teen2b slow)(54/56)
The following is a pure work of fiction and is the property of the author. If you are looking to get off quick, read something else. This story is presented in serial form and you'll read a lot of background, before you get any mind-blowing sex scenes. If you are bothered by same sex relationships, read no farther.
This is a story about the interaction of males with each other in a fanciful setting. It's a story with some sex, not sex with some story.
Thanks to those who are encouraging me to continue with the presentation of this series.
I do not usually acknowledge e-mails, instead using my time to write. I do appreciate hearing from you. Hope that you continue enjoying the story. LJB
To Fulfill a Prophesy
Section 54
Anson - Monday afternoon
If you would have told me 2 months ago waking up in the morning stretched out naked in bed on my stomach having a man hold my arms up along side my head while he fucked my butt would become one of my favourite things in the whole world, I'd have called you a liar. I can not get enough of my man. Thankfully, he feels the same way about me. This morning he was on top of me and in me, before I even opened my eyes. He wasn't moving, he was just laying still waiting for me.
After all the time that was spent preparing me for entry, you would think it would remain an important ritual. It didn't. It was like slipping the sword into the sheath. They were made for each other. A little lube on Digger and he can slip into me anytime, anywhere. We have been testing the anywhere with great gusto.
"Right-O, mate" he growled in my ear. "Now your awake how be you stick that butt up in the air so I can give it the pounding it deserves." Who could resist sweet talk like his. I pulled my knees up and as a reward he started moving in and out of me with a regular beat. Digger was a meat and potatoes lover. He didn't demand anything fancy. All he really seemed to need was somewhere to stick his dick. A mouth or an ass would do equally as well.
Now don't misunderstand. He could be loving and considerate and romantic. And he would put forth the effort to be any and all of those things if I gave the slightest indication I would be more fulfilled by them, but at heart, he liked to move his dick to get us both off. I didn't mind. When he took me, as he was doing now, he pushed all my buttons. We fit together so exactly he could hardly ever push into me without hitting or rubbing my prostate. On occasions when he kept stroking until he had come two or three times I was in such a state of ecstasy I didn't know whether I was coming, going or gone. And Digger always made sure I was gone. My giving up control to Digger had reaped rewards I had never even dreamed about.
Two months ago a total virgin and now a willing and eager slave to my lover's ways. I'm beginning to think I get all the breaks. Digger was speeding up now. I tried to clamp my ass cheeks together and he gave me a slap on the rump to show he knew I was with him. As a Master, Digger had been everything I needed and wanted. He was firm and directive, but he respected my limits, always. I was starting to climb the ladder now. I could feel a fire within me as Digger started to use long strokes that reached far into me. He knew exactly where I was and whispered for me to hold off. I tried. I fought the urge and I clamped down, but he kept shoving into me and scraping across my prostate and pulling my hips back tightly against him.
Just as I could bear it no longer he said `go' and I let loose in unison with him. His liquid scalded my insides and I sprayed the bed beneath me, feeling my staff pulse in time with the throb of Digger's spasms. He fell forward on me and I rolled sideways so we stayed together as we settled on our sides.
"G'morning young `un." he greeted me, reaching around and rubbing circles on my tight, flat stomach. "We ready for a little breakfast ?"
"Are you supplying ?" I asked. He just chuckled.
"I think we need to talk about the fact I'm getting to be an old man." he teased me. "You could wear me out right fast at this pace." Truth of the matter was he was always ready, but then so was I.
We eventually separated and went to have our shower. It was hot and leisurely and I took extra time to make sure Digger was soaped and washed in all his little nooks and crannies. We might have been just a little late for breakfast because everyone else was seated and eating when we arrived.
"Newlyweds." Dale muttered and shook his head as we sat down, but you could see his smile was a mile wide.
Tim held classes for Davey and Denny this morning even though his brother was scheduled to arrive about 11:am. I think it helped him to take his mind off everything else when he was working with his pupils. Kevin helped in the classroom, not straying very far from Tim these days. I could really feel the hurt and worry from both of them and I wished there was something we could all do to help them through this time. I could see Dale was very worried about them, especially Kevin. Dale never showed his feelings very much, but he had them and they were really strong when it concerned any of the boys. I knew he would die rather than let anything happen to any of them and if he could have taken on some of Kevin's hurt, I'm sure he would have gladly.
