really what we wanted to do...but what we wanted to do required no adult supervision! Mhmm...you catch my drift. Dad was way cool about it though...He winked at me and tussled my hair like he did when I was a little kid, and said, "you boys just don't rock the van so much we turn it over while I'm driving!" I blushed and Lenny cackled as if Dad was Bill Cosby or something. Anyway...I have a feeling all the parental units know more about what is happening between us boys than WE care to say or let them know first-hand. Since they aren't stopping us, I guess they either figure it is inevitable...or they condone it...or they just want to let us sort all this shit out under their watchful eye (ya...I know I surprise you with my little adult-like insight there...but trust me, enough has happened to me in this short 14 year life-span that I am seeing things a bit differently these days). All I could do was punch Dad lightly on the shoulder and beam up at him with all the mock horror and teenage irritableness I could muster, "Ewww Dad! There are P E O P L E listening!!!" Lenny's continued hysteria and rolling on the seat inside the van was enough to make us all crack up with laughter. It was fun to laugh again. Dad pushed me away playfully and swatted at my butt as I jumped in the back, pulling pretty Jason with me. I piled in and scooched over as Jason crashed in on top of me, pinning me to the seat. We wrestled and giggled like school boys for a couple of minutes. Jason tickled me...I can't help it...I am a freak about getting tickled...he wins every damn time! Dad pushed Jason's big number-ten feet inside the door and pushed it shut, laughing at us as we wrestled, groped and struggled to gain supremacy. Jason trapped my arms underneath him as he squished down on me with all his weight! Our faces were only inches apart...staring up into his eyes I could see he was really wanting a kiss! I wanted one tooooo! Only...I had a better plan...one that would give me the better hand (hehe). I turned my hand over and grabbed a hold of something very hard! And boy was I happy to know everything was right where I left them! All nice and cozy and warm...all hard and poky. I love it when I remember where I leave my pretties! : D Oh...ya...I won that match! Jason -- 10,000 Vs. Liam -- 1. Oh yea! I'm on a come-back! Lenny and Brad, already inside, had claimed the far back seat where they couldn't stop the giggling at our antics. Once I got the better of Jason (ya, right), I sat up and glanced over at the boys in the back seat. Brant had Len's arm all wrapped up like a security blanket, an Lenny was all snuggled up to Brant with an arm between his legs and his hand gently stroking the inside of Brant's thigh. It really wasn't sexual touching...it was a kind of...fatherly sort of thing. Brant had grown so attached to Lenny, they were virtually totally inseparable anymore. Lenny even went with Brant to the bathroom at their house. Brant literally did not ever want to be alone. Some says we felt Brant was making great progress, but other days he seemed a shell of the boy we knew before. Lenny never complained. He just developed a sort of sense of knowing when Brant needed something, and they rarely said a word between them about such things...like, "Lenny I need to go the bathroom now." Or, "Lenny, I'm hungry, let's go get something to eat." No, Lenny just knew when it was time to take Brant to the bathroom. I'm not sure how the whole telepathy thing works...but those two have it going on. I smiled at them, the normal ten zillion thoughts racing four-abreast through my mind. For an instant we three made eye contact. My two little guys were so in love, and so complete together. The look said love. That was between us all now. There was enough sex and testosterone between the four of us to fill a book...but that isn't love. Putting your life on the line for your friends...that is love. And a friend knows it. He never forgets your sacrifice, your willingness to sacrifice...for love. I recall the verses in my Sunday School going from Scripture about love, "Greater love hath no man than this..." I think sometimes we hear that stuff and it begins to sound like so much...Sunday School talk. Only...only now I know there is a depth of reality to that saying. Makes me wonder how much more of the Bible is true. *sigh* Grrr...my mind wanders too much! The smile...it was a comforting smile from Len and Brant. I suppose we continued looking at one another long enough for Jason to notice, as I felt him take my hand and rub my thin hairs on my forearm. His forehead pressed against mine and by the shifting of their eyes, I knew Lenny and Brant were changing focus between the two of us. Unspoken brotherhood. Dad spoiled it. "Are you guy's having a séance back there, or what?" he laughed at his own lameness as he adjusted his rear-view. Having broken the magic (did I just say that?) of the moment, I glared back at Dad's reflection in the mirror -- which stifled his laughing and elicited a shrug of his shoulders as if to ask, "what did I do." To which, I rolled my eyes...making him laugh at me again. As he chuckled to himself he put the van in gear and our camping trip became official! YAY!!! We had all talked about going out on the beach and camping out there...sort of a defiant trip back to face down demons. Jason and I were at a point where I believe we could have done that...it would have been creepy as heck...but we could have pulled it off: Lenny and Brant weren't there yet. Just a mere mention of the beach and Brant began to withdraw within himself. We could all see it. None of us are brain-surgeons (or even fry cooks for that matter), but even we could see that Brant was not going to be able to do that. Even Lenny teared up at the prospect. That plan quickly scuttled, we decided that just being out in the woods