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This story contains descriptions of consensual sexual contact between males, adult and minor. As such it is homoerotic, designed for the entertainment of mature adults. If you are not of legal age to read such material, or if the subject matter would create irresolvable personal moral dilemmas, please exit now.
Note: I would like to thank Colin and John for their continued support and patience while I try to write this story. Their support and efforts at editing and correcting my errors not only keep me in line, but contribute significantly to a more enjoyable story.
Chapter Sixty-Four: New Horizons
"Hi, I'm Danny 02780 and me and my friends are here to visit wi' you." Danny finished with a twinkle in his eyes, a slight tilt of the head and a smile that could win over even the most fiendish of individuals. Danny epitomized the Cherubs. At five and a half, he had a beautifully tanned body that innocently showed the slightly protruding tummy of a boy entering true boyhood. He was dressed in dark crimson loin cloths that covered from the center of one leg to the center of the other leg and split the center of each little golden brown cheek. They were accented with a gold-braid rope that fell half-way down his thigh. Also wearing a gold braid that wrapped under the second toe and was tied off at the ankle, Danny worked his charms on the audience. Totally unaware that the cameras broadcast his image to thousands of other viewers in their homes, he was the epitome of innocence and nature's beauty.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Elizabeth Risler and, once again, I am privileged to host this, the second debate, or discussion if you prefer, between David Arnold and Daniel Thompson of New Horizons. Those of you who have been following the news stories, or perhaps viewed the first meeting between these two gentlemen, know that Mr. Arnold will speak in support of the current system of slavery, while Mr. Thompson will oppose the current system.
"Before we begin and before I review the parameters of today's discussion I'd like to call your attention to the young man that just introduced himself. This is Danny, one of the boy's under Daniel's care at New Horizons. Standing with Danny are nine of his friends, also from New Horizons. The boys will remain on stage out of respect for Mr. Arnold. However, when Mr. Thompson's turn comes to speak the boys will be circulating through the audience. They will be glad to visit with you and answer any questions you may have. As a mother myself, I can tell you that they are typical boys and love getting attention. Please feel free to visit with them.
"The focus of today's meeting is fiscal responsibility. The next meeting will focus on moral obligations and responsibility. I'm sure all of you understand that it is not always practical to completely separate the subjects, so if you happen to hear one subject overlapping the other, please understand. Today's session will last for a total of ninety minutes. Each gentleman will be allowed twenty-five minutes to speak, plus a brief break for the gentlemen to change positions, and the rest of our time will be devoted to questions and answers from our audience. I see that Mr. Arnold has already taken his position at the podium, so we will begin."
"Thank you, Elizabeth, and good afternoon to all of you that have taken the time to attend this very important discussion on our current system of slavery. Tonight's topic is 'fiscal responsibility'. To better understand fiscal responsibility, I think it would behoove us to think back to the last meeting between Daniel and myself. At that meeting I addressed the economic advantages and benefits of the slavery system. Without going into too much detail, the points I made were relative to the decrease in the burden on public spending and tax reform. This also lead to more disposable income per household and lowered the rate of inflation. In other words, enslavement led us from fiscal irresponsibility to fiscal responsibility."
Daniel listened carefully to what Arnold said and watched the audience very closely. Speech professors always taught students that the number one rule was to catch the audience's attention and peak their interest in the first few sentences or you would lose over half of them. A speech should begin with a simple statement or idea and then build around that idea. Keep the phrasing simple and don't try to impress anyone with what many people considered 'high brow' phrases that should be reserved for a doctoral convention.
"Think back to the times when we listened to reports of double digit inflation, rising demands for social services, and rising demands for security and support from your government. How did the government react? The government met the demands of its citizens and it accomplished this by doing away with unnecessary expenses such as supporting criminals in a luxurious lifestyle. The prisons with year-round environment control systems, high definition television, and fully staffed kitchens to cook for criminals. Did you as the average citizen enjoy these same benefits? Of course not. Criminals, sent to prison as punishment, thrived in a resort atmosphere until the government changed the laws and made felons slaves. In addition to guaranteeing felons were punished, what else did the government accomplish? They lowered the drain of the budget; they eventually balanced the budget. That was fiscal responsibility. But, that wasn't the government's greatest accomplishment.
