Written by Charles Well <charles.well@yandex.com> and Sarge AKA Aldric <pietar_the_fearless@yahoo.com> and Nick <newnick1@yahoo.com>
(C) 2020)
The original Kids of Indian Spring (KOIS) story by Jonas Henley can be found here: https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/kids-of-indian-spring/
and if you wish to read Jonas Henley's account of the 1968 Mackey Choosing Ceremony, look here: https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/mackey-tails/
Also see map.pdf and Springer Families.pdf in the Sandy Jacobs folder on Nifty. There is also an extensive family tree of the Mackey family available in this folder as well.
This story is about sex between boys and is therefore a total fantasy. It was written by an adult for the entertainment of other adults. No children or animals were either involved or harmed in the writing of this story. Please leave now if you are not supposed to be here.
Writing the continuing saga of the Kids of Indian Spring has become a real community effort. My original intention was to conclude the Sandy Jacobs Story after Chapter 10. But my primary co-author and invaluable assistant, Pietar, convinced me that the many loose ends left open by the original author, Jonas Henley, needed to be resolved. As a result, he became the principal author of Chapters 11, 12, and 13. Thank you Pietar for your original ideas, brilliant writing and your continued dedication and commitment to this project. Now a third author, Nick, has volunteered to take on the role of crafting the future long-term direction of the story. You may recall that Nick was first involved in Chapter 12C. Please ensure you make Nick welcome by dropping him a line.
Comments or suggestions may be directed to any of the authors mentioned above. We welcome feedback from readers. It's the only payment we receive for many hours of hard work.
Please consider a donation to Nifty for allowing us to have this resource to share our stories. To donate go here: http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html
Cole Jacobs was sliding his dick in and out of Henry's tight little ring. He had picked up his pace and was going to cum soon. Cole put a lot of hip action into it when he fucked and he was breathing heavily. Henry emitted little grunts with each thrust. As he became lost in the wonderful feeling Cole let his mind drift. He was so glad they had moved to Indian Spring. He was so glad he had become a member of the brotherhood. Where else could he spend a morning fucking such a beautiful ass? Cole not only liked fucking he liked just looking at naked bodies. He found Henry's ass to be perfect and he had told him so. Not only was it smooth and white but his hips had the perfect curve to them. The best part, however, was his hole. Cole loved looking at assholes but you don't usually get a chance to do that. It's not something that guys flash very often. With Henry, he not only had the chance to look but they talked about it. The boy's hole was pink and wrinkled. When he clenched his muscles it opened to a perfect circle just a little smaller then a dime. When it closed back up it looked like a rose.
Cole was pulled out of his daydream when a powerful orgasm shook him. He unloaded at least 4 good spurts of cum into the bottom and it felt great. He stayed deep inside the warm tight tunnel for a couple of moments and then slowly withdrew. The boys lay side by side on their backs recovering from the workout.
"That was awesome Henry," said Cole.
"I thought it was pretty good too," replied the bottom.
"But you didn't cum," said Cole as he noticed his friend's rigid boner pointing up toward his belly button.
"I didn't this time but it still felt great."
"I'm gonna fix that," said Cole as he turned over on his side and wrapped his fingers around Henry's penis and started stroking.
"You don't have to do that. You already made me feel good."
"Now I'm gonna make you feel better," said Cole with a smile. Resting on one elbow he gently rubbed the hard cock. His touch made Henry jerk his hips and twitch a bit. Cole played with the boy's dick and brushed over his balls causing Henry to giggle and emit soft oohs and aaahs. His hips rose off the floor to meet Cole's hand and he threw his head back.
It didn't take long for Henry to reach his climax. Cole held the rigid cock as it shot its load onto his friend's stomach. "Boy that felt great," exclaimed Henry. "Now, hand me a towel so I can clean this mess up," he said as he looked at the sticky white puddle on his stomach.
After they were both dressed Henry walked Cole out to the porch to say good bye. "What are you guys doing later?" Henry asked.
"I think we're going to have bike races over at the field. Why don't you come over?"
"Maybe I will," said Henry.
As Cole headed over to Stevie's place he felt great. The day was just beginning and he had already fucked somebody. If Stevie wanted, they might visit another bottom in the afternoon. He was really glad his cousins had convinced him to go through the Choosing.