and away from school, people, and "stuff" was really all we wanted. Jason's Dad knew an Army buddy with a humongous deer lease back towards Austin that we could use. The guy was deployed and wasn't going to be able to use the lease, so he let us use it all season. All the men decided that was the perfect place for our little retreat...soon it was a blur about just who's idea it was to do this in the first place! Adults! Between the four men, there was an entire arsenal: 12 gage shotguns, both pump and automatics; a couple of 30.06 riffles, there was a Weatherby 25.06 that Leslie used...they all argued ammo and trajectories and foot pounds of energy the whole trip and at restaurants and stuff so that we boys felt they were speaking a foreign language. Let's see...Jim brought a .220 Swift target riffle that was actually pretty awesome. I had never seen a "bull barrel" which is this super thick walled riffle made especially for target practice. So, I dunno, I guess there was like 20 guns of some flavor or denomination all backed into the vehicles...and who could count all the knives! Here is a tiny tip for you...you prolly don't want to sneak up on a deer camp in the middle of the woods in the middle of Texas! Prolly not a good idea in any state now that I think of it. A day or so before we left, Jason and I were sitting on Dad's bed watching him clean his Remington 1100 12 gauge shotgun. The sharp odor of the gun cleaning oil was heavy in the air. Jason and I had grown up around guns. We've talked about that before. Neither of us were wusses about guns or hunting. By the time we were nine years old we'd been drug out to deer camps and so forth. Jason is a better shot than I am; I don't really take shooting very serious, but Jason takes EVERY thing serious. But, sitting there on the bed that evening I began to get this sinking feeling inside myself. The prospect of being around the guns and smelling the gunpowder was taking its affect upon me I suppose. I'm really not afraid of guns, but the smell of the gunpowder evoked a certain emotional jolt within me. Jason noticed first (naturally). "You okay?" he queried as he nudged my knee with his own. Looking down and hunched a bit in a classical inquisitive manner, his big beautiful eyes exploring my own. I shook my head in some sort of non-committal way. Dad laid the shotgun down on the spread out newspapers across the bed and moved between me and Jason. He reached out for me and I allowed myself to be drawn into his arms. How do Daddy's know when you need a guy hug? I did...needed a hug that is. Immediately I felt better, safer. Faintly, I heard myself sigh as a tiny bit of tremor shuttered my body. Daddy hugged me tighter and rocked me gently. No tears...I refused to allow them. My head was upon Dad's chest. His smell was there...a hint of the gun cleaning oil smell, but Daddy's smell was definitely there. Dad shifted and spread his arm out to invite Jason into his hug. Jason scooted over and melted into his left side and reached across Dad's middle to take my arm. In essence we were hugging him back from both sides. Dad sat there and held us a long while. No words spoken, just a gentle rocking motion and a strong, steady hug from Dad. He kissed us both on the tops of our heads and rested his chin on mine. "You boys won't have to worry about the guns," he said finally, softly. "We won't ask you to hunt with us. You boys will have your own things to do and the four of us men will leave you to that." "Thanks, Dad," I heard myself whisper. I hugged him a bit tighter. "Liam, Jason, we don't want either of you to develop a fear of guns or hunting because of this trauma. What happened to you was a crime. But, if that man was intent on hurting you he would have used another weapon had he not had a gun. Weapons can be used for good...like hunting, defense, or military...or they can be used for violence and wrong-doing. It is the man using the weapon that makes all the difference." Jason and I knew all this. It felt somehow comforting to hear it from Dad...again. "Men have been hurting others since the beginning," he paused for effect. "In the Bible, Cain killed his brother out of jealousy. The legacy of violence is as old as we are a people. Here is something I want both of you boys to hold on to when these sort of anxieties cloud your mind." Dad shifted us out of our hug so we could turn to see his face as he explained. "A gun was used to hurt both of you, Lenny and Brant were struck by it, you were shot with it, and Jason was nearly killed by a blow from it...and poor Ray... But, it wasn't the gun that was the problem. It was a tool in an evil man's grasp. It could have been a knife, or a bludgeon or cudgel of some sort." He looked at us for some recognition of what he was saying. We both nodded silently. "But, Jason's father used a gun to save all of you." He let that soak in a long time before he spoke again. "Both of you will need to sort out your own feelings about gun laws, the rightness or wrongness of gun control and all that mumbo-jumbo. What I want to make sure of now is that you grasp the difference between good and evil -- and the difference is not a gun. The difference is seated within the confines of a man's body. The decisions he makes, the actions he takes on those decisions. Take away all the guns, and you don't stop evil. You may slow it down, save some lives...or...you might just put everyone at peril and jeopardy of evil men. "There are no easy answers to these questions boys. Good men have argued both sides of the issue for centuries. What is important for us, here, now...is this... We're safe, and we are going to protect one another. We seek no one harm; but we will not tolerate anyone hurting our families." The point of all that is none of us boys are going to be hunting this week, but there will be plenty of guns around. Dad and the guys are going to be going out hunting before dawn and before sunset every day. They will rotate around and one of them will stay back at camp with us boys. Then, during the middle morning and afternoon when the sun is out and the hunting is done, us boys are free to go scampering around and exploring the woods. That's cool by us. We'd rather be warm in our tents than out freezing our skinny asses in the trees at daybreak! What self-respecting boy wants to be up at 5:00 a.m. without just cause? That's what I thought. 