"The greatest accomplishment was the benefit of employment and the ability to consume. The government used the money it did not spend on society's misfits to invest in social improvements; improvements to our infrastructure to repair or rebuild aging highways, sanitary systems and utility systems. The government let out huge contracts that allowed contractors to put the unemployed back to work, thus restoring personal pride. Society benefited from what is called the ripple effect. Newly employed workers spent their earnings to purchase new appliances, new clothes, new automobiles. The newly employed stimulated manufacturing and production. That was fiscal responsibility.
"Today, your government follows the same principals used to pull this great nation out of the 1930s Great Depression. The principals developed and espoused by the Keynesian Theory that all school children are now required to learn. Under the theory it is the duty and responsibility of government to stimulate purchasing power and support the economy. The government fulfills this responsibility by recycling those who will not follow society's rules and making them part of the labor pool. Money realized from enslaving the irresponsible helps maintain the pool of funds the government uses in time of need. That is fiscal responsibility."
Daniel sat quietly, observing David and his audience as he spoke. Much of what David said was true fact and sounded as though it was in the best interest of the nation as a whole. What Daniel thought to be most interesting was how David referred to the irresponsible members of society as the felons and then just continued to refer to the irresponsible citizens. There was no mention of when and how children became citizens responsible for their parents' debts. The second major flaw Daniel heard, or really didn't hear, was how business entered into the equation. David placed everything at the feet of government. Knowing what he did about David and his associates, Daniel understood the necessity to direct attention elsewhere.
Watching the audience, Daniel suddenly recognized some of the faces. Many of the residents from the senior center were present, including Grandpa Smith. All of them concentrated on what David had to say. Many shook their heads while others merely displayed looks of indignation at David assuming they would accept what he said. Daniel looked over at the Cherubs and smiled to himself. TJ and Evan whispered to one another and nodded towards the audience; they had spotted their grandpa.
When David finished his argument, the audience gave its applause. Daniel noticed that heads both nodded in agreement and shook in disagreement. There were even a few shoulders that simply shrugged. After David and before Daniel would begin there was a five minute break for commercials. The talks were telecast uninterrupted so all commercials that normally ran during multiple breaks were run in a continuous airing.
During the commercial break Daniel spoke to his boys and then announced to the audience that the boys would be circulating among them while he spoke. He did let the people know they could talk to the boys and should feel free to ask one of them to sit with them. Daniel noticed that TJ and Evan headed straight for their grandpa; each standing to either side. Grandpa had an arm around each boy's waist which he soon let slide down to hold a cheek. It only took Grandpa a minute to let his hands slip under the flap of their loin cloths. Again Daniel laughed to himself. Only a senior citizen, a child, or someone with Grandpa's charisma could get away with what he was doing, and enjoying.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Daniel Thompson with New Horizons, and I'm afraid I don't have quite as detailed and official sounding definition for fiscal responsibility as David just gave you. My definition of fiscal responsibility is simply this: don't spend any more than you earn; in other words, a balanced budget." Daniel paused to let his simple definition sink in. While he paused he noticed a large number of heads nodding in agreement. He had his audience.
"Historians have repeatedly told us that the Great Depression of the 1930s was due to people being over extended on credit; they couldn't repay what they borrowed. Since that time we have all heard that we should include as part of our household budget a certain amount of our earnings to be set aside for emergencies. Now, what I have just described to you is the same thing David was trying to tell you. The big difference is that he spoke on a government level, and I'm talking on an individual household level that I believe most of us can relate to.
