Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 08:01:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: adm2780 <adm2780@yahoo.com>
Subject: New Horizons  Chapter Sixty-Four

All rights reserved.  Other than downloading one copy for personal
enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted by any
means, except for reviews, without the written permission of the author.
As in real life, the sexual themes unfold gradually and are kept to a
realistic level.  Comments on the story are appreciated and may be
addressed to the author, Dwight Wilson, at adm2780@yahoo.com

This story contains descriptions of consensual sexual contact between
males, adult and minor.  As such it is homoerotic, designed for the
entertainment of mature adults.  If you are not of legal age to read such
material, or if the subject matter would create irresolvable personal moral
dilemmas, please exit now.

Note: I would like to thank Colin and John for their continued support and
patience while I try to write this story.  Their support and efforts at
editing and correcting my errors not only keep me in line, but contribute
significantly to a more enjoyable story.


Chapter Sixty-Four: New Horizons

"Hi, I'm Danny 02780 and me and my friends are here to visit wi' you."
Danny finished with a twinkle in his eyes, a slight tilt of the head and a
smile that could win over even the most fiendish of individuals.  Danny
epitomized the Cherubs.  At five and a half, he had a beautifully tanned
body that innocently showed the slightly protruding tummy of a boy entering
true boyhood.  He was dressed in dark crimson loin cloths that covered from
the center of one leg to the center of the other leg and split the center
of each little golden brown cheek.  They were accented with a gold-braid
rope that fell half-way down his thigh.  Also wearing a gold braid that
wrapped under the second toe and was tied off at the ankle, Danny worked
his charms on the audience.  Totally unaware that the cameras broadcast his
image to thousands of other viewers in their homes, he was the epitome of
innocence and nature's beauty.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.  I'm Elizabeth Risler and, once
again, I am privileged to host this, the second debate, or discussion if
you prefer, between David Arnold and Daniel Thompson of New Horizons.
Those of you who have been following the news stories, or perhaps viewed
the first meeting between these two gentlemen, know that Mr. Arnold will
speak in support of the current system of slavery, while Mr.  Thompson will
oppose the current system.

"Before we begin and before I review the parameters of today's discussion
I'd like to call your attention to the young man that just introduced
himself.  This is Danny, one of the boy's under Daniel's care at New
Horizons.  Standing with Danny are nine of his friends, also from New
Horizons.  The boys will remain on stage out of respect for Mr. Arnold.
However, when Mr. Thompson's turn comes to speak the boys will be
circulating through the audience.  They will be glad to visit with you and
answer any questions you may have.  As a mother myself, I can tell you that
they are typical boys and love getting attention.  Please feel free to
visit with them.

"The focus of today's meeting is fiscal responsibility.  The next meeting
will focus on moral obligations and responsibility.  I'm sure all of you
understand that it is not always practical to completely separate the
subjects, so if you happen to hear one subject overlapping the other,
please understand.  Today's session will last for a total of ninety
minutes.  Each gentleman will be allowed twenty-five minutes to speak, plus
a brief break for the gentlemen to change positions, and the rest of our
time will be devoted to questions and answers from our audience.  I see
that Mr. Arnold has already taken his position at the podium, so we will
begin."

"Thank you, Elizabeth, and good afternoon to all of you that have taken the
time to attend this very important discussion on our current system of
slavery.  Tonight's topic is 'fiscal responsibility'.  To better understand
fiscal responsibility, I think it would behoove us to think back to the
last meeting between Daniel and myself.  At that meeting I addressed the
economic advantages and benefits of the slavery system.  Without going into
too much detail, the points I made were relative to the decrease in the
burden on public spending and tax reform.  This also lead to more
disposable income per household and lowered the rate of inflation.  In
other words, enslavement led us from fiscal irresponsibility to fiscal
responsibility."

Daniel listened carefully to what Arnold said and watched the audience very
closely.  Speech professors always taught students that the number one rule
was to catch the audience's attention and peak their interest in the first
few sentences or you would lose over half of them.  A speech should begin
with a simple statement or idea and then build around that idea.  Keep the
phrasing simple and don't try to impress anyone with what many people
considered 'high brow' phrases that should be reserved for a doctoral
convention.

"Think back to the times when we listened to reports of double digit
inflation, rising demands for social services, and rising demands for
security and support from your government.  How did the government react?
The government met the demands of its citizens and it accomplished this by
doing away with unnecessary expenses such as supporting criminals in a
luxurious lifestyle.  The prisons with year-round environment control
systems, high definition television, and fully staffed kitchens to cook for
criminals.  Did you as the average citizen enjoy these same benefits?  Of
course not.  Criminals, sent to prison as punishment, thrived in a resort
atmosphere until the government changed the laws and made felons slaves.
In addition to guaranteeing felons were punished, what else did the
government accomplish?  They lowered the drain of the budget; they
eventually balanced the budget.  That was fiscal responsibility.  But, that
wasn't the government's greatest accomplishment.

"The greatest accomplishment was the benefit of employment and the ability
to consume.  The government used the money it did not spend on society's
misfits to invest in social improvements; improvements to our
infrastructure to repair or rebuild aging highways, sanitary systems and
utility systems.  The government let out huge contracts that allowed
contractors to put the unemployed back to work, thus restoring personal
pride.  Society benefited from what is called the ripple effect.  Newly
employed workers spent their earnings to purchase new appliances, new
clothes, new automobiles.  The newly employed stimulated manufacturing and
production.  That was fiscal responsibility.