Sandy had decided to visit all the bottoms he could and see how they had weathered spring break. He knew that with school closed the boys were being used a lot. He hadn't heard a single complaint all week so he wanted to thank the guys and let them know he appreciated their efforts. He had already visited Trevor Havers and Carter Mackey and both of them were doing fine. As he approached Gordon's place he saw Andrew Carrigan and Michael Mackey hanging out by the shed Gordon used when it was warm enough. He had wanted to have a little talk with Michael about the way he was treating Carter. Maybe this was a good opportunity. As he approached both boys greeted him.
"Hi guys. You waiting on Gordon?" Sandy asked.
"No, we had our fun already. We're waiting on Shawn. It's his turn now," answered Andrew.
"Cool. The way your both smiling I guess he took good care of you?"
"You bet," giggled Andrew.
"Gordon always takes good care of us," added Michael. "He's got a really sweet ass."
Andrew laughed at his friend's comment. Something about the way Michael had said that rubbed Sandy the wrong way and he decided this was a good time to have a chat with the kid.
"Michael, could I have a word with you while you're waiting?" Sandy asked.
"Sure. What's up?"
"Let's sit over here and talk," said Sandy as he pointed to a bench under the tree about 20 feet away.
"Okay," replied Michael. He followed the older boy and sat down.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asked.
"No. Not yet. But I want to talk to you about the way you're treating Carter. You guys used to be friends and now you're doing stuff to him that might be considered harassment."
"Like what?" demanded Michael defensively.
"I heard you brought a couple of 11-year-olds with you so they could watch you fuck Carter. While you fucked him, you told the boys they could tell that Carter was gay by the way he jerked as you pounded him."
"Oh, that was just for fun. Did he complain to you? Carter can be such a little bitch sometimes."
"Yes, he did complain to me because that is not how you should be treating our bottoms. I know you've heard me say that I expect the bottoms to be treated with respect and if you don't I will take action."
"I was only having some fun," said Michael. "I didn't mean it to be disrespectful. Me and Carter used to pick on each other all the time. I didn't think he'd be so sensitive." Michael could tell that Sandy was very serious so he softened his tone and his defense a little.
"I don't think he's overly sensitive at all. I think what you did was mean. I'm giving you a warning this time but if I hear of anymore stuff like that you will be banned from the bottoms. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir," replied Michael. He wasn't going to mess with Sandy Jacobs on this matter because he definitely didn't want to be banned. He was really pissed at Carter though for getting him in trouble.
"Good. I don't want to hear about any more problems with you and Carter."
"You won't," Michael said. As he tried to decide if he should say anymore Shawn Sanders and Gordon emerged from the shed and Shawn let out a loud war whoop.
"WhoooHooo," yelled Shawn. "I feel great."
Both Sandy and Michael laughed. "Go have fun with your friends but remember what I told you," said Sandy.
"Got it." Michael got up and joined his buddies as they headed down the road.
Gordon joined Sandy sitting on the bench. "I didn't expect to see you today. Everything okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, everything's good. I was just checking to see if you were alright. I know it's been a busy week."
"It has been. I had to take care of 4 guys most days and then your little brother on top of that," said Gordon. "I didn't mind though because they were all good guys."
"Has Chase been out here a lot?" asked Sandy.
"He doesn't miss a day," laughed Gordon. "Your little brother is a horny kid."
"I'm sorry," said Sandy.
"You don't have to be. He's a nice kid. Sometimes he tries too hard to be cool, but he doesn't mean anything by it. If you or I had the same rights when we were 11 we probably would have been just like him. If he gets out of line I'll tell you."
"I hope you would. His birthday is coming up in about a month so you won't have to put up with him much longer anyway."
"You worry too much Sandy. I got an 11-year-old brother too. I can handle it."
"Thanks for being so cool about it. Tomorrow's Easter. Do you have any special plans?"
"My mom is making a big ham and she's baking my favorite desert, cherry pie, so I'm gonna be sitting right here and feasting."
"Good for you. Enjoy your day. I gotta be moving on. I want to visit Finney before lunch so I'll see you later." Sandy headed down the road and thought about what Gordon had said about Chase. He wished his little brother would calm down a little and back off on using Gordon so much. He'd have to try talking to him again.
The race course the boys had designated started at the storage building and went ¾ of the way around the perimeter of the field. Next you turned onto the bridge. The bridge was just a large concrete pipe covered with dirt. Then you followed the dirt road about 50 yards into the woods and circled a big brush pile the county had left there and returned to the field and back to the storage building. It took about 4 minutes to complete a lap.