"We have also been told, many times, to set aside money for retirement. We all know that one day, in theory, we should be able to draw on our social security benefits, thanks in no small part to the government assuming the role of custodian of our social security payments. But, how many times have we heard that by the time today's generations are eligible for retirement, there won't be any money left to draw on? That doesn't sound like fiscal responsibility to me. However, we all know that the government will come up with the money; we know they can come up with the money. After all, it is the government that prints the money, they can come up with as much as they want." Daniel smiled and his audience smiled with him at the obvious truth to which most people give little thought.
"How many of us in this room can say when the next time will be that we need to draw on our savings or other reserves? Maybe you will experience a severe tooth-ache; maybe it will be to hit a deep pothole with your car, causing expensive repairs; maybe it will be an unexpected death in the family, requiring someone to pay funeral expenses. It could be any one or more of the many unplanned events we all face during our lives. Of course, no one in here can predict when that next unfortunate event will occur. Likewise, none of us can say for certain that we'll have the money to cover all those expenses. We hope we do, but we really don't know. The only way to do be sure you have the money is to know when it will happen and how much it will cost. With that information, we can set a monthly savings budget that works.
"Is there anyone in here that can honestly say they haven't had the unfortunate experience of having a bad event occur and they didn't have the money to cover the related expenses? If you're more than twenty-five years old, and certainly if you're married with a family, I'm willing to bet you've had the experience. Unlike the government, you can't produce an unlimited supply of money - at least not legally. Let's face it ladies and gentlemen, bad things can and do happen to good people. That doesn't mean that you are a bad or irresponsible person. It means you've had the misfortune to encounter one of life's sadder experiences.
"The same thing happens with government, only on a much larger scale. The big difference is in how we deal with the experience. Some of you may be fortunate enough to have family you can borrow the money from; others will go to the bank and get a loan. How does the government deal with the issue? It isn't going to print more money, that would lead to devaluing the dollar and causing inflation. However, government did figure out a way to deal with the problem. In its infinite wisdom, government decided to change a few laws.
"Which laws did they change? They began with the laws they believed the citizens would be least likely to object to. Citizens didn't object when felons were classified as anti-productive and were made slaves. After all, it raised a lot of money; it also reduced public expenses. With the next emergency though, there weren't enough felons to sell. What did we do? We looked around and found another set of anti-productive individuals; the homeless. They were considered a major threat to society and a negative influence. Guess what happened to them; enslaved. It worked. Money was raised, the coffers were padded and the bills paid; until the next time, that is.
"When the next emergency reared its ugly head, what happened? Well, the citizenry didn't object to changing the enslavement laws last time, so let's do it again. Who was the target? Again, the homeless. But the adult homeless were no longer there, so the homeless this time became the orphans and foster children. To make this work the age of enslavement had to be lowered from eighteen, the age of majority, to sixteen. The changes allowed the government to reduce public expenditures and raise the required funds to meet the unforeseen emergency. But is that all that really happened?
"It's true that expenditures were reduced on the care of homeless children that, apparently, no one cared about. If someone cared about them, if they had family to love and care for them, they wouldn't have been in homes and costing the public money, right? So, no loss, right? For those of you nodding your heads that the statement is right, I respectfully disagree with you. Not only do I respectfully disagree with you, I adamantly disagree with you.
"Why should those children have to pay the price for someone else's error or suffer for misfortune beyond their control. Those children didn't harm anyone; they were not criminals. Those children were victims. Think about it for a moment. They were victims in the sense that for some reason, completely beyond their control, they suffered, they were denied the love and support of family. Why were they forced to pay the ultimate price?
"Ladies and gentlemen, let me ask you to do me a favor. All of the gentlemen in the audience, pull out your wallets. Ladies, please reach in your pocketbooks and pull out your wallets. Now look at the pictures of family and friends I'm sure most of you carry. Look at the boys circulating among you now; then think about this. How many times has the government changed the rules for enslavement and why? The age for adults was eighteen, then the age for enslavement was sixteen to meet an emergency; then thirteen to meet an emergency; then twelve; then ten; today, it is six years old. SIX, Ladies and gentlemen! Each change came with a new, unexpected financial emergency the government had to meet. With that many changes, that many emergencies, was the government being fiscally responsible? Another question; with the age down to six years old, where do we go from here? What happens the next time around?
