Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2014 20:34:29 -0400
From: Eff Del <nolitimere156@gmail.com>
Subject: Flights of Angels-Chapter 9

Flights of Angels-Chapter 9

By Eff Del



Never believe those who try to tell you that love hurts.

It is Fear that hurts, anger hurts.

Loneliness is an aching. Grief is an agony.

Jealousy is a burning canker.

Love is healing. It is a soothing balm that can of itself restore and
cleanse.

Love is the antithesis of pain.

Those who tell you otherwise are fools or loveless liars.

Love is the cure; it is never the cause of hurting.



I turned the heavy cut crystal tumbler around in my hands; staring at it
absently. I watched the light play against its faceted surface. As it
passed through the glass and the golden liquid it contained, complex white
and amber patterns danced crazily over the surface of my desk.

While my eyes were involved in this distraction, my mind was busily
reviewing the events of the past few days.

The afternoon at the gun range had been wonderful. In a remarkably short
time, Andy had worked his usual sorcery with Jack and Chris.

Through osmosis or some personal magic, the ancient Welshman had imparted
to the two novices the knowledge and the skill required to handle a shotgun
with confidence and accuracy. While the speed and success of his
instructions might appear miraculous to a stranger, it was simply typical
Andy.

We were all able to shoot several rotations in friendly competition with no
one feeling incompetent or grossly unqualified.

After we'd each destroyed our fair share of clay pigeons, Andy and Doc
Swaim had begun another marathon shot for shot competition. These
remarkable contests had been taking place between the two of them since the
Professor's first visit to Joyous Gaurde all those many years ago.  They
took turns calling out and firing almost robotically as Sean manned the
button on the target launcher. With no small regret, I'd finally brought
this amazing demonstration of marksmanship to a halt after 300 clays had
been launched and neither of the men had missed once.

The Professor had kept Jack at Fish Camp for three more days gently drawing
information about life in the NEST from the boy. These interrogations were
liberally interspersed with long periods of diversion; particularly
fishing. Sean had stayed with them the whole time so that Jack was never
lonely or apprehensive.

During Sean's absence, my bed had not been empty. Chris had shared it and
his wonderful body with me. These erotic and energetic interludes had been
stimulating and renewing for both my body and my soul. It had been years
since I'd enjoyed sober adult sex and longer than that since I'd
participated in anything even resembling an affectionate adult relationship.

Chris was now gone. He had left early in the morning two days ago; driving
up north to put his affairs in order before returning to begin his new life
as a key player in the 'Great Game'.

I'd walked to the garage with him and must have seemed like a fussy old
Nana. I kept nagging; making certain he thought he had enough money.
Smiling indulgently he assured me Phil had given him a significant cash
advance and then reminded me that he also now carried three credit cards
issued by separate individual companies within our network.

He'd politely responded to my questions regarding his plans for the drive
by reminding me that I'd assisted him in plotting the route and making the
hotel reservations. He'd further pointed out that the black Lexus LX I was
having him drive, had less than five thousand miles on it and was equipped
with a high end navigation system.

At my suggestion, he and Richard had gotten together and they had selected
and ordered the furniture for his apartment. His original choices were far
too Spartan and low end in my opinion and I'd insisted that he indulge in
more pieces and of far better quality. It had actually taken some coaxing
but he had finally agreed.

Richard had assured him that he himself would oversee the delivery and
placement of all the pieces.

The apartment would be in move-in condition for him upon his return to the
estate. It would of course, be up to him to personalize it and make it his
home.

Before opening the door to the shiny SUV, Chris had drawn me into tight
hug. He gazed fiercely at me, his hazel eyes moist with unshed tears. His
handsome face bore a weak half smile as he spoke in a quiet voice; assuring
me that he would be back in two weeks.

We had already spent many hours discussing our already confusing and
potentially complicated relationship. Our best conclusion thus far, had
been the simple realization that we shared deepening affection for each
other. For now at least, that was sufficient. Everything else would work
itself out through time and circumstances.

We'd kissed discreetly and he'd climbed into the car and disappeared down
the long winding drive towards the gatehouse.

I was walking across the parking lot feeling more than a little melancholy,
when the 'Red Kitty' wheeled in from the path through the woods.

Sean skilfully parked his cart and the pair of them jumped out with waving
arms and raucous calls of greeting.

