Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 16:47:39 -0800 (PST)
From: T. Chase McPhee <survivalgame@yahoo.com>
Subject: NATURE COUNTRY CHRISTMAS 08

The story below is a work of fiction, set in the
format of reality. Any resemblances to real people,
alive or in the hereafter, is entirely coincidental in
nature. It is not meant to accurately reflect upon
persons, in towns, cities, countries, nor governmental
areas, which the story is staged. If a sexual scene
involving male-to-male relationships offends you, then
you should not read this story. Additionally, if you
are under 18 years of age, in most state and
countries, you are not allowed to read this story, by
law. Check with your local laws regarding such. %
Sexual safety matters. Remember guys, this is fiction.
In real life, use protection.

%

NATURE COUNTRY CHRISTMAS 08
wriTten by T. Chase McPhee

%

"Hey dad-Steve! Look! Aidan woke up! And he can move
his legs!"

"Hi dad," Aidan said. "I missed you."

Steve came over, pecking him on the forhead, equally
adding, "I missed you too. Dad-Barry sends you his
love and hopes you're not too mad at him."

"For what?"

Not sure of his injuries, Steve refrains from too much
hugging, but memorizes the reaction of love, given and
taken. While Steve and his son chatted, Doctor Scalia
checked out the lower half, below the knees. As she
pulled the sheet up and examined, Philip followed
closely from the other side of the bed.

"He was a-wiggling his toes. Show'er Ai!"

Steve got out of the way so Aidan could see himself
wiggle his toes.

"It feels okay to move them, but it hurts."

"The EMT's figure you fell on your right leg. A little
sprain, perhaps."

"Good! Because today starts the campout!"

Steve could see in Aidan's eyes how much he was
looking forward to the church campout.

Philip excitedly adds, "Yeah! Roasting hot dogs over a
fire and telling scary stories!"

"Not for you, I'm afraid," Steve alerts Aidan.

"Oooooh," Aidan groans.

"Why not dad-Steve?" Philip wonders.

"Yeah, why not?" Aidan asks.

Doc Scalia stands there, on firm ground, with Philip.

"Do you think he's up to it, doc?"

"Let's see. Want to get outta bed, there young
fellow?"

Aidan slowly moves his feet to the edge of the bed,
then over the side. Quite by accident, having to have
to take a pee, his small cock shows through his
hospital apron.

"Oops. Gotta go."

Unphased, Doctor Scalia says, "Then let's see you go!"

Smiling through the bit of pain, Aidan puts his bare
feet on the floor.

"Cold!"

"Good."

"It's good his feet are cold?" Philip asks the doc.

"Good he can feel anything."

"Is there something I should know, that's going on
here?" Steve asks.

"Wait and see."

However, Aidan stands up and hobbles to the jon like
nothing's happened, a little limp in his right leg.

"I can walk okay. See?"

"But he's limping," Philip points out.

"Like I said," Doc Scalia cues them in, "a little
sprain. You're a brave lad, but it hurts a little,
doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Aidan says, hand on the jon door.

Philip moves with Aidan, coming up under his right
armpit, helping him along. The jon door closes behind
them.

"Does it hurt?"

"Only a little."

"Here, do like I did."

Philip takes the tail of Aidan's hospital gown,
unveiling his preteen dick.

"Hold it under your chin. Or I can hold it for you."

"No," Aidan replies, "I can hold my own cock."

"I didn't mean your cock!"

"No?"

Turning to Philip, Aidan's gown slips out from under
his chin, right in the way of the speeding, yellow
water.

"Oh shit!" Aidan yells out.

On the outside of the jon, Steve is apologizing to
Maria, for the shout from the jon.

"Boys will be boys." Then, towards the jon, Maria
yells, "You boys done in there?"

Philip walks in front of Aidan, hiding the big wet
spot.

"I had a little accident."

It's then Philip steps out of the way allowing Doctor
Scalia and Steve see the yellowed design.

"He let the tail slip out."

"Tail?" Doc Scalia asks.

"Yeah."