Dale was interviewing drivers. He had been authorized to hire four new men as chauffeurs. They were to be attached to the security department and were to be used to drive Dean and the boys primarily, or any other designated person, such as Debra or Tim, with a security officer. This was to cut down on having to use two of us on one assignment. They were to reside in the apartments over the garage facility. Ten candidates had been selected from two hundred applications and Dale was conducting the final interviews today and tomorrow. Each of the primary team was scheduled to sit in on two interviews and rate the candidate. I did mine this morning.
Some of the boys wanted to go into town to a shopping mall this morning so Jason and Digger took Jamie, Len, Todd and Brendan. Interestingly, Mr. Chen decided to go with them as well. Gus stayed with Denny. He was attending Tim's classes and really enjoying himself. Tim seemed happy to have him. Ted, Dean and Dale were busy in their offices, so the estate was a quiet place.
At 11:am Tim, Dean, Ted, Kevin and I were waiting at the airstrip for the arrival of Tim's brother. Davey, Denny and Gus had stayed at the `castle' as it was felt a low keyed greeting would be best. The jet was right on schedule and after a very brief wait, we were greeting two new arrivals.
Doug Wright did not look anything like Tim. There was no way to tell they were related. Doug was only about 5'6" tall and was very thin. His body was compact and although he was a handsome enough man, he just wasn't like Tim. Matthew, on the other hand could have been Tim's son. Like his Uncle, he had dark, bushy hair and was tall for his 6 years. Tim made introductions.
"Thank you for asking us to visit, Mr. McAdams." Tim's brother said as he shook Dean's hand. "It was a tremendous thrill for Matthew to ride in a private jet. For me too."
"We're very pleased you accepted our invitation, Doug." Dean responded. "Please call me Dean. We are all on a first name basis here. I hope you will enjoy your stay with us and we can make the trip worthwhile for you."
"Just having some more time with Tim makes the trip worthwhile." Doug replied. When Doug was introduced to Kevin he gave him a big hug. "Welcome to our family, Kevin."
"Thank you, Doug." Kevin stammered, surprised at the robust greeting. "Welcome to our home." Kevin turned and squatted down. "Welcome to you, Matthew. I'm really pleased to meet you."
"Are you my Uncle, Kevin ?" Matthew asked.
"We had a big discussion on the way here about relationships." Doug explained. "He isn't quite clear yet how come he knows Uncle Tim and he doesn't know you."
"No," Kevin replied, turning back to Matthew, "I'm your friend, Kevin and that man over there is my Dad. You can call him Uncle Ted and the man next to him is Uncle Dean. Is that okay with you ?"
"Yup." Matthew replied. Kevin stretched his arms out, offering to pick Matthew up and Matthew moved right over to him and accepted the offer.
"I have a little brother named Denny, who you're really going to like." Kevin told Matthew. :And he has a friend, Gus, visiting. I think you're going to find them fun."
From that point, the conversation never ended. The whole way back to the `castle', Matthew told Kevin everything about their trip, about his house and school, about his friends and about his life. Denny was in for some competition in the long story department. Dean had spoken with the pilots and found it would be about an hour until the plane would be ready to leave. He brought them in with us for lunch while the staff serviced the jet.
When we arrived, both Doug and Matthew went through the usual reaction to seeing the `castle' and estate. They had observed it from the plane when landing, but had not realized it was where they were headed, thinking rather it was a nearby theme park of some kind. We all started to congregate in the cafeteria. Doug was introduced to everyone as they were seated and even Mr. Chen made an appearance to greet the new arrivals. Matthew seemed fascinated with him, but all that ended when Denny and Gus came in. From that moment on practically the only people that existed for him were Denny, Gus and Kevin. And they were all delighted with him.
Kevin escorted Matthew through the pick up line for lunch while Doug observed and Tim beamed. He couldn't have been more pleased to the way Matthew latched on to Kevin. He didn't even mind being replaced as current idol. Doug did not seem overwhelmed by the number of bodies who greeted him having apparently been well briefed during Tim's visit on the size and relationships in our group. I think Brendan and Todd being here and the fact Brenda was making an exit were the only surprises for him. He chatted with Tim and Dean during lunch. Matthew insisted on sitting between Kevin and Denny.