The group included Stevie, Chase and Cole Jacobs, Ashton and Ethan Tucker, Tyler Hardin, Scooter Hagen, Ben Brewer, Rory Mackey and Koby Mackey. Ashton was getting to use his new bike more this week than he had since he got it and he was having a blast. He surprised everyone by being very generous and letting the others ride it. Koby's bike was a hand-me-down from a cousin and he was in awe of Ashton's new treasure. He couldn't believe it when the younger boy said he could ride it in a race.
As Koby, Cole, Scooter, Rory and Ben took off racing Stevie signaled Ethan to follow him around behind the storage building. Once they were behind the building Stevie looked at Ethan and asked, "You want a blow job?"
"Sure," replied Ethan with a laugh. Since they were going to different schools now and Stevie had privileges they didn't hang out together as much and Ethan missed his friend. Not only because of the great sex play they shared, but he really liked Stevie. He was a special friend and being with him like this made Ethan feel great. Stevie wasted no time opening his friend's pants and pulling out the already hard dick. As he skillfully sucked his buddy's dick the boys out front were watching the race.
"I'll be damned. I think Koby's gonna take it," said Tyler as the pack emerged from the woods with Koby in the lead. As they bore down on the finish line both Rory and Scooter tried to overtake the leader but Koby held on and won his first race of the day. Everyone congratulated him as he hopped off the bike and sat down on the ground to rest.
"I love your bike," Koby said to Ashton.
"Thanks," Ashton replied.
"Where's Stevie," Cole asked as he joined the others sitting on the grass. As everyone looked around Stevie and Ethan appeared from around the building both flashing big smiles.
"Oh I know what you two were doing. Naughty, naughty boys," said Chase. He was actually very happy to see them together as he knew Ethan missed Stevie's company. As the whole group laughed Rory switched on his recorder. He loved listening to his friends laughing and talking dirty. It was fun.
"Who won?" asked Ethan.
"Well if you guys hadn't been playing dirty back there you would know," said Tyler jokingly.
"I wonder who was on top?" Scooter said making the boys laugh again. Stevie and Ethan were blushing slightly but they knew the teasing was all in fun. Just then a clap of thunder shook the ground.
Looks like the races are over," said Rory.
"Let's hang out a couple minutes and see if it passes," suggested Chase.
"I'm gonna run home quick and grab a drink. I'll bring some back for you guys," said Cole and he pedaled off across the field.
"I ain't heard no more thunder. Maybe we're gonna be lucky," said Kolby.
"I hope so. I wanna be in the next race," said Ashton.
"Let's catch our breath and wait for Cole to get back and then we'll go again," said Ben. Everyone agreed that was a good plan.
Brad Jacobs and Sean Mackey had just left and Cal was worn out. He loved it when those two visited him together but it was always a workout. A great workout. Besides getting fucked twice he had also gotten a blow job and a hand job. They had been playing for over an hour. He was heading to the kitchen for a drink when he passed the living room and noticed the TV was on. Ben must have gone out and left it on again he thought. It was a little unusual though because there was no picture, just static. He flipped to another channel but there was nothing so he turned it off. He grabbed a soda from the frig and decided to call the Jacobs and see if Ben was there with Ashton. He picked up the phone but it was dead. No dial tone. No nothing. Then he saw the note on the table. It was from Ben and it said he was going to the field with Ashton. Then a loud clap of thunder rattled the house. He decided to go get Ben because he wasn't sure if the kid had the sense to come in out of the rain.
Cal drank his soda quickly and headed to the field. As he passed her house old Mrs. Anderson yelled to him," You need to get in the house Cal. There are bad storms in the area."
"Yes ma'am," he replied. "I'm just getting my little brother." He knew she meant well but he was in a hurry. He thought he felt a few raindrops.
He was almost there when the thunder clapped again.
At the far end of the field the boys had just decided that it was time to seek shelter.
"Can me and Rory come over to your place Chase? It don't sound like we have time to make it home," Koby said.
"Sure," answered Chase.
"Hey guys. Come look at this," called Tyler who was standing at the edge of the pine trees.
As the boys crowded around him he pointed at the ground where the pine needles were starting to rise up off the ground and seemed to dance. The wind was howling and the needles rose higher and higher. It was like a giant vacuum cleaner was pulling them into the trees. The boys were mesmerized watching the spectacle.
At the opposite end of the field Cal came around the corner and saw the group standing at the tree line. He also saw the black cloud over the trees and watched as a funnel formed and dropped to the ground. He raced toward the boys yelling but they couldn't hear him over the wind.