"While looking at your personal photos or holding one of these boys, I want to ask you one question. Which boy in here, which child in your family, which child in a friend's family, are you willing to have enslaved to pay your bills?" Daniel stood in silence, unmoving. The Cherubs stayed still, not sure of what they should do. When Daniel realized they were looking directly at him, he signaled his boys to join him on stage. Danny approached with arms raised; Daniel picked the boy up and held him close. Danny wrapped his arms tightly around his protector's neck.
"I'll ask you only one more time, ladies and gentlemen. Consider the children in the pictures you now hold in your hands. Consider the boys standing on this stage with me. Look at the child in my arms. What have they done wrong? They are innocent of any wrong doing, of any evil thoughts. All they have ever asked is for someone to care about them; to love them." Daniel spoke in a quiet tone of voice, pausing after each major point; he wanted his audience to have to concentrate on what he was saying and have time to think about what he said. "For fiscal responsibility, as it has been defined on this stage today, which child . . . one of yours . . . . possibly one that you know . . . . one of these beautiful children up on this stage with me . . . . which child would you be willing to sacrifice?"
"Mr. Thompson. Helen Watkins with The Chronicle; question please. You've made quite a point on the number of times the government has amended the laws to protect our economy. In your statements you make it very clear that you believe the government has failed in its efforts. Would it be fair for us to assume that you have an alternative plan, and if so, what is that plan?"
The discussion had entered the question and answer period. Daniel knew that his statements would most likely generate some hard responses or questions from the audience. Anyone attacking government actions, particularly when those actions are perceived to have benefits, rarely gets by without having to defend themselves.
"Ms. Watkins, I don't believe that I said the government has failed. What I have said is that the government is taking the easy way out of the predicaments by following what many would term the path of least resistance. The other fact I have insinuated, if not stated outright, is that the government has used band-aids as a short-term solution to correct a situation that needs a long term solution."
"Excuse me, Mr. Thompson," Helen Watkins interrupted. "Could you please define what you mean by 'situation' and short-term solution?"
"The situation is the inability of the government to maintain a balanced budget. I don't think anyone will argue that it is possible, for the government and for individuals, to accurately predict the future. You may be able to express an opinion about what you think may happen, but it is an opinion, not a statement of fact. If you can not accurately predict the future how can you predict needed outlay of funds. The government has been worse than many in their predictions and resorted to the short-term solution of amending selected laws to cover the errors. My argument is that those amendments have imposed a terrible penalty on the innocent. My suggested solution is that the legislators that comprise our government be held accountable to those who put them in office in the first place.
"At our next meeting, the topic will be 'moral responsibility'. During the meeting I hope to expand this discussion and let's not forget to bring the role of business into our picture."
The questions and answers continued during the allotted time frame. Elizabeth, using media intuition, quickly realized that the public wanted to know more than either David or Daniel was revealing during their talks. The producers had discussed changing the format of the debates, so Elizabeth decided to take the intiative.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's apparent that you have many questions that we have not had the time to answer. We would like to suggest that the format of these debates be modified to the town-hall type meeting. In other words, if you would send us your questions, we will take the most popular subjects and submit them to David and Daniel. They will present their respective positions through their answers rather than having an allotted amount of time to speak individually. We have asked both gentlemen to stay with us for a few extra minutes to address questions this evening."
Daniel and David both agreed to stay for a few minutes after the scheduled session to answer questions. With his adrenaline flowing but under control, Daniel was more than ready to attack the system and drive his points home on a personal level. Elizabeth had allowed the audience and the speakers to manage their own time and answer questions. She realized that if someone didn't step in, though, they could be in the hall all night. Thirty minutes after the scheduled end, the lights flashed, signaling everyone that it was time to go. When most of the people had left, only the residents of the senior center remained. The boys moved off stage to visit in quiet with their 'grandparents'.