00~~0~~00~~0~~00 As we drove, Jason and I continued to snuggle, his erection very obvious to me - pressing against me nearly continually. The feather soft caresses he gave me so soothed me that I was having trouble not drifting off to sleep! A few times, he had to adjust himself, the restrictions of his clothing and positioning of my body pressed against him causing him to be uncomfortable. I think this was the longest time I ever knew him to be hard like this. We shared tiny kisses, smiled and dreamily looked into one another's eyes. Gosh, I love this boy so much. One of the times Jason needed adjustments, I rose slightly to peer over at the boys...boy did I get an eye full! Lenny had managed some way or other to shift so that both boys were lying prone and in full embrace. The blanket covering them discarded, and slumped to the floor. They were facing one another, kissing...and my, how lovely that was to watch...these two cherubs embraced so tenderly. And, for the first time I am aware...after the THING...I noticed each of the boys had a hand inside the other's sweat-pants...they were each rhythmically manipulating the other and from their body language I could tell they had been at this a while...their pending peek was obvious. Jason peeked over the edge of the seat at them and we both smiled at the sight. He pecked me on the lips with a wet kiss and pulled me away from watching them, allowing them privacy as they ended this months-long celibate break...I think the boys are going to be able to work through their stresses nicely! As Jason and I snuggled back down and kissed, we heard their sighs of satisfaction. What a warm feeling it is to know that love is surrounding us. About half way into the six-hour trip we stopped at a big truck-stop so we could make a bathroom run, and stretch our legs. We boys were already stir-crazy and anxious to explore the truck stop. This was a huge one and they had everything from CB radios to dvd-blueray players for the trucks, to pillowcases for trucker's beds. Jeez...this was better than Wal-mart! After rummaging around for a few minutes, I spied the bathrooms and drug Jason by the arm toward them. Without looking, I knew Lenny and Brant were in-tow behind us. Turning the corner to the bathroom we discovered it was like a maze...seems truck stops come equipped with showers and a laundry room, a game room filled with old-geezer console video games, and a huge massive restroom complex. Surprisingly, the place was clean. All tiled floors, marble counters, and didn't smell like stale piss you normally smell at gas-stations. I guess truckers can be normal people after all? *Sorry* Not trying to stereotype anyone...but you know as well as me the average truck-stop smells like piss. Glancing this way and that, I realized there was plenty of room for boys to hide in a place like this. Choosing my spot, I whipped around and shoved Jason into one of the shower stalls and pressed him up against the wall. I was no longer able to squash this need for his deep kisses. He was stronger than me, so he could easily have resisted me...but I think he was humorously curious as to what I was about to do. The smirk on his face was of humor and curiosity...He is so damned hot! Pressing against him in a full-body contact, I stepped up on my tiptoes and kissed his upturned lips. Softly at first, then I licked them...his smile broadened, I went back in for a much better kiss this time and parted his lips with my tongue. I felt his clean teeth as my tongue worked past them in search of his tongue. Ahh...I found it...soooooo incredible! I felt his business growing as our groins pressed together. Jason's hands had moved down to cup my butt and he pulled me closer and tighter to him. This was so erotic and so risky...kissing in a "public" place like this. The stall made our moans reverberate around the surprisingly large and roomy shower. The door opened and two sets of goober-eyes peered `round the door. Damn...I forgot to lock the door (again)! Oh Shit! ... Oh, Whew. It was only Len and Brant. They "oohh'd and ahhh'd" at the sight of our embrace and jumped into the stall with us. As if reading my mind, Len pivoted with the door, locking it before turning on Brant, pressing him against the wall beside Jason where they quickly mimicked our passionate embracing. Jason and I, while still pressed firmly against one another watched the two little guys kissing fervently...we smiled and pulled one another tight again. I don't know about you...but watching little guys like that kiss is soooo...well...you know what I mean. Soon the room was full of whimpers, smacking, sucking noises and of course moaning. Love is contagious it seems. I desperately wanted Jason...no...I needed him. My hand reached for his belt and began to undo it. He pulled back and looked with only his eyes over at the two little guys. Raising his eyebrows in a question, I knew what he was asking...would it be okay for us to be so...forward with the little guys standing beside us. I figured we would have to find out sooner or later...and I just couldn't wait any longer. I tried to answer back with my own raised eyebrows...as I slowly slipped my hand into his loosened jeans. Jason's skin was so warm, so smooth...I felt his pubic hair...ohhhh man. Taking his hardness into