I was soon tackled and embraced by both exuberant, beautiful boys.

Amid hello kisses and happy hugs, I received assurances from each of them
that the 'project' was over and that the Professor had given them the day
off.

Jack's day of testing in the library was scheduled for the next day. Thanks
to assurances from Sean, and reinforcement from me, he was far less
apprehensive of the ordeal than Sean had been. He was still concerned of
course, and in my own mind that was a healthy attitude.

I suggested they take their overnight bags upstairs and after unpacking,
meet me in the pool. I did not have to make the suggestion twice and in
what seemed like mere minutes we were all three naked and wet.

An hour or so later, they had slaughtered me 10 to 4 in a game of two on
one water polo. As gracefully as possible, I declined a rematch.

Martha smiled all through lunch and dinner. Apparently the addition of
another boy to the 'family table' was more than just alright with her; it
was perfect and she was beside herself with happiness..

She and Jack had hit it off from the very start. It was almost comical to
watch her cluck and fuss over her two 'little darlin's'.

 I noted with approval that Jack loved every second of her adoring
attention as much as Sean did.  Of course, neither of them remembered their
mothers or grandmothers but in Martha, they certainly had an exquisite
surrogate. Their shared bond and deep affection was instinctive.

That evening, at Sean's suggestion, we had given Jack his first bath.

Like Sean, the young red head only remembered showers. Having grown up in
the collective environment of the NEST, any actual baths would have been
experienced during infancy and were therefore forgotten.

After allowing him the sybaritic pleasure of his first solitary hot soak
for as long as we could stand it, Sean and I had given into temptation and
joined him in the steaming, bubbling water. The three of us laughed and
giggled as we played 'grab ass' splashing like small children in the big
tub. I'd mused humorously to myself, that I might be becoming addicted to
the feel of sleek wet boy flesh.

Nothing had been mentioned regarding sleeping arrangements but I was not
very surprised when two freshly dried but still naked boys followed me from
the bathroom directly into my bedroom. Without a word, they crawled onto my
bed smiling at me. I decided that future night time plans could be
discussed later but for tonight, I simply climbed in with them and accepted
the tactile pleasure as their warm smooth skin wiggled up against mine.

 After about half an hour of shared kisses and hugs, we had fallen asleep
in a tangle of arms and legs.

Sean and I walked Jack down the hall to the library the next morning.
Despite assurances from both of us, the older boy was pensive and his face
was as serious as I'd ever seen it.

Doc Swaim met us at the door and with an encouraging smile at Jack and a
friendly ruffling of his ginger hair, he escorted the boy into the room;
leaving us outside in the hall.

While Jack was behind closed doors undergoing his testing, Sean and I
enjoyed what was suddenly becoming a rare event...a day spent together; just
the two of us.

As an initial diversion, we'd played a couple of games of 8 Ball in the
game room.

Under John's gentle tutelage, Sean was becoming quite accomplished for a 12
year old. It was fun to play against him even though the flow of the game
was somewhat stilted by the fact that he needed to move his step stool
almost every time it was his turn to take a shot.

He was not yet so skilled that I couldn't beat him with relative ease, but
I tried to make things seem more competitive without making it obvious. I
also suspected that it would not be too long before the boy's abilities
improved so much as to made such subterfuge unnecessary.

The pleasure he derived from the game was apparent with every movement of
his graceful body and every happy expression on his face. For the ten
thousandth time I drank him in with my eyes marveling at the fact that this
wonderful boy managed to find joy in everything he did. Watching him was
for me, far more enjoyable than the game itself.

Driven by an unspoken desire to spend our day engaged in diverse shared
activity, we'd eventually left the game room and strolled across the car
park to the garage.

Spotting John over by his workbench, we'd walked over to talk with him.
After a lengthy pleasant conversation, we'd roared away in the 'red cat'
just to enjoy the ride and each other's company.

Eventually, we'd found ourselves laughing over burritos while sitting at a
table in Cocina Alfredo.

In a light hearted way, we were actually playing catch up with each other
after what seemed like a long separation. We had become very comfortable
with our almost constant togetherness. It felt like we had been apart from
each other much longer than we actually had been.

Though neither of us spoke the words, it was obvious that we missed the
exclusivity of the relatively private lifestyle we'd enjoyed together for
so long. In a way, it was almost as if our privileged relationship had
suddenly been intruded upon. There was room in both of our lives and hearts
for other people, but no one else could match the passionate love we felt
for each other.