Philip gets a scolding from Aidan, as he shows Doctor
Scalia what he means, hiking the front tail of Aidan's
gown up to his chin. Very quickly the subject changes.

"So, can I go on the camping trip?"

Doctor Scalia goes along and says, "As long as your
dad is with you."

"Our dads?"

Suddenly Steve becomes very unpopular!



%

"Where you going, Maury?"

"Do you mean, `where have I been'?"

Looking up, his elbows propping himself up in bed,
Connor looks over Maury.

"Um, where?" He asks, cautious.

"Well, first I paid a visit to Barrs & Bridges, then
helped unload the food into Zach's SUV, then came home
and now I'm ready for a quick dunk in the pool."

"Um, everything go alright?"

"With?"

Each knew the other pussyfooted around, waiting for a
clue to be dropped. Connor nudged Jim.

"Hey Jim?"

"Whaaaaa," He stirred awake.

He noticed Maury, standing there, all dressed.

"Where you going?"

"It's not where he's going, Jim. It's where he's
been?"

Suddenly Jim becomes wide awake, aware of the prank
being history.

"Where?" He asks, innocently.

After Maury explains, the same story as told Connor,
he starts stripping.

"So, what did Chad have to say?"

"He wasn't there, but Zach had a mouthful and oh, by
the way, have either of you seen his new boyfriend?"

"No."

Both responded at the same moment.

"Good looking guy."

"Did Zach say anything else?"

"When? While I was there or when he called, waking me
up at the ungodly hour of five a.m.?"

"Either," Jim took the helm.

"Oh yes. There was the matter of cleaning up the
soda."

"And?"

"He had already cleaned it up, but said you two owed
him a washing and waxing of the entire store!"

On their knees, the foot of the bed, their well
endowed body parts hanging loose, the two complained
to the hilt.

"Gotja!"

Maury let his prank take it's ride.

"No, instead of owing him, you owe `me'."

"You cleaned it up?"

"Every last drop. My back aches, but I'm sure the warm
pool will do it good."

The two eighteen year olds wound up thanking Maury,
promising to help him soothe away his aches and pains.

"And oh, I volunteered you two for the campout."

"Campout? In this weather?"

"It's supposed to warmup."

"To what?"

"Around forty-five!"

"What?"

"Yeah and while you're out with all them little boys,
I'll be sitting here by the pool," the conversation
had found it's way down the stair and out on the
cement deck of the indoor, heated pool, "sipping a
mint julep."

"Aha! Gotja back!"

"What?" Maury inquires.

"Only Jim knows how to make the mint juleps the way
you like them."

"I found the recipe!"

"But what Jim didn't tell you is what he left out...."

"And what I put in?" Jim finishes.

"Then again," Maury states, "How about a body
massage?"

"Now?" Connor questioned.

Jim complains, "We just got up."

To go against Connor, Maury says, "Now would be good!"

As they walked back to where the coconut creme was
stored, Connor complained.

"You and your bright ideas, doofus!"

"Not necessarily."

>From the shelf, Jim took a tube of Bengay and hid it
in his hand.

"You wouldn't?"

"Wouldn't I?"

"Where?"

"Ever hear of `Balls d'Flambe'?"

"You wouldn't?"

"Nope. I'm not that harsh, but I think a little rub
onto each nip will get him in the pool dam quick!"

As they approach, Maury detects a scam.

"What have you there, James?"

Right away the two get the idea Maury knows.

"What on earth do you mean, `Maurice'?"

"Hee heee... haven't heard anybody call me `Maurice'
in a dog's age."

"Was the dog as old as you?"

"Funny. Real funny. So, whatcha got there? A little
Bengay?"

"How'd you know?"

What was going to be a surprise, is out in the open.

"Makes Ron DiPiero hard everytime."

"What makes him hard?"

"Slapping a wad of Bengay on his balls."

"You mean he asks for it?"

"Well, not the first time. The first time he screamed
like hell."

"Really?" Connor asks. "What'd you do?"

"Tied him eagle-spread to this chair here that I'm
sitting in, greased up my fingers, pushed his legs
apart and fondled his balls."