my grasp I began to stroke him, my hand deep inside his warm undies. Our kisses and moanings intensified. In far less time than I hoped, Jason erupted in my hand. I felt his body quiver as the sensations rolled through is body. Oh god. Our movements stopped, our lips maintained contact...I don't know if you can actually call that a kiss...we were touching ...but not kissing. Does that make sense? Still I was pressed against him, his back to the wall, my hand still in his pants. As he regained his composure, I pulled my face from his and my hand from his trousers and encircled him in a full body hug. Now my face was buried in the hollow of his neck and Jason was caressing my back. Glancing over at Lenny and Brant, I could see Lenny was a very quick study...as he saw what I was up to he immediately pulled away from Brant's kiss and snaked his hand into Brant's pants. Lenny looked up to Brant's face for consent. Brant ran his hands through Lenny's luxuriously soft blonde hair and whispered, "Please?!" with a desperation in his young voice, and pleading eyes. As I said...except for just a while ago in the van, I don't believe the two had yet had any form of sex since...since then. I know they slept together...but from what we've talked about, there was no sex. They simply needed time to heal. It looked all the world to me that the healing time had worked and now was time for intimacy. That incredibly sexy smile flashed across Len's face...he is so seductive. Quick as a mongoose Lenny had Brant's pants pulled out far enough so that he was fully grasping Brant's very personal parts! I could see Lenny's arousal too. Brant had also reached into Len's pants...a spot on the front of Len's warm-up suit indicated to me just how aroused Lenny actually was! NOTE TO SELF: I gotta check this out! Does Lenny shoot sperms now? WOW. That is a huge change. I wonder if there are any hairs growing down there? If so...they gotta be blonde like his hair on his head. Oh man. I def have to check this out later... Jason pulled me up and kissed me. "Thank you Liam," he whispered on my lips. "Now it's your turn," he managed to whisper between pecks. "No time," I whimpered. "This won't take long," he assured. I thought he meant he was going to spin me back to the wall and he'd reach down my pants as I had done him. But not Jason, he had something else in mind. He usually does. He turned in my arms and began pulling his trousers down, the other hand was grasping my erection through my clothes. Over his shoulder he looked at me and whispered, "I want you inside me. Please, Liam." I guess he saw the look of confusion on my face, because he reached a hand back to grasp my boy-business and pull me toward his back side. At that precise moment... Some dude tried the door and we heard him grumble because it was locked. "What the hell?" we heard the man say. "This is stall #22! They just announced it was free for me across the intercom." The man banged on the door. "Hey! How long you gonna be in there? I need to get my shower. I have miles to get under me before morning." Panic and hilarity swept the four of us in the shower at once! Jerking our clothes into appropriateness, and making sure we were partially presentable, we decided to bolt for the door. I still had a massive boner, as did Brant! Jason's and Lenny's business had already been attended! What I forgot was that I had Jason's sperms still all over my hand! This would prove to be even more awkward in moments. The total surprise on the man's face to see four boys pile out of the shower fully clothed and NOT wet! Ha! I don't know if he thought we had been vandalizing the place, or if he thought we'd actually been doing STUFF. Either way, four adolescent boys bolting and running certainly was NOT what he expected! We raced through the rest area there and dashed out to find our parents, giggling and laughing all the way. Plenty of people made eyes at us as we rushed past. No doubt we were a spectacle. Damn...way too close there! What a blast! 00~~0~~00~~0~~00 We four trooped into the restaurant with sheepish grins on our faces. Dad and the others had a table and they indicated we should take the one beside them. The adults shot us furtive glances...not sure if they thought we'd been messing about in the truck-stop gift shop, or what...but it was obvious they had expected us to catch up with them sooner. Luckily, no questions were asked of us, as the continued discussions of how versatile the ammo selection is for a 30.06 vs. the 25.06 dominated the interest of the men. Seems the foot-ponds of energy delivered by a swifter, lighter bullet with a flatter trajectory is favored by some; and the fail-safe dependability of dropping an atom bomb-like 280 grain bullet from the cannon that is the 30.06 is preferred by others...go figure. Thankfully, bacon is a sure odor cover-up for boy semen at the breakfast table! Ha! 00~~0~~00~~0~~00 Back on the road, with our bellies full, and our loins satisfied, we all four snuggled in for a nap. Before I settled down with Jason I saw to it that the boys were comfy. Lenny was holding Brant. They were small enough though that Lenny was against the back of the bench seat lying prone, his head upon a pillow. Brant spooned up to him, using Lenny's arm as a pillow; both sharing the same blanket. The seatbelts were somewhat around them...prolly not safely...but they were there. I saw Lenny nuzzling his nose to a comfortable place in Brant's long dark curls. It occurred to me that Brant looked like a younger me. That brought a fond smile to my face. I wonder if that was why Lenny took to him so quickly? I was so glad they found each other. How could I have handled things otherwise? I mean...Jason, or Lenny. Who could choose? This made it where no one had to choose. We simply paired off and were together. We all needed one another. We