Ours was the rarest and purest of all possible associations and nothing or
no one could touch it or mar it.

 I knew that today, in our own way, we were each trying to assure the other
that our bond was as strong and unique as it ever was.

When we'd returned to the estate, we headed straight for the pool house,
shucked off our clothes and had a wonderful afternoon in the pool. It
occurred to me that the water had become an essential element in our
relationship. If the world seemed confusing, busy or intrusive, we seemed
to instinctively retreat to the comfort and safety that the water provided.
We were always drawn to each other and nurtured there.

Sean showed off his blossoming diving skills and I'd noted that even
without Chris there to correct and coach him, the boy's entrances into the
water at the termination of each dive were becoming more and more vertical
and clean.

Sean had the inherent ability to learn a thing quickly and, having once
learned something, he required little effort to perfect it. This was a
talent of mind and body that I never ceased to wonder at and admire.

As I watched, I also thought wistfully, that competitive diving was really
missing the boat by not requiring all divers to compete nude. The sight of
Sean; clad only in sunlight, soaring with such skill and grace through the
air was nothing short of stunning.

Throughout the afternoon, seldom did more than fifteen minutes pass without
my boy finding an excuse and opportunity to hug and kiss me. More often
than not, these precious exchanges were wordless...silent save for the
occasional cute little giggle.

The weather was exceptionally beautiful that afternoon but even if it had
been overcast, my day would have been illuminated by the brightness of his
perpetual smile.

Around three o'clock, a very relieved looking Jack turned the corner by the
tall hedge. He spied us, and with a grin, he ran towards the pool. He was
pulling his shorts down and awkwardly trying to step out of them without
breaking stride. The result was a comical spectacle and it ended with him
tumbling headfirst into the water with his shorts bunched around his
ankles.

He remained under water for what seemed like an extended period.

When he broke the surface, he'd quickly tossed his shorts onto the deck
and, he was wearing his light blue underpants on his head like a cap.

His green eyes flashed and a silly grin was stretched across his face.

Waggling his eyebrows, he duck- dived below the surface. The last thing to
slide below the water was his wonderful round ass effectively mooning Sean
and me.

Our retaliation for this 'insult' was swift and involved a great deal of
groping and grabbing in very private places.

The three of us played in the pool for another couple of hours before it
was time to shower, dress and make our way inside for supper.

The Professor joined us for the meal and a great deal of good-natured
taunting and teasing banter flew across the table. It was fun watching the
big man acting silly because it was something that he seldom did.

After dinner, he explained that Jack's testing had been very satisfactory.
While he would need a couple of days to complete his full evaluation, he
expected both boys in the classroom tomorrow to resume their educations
which had been 'neglected for too many days now'.

Sean and Jack exchanged glances upon hearing this announcement and their
contrived expressions of forlorn dismay were so hysterical that I couldn't
control my laughter.

The boys bid the professor good night and headed up to get ready for bed. I
knew without ever discussing it that I would once again be sharing my bed
with both of them. This was a situation I was going to need to evaluate and
address soon but right at the moment, it was certainly not an unpleasant
prospect and I had a more urgent matter to attend to.

Doc and I sat in the library, drinks in hand. He had packed up all of the
equipment he'd used today. The room held no indication of the activities
that had taken place earlier.

After some small talk, we got down to business. Reaching into his worn
leather portfolio, he handed me a brown binder and looked at me pointedly.

"Ah the wonders of Email and the Internet Eric," he smiled. "I sent the raw
interview recordings to my assistant Tess back at the University and she
transcribed them for me. In the old days, she would still be waiting for my
tapes to arrive in the mail.

 I've edited out my actual questions unless it was useful to indicate them
in the text. This way, it reads like a continuous narrative from the boy."

I successfully suppressed a giggle as I watched his black rimmed eyeglasses
slide down to the tip of his nose. Without thought, he pushed them back up
with two fingers before he continued speaking.

"This makes for fascinating reading Eric. The boy was certainly forthcoming
with his answers to all of my questions although, truth be told, once he
got started on his story; he required little prodding or even direction
from me.

You'll find it a straightforward account of a happy and stimulating youth
spent under a unique system of child-rearing that has much to be admired. I
shall look forward to discussing it with you once you've read it and
absorbed the content."

