Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 16:05:14 EDT From: Phaedrus57@aol.com Subject: Isle of Refuge, Part VII: Young Friends, tt/bb, consensual Caveat: This is a story of love and adventure among a group of teenaged boys. It contains scenes of sexual activities between boys. If this offends you, do not read the story. Please go to some other site. If the laws of your country or locality say that it is illegal for you to read this type of story (i.e. that you are too young to have erotic thoughts or sexual questions and your innocent little mind shouldn't entertain such possibilities as are portrayed in this story), you should obey the law. If you read this story nevertheless, don't get caught! Hide your downloads and delete your history. For obvious reasons, the characters in this story do not practice safe sex. Remember that they are fictional products of my fevered imagination, but the dangers of unprotected sex are real. In this respect, I hope that readers will not follow their example. Enjoy the story, which will go on for many chapters. I hope that it will appeal to your minds and hearts. It isn't primarily a sex story, although it has its erotic moments. Comments are welcome and strongly requested. Flames will be ignored. E-mail me at phaedrus57@aol.com. This story is dedicated to the memory of my beloved foster son David, who died of AIDS in 1992, a week before his twenty-ninth birthday. Author's Note (apologetic!): The New Yorker magazine used to run occasional column fillers entitled "Our Forgetful Authors". These consisted of blatant discrepancies in detail between two passages of the same work. I seem to have created a candidate for this designation in Part VI of this story. The paragraph that begins: "Joey, usually reticent, broke the silence" should begin "Angelo, usually reticent, broke the silence." This restores some logic to the narrative, since it is Angelo, not Joey, who has older brothers who abuse him and to whom the lack of a high school art program would be important. The further significance of these facts will be more apparent at the end of the current chapter and throughout the one which follows it. Isle of Refuge Chapter VIII: Common Life Richard awoke with the first rays of the rising sun. It took him a moment to remember where he was. He lay on his back, and the warmth of Kevin's body snuggled against his side was the sensation that brought him back to the present. Kevin's head was on Richard's shoulder, his curly red hair spread out along Richard's arm and chest. Kevin lay on his side with Richard's arm wrapped around him and his top leg over Richard's. His soft penis was pressed against his lover's leg. Richard could feel his soft, slow breaths against his side. Richard felt a profound tenderness as he looked at Kevin's slender body and long, graceful legs, still starkly white in the semidarkness despite his tan. Richard kissed Kevin lightly on the forehead and pulled him closer. He looked at Tommy and Miguel, spooned together a few inches away, with Tommy wrapped in Miguel's protecting arms. He could hear the sounds of sleep from the two hammocks. "Why do I feel so contented and happy?" Richard asked himself. "I'm stranded on a desert island, thousands of miles from home, with a bunch of kids I was always led to believe weren't as good as me. But I love them more than I've ever loved anyone else. I have the most beautiful, wonderful boy in the world in my arms, and I can't imagine life without him. I feel as if the real purpose of my life now is to protect them all from harm and make them happy. I may never get to go to Harvard or do any of the things I used to love, but none of that seems very important now." Richard had known a life full of activity and privilege. He was a talented musician. In his last year at school he had been appointed first chair oboist in one of Boston's several youth symphony orchestras. It hadn't been easy for him as a boarding school student to arrange time for rehearsals, but he loved the classical repertoire, which expressed his deepest feelings in ways that words never could. He also loved the responsibility of one of the crucial positions in the ensemble. He had been a varsity soccer and tennis player. Not an exceptionally talented athlete, he had worked hard to develop his skills, making the most of what ability he had. As a senior, he had been a prefect, responsible for the day-to-day discipline and well being of the younger boys in his House. Although he was relatively small for his age, he had earned the admiration of the boys in his charge by his accomplishments, his calm common sense, and his real concern for them. While he had not allowed himself to get too close to any of them, he had been the object of several of the younger boys' crushes. The substantial trust fund established for him by his paternal grandparents had allowed his parents to provide him with the best of everything while remaining distant and uninvolved in his life. They had no other children, and Richard often didn't even know where they were. They lived a sybaritic and