At the end of lunch, everyone said their `good byes' to Debra. Dean, Jamie and Ted excused themselves to accompany her out to the airstrip and Dale assigned Digger to go with them. Dale and Jason had interviews to conduct this afternoon and it was decided I wasn't needed to escort the visitors to their suite, so Brian and I took the rest of the group swimming.
Tim Wright - Tuesday morning
I couldn't be more pleased. Everyone here likes Doug and he thinks everyone is great. Matthew believes Kevin is the next best thing to ice cream and he doesn't know how close he is to being right. After lunch, I took Doug and Matthew to their suite. They were staying in the same suite Debra had used. When we entered, Doug was blown away.
"My God, Tim." he gasped. "This whole place is gorgeous. Is your place like this."
"No." I answered. "Kevin had a bachelor suite when I came and we chose to keep it. This is a couples suite. We'll show you our place in a little while." I took him through to look at the bedroom and bath. "We can bring in a cot for Matthew, if you like, or he can sleep with you in the king size bed. He might want to stay with Denny, down the hall though. Denny has two single beds in his room. Gus uses the extra one when he sleeps over."
"Well let's wait and see what Matthew wants to do later on." Doug suggested. I told him about everyone going swimming and asked if Kevin could take Matthew down. I assured him it was very well supervised.
"The one thing is," I commented. "no one wears a bathing suit." Doug looked at Matthew.
"Want to go swimming without a bathing suit." he asked the boy. Matthew nodded his head vigorously. "You listen to what Kevin tells you, understand ?" Another vigorous nod. Doug smiled at both of them and off they went.
"I want to talk to you about something." I told my brother. "Are you tired now ? Do you want to lay down for awhile."
"I'm fine, Tim." he assured me. "And the answer is `Yes', you may bring Matthew to live here with you and Kevin. These boys are loved and cared about by every person I've met today. I can't think of a better place for him to grow up."
"Thank you, Doug." I responded. "That takes a great load off my mind, but it isn't what I need to talk about. The best place for Matthew to grow up is with you. The boys who live here are very special, beyond what you can even imagine." I told him about The Prophesy of the Guardians. I explained what I had experienced and seen since I have been here. I told him about Kevin's shoulder and what had happened.
"Tim, you know what a skeptic I am about hocus pocus." he said. "I have accepted my fate, but it doesn't mean I have given up. If you believe in this, I will try it. I don't expect anything from it, but I will try it. I will meet with your people tomorrow and we will see what happens. I look at the surroundings here, the love and caring and just maybe this is the place where miracles do happen. Tell your friends I appreciate their concern and I will cooperate with what they want to try."
I was so pleased. I knew there had been no guarantees offered, in fact the boys had been somewhat negative about what they could do, but I knew if there was any chance at all, Kevin and his brothers would make it happen. I hugged Doug and told him how very important he was to me. We both shed a few more tears and then pulling ourselves together, we went to join everyone at the swimming pool.
Ted had paged me. I had just seen him at dinner and now there was a message he needed to see me right away. I knew there must be a problem of some kind. When I entered his office Ted, Dean and Denny were there.
"Tim, the boys need to see Doug tonight." he told me. "They need to see him now."
"Why ? What is wrong ?" I wanted to know. The two men turned and looked at Denny. I had never seen Denny look so seriously before.
"Tim." Denny addressed me in a voice I hardly recognized. "Doug will not wake up tomorrow morning, if we can not do something for him tonight." It took a moment for what Denny was telling me to sink in.
"You mean he's going to die ? Now ?" I asked. "How can you know that Denny ?"
"It is my gift and often my sorrow to see the future." he replied. I looked back at Ted and Dean.
"We've never known him to be wrong." Dean told me. "I think you should get Doug to see them tonight." I went immediately to see Doug.
"It's really tempting, isn't it ? Doug said.
"What's tempting ? I asked.