had each other. Together we were going to make it. We would survive. Jason lay against the outside window of the middle seat, blocked up with a comfy pillow, his legs splay out to the middle of the seat. I lay in his lap and across his lower abdomen, using his sternum for a nice warm place to settle. Jason wrapped his arms around me under the blanket we'd pulled over us. I cannot remember being happier. Dad drove in silence letting us rest. At some point he turned on the radio to some Country and Western station, but he kept the volume low. The music wasn't bad. As much as we all loved to tease him about his music, I actually enjoyed some of it. Country music has a certain intangible quality to it. Still, as I was beginning to drift off to sleep, I wanted to hear something more, or different. "Dad," I asked softly with a sleepy voice, "will you turn the radio to number 3 on the selection thingy?" Dad looked into the review mirror at me, locking eyes and smiled. His hand already reaching for the radio. It occurred to me Dad could actually see me and Jason kissing from the rearview. I blushed at the thought. Dad must have understood, because I saw a quirky little grin on his lips, but he had the good graces to not say anything. The radio station changed, and a great song came on the station... "Use Somebody" by Laura Jansen... the soft piano of the tune was comforting. This is exactly how I feel about Jason. I need him so much. "I've been roaming around Always looking down at all I see Painted faces, fill the places I can't reach You know that I can use somebody You know that I can use somebody Someone like you, And all you know, And how you speak Countless lovers under cover of the street You know that I can use somebody You know that I can use somebody Someone like you woohoow woohoow Someone like you woohoow woohoow" Jason shifted, hugging me closer. I turned my face to bury it in the hollow of his shoulder, and wept softly into his cotton tee-shirt. My tears dampening his shirt, his arms pulling me, hands comforting. I know he felt this way too. I could feel his body telling me he needed someone like me... The song continued... I dunno if it was the lyrics, the simple beats, or what...perhaps a combination. All I know is the music and rhythmic motion of the van set a perfect sleepy spell upon us...Jason's gentle ministrations... and we were deep in dreamland in no time. I recall wondering what surprise Dad had in store for us...I'm certain the smile on my face couldn't have been wiped off... 00~~0~~00~~0~~00 When Dad pulled off the main highway and onto the dirt path leading to the locked gate of the deer lease we all woke up. Stretching and yawning, we sat up and began stirring. The smell of the woods was wonderful, and we began to be excited. The Jeep was in the lead and Jason's Dad had already hopped out and opened the gate for us to ease past. After pulling through we stopped allowing the gate to be closed and locked. Soon enough we were winding slowly to the backside of the 1280-acre farm. This was a long time held property of settlers when Texas first became a part of the Union. Tracks of land were given to men who would come settle in the new territory between 1837 and 1840; 640 acres each. The landowner had claimed a track as well as his grown son. Over the years the property had become combined on a single deed. We heard the entire story as we sat around the campfire that week. There were two old home fronts on the property and several old barns; but they were not included for use on our hunting lease. We could hunt and have free rein of the property, but had to leave the old houses and outbuildings alone. Not likely either of us boys would venture near a barn again for another lifetime. Fall was in full swing and much of the leaves had fallen from the trees. Still, the dense woods made the whole are seem very expansive and mysterious. Winding along the dirt path we watched out the windows as the scenery unfolded. A deep ravine wound through the property...a creek. It had some water in it. Deep, and odd twists and turns of the ravine captivated our attention. Knowing how long the farm had been in the hands of single family was intriguing and I found my mind wondering at how many boys had explored these very woods. Would they have ever dared to do so naked? Who could have been there to catch them? Well...one thought leads to another...so I imagined a randy boy might have found some solitude in one of these ravine hollows. Running around in the summertime with only cut-off jeans, or perhaps shirtless with over-hauls. His dirty-blond hair tussled by the summer air. I imagined his brown-as-a-berry skin contrasted by his denim trousers...sweat beads dotting his flesh. Mmmmm. And he might have jacked-off with total abandon...no worries, no interruptions...shorts bunched around his ankles as he stroked himself to bliss...the woods and rabbits all who could witness his pleasuring. His sighs of pleasure drifting up to spying birds. Damn! I was giving myself a boner daydreaming about it! Eventually, we approached a clearing and Dad stopped. He didn't have to tell us we'd arrived, and to pile out! He no sooner had the van out of gear then we were clamoring out and shouting, hooraying and celebrating. Lenny grabbed me by the arm and said, "I gotta pee!" "Me too!" we all yelled in unison. He was holding himself in obvious "I gotta go now" pain and looking at me for help. Laughing, I told him to follow me. The other two followed; I suppose we all had the same problem! Just inside a line of trees we found a good, well hidden place and lined up in a row shoulder to shoulder and watered the red dirt with our full bladders. I noticed the four of us shared sideways glances and grins as we finished our business. Four boys, four dick sizes! Haha! Lenny by far had the best pressure