"He must've been screaming hell mad at you."

"Screaming, sure, but did his cock firm up quick!"

"Really?" Both eighteen year olds asked.

"Yup. Don't suppose you boys ever felt what it was
like now, have you?"

'Nope', both reply, Jim adding, "And we never intend
on having Bengay put on our balls, so let's get that
straight!"

"Sure, but you were so quick to apply it to my balls,
were ya?"

"Nah," Connor answered, spelling out the plan, "Jim's
idea was to put it on your nips!"

"Nips, were ya?"

"Thanks, birdbrain," Jim tells Connor.

Maury thinks faster than the two, coming up with a
devious plan.

"It's not so bad."

"You did it to Ron's nips too?"

"Had it done to myself, matter of fact!"

"You did it to yourself?"

"Yeah," Maury lets out the truth, "part of bdsm is
trying some of it on yourself, before doing it to a
guy."

"Did you put Bengay on your balls?"

"Oooooh no. I'm not that much of a masochist."

"Hurt like hell, I bet?" Connor inquires.

"Not for the first five seconds. Want to try?"

"No way," Jim says.

Connor on the other hand replies, "Maybe. You first."

Right now, all this talk about applying Bengay to
balls and nips, has swelled his package immensely.

"Me?"

Looking down, it's no secret how much it's turned all
three on.

"Yeah," Jim sees an outlet for a little `dare-play'.
"See who can stand it the most."

"So, you want to get a little wager going, eh?"

"Me?" Jim asks. "Oh no. I'm not having my nips burning
hot."

At times like these, certain subjects, talked about,
have their way of coming out.

"He's afraid."

"Of what?" Maury asks Connor.

Grinning, Connor states, "He's so proud of the hair
coming in on his chest, he doesn't want anything to
hamper it."

"Me?"

Jim gets back at him.

"At least I don't shave the little I have to make it
look like I have a treasure trail?"

"I cut two little hairs with the scissors, okay?"

Maury breaks off the feud, "Alright boys. We can
compare bodies later? Are you in Jim?"

"Maybe. What's the stakes?"

"Whoever can stand the Bengay on their nips the
longest, um... ah... doesn't have to buy pizza the
next time."

"You're on. So, what do we do?"

"Well, we can do this one of two ways."

"Yeah?"

"Either we can each apply it to the other, at the same
time. Or, we can apply the Bengay to a pair of your's
or Connor's nips and time it."

"'Got a question?"

Connor like raises his hand, as if in school.

"Shoot."

"If we do it separate, do you like tie us down?"

"Do you want to be tied down?" Jim asks Connor.

Shrugging his shoulders, Connor replies, "It might
help me to stand it longer. What do you think?"

For Jim, it's up to him. In Maury's opinion, he
wouldn't mind binding the teen to the lounge, even in
fun and sport, applying the Bengay to Connor's teen
nips.

"I don't want to be tied down," Jim says, when Maury
looks at him. "I can take it, no problem."

Maury smiles. He knows what it's like for a
first-timer, taking the hot cream on any part of the
body. He's actually looking forward, not so much as
Connor, but watching Jim try to `take it', not so as
from the contest view, but to take his ego down a peg
or two!

%

Not being able to get much sleep, Justin falls onto
his back, then rolls out of bed. Going to the jon, he
takes his morning leak.

"This was `not' a good idea."

"Oh. G'morning Antonio."

"And don't change the subject."

"I'll be done in a minute."

"You're avoiding me, Justin."

"I'm concerned about my hand."

Justin unwraps it.

"Your concerned about Christian. Look," he grabs at
Justin's free arm, "I'm not into stealing boyfriends.
I'm sorry even I spent the night in your bed, okay?"

Shrugging, Justin says, "I'm not."

"You're not? You're crazy, man."

"Who's crazy?"

Christian shows up.

"G'morning Antonio, excuse me."

Antonio gets a slap to the back, Justin getting
Christian's lips on the side of his cheek, as he makes
his way past the convesation and to the toliet.

"See, you're being over reactive."