The group was too close to the trees to see the funnel cloud but they did notice that it suddenly got dark and the howling wind changed to a roar. Hail started pelting them and they ran to their bikes. Cal was now close enough that they could hear him.
"Forget the bikes," he yelled as he pointed to the side of the field. "Get in the ditch." Cal remembered what he had learned in Boys Scouts. If your caught outside with a tornado get to the lowest ground.
Tyler grabbed Stevie's arm and pulled him toward the bridge. The rest followed except for Ashton. He was standing by the tree-line staring. Ashton was lost in a trance-like state. He felt fear and danger but he was confused. He could see a picture of all the guys and everyone was okay.
Cal ran to Ashton and grabbed his arm. The moment Cal touched him the picture Ashton saw started to drip blood everywhere. Ashton screamed.
"Come on, don't freak out on me now," cried Cal as he dragged the terrified boy across the grass toward the others. They were now getting pelted with all sorts of debris and it hurt. Tyler had ushered the others into the drain pipe and it was packed. The far end of the pipe had a grate over it to keep debris out and the boys were pushed tight up against it. "Move in further," yelled Cal. As they climbed on top of each other to make room Cal pushed Ashton in. He climbed on top of Rory and Chase and they made just enough room for Cal to fit in. The tornado was almost to the field now. The noise was deafening and dirt and debris blew through the grate and covered the boys.
Suddenly the power and intensity of the wind picked up. The funnel must have been very near. It was as dark as night and there was so much mud and water blowing through the pipe that it was hard to breathe. The wind was trying to push them out of the pipe and they all braced themselves as best they could. Everyone was pressing against Cal who had his back against one side of the tube and his feet pushing against the other. It took every ounce of his strength to stay in place. Ashton, who was on top of Rory and Chase, suddenly lifted up into the air and was being pushed out of the pipe. Rory grabbed one of his ankles to try and hold him in but it was wet and slippery and he had trouble keeping his grip. Chase latched on to the waistband of Ashton's jeans and hooked 2 fingers into them but the strength of the wind was unbelievable. It felt like the younger boy would be pulled right out of his pants or Chase's fingers would be ripped off.
As Ashton continued to slide toward the opening, Cal turned quickly sideways and used his body to block the boy from being sucked out. Ashton's face was pressed against Cal's chest but it did block him from being pulled out any further.
Cal's new position saved his friend but he was no longer securely braced. He felt his legs slipping from the side of the pipe. His right leg slid off of the muddy wall and was blowing free behind him. He tried but he couldn't pull it back in. It took all his concentration and effort to keep his other leg inside. Then, something hit his dangling leg hard. He screamed. It felt like someone had hit him with a hammer and his leg went numb. Still he held on. The numbness was leaving his leg and he felt intense pain. Just when he thought he couldn't hold on any longer the wind started to die.
As the wind lessened Ashton fell back down onto Rory and Chase. The terrified boys all tried to catch their breath. "Is everybody okay?" Stevie asked.
"I think so," said Tyler.
"Let us out of here," said Chase as he pushed against Cal who called out in pain.
"Don't push! I think I'm hurt," gasped Cal. "I can't move my leg."
Chase stopped pushing and looked at Cal's leg. Something was wrong. His foot wasn't pointing forward but instead it went sideways. Even though the pant leg was soaking wet and covered with mud, Chase could tell it was bloody too.
Cal slowly moved his head and shoulders out of the pipe so that he was laying in the mud. He used his arms to pull himself slowly into the ditch. The pain was excruciating but he had to let the others out so somebody could get help. He pulled himself about two feet up the side of the ditch. His mangled leg lay in the muddy water but the boys could get out now.
"Okay, come on out but PLEASE don't hit my leg," Cal said through clenched teeth. He was now starting to feel faint. "Somebody go get help."
The boys crawled out of the pipe one at a time. Chase stood guard over Cal to make sure no one hit his leg. Ashton, who was pale white and shaking, sat on the grass and stared blankly. Next came Stevie who scrambled up the bank and said, "I'll get help."
The others filed out and looked around at the devastation. The storage building was gone. The pine forest behind it was now a pile of broken trees. Debris lay everywhere. There was no sign of their bikes or Scooter's 4-wheeler. Everyone was silent except for Ben who crouched next to his brother and wept.
Stevie, who was soaking wet and drenched in mud, reached the street and ran head-long into Cole's mom.
"Are you okay? Is Cole with you? Where is your brother? Where are the others?" Susan Jacobs asked the boy frantically.