"If I see them tonight and I don't die, then they claim a success." he explained. "If I don't see them and I die, then they claim a success. Only if I don't see them and I live, do they claim an error. The only choice which really proves them true is if I don't see them and die. It's really tempting to see which way it goes."
"Doug," I insisted, "they don't claim anything. These boys are the best kept secret in the world. They don't want notoriety or recognition. This is their safe place, where they are growing up. Anytime they do something to help someone, they risk exposure. Take this seriously, I guarantee you it's not an act. One of the sweetest, young boys I've ever known just told me you would not wake up in the morning. He was not claiming anything, he was warning his friend, me." Doug thought carefully about what I had said.
"I know you want to believe in these Guardians." he told me. "It's a lovely concept, that four supermen come to us to help mankind. It's just a little too much for me. I'll see your Guardians in the morning as we arranged earlier today. I'm just not one for instant needs or instant solutions." I tried to change his mind, but it was set. He was going to ride out this storm and see where he was when it blew over. I did get him to concede to letting Matthew spend the night with Denny in the spare twin bed, but he would not allow me to spend the night here, with him.
Ted and Dean both wanted to talk to him. He politely told them he didn't wish to discuss it any further and he was anxious to proceed with this evening's activities. It was Monday and so we invited him to Dojo. Matthew was very interested in the classes and Shihan Chen took special time to work with him during the session. Denny was very upset and I heard the Shihan counseling him in accepting life and the decisions of others. He was better afterward, but I saw Ted and Dean stayed very close to him all evening.
Kevin could sense from both Denny and me there was a problem, but neither of us were letting any details slip out. Davey was staying very close to Matthew and I wondered just how much he knew about what was happening. After Community Swim and the Games Room, Ted and Doug took their young boys upstairs to tuck them in. Ted returned for awhile, but Doug had asked him to tell me, he was going to get a good sleep and had gone directly to his room.
I didn't sleep. Kevin seemed to know I wasn't interested in sex and did not even approach me. I just lay in bed and held onto him. The night was at least 100 hours long. I think every second ticked slower and slower. Kevin woke several times and slept uneasily other times. About 6:00 in the morning he rolled over and looked me in the eyes.
"Enough of this." he said forcefully. "Tell me what's wrong." I burst out crying and a bit at a time filled him in on what had happened. "Come on, let's go, Dad and Denny are both awake." We rose from the bed and pulling on pajamas and robes, we went around to Denny's room. It was empty. We found them across the hall in Ted and Dean's bed.
"Well, Matthew." Kevin said. "It didn't take very long for you to settle in."
"I was going to go and wake Daddy," he answered, tucked snugly in the bed next to Dean, "but Uncle Dean said we should let him sleep in for a change."
"I thought Dad might come with us for a few minutes." Kevin suggested. Ted nodded and slid out of bed leaving Denny under the covers. We went down to the guest suite and Ted opened the door with his pass code.
Tim -Friday night
The funeral was heavily attended. Doug had a lot of friends and associates. Dean had reserved the entire 18th floor of the city's five star hotel and brought the entire family. He even arranged for Debra to fly in. I was a mess, but Dean looked after everything. Ted looked after me, Matthew clung to Kevin and Denny while the other two boys supported each of us. Jamie, his gifts restored, kept track of us mentally and Davey monitored our emotional needs. All in all, a horrible experience was made as painless as possible. Doug had made all his arrangements in advance. He was buried two days later, next to Karen, his wife, as he had desired.
Friday morning Kevin and I took Matthew to his house. Kevin remembered all too well, what had happened to him, when his family had died and had been very careful to make sure Matthew was managing as well as he could. Matthew slept wrapped tightly around Kevin for the last three nights. Kevin told me the boy needed something solid on which to hold and I could see this in the house as he ventured here and there, always returning to touch Kevin or to hug him.
Matthew was already geared to come and live with us at the castle'. We came to the house so he could say good bye' and to pick up items that would be important to him in the years to come. His entire room contents would be moved, including his bed and furnishings. We were seeking other things which mattered to him. Slowly we went to each room and asked him to tell us about the room. This way he gave us clues of things which were important to him. A trophy his father had won, photo albums, a special picture of his mother and many other small items with meaning and significance. He was concerned about his bike and wagon and we assured him they would be brought.