restless life, always traveling in search of new pleasures. Richard did not admire them and did not want to be like them. Richard laughed quietly to himself as he tried to imagine his parents' reactions if they could see him now. Feeling rather than hearing the sound awoke Kevin. Richard saw his startlingly blue eyes open and blink. Seeing that Richard was already awake, Kevin pulled himself on top of his lover and kissed him on the lips. "Mornin', loverboy. Whatcha thinkin' about?" Kevin whispered. "You, and how lucky I am to be here with you," Richard answered. "Good thoughts, baby, but I'm the lucky one!" Kevin said, and began nibbling on Richard's ear and licking his neck and chest. As Richard stroked his back, Kevin proceeded to lick his way down his lover's belly to his penis and testicles. After washing each testicle with this tongue, Kevin took Richard's penis in his mouth and began to move up and down on it. Richard moaned softly. Tommy's eyes opened to the now familiar sounds of lovemaking just in front of him. He grinned as he briefly watched his big brothers enjoy themselves. Then he turned over to face Miguel, put his arms around his neck, and kissed his face. Miguel groaned and opened his eyes. "That was a nice way to wake up, li'l bro!" Miguel said sleepily. "Anything for my big bro! Anyhow, I got the idea from those dudes," Tommy said, giggling. For a boy just entering puberty, Tommy had learned a lot about sex and love in the past few days. He began to mimic Kevin's activities, licking his way down Miguel's smooth brown chest and belly and sucking on his testicles and penis. "Awww! Tommy, that feels so good! Ya don't hafta do that for me, ya know!" Miguel said. Miguel felt very protective toward Tommy, and was always afraid that he would take advantage of the younger boy. Tommy, however, was utterly devoted to Miguel, and wanted nothing more than to be close to him and give him pleasure. The incident on the hilltop yesterday had made their bond even stronger. Tommy also lacked the inhibitions and feelings of guilt that Miguel had absorbed from his Catholic upbringing. He withheld nothing in his quest to make Miguel happy and to show his love for him. Tommy took his mouth off Miguel's very hard penis for a moment. "I know I don't hafta, dummy! I wanna, 'cause ya just taste so good, and I love everything about ya!" Tommy said a bit impatiently, and returned to sucking. "Turn yourself around so I can take care of you, too!" Miguel said, and Tommy eagerly complied. He was still unable to produce semen, but his dry orgasms were, for him, spectacular, and he loved sharing himself completely with Miguel. Within a few minutes Tommy's small body was shuddering with passion and Miguel was shooting his load into Tommy's eager mouth. They lay wrapped in each other's arms, stroking and caressing each other as their breathing returned to normal. Miguel looked across at Richard and Kevin and saw that they were similarly recovering. He could hear moans and giggles coming from the hammock in which Terry, Angelo, and Joey had slept. Mike and Francois' hammock seemed to be shaking and writhing of its own accord. Soon the campsite was quiet again except for the sounds of heavy post-orgasmic breathing and lovers' whispers and kisses. "I love the smell of semen in the morning!" Richard said so that everyone could hear. Kevin was the only one who understood the allusion, but the others thought the remark was hilarious on its own. Soon everyone was up and about, bathing and taking care of morning toilet duties. Terry, Angelo, and Joey had decided that standing under the waterfall and scrubbing each other's bodies was the most pleasurable way to get clean. Richard, who had been worried by their tendency to be silly and careless in bathing, was relieved by this development. The thirteen-year-olds seemed to be more tolerant or less conscious of sweaty armpits and dirty anuses than the older boys were. Miguel made sure that Tommy was always clean all over. Now the three musketeers had found a way to turn daily bathing into a combination of competitive game and raucous sex play, the perfect formula for them. Richard felt that personal cleanliness was important not only for everyone's health, but for the group's sense of order and purpose. After everyone had eaten his fill of fruit for breakfast, Richard called the group together at the base of the big tree. "We have a lot to do today, guys. First we need to gather up the wreckage from the Venture that Mike and Francois spotted on the beach yesterday. Then we need to decide what kind of permanent shelter we need and start to build it. We need to find a more efficient way to catch fish so that we can have a better diet. And sometime soon we need to explore the north end of the island to see if it can provide us with other kinds of food. And we should put up the marker Mike made for Chris's grave and spend a little time remembering Chris." The boys organized themselves into teams to scavenge the beach and in an hour or so they had an imposing pile of timbers, planks, metal fittings, and even