"I'm fine Aunt Susan, but Cal's hurt bad. Everyone's over there," he said pointing to the field. They raced back to the boys' location and Susan Jacobs looked at Cal's leg. A moment later Jill Hagen arrived on the scene and asked what she could do.
"We need to get him to the hospital," Susan responded. "He's bleeding bad."
"Run home and get your Daddy Ben," Jill ordered.
"He's not home. He's working,"
Then Jill turned to Scooter and ordered, "Get Daddy fast. Tell him to bring the truck and some blankets. Fly honey."
Scooter instantly took off to get his father.
"We need something to put under his leg to move him," said Susan.
Jill and the boys looked around and found a flat piece of wood to slide under Cal's leg. A few minutes later Mike Hagen appeared with his pick-up truck and they slid the wood under Cal's leg. The boy was only semi-conscious and moaned when they moved him. The adults carefully lifted him into the back of the truck and Susan Jacobs covered him with blankets.
"We gotta fly Mike or this kids not gonna make it," Jill whispered to her husband. Then she turned to her son and told him to stay with Ethan and Ben till she got back. She hopped into the back with Cal and held his head in her lap.
As the truck pulled away Ashton put his arm around Ben and told him, "It's gonna be okay."
Kelly and Malcolm were standing out front of the Tucker house looking at the ice balls that covered the grass. "Can you believe this weather?"
"It's the day before Easter and it looks like it snowed," added Kelly.
Have you boys been down to see the damage yet?" asked Mr. Allen, the Tucker's nearest neighbor.
"What damage?" they asked.
"A tornado touched down by the county storage building. They say it was a big one."
"Shit!" said Malcolm. "That's where the boys are." The two friends stared at each other a moment and then took off running. As they neared the field the street was cluttered with leaves, branches, roof shingles and pickets off of fences. There was an uprooted tree laying across the street and they had to go up into a yard to get around it. Malcolm was looking down at the ground to avoid stepping on any of the pieces of lumber with nails sticking out that seemed to be everywhere when Kelly suddenly stopped. Malcolm almost knocked his friend over.
"Oh God," Kelly muttered as he stared across the street.
Malcolm looked up to see what the problem was and he spotted it instantly. The bright orange color made it stand out. Ashton's bike was wrapped around the utility pole across the street. It was missing its front wheel and the frame was badly bent, but it was definitely Ashton's bike.
As Kelly stood and stared Malcolm gave him a push. "Come on. That's just his bike. We gotta get to the field and find them."
Kelly didn't say a word. He just started running and Malcolm followed. When they were just about there Susan Jacobs emerged from the field leading a wet, dirty and dazed looking group of boys. Ashton and Ethan didn't even care when Kelly hugged them in front of everyone. Then they headed toward their respective homes.
Sandy had arrived just before the storm broke. He hadn't planned on stopping at Kevin's but it looked like it was going to pour rain any moment and he didn't really want to get soaked so he decided to see how his campaign manager was doing. He wasn't surprised to find Connor there as he and Kevin were often together. They retreated to Kevin's bedroom so they could talk.
"So, what are you hearing about the election?" Sandy asked.
"I'm getting pretty good vibes from most of the guys. You'd be surprised how many guys like you or maybe look up to you. I guess they don't know you like we do," replied Kevin with a smile.
"Very funny. Is anyone talking about Joshua?"
"Yes. Tanner and Hayden told me they heard Tim Hardin is working hard for him. Seems Joshua told him he'd support Tim's kinset taking charge of their own bottoms if he gets elected. Tim must want to be in charge real bad because he's giving away a lot of shine at his Saturday night bonfires. I hear he gets everybody feeling good and then talks about what a great council president Joshua's gonna be. Those deep boys listen to Tim too."
"Well I'm not going to try to compete with that. We might have a bonfire though. That might be fun and lots of kids like to hang around a fire and talk." Connor and Kevin nodded in agreement. The storm was pelting the house with rain and a little hail and then the lights went out. "Damn," said Connor as he got up and pulled the window curtain open to let a little light in.
"Don't worry. It'll come back on. It always does," said Kevin. "If it doesn't, I don't mind being stuck in the dark with two good looking guys." The Jacobs cousins both smiled and shook their heads.
About ten minutes later the storm was over but the power was still out. They had been discussing the bonfire idea. Everyone agreed it would be fun and would draw a lot of kids for Sandy to talk to. All three of them were confident their moms would help with refreshments. They were debating where to have it when Sean stuck his head in the door.