and distance of us all, splatting leaves considerably further away than the rest. A Kodak moment for sure! The first order of business was to establish a campsite, erect the tents, set up a fire-ring for our camp fire and cooking area. Later, there would have to be a small pit dug for us to do our potty business in. Jason's dad taught us that that sort of stuff had to be buried when we went to the woods. In the army it is called a Latrine. But in the Marine Corps out in the field it is called a Cat Hole. I prefer that term -- Cat Hole. *Sigh* Only...I got nominated to dig the damn thing! Actually, we'll dig several before we leave. We brought some sulfur to spread out...Sulpher helps control the odor. Well...mostly, it does...not completely. Also, Jason's dad has constructed a sort of make-shift mini out-house thingy so we could actually have a place to sit and do our business without having to squat over a hole in the ground. It was actually pretty cool. Crapping out of doors is mildly erotic. Okay...that's weird...I'm just saying... The work was fun, but hard. I didn't recall it taking so long to drag all this stuff out of the garage and attic when we loaded up! But, there sure a lot of stuff here. Luckily there were only eight of us here...well...it will be ten when Jim and Roger show up. (Wonder what Dad's surprise is???) Two tents were put up fairly close to one another for the adults, facing the south. (Facing south to protect from the cold North wind). Next, we dug a good fire-pit so we could cook and have our fire. Of course, we had some propane cook tops, but we also had some grates and stuff used to make the campfire a good cook source. Actually, I think the open flames of a campfire make food taste better...no way to prove that I suppose...it's just how I see it. Lenny and Brant stacked all the firewood we'd brought with us. They seemed to enjoy the hard work, and were quite sweaty by the time they made the several trips. Jason and I talked the adults into letting us pitch the boys' tent several yards away. We told them we planned on listing to our music (very lowly...ya, right!), and talking way late in the nights. I think it was the prospect of having to listen to OUR music that sold them... As we worked on setting up the tent, Jason and I talked only very little. It was a large 8-man tent...but Jason and I had put it up numerous times both in my back yard, and on other campouts. Two nice sized sleep areas flanked a spacious central cabin. Zippered flaps allowed the sleep areas a small amount of privacy. Noises would still definitely be heard, but at least there was visual privacy. After we got the tent all set up, Jason and I began hauling in the sleeping gear, lanterns, snacks, even some bean-bags we'd brought so we'd have a place to sit and talk during the night if we didn't want to be in our sleeping bags. Satisfied we had things all set-up, we went to see what other things we could be of help. The afternoon was waning and we were all getting hungry. Jason took Brant off to go scout up fallen and dried limbs to add to the firewood collection. It takes a hella lot of wood to keep fires going. Dad just didn't want us cutting any trees, or hacking on live trees with a hatchet or anything (besides, wet or green wood isn't good for a campfire...too much smoke). But, we could gather all the dead wood we could find. After they went off, Dad asked me to get a fire going, so I asked Lenny to help me -- a task which he was all too happy to assist. As I said, we'd prepared a fire pit. Basically, we dug a small shallow hole about 3 feet in diameter. The dirt we moved out was used to build up a small berm all around, and then we placed nice sized rocks all around as a way to help retain the fire. Ok, when you start a campfire, there has to be air circulation underneath the flames, or you just cannot get it to burn properly. So, I taught Lenny how to stack the smaller sticks we'd gathered into a pyramid shape over some old news papers (to provide the combustibles we needed to get the wood to flame). Some larger pieces of wood were stacked similarly over the small stuff, and atop those even larger blocks of wood. This sounds like a lot of wood, but it really wasn't too big. Two matches later, we had the beginnings of a fire! Sweet! Dad was quick to praise Lenny and I, and of course Lenny was happy to have mastered a new skill. I was beginning to understand that there really is something special in helping younger guys learn stuff. Really, Lenny and I hadn't had a lot of chance to just hang out and be cool together. Lenny is a fast learner, and way perceptive too. He needed little encouragement, and easily could figure out what and why we were doing stuff. On most things I showed him during the camping trip it only took once, or just a few examples of what I meant before Lenny had it mastered. I was rewarded with lots of hugs, his gorgeous smile and bright face, and even a stolen kiss or two. He was always very appreciative of any effort to teach him something new, or even just spending a few moments of focusing on him individually. No...he didn't beg for attention, wasn't whining or bratty...but you could just tell he loved being needed or wanted. He loved being a part of SOMETHING. Here, with all of us...he was a part...no...I think it was more than that...here, Lenny isn't a part of something...He IS the SOMETHING between us all. I don't know if I am making sense. But, see...before Lenny came along, we were all just sort of floating along; occupying air and space. Sure, me and Jason were best of friends before Lenny...but even there, with that relationship...Lenny sort of brought us together. His love, his love of life, his love of being...well...it made us all stop to consider just what is important. I can't remember when or how that happened. But, sitting here beside