With that, we had both drained our glasses. I'd walked him to the back door
and then taken the elevator up to my 'bed 'o boys'.

The next morning, I'd walked with them to the classroom in the south wing
and then crossed the lawn to my study in the main part of the house. Jack
was excited to be beginning his tutelage under the big mysterious Professor
and Sean seemed thrilled to be sharing his 'private wizard' with his good
friend.

It was early, but I'd poured myself a drink anyway and now sat absent
mindedly staring at the glass. I reached for the brown binder, whimsically
wondering how I'd gotten myself so involved in this project. Short months
ago, what went on behind the walls of the NEST, would have been among the
last things I'd ever have been curious about.

Despite my half resolve to delay doing so, I took a serious sip of the
whisky in my glass and opened the cover. Settling back into the soft luxury
of my new Scandinavian desk chair, I began to read.

*******************************************************



"The Jack Interview"

 submitted by Richard Swaim, PHD



My name is Jack. Most of the time, back at the NEST, they call me Rufus. I
know my real name must be John or something like that, but nobody has ever
called me John and if I had a last name when I was a baby, I don't remember
ever hearing what it was. Anyway, we never use last names and mostly, we
use the names we give each other. I know there are at least three other
John's in my tier but only one is ever called John. The rest use their NEST
names like mine's Rufus'.

Some of the first stuff I remember are the "Underpants Ceremonies" because
to us little kids, it was a big deal to welcome new ones up from being
babies. You see, when someone living in the "Babies Section" of the nursery
building was able to go a whole month using a potty and not having any
accident and not even needing a diaper to sleep in, then he was told he was
growing up and they moved him to 'Juniors Section' to live and sleep in his
tier.

A tier is the other kids in the same age group more or less. Anyway, I
remember when the kids came into the Juniors for the first time, they all
looked so confused and scared and cute so we were all trained to make a big
fuss over them and cuddle them and tell them how proud we all were. That
first night, we all sat in the mess hall just wearing our underpants and
the new kid was sat up at the head of his table except he didn't have any
real underpants just the training pants from the 'Babies section'. After
dinner we'd all bang our spoons on the table which usually made the poor
little kid scared but then, a couple of the oldest juniors would walk up to
him and presented him with a bag full of his first pairs of underpants.
We'd all cheer and make a big deal out of it while the kid stood up and
took off his training pants and put on real underwear for the first time.
The new kid would smile with pride and he never felt lonely or unwelcome
with us. It was the first time he knew that everybody cared about what he
did and he felt like he belonged.

I don't remember my own "Underpants Ceremony" but I must have liked it a
lot because I always enjoyed being part of them. I remember when Sean came
up because it was just before I moved out of the Nursery Building and into
the "Senior Building".  Even then there was something special about Sean
and he laughed through the whole thing. I never dreamed that someday I
would be his 'Lead Senior' though.

In the dorms, the different tiers slept in the same room, showered together
and did sports together. Other than that, everyone in the Juniors did
everything else together. The youngest kids mostly made up 'Mouse Tier'
cause different kids came up at different ages. I guess kids just potty
train when they're ready.

The tiers didn't start by age until five years old and from then on, you
moved up a tier on your birthday until you turned eight and then you moved
out of the Nursery into another building with the big kids...the 'Seniors
Building'.

I don't actually remember all that much about life in the Nursery building
except that I remember I was never afraid of anybody or anything. I know
that what was happening is that we were learning to get along and respect
each other and to be proud of each other and to help each other.

You learned from an early age that when someone needed help with something
no matter what his age was, you helped if you could. You also learned to
expect the same help from others. It was simple. If you had a problem or a
question, you could always go to one of the adult proctors; they were never
very far away, but more often than not, they would refer you back to the
other kids and so, pretty soon we learned to depend upon each other.

Of course there were rules and sometimes the Proctors did have to intervene
but when they did, it was always in a gentle and constructive way. Even
when they did something, it was really so that we would sort of be forced
to figure out the right thing to do.

I can remember when I was about six years old, there was another kid in my
tier; Peter and we just were not getting along for some reason. We fought
and argued over every little thing and I know that it was getting to be
disturbing for all the kids in the whole house. The older kids tried
talking with us and trying to make us see the light but finally, they had
to ask the Proctors to step in before we drove everybody crazy with our
fighting.