"Maybe. Sorry."

Waiting outside the room, Christian already gathered
up his thoughts.

"How's the hand?" Christian shows more interest.

"Good. It only hurts a little when I move it."

"Are you going to be able to play Sunday?"

"Nobody else is."

Antonio watches as Christian finishes dribbling his
piss, shaking it off, then proceeding to stand behind
Justin, their bodies making contact, bare front to
bare back. Christian sweetly kisses the top of
Justin's shoulder.

"I heard what you two were talking about and I think
you both are over-reacting. Antonio, it was nice
having you in bed, but there's only one guy I `love'
love."

"I know and I feel the same way too... about being in
bed. It was nice not to sleep alone, especially after
watching `Stephen King'!"

"Wuss!" Justin accuses him of being.

"Any of his movies scares the hell outta me."

"How's the hand?"

>From the frame of the door, Uncle Seb stands there,
fully dressed in his flannel shirt and jeans, boots on
his feet.

"Anybody interested in some snow shoveling exercise?"

"Did it snow that bad out."

"There's a good four inches. Some will melt off. And
oh, you got a phone call, Justin."

"From who?"

"Terence Beethoven. He says the consensus stands at
still going on the overnight, so you're still on for
leading the Christmas Carols tonight."

"At least I don't need to play for it."

"And I think you're in bad enough shape to get out of
shoveling the snow?"

"Sorry guys," Justin says, then smiles.

"Not a problem, Uncle Seb," Antonio says. "I used to
earn big bucks shoveling, when I was a kid."

"I'd suggest some clothes?"

Uncle Seb laughed his ass off, dodging the water
flicked from Christian's and Antonio's fingers.

"I know this might be a stoopid question, but is your
Uncle Seb, gay?"

"What took you so long to ask?" Justin questions
Antonio.

"Yeah," Christian answers him, "it `is' a stoopid
question!"

"I was wondering, with all this male flesh abounding."

"Don't worry. He wasn't eyeing up your hot physique,
Antonio."

All around the same height, 5'10 vs. 5'11 and 172
pounds, Christian and Antonio had no problem being
outfitted in Justin's clothing. Being Uncle Seb the
owner of the town's `Army & Navy' store, Justin's
closet and bureau drawers are well stocked!

%

"Preppy, are you in there?"

Totally ignoring Matty, Chad backs his head up, the
switches it around, from left cheek on the pillow, to
plopping his right side down.

"What a snob! I gave you last night off from porking
me and the least you can do is be nice to me."

Turning, his face back into Matty's, Chad says,
"You're even cute when you're mad, you know?"

"So, playing hard to get, eh?"

Slowly, Matty works his hand under the sheet, first
finding the light glaze of hair covering Chad's thigh,
then the thicker bush, finally finding his target.

"Am I?" Chad asks, like a wise guy.

All Matty has to do is wiggle his eyebrows, saying,
"I'm getting it `there'."

"Mmmmm.... feels nice with your hand, however...."

"Say no more, Preppy!"

Tearing the sheet off the bed, Chad moved from faced
down to up, same time accomodating his lover, moving
his legs wide apart. As if `made-to-order', Matty's
knees fit right at the knees.

"Hee heee..." he giggles.

Like the tease he can be, a quick slurp wets the tip
of Chad's timber, his tongue holding it up, before his
hands grasps the partially hard cock, ready to firm it
up with wet and stroking.

"Ooooooh yeah!"

"This'll teach ya to snub me!"

"Sure will," Chad says, both exchanging glances.

Suddenly Chad's cellphone rings.

"Quick! My pants pocket!"

Ripped right away from Matty's attention, Chad is on
his feet, leaving his lover totally disappointed.

"Hello? Yeah, Terence, Maury Passat has the stuff in
his....
what? It's cancelled? Oh... Okay...
No problem. We'll give you a rain check, or snow
check?
Right.
Bye."

After folding the phone in half, Matty, splayed out on
the bed summises, "Cancelled, eh?"

"Yeah. Terence says a new storm is headed our way.
It's bad enough one dumped four inches on us."