"Daniel," Grandpa Smith called out. "You know it's about supper time now and I'd be willin' to bet these boys are hungry. We'd like to take 'em all out to dinner. When I say all, of course we include the staff, too."
"Yeah, but I bet it'd be more fun without 'em." One of the seniors chimed in; eliciting laughs from everyone.
"We're not talkin' about that senior center food neither." Grandpa continued. "We're talkin' about getting some good old fashioned high blood pressure, high cholesterol fattenin' food. You know, greasy fries, milk shakes, ice cream, hamburgers, whatever the boys want. What the doctor doesn't know won't hurt him." Grandpa knew how to get all the boys excited. Daniel was also well aware of the old gentleman's trick.
"No, but it'll probably kill you." Clinton Thorpe stepped from behind one of the seniors. "But I know you well enough Grandpa to know it won't do any good to argue."
"You're doing a pretty good job of putting me on the spot as the bad guy aren't you?" Daniel said with a smile.
"Yeah; doin' a real good job of it, too;'case you hadn't noticed; plus, you won't be gettin' any help from Doc." Grandpa replied while keeping a hand tucked under the rear cloth of his two favorite boys. Daniel noticed where the old man's hands were; he also noticed the big smiles on the boys' faces.
"Okay, Grandpa, you win and I'm sure the boys will all have a great time. One condition though, all you boys head to the back and change clothes. I don't think the restaurant will serve you dressed like you are now."
"Damn shame, too. That's their loss." Grandpa added.
The boys were in awe as they entered Dave & Buster's. Daniel had brought nine boys plus Jeremy, Derek and Ted to Orlando. This had not been in the schedule, but no one seemed to care. The boys had heard of the place while they were on the streets, but never felt they had the money to spend; nor did they think they would be allowed in. Jeremy, as a slave, had never been in such a place; neither had Derek and Ted. It was a little loud, but it was full of people laughing, smiling and having a good time. The boys quickly realized they were not the only kids in there when they saw many families out enjoying a fun dinner. When Danny saw all the people and activity, he just stopped and stared. Daniel had to pick the boy up and carry him when they were shown a table.
Grandpa did not follow the group; he took the opportunity to speak with the host. Soon, another gentleman approached Grandpa and they spoke for a couple of minutes before Grandpa joined the group.
"Daniel, I just spoke with the manager to let him know we were all a group and the boys were to be allowed to have whatever they wanted. I don't want to hear any arguments. We brought them here to have a good time and I plan on enjoying watching them. My only regret is that I'm not able to get out there and keep up with them."
While Grandpa spoke, a young man approached the table and set two tall stacks of tokens in front of him. Grandpa explained to the boys what the tokens were for and that they could go play some games after they ordered. A couple of the boys expressed their willingness to skip the meal and just go have fun. They quickly quieted down after getting a stern look from Daniel.
As he listened to the boys order, Daniel knew there would be more than one stomach ache before morning came. After they ordered, the boys continued to talk about all the fantastic deserts on the menu and how they needed to hurry through their meals to get to the deserts. Daniel watched the boys, laughed to himself, and said nothing. With the orders placed, the boys were off for their first round of games.
"Grandpa, I hope you realize what you've gotten yourselves into." Daniel commented.
"Grandpa," TJ and Evan walked up on either side of Grandpa and bent over to whisper to him. "If you want, Evan and I could take you back out to the van, ya know, and if you wanted ta^Å^Å"
"Boys, that's sweet, and a really generous offer." Grandpa interrupted the boys. "Tonight, this is all about you boys. If you want to make me happy, go play and let me see some big smiles and hear you laugh." The boys each gave Grandpa a hug before heading off.