parts of masts and spars. As they began to haul the salvage up to the campsite, Mike noticed the dinghy that they had brought ashore the day after the shipwreck. "We have plenty of spars now. If we cut them down and find a way to fit them, we can make the dinghy into a sailboat." "Good idea, Mike! Let's think about doing that after we have a shelter built," Richard said. "Meanwhile, try to figure out how to do it." Mike proposed that they use the trunk and lower branches of the big tree at the center of the campsite to build a treehouse that would serve as a shelter. Angelo's drawing skills were put to use as he translated Mike's ideas into diagrams that the other boys could see and discuss. They would need to cut and split a few nearby trees to serve as supports, while the salvage from the Venture provided material for floors and walls. By late afternoon everyone was hot, sweaty, and hungry, but most of the building materials had been gathered and organized. Kevin and the thirteen-year-olds went down to the beach to catch some fish while Richard, Miguel, and Tommy prepared a fire. Mike, as foreman of the building project, had worked harder than anyone else had. He was physically exhausted, but he had never felt better about himself. He lay down at the base of the tree to rest, leaning against Francois' chest and shoulder. Francois wrapped his arms around him and said, "You were amazing today, Mike!" "I was just doing my share, but thanks. I love hearing you say that, Fran," Mike replied. "No one else could have made this happen, Mike," Francois said, kissing the top of his lover's head affectionately. Mike and Francois seemed to have lost all self-consciousness about showing their affection for each other. Overhearing their conversation, Richard said, "Francois is right, Mike. You were really the man today." Mike grinned contentedly and closed his eyes as Francois massaged his arms and shoulders. "I'm so happy. I could just stay like this forever," Mike thought as he dozed off. Half an hour later the fire had been lit and burned down to glowing hot coals. The fishermen returned carrying several large yellow tuna, already cleaned. Kevin said, "We saw some dark clouds moving this way. We're going to get some rain tonight." The boys cooked the tuna and ate them greedily. They all went to bathe in the pool and discussed how to prepare for the coming bad weather, their first since the night of the shipwreck. As darkness fell, they could feel the wind rising and hear the surf pounding on the reef. They decided to use one of the sails salvaged from the Venture to construct a temporary shelter. As the first drops of rain fell, they made the largest sail fast to the trunk of the big tree. Mike, Richard, and Kevin did their best to secure the building materials that had been so carefully gathered and organized. They were dripping wet when they finally crawled into the makeshift tent to huddle together with the other boys. For the next two hours the wind howled and the driven rain beat loudly on the sailcloth. Several times ends of the sail blew loose and flapped, making sounds like rifle shots. No one really slept. All of the boys were frightened, especially the youngest ones. But Miguel held Tommy tightly and soothed him, while Joey and Angelo were both securely wrapped in Terry's strong tawny arms. Everyone could feel the warmth of other bodies next to his. The darkness and the noise of the storm were terrifying, but the boys together were able to face and overcome their fear. Eventually the wind died down and the rain slowed and then stopped. One by one, the boys drifted off to sleep. Mike said, "That's why we've got to get the treehouse built. Then the next storm will be just a rainy night." "You got that right, Mike. The treehouse has got be our highest priority until we get it built," Richard responded. The rising sun revealed some broken tree limbs and some eroded soil. The boys had not had a comfortable night, although Tommy felt especially warm and safe wedged between Miguel and Richard. Fortunately the building materials and other salvage from the Venture had not been scattered or damaged. When the boys looked for fruit for breakfast, they found a large amount blown onto the ground. They gathered enough to last the entire day, knowing that it would rot quickly if they left it lying where it landed. After the boys' morning ablutions, Richard reminded them that they had not yet erected the grave marker that Mike had made for Chris. He then led everyone across the pool to Chris's gravesite. Mike had mounted the hand-carved sign on a piece of tree limb sharpened into a stake. As the other boys stood quietly around the mound of earth beneath which Chris's body lay, Mike and Francois carefully pounded the stake into the ground. Angelo asked, "Richard, will you say another prayer for us?" "Yeah, Richard, say a prayer!" several other boys said. Richard hadn't been entirely prepared for this request and had to think for a moment. The boys all pulled themselves close together, each with his arms over the next boys' shoulders. They bowed