We returned to the hotel and Matthew spent about an hour showing Denny his treasures and telling him all about them. Denny very patiently listened and admired each item, telling Matthew how special they were and how nice they would be in his new room.
"Matthew, when we get back to the `castle'," Denny suggested, "would you like to come and stay in my room ? You could have the bed you slept in and then it can be our room." Matthew's eyes got big.
"Oh, yes Denny." he answered. "I'll have to ask Uncle Tim and Kevin if that's okay."
"They'll say it's okay." Denny assured him. "You know, I always wanted a little brother, now I can have one."
That night Matthew didn't cling to Kevin while he slept. He and Denny shared a hotel room and he slept in a bed of his own, next to his new big brother's bed.
Dale - Wednesday afternoon
We all returned to the estate on Saturday. Mr. Chen arranged for the transfer of Matthew's personal items and by Sunday afternoon his clothing and furnishings had been moved into Denny's room. He seemed to settle in very well with Denny and began almost immediately to associate with the rest of the family. He maintained a very close contact with Tim and Kevin, but seemed comfortable with everyone else as well. He was quickly indoctrinated into Denny's morning routine and soon we knew a visit would be by two pair of cold feet, not just Denny's.
Dean and Ted had wrestled with canceling the July 4th weekend celebrations, but Tim had been insistent Matthew's routine and activities be put back on a normal cycle as soon as possible. He felt at this point the less time Matthew had to sit and think, the better for him. He joined Tim's instructional classes, I think to be with Denny at first, but was very quickly immersed in the learning programs. Debra had come back with us, thinking going home for a matter of days was a waste of time and travel.
Jason and I had a requested meeting scheduled with Dean and Ted on Wednesday morning. I hadn't given them a subject when I requested the meeting because I wanted to get their reactions first hand, not after they had thought it through.
"Jason and I have been talking and we want to adopt a child." I told them. They both immediately got big smiles on their faces. "We wanted to know what you thought and how it would effect our status in the corp. and specifically with our current assignments ?"
"Well I don't know guys." Dean said. "We really can't have fellas with kids around here, can we Ted ?"
"I don't see how." Ted responded. "Seems like an extreme idea to me."
"Okay you guys." Jason piped up. "I take it that means you will give us a recommendation."
"Why do you want a child ?" Ted asked. He was looking at me. "There are lots of kids here to love and play with. There are kids here who love you, my youngest son for example."
"I know and I love him too and the others," I admitted, "but I want the opportunity to be "Dad" to someone, one of the two central figures who guides them and no matter what, they know is there for them. I want someone to share the love I have for Jason and know we are theirs no matter what."
"The work you do here with our kids is as close to being a parent as you can come." Dean told us. "I don't know if there is actually a difference other than a piece of paper. You make decisions which effect the boys every day. I treat Matthew just the same as Denny or Jamie. I commend them, encourage them and discipline them, I believe equally. If you had a child in the group, I would do the same thing, as I expect you would also do."
"I think the difference is you look at the group and think one of those is mine and I look at the group and think one of those is Dean's." Jason commented. "We want to be part of the family, we want to have an investment in the group and family. We want one of them to be ours."
"You two will be excellent fathers, you already are." Ted stated. "I will be happy to give you my recommendation and blessing."
"I would like to make a suggestion to you." Dean said. "Jamie asked me awhile ago, if the Guardians identified a child or children to us who were special and to develop their potential they needed assistance, what could I do ? I assured him if funds were the answer it would be provided. He said sometimes money could solve the problem, but some would need homes and parents like he did."
"You think we could adopt one of those children ?" I asked. "You think the state will allow two gay males access to adoption ?"
"I think you should apply and get an approval done." Ted told us. "Then when the right child comes along, you will be ready." Dean had taken out his cheque book and had been writing while Ted spoke.
"Tomorrow, I want you two to go to Head Office, Corporate Accounting. See Frank Davis." Dean told us. "Tell Frank I sent you and he is to invest this in your names, with a high return, shielded income investment group. When you're asked how you will support the child if you get fired, show them the certificates. I too have every confidence you will make some child excellent parents." He handed Jason the cheque.