"Hey guys. You won't believe this. A tornado touched down at the end of Sandy's street. There are some trees down across the road so Dad and Mr. Vargas are getting their chainsaws out and heading down there to help clear it. Me and Brad are gonna help. You wanna come along?"
"A tornado! Wow. I have got to see this," said Kevin.
"Yeah, me too," added Connor.
"I'm with you. Let's walk over so I can stop at the house," said Sandy. He wanted to see if his mom knew about it. Within a minute the boys piled out of the house and headed out to see the damage.
Sandy, followed by Kevin and Connor, came around the corner of the Jacobs' house and headed to the back door. They all saw the pile of wet, muddy clothes laying on the ground when the door suddenly opened and Tyler Hardin came out. Sandy instantly recognized the shirt the kid was wearing. It was one of Stevie's favorites.
"Hi Tyler. What's going on and why are you wearing Stevie's clothes?" he asked.
"Your mom made us take off what we had on cause we were all muddy and slimy. She wouldn't let us in the house till we stripped down and hosed off. It was cold too."
"What happened? You guys get caught in the rain?" asked Kevin with a laugh.
"More than that. A tornado tried to kill us," answered Tyler.
"Shit! Really. You guys were out in that?" asked Sandy.
"Yeah, we were down at the field when it came and we hid in that big pipe. It was scary as hell."
"Are you alright? I mean is everybody okay?" asked Sandy.
"We're all okay, just scraped up a bit," said Tyler holding up his arms to show the scratches and cuts he had. "Cal got hurt though. They took him to the hospital."
"Oh man," said Sandy. "Is he okay?"
"We don't know. Your mom's been trying to find out but all the phones are down. He was really bleeding bad."
The seriousness of the situation was starting to hit the older boys. "Look Tyler, I gotta go talk to my mom. Where are you going?"
"I'm heading home. When my folks hear about the tornado they're gonna be worried. They know I'm in here."
"You don't have to walk Tyler. I can probably get my big brother to drive you," offered Kevin.
"That's okay. I feel like walking right now. Thanks anyway."
Tyler left and the boys headed inside. They found Stevie, Chase and Rory Mackey sitting at the kitchen table. Karla Jacobs was leaning against a counter listening to the boys tell about their experience. When Sandy and the boys came through the door his mom rushed over to them. "Sandy, are you okay?" she asked as she ran her hands up and down his arms as if checking for broken bones.
"I'm fine Mom," Sandy replied. He could tell his mother was really shaken.
"How about you two?" Are you both okay?" she asked Kevin and Connor as she touched them on their shoulders.
"I'm fine Aunt Karla," answered Connor. "We were over at Kevin's. We weren't outside."
"Oh good. I was worried about you all."
"How's Cal Mom?" Sandy asked.
"We don't know yet. I tried to call the hospital but the phones are down. Hal Tucker has a cell phone and he's trying to reach Cal's dad to let him know what happened. I'm hoping someone will get back soon and tell us what's going on."
The doorbell rang and both Sandy and his mother went to answer it. It was Suzanne Mackey. She had heard about the tornado on the radio and raced into town to find her son. She went to the Tuckers first and they told her Rory was at the Jacobs so she came right over.
When the group returned to the kitchen Suzanne immediately hugged her son tightly and asked if he was okay. Then they all sat down. Suzanne, Sandy, Connor and Kevin were throwing questions at the younger boys. How did you get caught in a tornado? Didn't you see it coming? Why didn't you come inside? How did Cal get hurt? Finally Stevie said, "Everybody be quiet a minute and I'll tell you what happened." He then told the whole story as he remembered it. Chase and Rory added some and in the end everyone had a good idea of what the boys had gone through.
"So the wind was trying to suck you out of the pipe," said Sandy.
"Yes. Ashton was floating in the air and he would have gotten pulled out if it wasn't for Cal," Chase explained. "We all probably would have."
"Wow! Cal got hurt protecting all you guys. He's a real hero," said Kevin.
"Yes he is," agreed Suzanne. "But he did get badly hurt doing it."
"How is he? Have you heard anything?" asked Karla.
"Mr. Tucker was able to reach Cal's dad and tell him what happened. He made it to the hospital before they took Cal into the operating room."
"Operating room!" exclaimed Sandy.
"Yes honey. His leg is seriously injured," Suzanne continued. Then Hal called his wife. Since she was only 10 minutes from the hospital she was going over there to relieve the Hagens. She wanted somebody to be with Jonathan till his wife gets there. I think they're having trouble finding her. At least you guys are all okay."