So Proctor Thomas called everybody together; all the kids in the Juniors
and sat everyone in a group in the playground and he told everybody that
since we couldn't seem to stop fighting, then me and Peter needed to spend
some time in the 'Get-Along Shirt'.

Now nobody knew what that meant because it had never happened to anyone
living in the Juniors at that time so me and Peter were really nervous.

Well, one of the other Proctors brought out this big blue sweatshirt. It
looked huge but it must've just been an extra-large adult shirt except the
sleeves had been sewn shorter to fit our little kid arms.

Proctor Thomas had me and Peter stand side by side and he pulled the big
blue shirt over us so that our heads were sticking out of the neck hole
together. I put my left arm through the left sleeve and Peter put his right
arm through the right sleeve and suddenly, we were like stuck together. If
we wanted to go anywhere, we had to coordinate our steps, if we wanted to
pick up anything or even drink or eat, we had to cooperate with our hands.
Let me tell you, going to the bathroom was the WORST! When they told us we
would have to sleep together like that, we got really upset but you know
what? Being stuck together in that one big shirt taught us to get along and
talk things over and by the end of the day, we told Proctor Thomas that we
weren't mad at each other anymore. Funny thing is, it was the truth; not
only had we learned to cooperate, Peter and I wound up being good friends.

More importantly, from then on, whenever two kids were having trouble with
each other, all anyone had to do was mention how maybe they needed to spend
some time in the 'Get-Along Shirt' and they worked it out fast.

The Proctors always did stuff like that; even when they were teaching you a
lesson, in the end it wound up being something you could joke about.

I've read in books and seen in movies that in other places it's not always
that nice for kids when they make a mistake or they're not good at
something. I wouldn't have liked growing up like that. None of us were ever
really afraid of making a mistake or of trying something new; nobody ever
yelled at you or made fun of you.

We all laughed almost all of the time and when something made one of us
sad, he had everybody; not just his tier to cheer him up and make him feel
better. I think that's a nice way to be but then, it's the only way I
really know.

As long as I can remember, we were being read to. Reading was one of our
favorite things and it wasn't just the Proctor who read to us, it was the
older kids too.

We started learning the alphabet and the sounds the letters made when we
were about four and by the time a kid was five and in the 'Fives Tier' he
could read at least simple books. By the end of the 'Fives Tier' the
Proctors were helping the kids learn different things like Art, Music,
Science and Math.

By the time a kid entered the 'Sixes Tier', he could add and subtract
simple numbers, read a book with chapters and most were beginning to play a
musical instrument. I tried a bunch of different ones before I settled on
the violin. I've been playing it now since I was five and a half and if I
say so, I'm not bad.

As I think you know, Sean chose the guitar when he was a 'Fiver' and he's
pretty amazing at it now.

It was the same way with sports. Even when a kid first came up and was a
'Mouse', he was subjected to athletics training in team and individual
sports. Nobody ever got laughed at if they were no good at something. All
that was ever expected was that you try. You got so much support and
encouragement from all the other guys that you just naturally wanted to try
your best. If you didn't understand how to do something, there were the
other kids; especially the older kids to help you and show you. Of course
there were also always the Proctors as well. It was always a case of trying
to do your best and always knowing there were people there to help you
excel as far as your body and your talent would allow you to.

We were encouraged to enjoy our personal successes but at the same time, we
learned to admire and encourage the success that others achieved.

Of course everyone knew that some kids were considerably better at some
things than the rest and we naturally admired those but, since we all tried
so hard at excelling at everything, we were really a school full of
champions and we knew that. It was especially obvious when we got a little
older and we began competing against other schools and we found out how
much better even our most average guys were comp aired to kids from the
normal schools.

That's what we called them by the way; the 'Normal Schools' but between
ourselves, we called all those kids 'Normans'.

By the time you got into the 'Sevens'...the seven year old tier, you knew
that you were a 'Nester' and you pretty much were certain that 'Nesters'
were better at everything than 'Normans'.

The 'Sevens' were as high as you went in the Juniors. When you turned
eight, you left the Nursery building and moved across the compound into the
Senior building.

 This was a pretty nervous time because up until now, your friends who were
a few months older than you only moved up a tier on their birthdays and you
still got to see them and talk to them. Same way when you moved up on your
birthday, you still got to see and talk to your younger friends even though
you'd changed tiers.