Chad settles back down on the bed. Matty goes right
for his privates.

"Y'know," Chad points out, "with the storm coming,
there's going to be a run on milk and other staples."

Matty knew this was too good to be true!

"I wonder where Kevin Spangler is?"

"Prolly with the new love-of-his-life."

"And that would be?"

"Birdy. I got more of `Michael Bird this' and Michael
Bird that', than back stock on Cheerios!"

"It's about time Michael got some guy to stick around.
So, you think he's there?"

"I'd bet my bottom dollar!"

"What's his number?"

"Hit `B'."

"Hmm.. Birdy's... logical."

Matty figured it was time to head for the jon.

"Hey, where you going?"

"Shower."

"Sorry."

He knew Matty was disappointed, with all the fuss of
getting a taste of him.

In the jon, Matty turned on the hot, measuring it even
with the cold. He looked in the mirror, spying a zit.
He looked around, then popped it quickly.

"I saw that!"

"You find Kevin?"

"Yup. He's a little ahead of us."

Matty wondered what Chad meant, just by showing it.

"The shower."

"You said `us', meaning at least we're getting a
shower together?"

"Maybe more," Chad wiggles his brows, smiling.

"Cool!"

He's never seen Matty hop in the shower so fast. As
usual, even though he made a beeline for the instant
rain, when Chad entered, he allowed him to shade him
partially from the cascading water.

"Oooooh, feels good."

"You said the same thing about me sucking you."

"This is even better...owwwwch!"

Chad got a handslapping to his ass, for the crude
remark.

"Something you haven't given me in a long time."

"I haven't, have I?"

Taking Matty in his arms, reaching way behind him,
Chad starts tapping out a rhythm on Matty's asscheeks,
a special timbre created with applied water!

%

"Sorry boys. I know how much you were anticipating
this campout."

For Denis, Mark, Tom and Eric, it was no sweat all
their brows, but for Aidan and Philip, they appeared
devastated from the cancellation of the church
outting.

"Why?"

Their dad explained, as the two hesitated, hands still
on cereal boxes, readying to pour.

"We have four inches on the ground now. It might not
be much, especially since we made it home alright."

"Don't you think it was nice of Doctor Scal-ya to let
me come home?"

Spoken like a professional conversationalist, Aidan
spells it to his dad.

"Very nice."

"I think," Philip adds, "we should get her something
for Christmas."

"Like a kit,"Aidan says, "on how not to be grumpy?"

As had happened with Philip and dad-Steve, Aidan and
Philip engage in the very same conversation.

"Doctor Scal-ya is only doing her job. She's not
really being mean or grumpy."

"Still, somebody should tell her."

"I'm sure they have."

"You think so dad-Steve?" Philip questions.

"I don't think it made a difference, if they did,"
Aidan says. "She still does it."

"Like Philip was saying, she's only trying to
reinforce the rules."

"I suppose."

Aidan recalls one of the first times Philip and he
became roommates, about a year ago. The night they
tried staying in the same bed, they got snagged. At
first the two thought maybe it's because their dads
didn't want to have anymore kids. All they knew is
sleeping in the same bed, caused then to have a baby!
It became a good time to explain about the birds and
the bees, or two men can't have a baby, at least.

"That's okay," Philip begins to say, "we can use the
time to wrap..."

"Shhhh.. Phil!"

"Oh yeah. Almost spilled the beans!"

Steve knew something was up with the two.

"Remember you're supposed to be off of your leg as
much as possible."

"I know. It wouldn't take standing to...."

"Aaaaaiiiiii!" Philip caught Aidan almost ready to say
`it'!

"Hi guys!"

>From the banging of the screen door and the familiar
greeting, the Clark-Barr household knew the two
backyard scroungers were arriving just in time for
breakfast. From the kitchen, Max appears with two
bowls, two spoons and a fresh container of milk.

"Going somewhere, Max?"

While serving up Diego and Seth, he already had on his
coat and gloves.

"Yeah. Barr's & Bridges. Didja hear the campout was
cancelled?"