The boys at the table were silent. Sandy was thinking about Cal and the operating room. That was not what he expected. He thought he would hear about stitches and a big bandage, not the operating room. The seriousness of the situation was sinking in. Cal was a bottom. One of Sandy's boys and he felt a deep connection. He wondered if this was how parents felt when their kids were hurt.
Suzanne broke the silence. "Rory, let's go home." They both said their good-byes and headed out the door. In the driveway Rory noticed a large gash running down the side of his Mom's Mercedes. "What happened to the car Mom?" he asked.
"There was a big tree down that was blocking the road so I had to go around it. I guess I went through it a little too. No old tree was going to keep me from getting to you when I thought you might be hurt."
"Thanks Mom," Rory smiled as he got in the car.
Hal was awakened by the headlights shining into the living room as a car pulled into the driveway. He remembered sitting down around midnight thinking his wife would be home anytime and he must have fallen asleep. The clock on the wall said 5 AM. He walked to the window and looked out. It was Silvie's car. He opened the door to greet her.
"Still no lights?" she asked as she came in the house.
"Not yet. The power company said they hoped to have it on by noon. How are you and how is the boy?"
"I'm tired. I'm just drained, mentally and physically," she said as she took her jacket off.
"And how is Cal?"
"Not good. They couldn't save the leg."
"You mean....... Oh my god," Hal gasped. "How is Jonathan handling it?"
"He's a mess. He won't leave Cal's bedside. He's talking about selling his house to cover the medical bills and he's blaming himself for going to work. He thinks if he'd stayed home yesterday it wouldn't have happened. Like I said, he's a mess right now."
"I'd probably be the same way if it were one of our boys. He's Kelly's age. I can't imagine what I'd do if we were in his shoes."
"I really need a cup of hot tea. Let's move into the kitchen," suggested Silvie.
Hal picked up the camp lantern and led the way to the kitchen. He turned on the burner under the tea kettle as Silvie got a cup and tea bag out of the cabinet.
"How are the boys doing," she asked.
"They're all upstairs asleep. I let them have our bedroom because they wanted to be together. Ben is there and Malcolm came over too."
"Did they tell you what happened?"
"Ashton says that Cal saved his life. The tornado was pulling him out of the pipe they took shelter in and Cal used his body to hold Ashton in. Because he was holding Ashton, Cal's own leg got pulled out and that's when he got hurt. Ethan tells the same story."
"I told Jonathan we'd take care of Ben as long as necessary."
"That's not a problem," replied Hal.
"I'm so thankful that our boys are safe, but I feel terribly guilty knowing Cal got hurt protecting them."
"I feel the same but there's nothing we can do to change what's happened. Right now we can help Jonathan with anything he might need. Next week I'll see about setting up a fund to help with the medical bills. That'll be one less thing for him to worry about."
"That would be great Hal," his wife said as she sipped her tea. "You know this is not how I expected to spend Easter morning."
"Me neither. After we give folks a chance to wake up I should check around town to see who might need help with clean-up and repairs. I don't know how many homes were damaged. You should get some rest."
"Yes, your right. I want to get back to the hospital to be with Jonathan but I need to make an Easter dinner for the boys too."
"Maybe I could go to the hospital. Sometimes it's easier to share feelings - man to man. I bet Sam Jacobs would help out too."
"It would be great if we could get some volunteers to help. Maybe we could get Jonathan to get some rest if we showed him we'd stay with Cal."
"Okay, I'll work on that as soon as the sun comes up."
"Right now, I want to see my boys. Would you make me another cup of tea while I peek in on them please?"
"I can handle that," replied Hal.
Silvie went upstairs to the bedroom and quietly pushed the door open. Kelly was on the far end of the bed. Malcolm lay next to him followed by Ethan. Ben was next and she couldn't help but smile when she noticed Ethan had a protective arm over Ben's back. But where was Ashton? Then she saw a little movement out of the corner of her eye. Ashton was sitting on the floor with his back to the wall, arms wrapped around his knees gently rocking back and forth.
She went over and sat next to him and asked," Ashton honey, what's wrong."
Without looking up he replied. "They cut Cal's leg off Momma. I saw it."
Silvie froze. She was horrified at this revelation. All she could think of to do was wrap he arms tightly around her son and reassure him. "Everything is gonna be okay baby. I promise."