"Yes, Sir." Jason answered. We felt satisfied we had taken the first step and the four of us went to the cafeteria to meet everyone for lunch. It wasn't until later in the afternoon I saw Jason again and asked him about the cheque. He took it out of his pocket and handed it to me. The cheque, made out jointly in both our names, was for one million dollars.
Davey - Friday night
It had been a rushed two weeks. Matthew's father dying had been a shock. Some of us had dealt with death in some form before. I still remembered my mother's, Jamie remembered his grandparent's. Denny had never had a death of someone he knew happen. It wasn't until the day after I found out about Denny forecasting it. He felt a lot of guilt which he truly didn't deserve. Jamie and I spent time with him and helped him to talk about his feelings. It seemed to help and he refocused his attention to Matthew. I think they helped each other more than anyone else could help either of them. Somehow Doug's death gave them a common bond on which to build.
Doug had left Tim a note, knowing if all was well in the morning, no one would ever see it. He told Tim he was exhausted living with the unknown. His worst fear was Matthew would some morning discover his body and the thought haunted him constantly. One of the reasons he wanted Tim to come now was because of that fear, but having experienced the people here and the feelings each had for the others he could not be the instrument to tear Tim from his home and from Kevin. If Denny's forecast were true, then Matthew would not find him and if it were an error he planned on leaving Matthew here with Tim anyway. This knowledge helped both Tim and Denny.
Now it was Friday and we were going to spend the weekend on Dean's boat. The boat wasn't going anywhere, it was staying tied to the dock. We were just going to use it as a base for the weekend's celebrations. We were told to each pack a duffel bag with the clothes we wanted and to bring a couple bathing suits. Apparently nude swimming was frowned on in the city harbour. After lunch a group of cars were lined up ready to take us all to the boat.
When we all gathered in the Entry Hall there was quite a crowd. I started wondering how we were all going to fit on, much less sleep on, one boat. I was thinking about the ski boat we had used at the `cabin' that six of us had filled when we went for a ride. Even the big launch in the boat house, up on the straps, would have held only about 10 or 12 for riding. Then there was the fishing boat we had been on for deep sea fishing. It was quite a bit bigger, but this many people wouldn't have left any room for fishing.
We loaded into the vehicles and were off to the city and the waterfront. The drive didn't take too very long, but traveling through the city was slow. When we entered the waterfront district, you could see marinas where groups of small craft were in their slips waiting for their owners to come and drive them for weekly excursions of skiing and picnicking. The sail boat masts stood tall like fingers pointing to the sky.
"Where are we going ?" I finally asked, seeing as the marinas were giving way to the city waterfront.
"We arranged for Dean's boat to be moored at the city dock for the weekend." Dad told me. "The City Council agreed it would add to the sights and festivities." It seemed strange to me, but I knew I would find out soon enough.
"Oh, look everyone." Jason said from the front seat. "A Mississippi Steam Paddle Wheeler. Isn't it terrific. Look its down at the main dock. I wonder if it lights up at night."
"It sure does." Uncle Dean replied. "And a pretty sight it is." I finally caught on. That was Uncle Dean's boat."
"Wow." I said. "Are we really going to get to stay on that ?"
"You sure are," Dad replied, "and you better learn all about it too. Next week we're going to take a trip on it and you guys are going to be the crew."
The closer to it we got the bigger it grew. We learned it was a restored gambling ship from the 1870's that had cruised up and down the Mississippi River. The steam engines had been converted to diesel and it was beautiful. The main room was refurbished as a dining room and lounge which would accommodate 60 people. There were 10 passenger cabins and 4 toilets. They were separate from the bathrooms where what you actually did was bath or shower. There were 5 of them. The crew quarters slept 8 and the Captain had his own cabin.
Uncle Dean didn't let us know right off, but the Master's suite (his and Dad's room) was about three times the size of the normal staterooms and had a king size bed and its own shower. Everything was polished and shiny and the Captain came to greet us when we arrived. There was a crew of 6 and a cook with an assistant.