their heads. Richard said, "God, whoever and wherever you are, thank you for keeping us safe through the storm last night and for feeding us and caring for us. Thank you for not letting Tommy be hurt when he fell into the cave, and for giving Miguel the courage to rescue him." Tommy and Miguel gave each other a special little squeeze. Richard continued, "Help us always to remember Chris. Bless this monument that Mike and Francois have made. May it stand forever on this island which you have made our home. Please continue to care for us. Sometimes we feel all alone, cast away on this vast ocean under this endless sky. Help us to know that you rule the ocean and the sky, and that we too are in your hands. If it is your will, send someone to rescue us. Whatever happens, help us love and care for each other. Give us understanding and compassion, and the courage and strength to stand by each other whatever the danger. These things we ask knowing that your are great while we are small, that you are all-powerful while we are weak, that you are all-wise while we are ignorant. Please go on loving us! Amen." The other boys all said "Amen!" They stood there holding each other for a few more minutes, and then walked quietly back to the campsite to begin the work of the day. They all felt happier and more secure. Every few days thereafter, someone would ask Richard to lead the boys in prayer. Richard didn't feel entirely adequate to this task. All that he knew about religion he had learned from going to chapel services at school. He had come to value these services and often went to them even when they weren't required. They helped him to find peace with himself and to think about the purpose of his life. They filled the vacuum left by his parents. As a ninth grader he had been required to take a course in which he read large parts of the Old and New Testaments. Richard had been especially impressed by the courage of the prophets of ancient Israel and the words of Jesus. He had been deeply moved by Jesus' teachings about unconditional, all-embracing love, and he had encountered a few people who strove to live by those teachings. In time, he had begun to aspire to live by them himself. He didn't feel qualified for the pastoral duties that the other boys seemed to expect of him. But he understood their need to feel connected to something greater then themselves and to believe that the universe was not indifferent to their fate. Prayer became part of their common life. In the days that followed, the treehouse rapidly took shape. Mike discovered that he liked being the foreman, teaching his woodworking skills to the other boys and making sure that every joint and fastening was strong and secure. His bitter experience with his father had taught him that harsh criticism and sarcasm were not good ways to motivate people. He always led by example, was patient when others were slow and awkward, and was generous with praise and support. Angelo continued to be the architect. His visual talents and skills helped keep the project on track. Gradually the boys grew into an efficient and harmonious team. They could all see the project's progress and take pride in it. They all had ideas to contribute, and hitherto unrecognized abilities to solve problems and learn new skills. After two weeks of hard, steady work, the treehouse was finished. The boys had built a platform about six feet wide all the way around the big tree. The circumference of the trunk eight feet above the ground was about twenty-five feet. The platform was firmly braced by timbers resting in notches lower on the tree trunk and on the ground. The boys had built a framework above the platform to hold a thatched roof of palm leaves. Outer walls reached halfway from the floor to the roof, with hinged shutters which could be closed in bad weather but were otherwise left open to admit the cooling breeze from the sea. There were two ladders leading up the tree trunk through openings in the floor. About half of the floor space was set aside for sleeping, and the boys had made three beds of dried palm leaves. In the remaining space, they had built a low table around which they could sit on the floor. On the tree trunk above the table they had mounted the piece of the Venture's transom that bore the name and home port of the vessel which had accidentally brought them to the island. There was enough room to store any of the items salvaged from the Venture that would be damaged by rain or eaten by small animals. On the very night that the treehouse was finished, another storm came. This time, there were no frantic preparations. As it began to rain, the boys climbed into the treehouse and closed the shutters. Francois was still not putting weight on his broken leg and his crutch didn't allow him to climb ladders. Therefore Mike had to pull him through one of the ladder openings, a process which somehow ended with the two boys in each other's arms. They kissed, and Mike said, "Welcome to our new home, lover!" Francois gave Mike a squeeze and said, "It's beautiful, Mike. I'd like to live here with