"Terence called," Steve was quick to mention. "I
suppose you're stocking up for the big storm headed
our way?"

"Exactly. Plus some."

For Steve's benefit, since only he paid attention, Max
mentioned `some', in lieu of Diego and Seth!

"Oh, by the way, Berk noticed a couple of loose
shingles on the roof of the house."

"Where?"

A sudden tapping overhead, pointed out the direction.

"There?"

Max's finger pointed to the left of the skylight.

"Hey guys, look!" Seth looked up at the skylight.

He pointed to Berk with his milk-covered spoon.

"It's Berk!"

"What a clown," Steve comments.

"Yeah. He can't wait til we can have kids of our own."

Philip says, "You  and Berk can't have kids. You need
to adopt some!"

"Like I didn't know that," Max whispers to Steve,
followed by, "I'm outta here."

"No problem. I'll take care of clean up," Steve
offers.

%

"I think us three guys should have a talk."

Uncle Seb had left, to open the store. Gathered around
the square table, Justin, Christian and Antonio had
assembled, coming in from shoveling duty.

"Who wants hot chocolate?"

"Me!" Each said, like little kids, answering Justin's
inquiry.

"So, what do you think?"

"About?"

Unsure of the nature of Antonio's questioning, Justin
went for the easiest way to derive the information.

"My car."

"Oh, your car," Christian states, then asks, "I
thought you meant about last night."

"Look, guys. It was a mistake for me to stay here last
night."

"Geesh, guys," Justin says, "didn't we already go over
that issue in the jon?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Christian loves me and that's that!"

"But..."

"Well, get it out," Christian badgers him. "Say it."

"I better just go."

"Dammit, Antonio!"

"Alright! I kind of like Justin, too, okay!"

With raised tension, Antonio got up, raced to the door
and left. Shutting the gas on the stove off, Justin
headed in the same direction, leaving Christian at the
table. As he pondered the matter, it became clear to
him that, in one evening, he kind of started to feel
attached to Antonio. So, he decided to get outside and
show his opinion, taking up three coats with him.

%

At Barr's & Bridges', the place was a madhouse. Chad
had already rib-tickled Zach into having Neil bag.

"Bet he didn't think this came with the territory?"

"He's studying to become a vet, so don't get your
hopes up!"

"Always looking for quality people."

"I know. Oh, by the way, somebody parked in the
loading dock, so Kevin's selling milk right off the
truck!"

"Right off the truck?"

Sure enough. Walking to the front window, there stood
Kevin's double-parked truck, handing a customer a
gallon of milk for the special price of $2.50.

"He'll be out of milk in an hour or two," Matty snuck
up behind him to say.

"How's the bread?"

"Money's coming in pretty good."

"No, doofus! I meant the `bread' bread. Like white
bread?"

"Ooooooh, `that' kind of bread!"

Chad rolled his eyes.

"Deprivation!"

"Is that what you call it?" Matty allowed the calling
for his slip of the mind.

"So?"

"It's holding up, but Andy and Marco are cutting a lot
of meat."

"Meat, eh?"

"Looks like I'm not the only one deprived, huh
Preppy?"

Chad smiled and the two went about their business.

%

In their room, Philip and Aidan are showing Diego and
Seth their hand made gifts for their dads.

"I ain't got no money..."

"Remember, you're not supposed to say `ain't got'?"
Diego corrects Seth.

"Oh yeah. I don't have no..."

"Any."

"I ain't got... no... I don't have any money. See what
I learned in school?"

"Sounds goo, Seth," Philip tells him.

"Pretty soon you will sound like us," Aidan suggests.

"Yup. Thanks to my dads."

"What do you mean? What did they do for you?"

Diego fills them in.

"My... our dads hired Mr. Hernandez to help Seth talk
right."

"Yeah," Seth says, "and ya know what?"

Wrapping green paper around the red candle, Aidan
asks, "What?"

"Mr. Hernandez is gay!"

Philip says, "Almost everybody we know is gay."

"Like who?" Seth asks.