When we boarded, we all met in the lounge. We were told about all the activities going on in town and along the waterfront. Dale laid down the rules. No one went anywhere alone. There was to be a security officer with each person or group that left the boat. He stressed there were no exceptions and he looked at Uncle Dean when he said it. Uncle Dean pretended he hadn't noticed, but he did.
Aunt Debra asked Uncle Dean if he and Dad were going to be "Gentlemen" and offer the Master's suite to Mrs. Taylor and her. They both laughed and told her they had been "Gentlemen" when they made sure the ladies got a cabin with two lower berths in it, instead of bunks. She pretended to be insulted, but both ladies laughed at what he'd said. Mr. Chen was the only one who had a cabin of his own. He spent most of his time in the galley with the cook. It seems they were long time acquaintances.
We were assigned our cabins and I was pleased when Brian was my cabin mate. We moved in and stowed our gear. Tours of the boat were underway and we joined one. We saw everything from the wheel house to the engine room to the galley. We met the crew members. Three of them were regular employees and the other three were college students, hired for the summer. I noticed one of them took a special interest in Brian and Brian noticed I noticed and just laughed.
There was a group forming to go ashore and check out the activities. We decided to go and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and seeing all the special events. The next three days were fun and adventure. We sunned on the boat decks and at the city beach, where we also swam. It seemed like someone was always trying to slap sunscreen on us and I think at the end of the day Matthew, Gus and Denny were washing off about a hundred coatings. Each night the boat lights were turned on at dusk and stayed on until dawn. The crew maintained their standard watch, so there was always someone awake and monitoring the boat.
Each night there were some displays along the waterfront of fireworks, but on Monday night, the actual July 4th, McAdams Corp. sponsored a community fireworks display. It was the only time while we were there the display lights on the boat were turned off during the evening. We watched an hour and a half of the most colourful explosions you could ever imagine. Three barges in the river were the launching point for the show and the final set of displays included sparkles and pinwheels along the entire outline of the Paddle Wheeler. I'd never seen anything like it.
On Tuesday morning, we packed our duffel bags and loaded them into the vehicles. Every moment of the last four days had been a thrill for each of us. We were expecting to be back aboard in another week to have an actual week's cruise and to work as the ship's crew. We didn't know the trip would not prove possible until over a month from now.
The Prophesy of the Guardians
The House of Chen, being both old and honourable, shall be the Caretakers of this vision of the yet to come.
From this time forth, one son will be born to the House of Chen in each generation to the number of 110.
These males shall be the Caretakers and shall guard this knowledge until its time arrives.
In the world of new beginnings, a Shogun (Leader/Prince) of infinite wealth, after being lost and found again by his Samurai (Warrior Chief) will both learn that their real riches lie elsewhere. To them will come four treasures to be nurtured and guided. They will father the four to manhood. . During the course of their growth, the Father will meet a fatal end. He will be held first and forever
Each Guardian will possess gifts.
One will hold the gift of dreams and control of the emotions.
One will hold the gift of looking into and influencing the minds of his fellow man and knowing truth.
One will hold the gift of communication and know all languages, written and spoken.
One will hold the gift of prophesy and he will be the catalyst to the power of the four.
Each will sense the presence of others.
Together, as one, the Guardians will hold a gift never allowed before to man.
There are dark forces and men who fear the power of the Guardians and would use it for their own purposes.
Care must be taken to preserve them while they grow and develop their skills. They must learn to love and trust, so that they may serve the needs of mankind.
(Translation error included)
The next two Sections will wind up this story. THEY WILL BE POSTED SEPERATELY. Several people have written asking about continuing the series, but it seems to have dragged on for quite some time already.
I have decided for a time, maybe once or maybe five or six times, every two months I will post an excerpt from the diary or journal of one of the characters to let those who are interested catch up with the happenings on the estate surrounding our boys and their friends. When you get tired of this, don't e-Mail to tell me. I will discontinue when I don't get enough messages after a posting to let me know it is worth the effort to continue.
Thanks to all who have supported this effort. I truly hope you enjoyed the story and took away a little different view than you may have brought with you. I have kept all the e-Mails in series and they now total over 60 pages of notes (many per page). A suprising number have expressed a greater grasp of the sub-text than I had expected and I thank you for your very kind recognition.
Best regards, LJB