"Daniel, when you get to be our age you realize there are many things in this life that you didn't appreciate when you were younger. At our age, now, we try to make up for that little mistake and acknowledge that we didn't take the time to appreciate the pleasure you get from a child's smile and laughter. Children never understand when an adult says they get pleasure from watching the child be happy, but it is true.
"Let me ask you something. I know who that young man over there is; I recognize him from the picture in the paper. He looks a little healthier now; how's he doing? Do you think he'll make the adjustment?"
"He's doing fine. He was frightened and uncertain in the beginning, but I think that was normal. The way he was treated, he learned not to trust anyone or expect anything. It's been long enough now that he's accepting that this is all real. Having him set free by the court and his SIN removed was a good move. He's visiting us for a few days. We're hoping that by being around the other boys he'll realize that you can recover from bad experiences. His friends, Derek and Ted over there with him, are a good support for him also."
The adults sat around the table watching the boys enjoy themselves. Each adult seemed to have attached themselves to a particular boy and followed his activities. Grandpa watched two boys but it wasn't difficult since the two boys were rarely apart. Elizabeth enjoyed watching her two boys and laughed when they kept pulling at their clothes. She also had the idea of making the boys wear clothes a little more often so they would be accustomed to how they felt.
Daniel watched Jeremy and his friends. Initially, Jeremy seemed to hold back and let someone else lead him. After watching the other boys, Jeremy tried to play some of the games. It helped that he realized not all the boys were 'experts' at the games, but they still had fun. When he found a game he enjoyed, and seemed to play well, he stayed with it.
Daniel allowed his attention to roam around the establishment. He watched each boy to see how they interacted with other children. It didn't take long for the boys to mix in and become part of the evening's group.
"Mr. Dan'l," Sean approached the table. "Mr. Dan'l, we got a problem." Sean held up what Daniel knew were New Horizon clothes; clothes that fit a small boy.
Daniel walked through the crowd looking for Danny. He asked Sean if there wasn't a special area for games for the smaller children and Sean led the way towards the other side of the restaurant. When Daniel reached the children's area he found Danny playing in a cage filled with plastic balls; a very naked Danny. Daniel stood there and looked at the young boy.
"Hi," came the angelic voice with a smile, "I'm playin'; it's fun."
Daniel signaled the boy with his finger to come to him. When Danny came out Daniel scooped him up in his arms and carried him over to a less crowded area. Setting the boy on a stool, Daniel knelt down to talk to him. Daniel almost laughed when he saw the pouting look on the boys face; Danny knew he was in trouble.
"Danny, didn't you and I have a talk about this. You were supposed to leave your clothes on, remember?"
"But I like bein' naked," was the pleading response.
"I know you do. But, don't you remember I told you when we are here you can not be naked. You told me you would leave your clothes on. Now, I'm giving you one more chance. You can put these clothes on and go play, and leave the clothes on; or, you can put these clothes on and come sit with me and watch the other boys have fun; but, you'll still leave the clothes on. What do you want to do?"
"Play," a sad little boy whimpered. "I sorry, don't be mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you, but I am disappointed. I thought you were a big boy and would keep your promise."
"I will! I will! I promise." Daniel had to fight back the urge to laugh.
"Okay, but if you do it again, I'm going to tell Sean to just pick you up and bring you over to the table and you'll stay there for the rest of the evening. Understand?" Danny nodded. "Alright, now give me a hug and go play." Danny wrapped both arms around Daniel's neck and gave him a long hug before running off to play.
When Daniel returned to the table he explained to everyone where he found Danny and how the boy was having such a good time playing naked in the cage of balls. The boy was totally oblivious to the fact that he was the only one naked in the whole place or that anyone saw him.
"Such is the privileges of the innocence of youth," one of the seniors commented.
"Yeah, I doubt anyone would say anything. Besides, he's within the age allowed by law; he's not required to wear clothes." Grandpa commented.