"Aidan, you and Diego," Philip counts on his fingers,
"Chad, Matty, Sean, our brothers," he skips over four
digits, recounting his hands, "Zach Roberts, his new
boyfriend...."

"Maybe we shoulda asked ya who wasn't gay, who ya
know?"

"Aunt Bernice?"

"And Alberto!" Aidan offers up.

"Sometimes Alberto `looks' gay," Seth says.

"When?"

"When he gets excited and all."

"Yeah, but he's not gay most of the time," Diego
deduces.

Standing up for the man who has introduced him to the
delights of Zebra Cake, Aidan defends, "So that makes
him `not gay'!"

Not to change the subject, but to see all the handmade
crafts, candles, rock candy, Seth says, "We don't have
anything for our daddies."

"You didn't make them anything in school?"

Diego offers, "I have a test with an `A' on it."

"That's not a gift," Aidan blasts him, "It has to be
something like this."

"It's a clothespin," Seth says, as if to belittle the
gift.

"It's attached to this here stand. You can attach it
to anything and clip a reminder on it."

"Oh. I thought it was clothes."

"Think," as if one of the older guys, Aidan quizzes,
"does this look like a clothesline, doofus?"

"What's a doofis?"

"A doofus is a guy that's a doof."

"What's a doof?" Diego inquires.

"A guy who is doofy."

"What's being doofy?" Seth asks.

"An idiot!"

"So, you're calling me an dumb?"

Pretty soon, words lead to actions. Soon enough, the
two boys, nine and twelve are rolling around on the
floor. Diego and Philip are trying to break them up.
Back and forth, Seth hits up against the bureau. One
of Aidan's gifts fall off, the candle, glass breaking.
Immediately the scuffle breaks up.

"Uh-oh."

Right away, Aidan is on it, picking up the already
wrapped paper. He tears away at it.

"You broke it! You broke my dad's candle!"

"My what?"

"Dad," Aidan almost in tears, "Seth broke my gift for
you!"

In ten seconds flat, Seth is out of there. The back
screen door is heard banging shut.

"Do you mind telling me how this happened?"

Of the three of them, Philip is made to tell the
story. By word and bond, he wants to stick up for
Aidan, but in reality of the situation, points out how
`both' were rollicking about, `both' name calling,
`both' trying to pull punches, when Seth was pushed
into the bureau.

"Thanks, Phil."

Aidan, reluctant to concede, especially where the
broken gift came into play, sat down, complaining of
his sore leg.

"All the more reason you shouldn't be fighting," Steve
tells them.

"I better go find Seth," Diego says, excusing himself.

"So, what are we going to do about this?"

"He broke your present, dad."

"Not as I see it."

Steve first looks to Philip, then back at Aidan. He
picks up the torn open package.

"This can be glued."

"But it's broken dad. I can't give it to you now."

"It's broken and can be fixed. What about Seth's
feelings? Don't you think he's hurt as much as you?
How would you feel if you broke the gift he's giving
his father?"

"They don't have any."

"But if they did. If Diego or Seth made something for
their dads and you broke it, how would you feel?"

"Terrible," Philip offers.

"Yeah," Aidan agrees.

"Instead of fighting, why don't you think of a way you
can help the boys `make' something for their dads."

"Really?" Philip liked the idea already.

Aidan joined in, "Will you help us?"

"Sure I will."

Steve was all hyper, as much as the boys.

"But I want you to slow down with that leg of your's."

"I will."

"Now, let's go see if we can find out what happened to
`your' friend?"

%

Standing at the side of the truck, it seemed to Kevin
Spangler it was getting warmer, instead of cooler.
First he had taken off his jacket, then loosened a
coupla buttons of his flannel shirt. Many a customer,
lining up for a gallon of milk, accused him of working
too hard! From the distance he thought he heard
thunder. Then, across the parking lot, underneath the
cars, little streams of mud formed.

"Oh shit!" He called out, when he looked up.

%

2B continued in "Nature's Fury!"

Copyright 2006 T. Chase McPhee
This story may not be sold, nor made part of any
collection, without prior consent from the author.