him, watching the intensity of his eyes (yes, I know he's only got one, don't be stupid), I feel so...important. I feel like he is important...like WE are important. Did I ever know that before now? Before Lenny? I don't know. I know it now though. Leaning over I drew him up in my arms, hugging him fiercely. He looked up at me when I released him and just smiled. It was as if he'd read my mind, and accepted it simply. That's the kind of kid he is. God, I love this boy! In no time Dad had prepared us some hamburgers, and we all sat around the fire eating and telling nonsense stupid stories...mostly un-true stuff... like, Dad told us about the time he went camping with his grandpa and a mountain lion walked right through camp! Ha! Me and Jason heard this before and knew it to be total bull-shit (we'd actually asked MY grandpa who confirmed it was an old family yarn handed down for years and every generation told it as if THEY actually sat and watched the mountain lion carry off the camp dog!), but, Lenny and Brant scooted closer to Leslie when they heard it. We all laughed, but nobody tried to spoil the fun. Afterwards, there was a couple of hours left before it would begin to get dark. The temperature wasn't too bad, but after dark it would get cold. We boys wanted to go check out some of those ravines and creek we'd scoped out on the trip in, and the adults wanted to go scout out proper hunting locations for the next morning's hunt. After the predictable rants to stay out of the water (good grief...you'd think we were little kids or something), we grabbed a few things from our gear and hurried away before other chores were found needing our attention. Jason naturally took the lead, the rest of us trooped in single file behind. It was cool enough all of us had jackets on, and that was a shame..I really enjoyed being around a bunch of half naked boys... Sorry...I'll keep going here... Jason and I had our large camping knives. Sort of on the Bowie knife style...Mine was a beauty...Buck: black handle, very hardened steel blade about 3.5" long, and the coolest black leather scabbard. I loved carrying it, but could only do so out in the woods like this. Jason's was a custom jobber his Dad gave him a couple of years ago. Lenny and Brant both got new knives just for the trip! Coolio! Both boys were excited...they were identical to mine! (I helped pick them out afterall!). Before we'd gone far, Jason suggested we each pick out walking sticks -- incase we found a snake or a wild dog or something. Actually, there are Javelinas in these woods! : / You DEFINITELY don't want to meet up with a wild boar-hog out in the brush! Nope. Anyways, we all helped scout around until we all found a good stick sized right for each of us. Back at camp we'd skin the bark off of them and let then dry, that would make them last loads longer. Actually, we ended taking them home as souvenirs of our trip! Who knows when you might get attacked by a herd of wild pigs back home?! We talked about stupid stuff, the boys giggled at everything...it was fun! No agenda, no purpose, no real destination...just boys out in the woods seeing stuff. We stopped along the way to check out animal tracks. It's pretty easy out in the wild like that to imagine yourself a world-class tracker or survivalist. The further away from camp we got...the more we settled into the roles. Deer and raccoon tracks are easiest to recognize...well...except for cows and horses. We saw dog tracks. Jason and I speculated they could be wild dogs, coyotes, or even wolves. But when we realized we were scaring the little guys we made as if they were just coyotes. Every Texas boy knows coyotes are cowards...or at least we hope we know they are cowards...I mean...I hope they really ARE cowards...anyways... Actually, it was pretty cool. Jason spotted a good place to negotiate our way down the ravine to the creek floor. He trekked down first, then I let Lenny and Brant follow him, winding sideways a bit and finding crevices and roots to hold on for leverage...I brought up the rear-guard. (Someone has to do it! Indians or pigs might get us afterall...). Here the water was moving very slowly, and just a narrow stream of it in the center of the bottom area. Even little Brant had no problems jumping across it. Obviously, though, during flash-floods, this whole deep ravine would be full and sometimes overflowing with raging flood waters. That's how it is out here in Texas. The area we were in was probably 25 feet deep from the flat surface area at the edge of the ravine. Down inside the ravine was spooky at first...but we braved forward...imaging ourselves as early explores or something. We found some fossils once we go to the main ravine where the creek was. The fossils were mostly too big to take back with us, but Lenny and Brant found a couple of pocket sized ones to keep. We looked and looked for arrowheads, but sadly found none. I decided to ask Jason's Dad if he knew where would be the best places to look tomorrow for arrowheads. I just have a feeling he might know stuff like that. The four of us were digging around and turning over stones. Old rusty metal had washed down the ravine over the years, causing lots of ideas between us as to what or how it got there, where it came from. Each of us imagined all sorts of old ancient farm days or Indian raids. It was all fun. Lenny and Brant were holding hands a lot. I realized this may be the first time they were out in the open and could actually do stuff like that. Watching them from the corner of my eye, I wondered if we'd all get to do stuff out here. I mean...this might be the opportunity of a lifetime! Hmmmm...the thoughts and possibilities were giving me a boner. "Come on guys," Jason's command voice sounded very authoritarian in the confines of the ravine. "It'll be dark soon and we need to head back to