"Grandpa," Daniel said sternly, but teasingly, "don't you dare tell him that, I have enough trouble with him now." The adults enjoyed themselves over the fun and antics of the boys.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please." Suddenly came over the speaker system. The lights flashed and the announcement was made again. "Thank you. My name is Rob and I am one of the owners of this establishment. First, let me thank all of you for coming and I hope you are all enjoying yourselves." This was followed by much applause. When it quieted down, Rob continued.
"We normally don't interrupt the evening to make announcements, but this is a special occasion. We have with us tonight several very special young men." As Rob spoke he approached Evan and put his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Anyone that has had the opportunity to hear some news on television, or see a newspaper, should recognize the name of New Horizons. This fine young man is part of that group." While he waited for applause to quiet down again, he asked Evan where his group was sitting and moved toward their table.
"The gentleman to my right is Daniel Thompson, the head of New Horizons." Again, a brief pause. "Sitting with him are seniors from the center at the hospital. Twice a month Daniel brings some of his boys up here and they serve lunch to the seniors. I understand that the boys have also adopted many of the seniors as grandparents. Tonight, their 'grandparents' wanted to treat the boys. My partners and I would like to express our support for New Horizons and the boys. You'll notice that all the game machines are being emptied now. For the rest of the evening, all monies deposited into those machines will be donated to New Horizons. Additionally, a glass jar is being placed on the bar up front. The jar is for donations for New Horizons and I claim the privilege of making the first donation." Rob reached in his pocket and pulled out a roll of bills which he dropped in the jar. While the people applauded, Rob exchanged handshakes and introductions with the group. Near the end Rob made the final announcement that the boys and their grandparents were the guests of the owners for the evening.
"Well, Daniel," Grandpa observed, "seems you've won some support from the local business community. You should feel good. Seriously, though, I think after our talk not long ago you'll understand when I say that I've renewed some of my old contacts and asked a couple of favors. When you bring the boys up to visit next time I think we'll be able to sit down for a fruitful visit."
Daniel looked at Grandpa, fully aware of what the man was referring to. With a smile and slight nod he acknowledged the message.
After the announcement from Rob, Daniel was curious to see how the other kids would react to his boys now. It was interesting to see that the kids still played games but not as much; there was a lot more talking going on. Occasionally, a boy would look around and towards their table, Daniel guessed one of the boys was pointing out the group or explaining who they were. None of the boys seemed unhappy or hurt by anything someone might have said and none of the groups seemed to have broken up. Daniel also noticed that the kids had one other thing in common; they really seemed to enjoy the games that were the loudest and had the most action.
There was one particular game called Dance Dance Revolution that appealed to all the boys. The game looked simple enough to a novice. The game consisted of a platform with nine squares; the center square appeared to be home base or the neutral zone. A pattern ran up the screen, accompanied by exceptionally loud music, telling the player which square to hit with a foot and how many times. The longer the player lasted, the louder the music became, the faster the screen rolled, and the more complicated the stepping pattern became. As each boy came off the platform, perspiration poured off their brow and soaked their shirt. The boys, although in good physical shape, gasped for air and tried to laugh at the same time. Daniel wished he had one of those games at Fort Ogden to let the boys burn off excess energy.
What began as supper turned into a full evening. When it was time to leave, the boys said goodbye to new acquaintances. Everyone was tired, but it was a good tired. TJ and Evan pushed Grandpa out in his wheelchair and stood by him for a minute or two while the others boarded. They stood close and didn't mind his roaming hands over their backsides; they actually enjoyed his tender touch.
"Daniel, I think it's a little late to be headed back to Fort Ogden. You'll need to take me up on my offer of staying overnight now."
"I think you're right Elizabeth, I think you're right." Daniel replied as he walked out with Danny in his arms, sound asleep.
End Ch Sixty-Four
NOTE: Elizabeth made the announcement at the end of the debate session. If you have a question you would like David or Daniel to address, send them in. Contact Dwight Wilson at adm2780@yahoo.com