Sandy was tired. He had spent most of the day helping clean up around town. He shoveled debris from the street and helped haul away branches from trees as the men with chainsaws cut them up. He met up with Brad, Sean and Kevin and they joined a group clearing a big tree that had fallen on Henry Mackey's front porch and blocked the front door. It had been a busy day.
He had learned about Cal's situation early that morning. When he was having breakfast Mr. Tucker stopped by and gave him and his dad the news. Mr. Tucker said Ben was not aware yet and asked them not to tell the younger boys at the moment. Sandy felt numb. He had walked down to the field where it all happened and just stared at the ditch and the pipe trying to imagine what it must have been like. When he finally was able to snap out of his depressed mood he joined in with the others trying to clean up and put the town back together.
When Sandy, his brothers, and their friends returned to the house they found an Easter feast waiting for them. Sandy's Aunt Susan, Jill Hagen and Suzanne Mackey had prepared and delivered meals to all their friends and relatives that were busy with the clean-up. The boys were all hungry and didn't hesitate to dig in.
Sandy's Dad gave everyone an update on Cal. Mr. Brewer had come home to freshen up and told Ben and the other boys who were in the pipe what had happened. There were a lot of tears but in the end they agreed they were thankful he was alive. Cal had regained consciousness for a few moments but all he asked was if Ben and the others were okay. When they told him everyone was alright he went back to sleep.
Around dusk Henry Mackey arrived at the house. Shortly after that, Finney and Gordon stopped by. Sandy hadn't called a meeting but by dark all the bottoms were there. Word had spread about Cal and it seemed the boys felt a need to talk about it. It got crowded in the kitchen so they all moved to the basement. Judge was red-eyed as if he had been crying and sat by himself in a corner. Some had heard the news and just wanted to know if it was true. Everyone wanted to know what they could do to help.
Sandy didn't think there was anything they could do to assist Cal just then. But he would definitely need all their support to recover from this. That was sure to be a long and painful process. In the meantime, there was still plenty to be done around town. The clean-up had a long way to go and his dad had mentioned that several families had lost their roofs. School was canceled indefinitely while roads were being cleared and power restored so he suggested they form a volunteer group to help wherever they were needed. Everyone supported the idea and they agreed to meet in the park tomorrow morning.
"What about our uhh, you know, duties?" asked Henry.
"I'm not sure how we'll handle that." said Sandy. "if we're all together nobody will get turned away. We'll figure it out as we go. We should probably check on the clubhouse to. I bet nobody's been out that way."
"Don't bother," said a voice from the stairs. Everyone turned to see Jason Mackey and James Cormack coming down the steps. "We were just out there and there is no clubhouse left."
"Really?" asked Sandy.
"Really. It was leveled. We should probably clean up the trash but the building is gone," James explained.
As everyone sat silently Jason continued. "I think you guys had the right idea. Take care of folk's homes first. See who needs a roof or windows boarded up, then we'll look at the clubhouse. I really admire your wanting to help Cal, but I'm afraid we have to leave that to the doctors right now. Putting our town back together is probably the most important thing that you guys can help with."
Sandy asked the group if any of them had any experiences or stories about the storm that they wanted to share. Gordon said he never felt the storm but he saw the funnel cloud drop down from the sky. Carter said he thought it was just the worst thunderstorm he'd ever been in. Henry got the groups attention when he told them about the tree falling on his house.
"Me and Carl were in my bedroom, uhhh, well you know, uhhh, doing stuff."
"Cripes almighty Henry, you can say fucking here. We're not virgins," exclaimed Bert, making the whole room laugh.
"I know," said Henry blushing a bit. He knew Bert was just teasing him. "Anyway, me and Carl were in the bedroom having fun when everything suddenly got real dark. We could hear the thunder so we figured it was just the storm. Then there was a really loud crack. It sounded like a cannon went off. My dad said that was the tree snapping. Then the whole house shook for a minute."
"Did you stop having fun?" asked Bert with a grin.
"Heck no. Not for a couple more minutes," Henry said proudly as everybody laughed again.
When the stories ended everyone got ready to head home. Tomorrow would be a busy day. Sharing their stories and feelings had helped everyone and they left feeling better than when they arrived.
Sandy thanked Jason and James for coming by and expressed concern for all the records that were kept at the clubhouse.
"Yes, I'm worried about that too. If you're meeting your boys at the park at 9, how about if you and I meet at the clubhouse at 7. I can pick you up," said Jason.
Sandy agreed. It was important to save everything they could. Mackey records should not be left to blow around in the woods.