When you turned eight though, you left behind everything you'd known all of
your life. You spent your birthday in the Nursery building with all of your
friends and you even had a cake and a party. Everybody tried to be cheery
and happy but you knew that the next morning, you would leave everyone and
everything behind.

Of course, we'd all seen boys from the Senior Building off and on and once
a week they would even come over to our fields to help out with sports
training but pretty much, they and their lives were a mystery to us 'Wee
Ones".

I remember how nervous I was the night of my eighth birthday. I lay on my
bed and couldn't sleep a wink. It was probably the first time since I was a
baby that I was really and truly afraid. It was the first time in my life
that I would be doing something without the total support of all of my
friends. I just laid there in the dark and I pulled my blanket up over my
head because I didn't want the other kids to hear me crying.

The next morning, as I had been instructed to do, I showered and dressed
and walked down to the Proctors' room. I knocked on the door and a voice
that didn't sound old enough to be a Proctor told me to come in.

There were no Proctors in the large lounge just a bigger boy dressed in a
red collared shirt and blue shorts. He looked so much older than me of
course I know now that he was twelve years old.

He smiled at me and it was such a friendly smile that I felt not so nervous
any more.

"Hello Jack." He said and he walked over and put an arm around my shoulder
and led me to a table that I hadn't noticed when I'd entered. It was set up
as a dining table for two. "My name is Taylor but you'll learn most of the
guys call me Tip. You can call me whichever you choose. I'm your Lead
Senior and you're my Follow Boy. I'm going to make sure everything goes
right for you and you and me are going to be great friends OK?"

Of course I had a million questions but Tip was so friendly and so
encouraging that I just said;

"OK". He indicated I should sit down and he sat down across from me. He
raised the covers off the dishes on the table and we enjoyed a breakfast of
eggs and bacon. As we ate, he explained that a 'Lead Senior" was the
personal mentor for his "Follow Boy" and that his job was to make certain I
got settled into the Senior Building and learned the ropes and wasn't
afraid.

I asked my questions and he cheerfully answered them all.

When breakfast was over, we got up from the table and he handed me a
package that contained a red shirt and blue shorts identical to those he
was wearing.

"Change out of those 'Wee One' clothes" he said indicating the tan shirt
and shorts which I'd more or less worn all of my life as had all of the
kids I'd ever known. "You're a big kid now Jack, you need to look like one."

After I'd changed, Tip looked me over and rewarded me with a big smile. It
made me feel safe and it made me feel good. I still love his smile.

Tip walked across the room and opened the door to the outside. With a swing
of his arm, he said;

"Come on Jack, your whole life is waiting for you."

Together we walked across the compound to the big building I'd never set
foot in before.

It was new and it was strange but now that I had Tip with me, I wasn't in
the least bit afraid.

******************************************************

I let out a breath and laid the manuscript down on the desk. Just as Doc
had indicated, this was turning out to be a fascinating document. I was
having a very hard time thinking any negative thoughts about the NEST right
now. Aside from being raised by loving parents, I couldn't imagine a much
better way for a child to grow up; at least up until this point. I knew of
course that the sinister aspect of life for boys raised in the Academy was
yet to come in this narrative.

My long empty crystal tumbler was sitting on the desk. I picked it up and
turning to the credenza, I plopped in two ice cubes and filled it with
single malt scotch.

I took a slow contemplative slip and leaned back in my wonderful new
Ekornes office chair. One of these had been obtained by either Walter or
Phil when the big conference room had been furnished in the revised South
Wing and I'd fallen so in love with its comfort and style that I'd gotten
one for my study as well.

While the soft leather embraced me, my mind replayed what I'd read so far.
My thinking regarding the NEST was changing with every new bit of knowledge
I obtained and I found myself confused and curious at the same time.

I obviously need to continue reading but I was almost afraid of what I was
going to learn.

(to be continued)

NEXT...we'll hear more of Jack's life growing up in the NEST especially about
how he met Sean and how he began his "special" NEST training.

Thank you to everyone for your wonderful emails! It is so heartening to
hear from you and know that you're enjoying this little tale and of course
I've been very interested in your suggestions and (as some of you can see)
I've adopted some of your ideas.

PLEASE keep the responses coming...they're the only reward a NIFTY writer
gets for his work you know.