you forever!" Tommy's head appeared through the opening. "Hey, lovebirds!" he chirped. "Move so we can get outta the rain." Instead the two bigger boys grabbed Tommy by the arms and pulled him up into the treehouse. Soon he was in Mike's lap receiving a kiss from Francois. "Welcome home, little man!" Mike said. Tommy grabbed Mike around the neck and said, "Mike, this is so kewl! I'm even glad it's rainin'! I feel so safe up here! Thanks for helpin' us build this! Isn't this the best house, Miguel?" Miguel had quickly followed Tommy up the ladder. "Yeah! It's really fresh!" Miguel said. "Excellent job, Mike!" A few minutes later all of the boys were sitting around the table. They could hear the wind blowing and the rain tapping on the roof, but they could feel neither. They had one candle, salvage from the Venture, lit in the middle of the tabletop. They felt safe and warm and close. Richard said, "I think we should take tomorrow off from work to celebrate our new home. We should call it "Mike's Day", because without him we couldn't have built it." There was general approbation. Mike had never felt so proud and happy or so loved and appreciated. When everyone had gone to bed and he and Francois had made love, Mike whispered, "Except for the first time we slept together, this has been the best day of my life." Francois kissed Mike and held him close. "You deserve it, baby. You're the best!" he whispered. Miguel, Tommy, Richard, and Kevin shared one bed as they had all along. Tommy especially liked this arrangement. It meant that there was always someone who loved him to give him backrubs or hold him if he had a bad dream. Tommy's nightmares and headaches had grown less frequent during his weeks on the island, but they still troubled him occasionally. Now he knew that if he woke up terrified in the middle of the night, somebody's arms would reach out to hold and cuddle him until the demons went away and he could sleep again. Thus discouraged, the demons afflicted him less and less. The three older boys met Tommy's needs for reassurance so tactfully and spontaneously that he never felt embarrassed. He had usually lived with strangers who expected him to act tough and callus and who ridiculed and belittled him if he woke up crying in the night. He had never felt so happy and secure as when he went to sleep every night surrounded by the warmth of his big brothers, who always remembered the importance to him of a goodnight hug and kiss. The thirteen-year-olds were even more playful than usual as they got into their new bed. They wrestled and teased each other until Richard said firmly, "Pipe down, dudes! Some of us want to sleep." By this time, their penises were all hard and they were well on their ways toward orgasms. Their sex play at night usually consisted of mutual exploration and masturbation and occasional sucking. Even Joey, who couldn't yet ejaculate, was a full and enthusiastic participant. Giggles, playful punches, tickling, and remarks funny only to the ears of thirteen-year-old boys always punctuated these activities. By this time, they knew all of each other's erogenous spots and the feel of each other's penises and scrotums. They enjoyed their bonds of pleasure and affection, although the endearments and professions of love that the other boys often exchanged felt a bit too soft and sentimental. Kissing was too mushy for them, but they were constantly horny. As usual, they ended up with Terry, the tallest and most developed of them, in the middle. Since Joey reached orgasm first, he often ended things by sucking one or both of the others to climax. Terry especially enjoyed having both Joey and Angelo use their hands and mouths to work on his six-inch erection, caress and lick his scrotum, and suck his nipples. He found Angelo's body irresistibly attractive. Since he was a very tactile boy, Terry ran his hands constantly over Angelo's olive skin. He tried to remind himself not to touch Angelo's anus or buttocks. Being touched there evoked unhappy memories for Angelo, as both Joey and Terry understood. After they had all climaxed, Joey began to lick the semen from the bellies and chests of the other two boys. He loved the way they tasted, especially their semen. He unconsciously believed that the more of it he consumed, the sooner he would be able to produce it himself. As Terry's palms and fingertips were organs of pleasure for him, so were Joey's lips and tongue for him. He cleaned their bodies and finally their now-flaccid penises and lay back with a contented sigh against Terry's broad shoulder. Terry encircled Joey's body with his arm and began stroking his belly, producing a sensation that caused Joey to quiver with pleasure. Joey said softly, "Let's go somewhere tomorrow, just us." "Okay, but where?" Terry asked. "Will Richard let us?" Angelo queried. "Let's go explore the north end of the island. Richard keeps saying someone's gotta do that," Joey answered. "Yeah! Kewl!" Terry and Angelo responded. Their plan resolved, the three drifted off to sleep. The soothing patter of raindrops was the last sound they heard.