camp." The rest of us looked up from our fossil hunting and shrugged in agreement with his assessment. His leadership unchallenged, we trooped in behind him, making our way back towards camp. Jason and I had been exploring in the woods for years, so we both were good at keeping landmarks and finding our way about in the woods. Finding camp was easy enough. "There you guys are!" Dad greeted us as we came into camp. A roaring fire was going and the contrasting brightness of the fire with deep woods we'd just stepped from made us realize just how dusky dark it was getting. None of us intended to be out this long. The trip back to camp was fun and we all talked about the possibilities that no one had taken those paths for way long years...maybe a hundred! The reality is, we got so busy having fun we didn't realize it was so late. "We saw it was getting dark so we started back," offered Jason. "I guess it was further back than we supposed..." I could tell by the tone in his voice he was concerned his Dad would be pissed. "Well, you all made it back before dark. That was what we instructed," replied Jim. We all felt the relief that nobody was getting yelled at. This was going to be a great weekend, indeed! 00~~0~~00~~0~~00 After we pigged out on the food the adults had cooked, we all sat around the fire on chairs brought up from the cars and a couple of old logs we'd found ad drug around. Ya...he old guys got the chairs! Leslie was strumming his guitar to old camp songs. The fire was warm, the smells so...so different; smoke from the fire, trees, grass, damp earth... Staring into the fire can be hypnotic...I found myself seeming to slip away from the comfy recline I was in upon Jason and seemingly being sucked into the depths of the flames. Jason's arms wrapped loosely around my middle I could barely feel. He was leaning against the log, sitting on the ground, and I sit between his legs on the ground and snuggled back up against him. His knees were drawn up, so I felt like I was all cozy...and it was perfect. My head leaned back against his shoulder...his fingers gently caressing me over my tee-shirt. It was intimate, but not overly so. I mean...none of the `Rents told us to knock it off. So, I was drifting into the fire...his warmth and comfort, the hypnotic lure of the fire, the tension of months of worry slowly melting away. Leslie was ever so softly singing an old Marty Robbins song, "El Paso City," and the gentle rhythm of the guitar, his rugged masculine voice singing in hushed tones (almost out of a reverence for the camp mood) only lulled me all the more into the trance. Dunno if it was a trance...it is the only word I know to describe it though. The day was so perfect...being with Jason, with Lenny...the hard work and easy no-agenda feel of being out in the woods. All of the smells, the images of the past 12 hours kept flashing in my mind; Coyote tracks, buried Indian arrowheads waiting to lurch up out of the riverbank, carrying heavy logs and water, setting up the tent, digging the cat-hole, the funny shitter Jason's dad built, Lenny and Brant holding hands and acting like not a damn thing in the worls was wrong with it... That's it. Isn't it. This trip...it is about that: us boys relaxing and just being kids again. Ya. I could feel my head nod in agreement with my mind (odd self-awareness experience there I'm telling you). A smile etched its way slowly across my face...I could feel the struggle of it for dominance. Jason sensed something...I felt him shift and snuggle in more closely. The trance was broken... "Hey Dad," I spoke across the fire. My words seemed somehow foreign to the night. He caught my glance with his and raised his eyebrows to let me know he was waiting for a real question. "Don't you owe us a surprise?" No expression change from him...only his glance shifted back to the hypnotic fire. Silence crept back over everything except the quick nimble fingers of Leslie upon the guitar... He sang softly... "El Paso City, by the Rio Grande The cowboy lived and rode away But love was strong he couldn't stay He rode back just to die in that El Paso sand... "El Paso City, by the Rio Grande I try not to let you cross my mind But still I find there's just a mystery In the song that I don't understand." "I'd say we'll see in...," Dad turned his wrist toward the fire to see his watch better, "...oh...20 minutes." I looked up at Dad, then turned my head to look at Jason...he smiled warmly, then I looked over at the boys...they were asleep. Lenny had scooched up beside Jason's right side...I mean RIGHT up beside him. He was also leaning against the log, sitting on the ground...but was also slouched over against Jason's arm and shoulder. Sitting in a similar position as Jason, Lenny was holding little Brant between his up-raised and spread knees. Brant was snoring ever so lightly. They had passé over. They would prolly wake later when we all got up and moving around getting ready for bed. But for now...they were done in. 00~~0~~00~~0~~00 I want to apologize for the long delays my dear friends. So many life experiences have come between me and my pen...I regret it has taken this long to get us back with our boys here. My vision was one last long chapter to close the story...one about 3 times longer than a normal posted chapter. But, as it has taken so long to get this far, I have been persuaded to go ahead and post this installment, and add the last of it soon. So...here ya go. I expect two more installments of this same length to remain...possibly three. Songs used in this chapter: Use Somebody, by Laura Jansen- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQyyKnYttP4&feature=related El Paso City, by Mary Robins- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz7vliYMgKo I anxiously await your responses. andyoutwest@live.com or http://weststories.altervista.org