"Today, your government follows the same principals used to pull this great
nation out of the 1930s Great Depression.  The principals developed and
espoused by the Keynesian Theory that all school children are now required
to learn.  Under the theory it is the duty and responsibility of government
to stimulate purchasing power and support the economy.  The government
fulfills this responsibility by recycling those who will not follow
society's rules and making them part of the labor pool.  Money realized
from enslaving the irresponsible helps maintain the pool of funds the
government uses in time of need.  That is fiscal responsibility."

Daniel sat quietly, observing David and his audience as he spoke.  Much of
what David said was true fact and sounded as though it was in the best
interest of the nation as a whole.  What Daniel thought to be most
interesting was how David referred to the irresponsible members of society
as the felons and then just continued to refer to the irresponsible
citizens.  There was no mention of when and how children became citizens
responsible for their parents' debts.  The second major flaw Daniel heard,
or really didn't hear, was how business entered into the equation.  David
placed everything at the feet of government.  Knowing what he did about
David and his associates, Daniel understood the necessity to direct
attention elsewhere.

Watching the audience, Daniel suddenly recognized some of the faces.  Many
of the residents from the senior center were present, including Grandpa
Smith.  All of them concentrated on what David had to say.  Many shook
their heads while others merely displayed looks of indignation at David
assuming they would accept what he said.  Daniel looked over at the Cherubs
and smiled to himself.  TJ and Evan whispered to one another and nodded
towards the audience; they had spotted their grandpa.

When David finished his argument, the audience gave its applause.  Daniel
noticed that heads both nodded in agreement and shook in disagreement.
There were even a few shoulders that simply shrugged.  After David and
before Daniel would begin there was a five minute break for commercials.
The talks were telecast uninterrupted so all commercials that normally ran
during multiple breaks were run in a continuous airing.

During the commercial break Daniel spoke to his boys and then announced to
the audience that the boys would be circulating among them while he spoke.
He did let the people know they could talk to the boys and should feel free
to ask one of them to sit with them.  Daniel noticed that TJ and Evan
headed straight for their grandpa; each standing to either side.  Grandpa
had an arm around each boy's waist which he soon let slide down to hold a
cheek.  It only took Grandpa a minute to let his hands slip under the flap
of their loin cloths.  Again Daniel laughed to himself.  Only a senior
citizen, a child, or someone with Grandpa's charisma could get away with
what he was doing, and enjoying.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.  I'm Daniel Thompson with New
Horizons, and I'm afraid I don't have quite as detailed and official
sounding definition for fiscal responsibility as David just gave you.  My
definition of fiscal responsibility is simply this: don't spend any more
than you earn; in other words, a balanced budget."  Daniel paused to let
his simple definition sink in.  While he paused he noticed a large number
of heads nodding in agreement.  He had his audience.

"Historians have repeatedly told us that the Great Depression of the 1930s
was due to people being over extended on credit; they couldn't repay what
they borrowed. Since that time we have all heard that we should include as
part of our household budget a certain amount of our earnings to be set
aside for emergencies.  Now, what I have just described to you is the same
thing David was trying to tell you.  The big difference is that he spoke on
a government level, and I'm talking on an individual household level that I
believe most of us can relate to.

"We have also been told, many times, to set aside money for retirement.  We
all know that one day, in theory, we should be able to draw on our social
security benefits, thanks in no small part to the government assuming the
role of custodian of our social security payments.  But, how many times
have we heard that by the time today's generations are eligible for
retirement, there won't be any money left to draw on?  That doesn't sound
like fiscal responsibility to me.  However, we all know that the government
will come up with the money; we know they can come up with the money.
After all, it is the government that prints the money, they can come up
with as much as they want."  Daniel smiled and his audience smiled with him
at the obvious truth to which most people give little thought.

"How many of us in this room can say when the next time will be that we
need to draw on our savings or other reserves?  Maybe you will experience a
severe tooth-ache; maybe it will be to hit a deep pothole with your car,
causing expensive repairs; maybe it will be an unexpected death in the
family, requiring someone to pay funeral expenses.  It could be any one or
more of the many unplanned events we all face during our lives.  Of course,
no one in here can predict when that next unfortunate event will occur.
Likewise, none of us can say for certain that we'll have the money to cover
all those expenses. We hope we do, but we really don't know.  The only way
to do be sure you have the money is to know when it will happen and how
much it will cost.  With that information, we can set a monthly savings
budget that works.

"Is there anyone in here that can honestly say they haven't had the
unfortunate experience of having a bad event occur and they didn't have the
money to cover the related expenses?  If you're more than twenty-five years
old, and certainly if you're married with a family, I'm willing to bet
you've had the experience. Unlike the government, you can't produce an
unlimited supply of money - at least not legally.  Let's face it ladies and
gentlemen, bad things can and do happen to good people.  That doesn't mean
that you are a bad or irresponsible person.  It means you've had the
misfortune to encounter one of life's sadder experiences.

"The same thing happens with government, only on a much larger scale.  The
big difference is in how we deal with the experience.  Some of you may be
fortunate enough to have family you can borrow the money from; others will
go to the bank and get a loan.  How does the government deal with the
issue?  It isn't going to print more money, that would lead to devaluing
the dollar and causing inflation.  However, government did figure out a way
to deal with the problem.  In its infinite wisdom, government decided to
change a few laws.

"Which laws did they change?  They began with the laws they believed the
citizens would be least likely to object to.  Citizens didn't object when
felons were classified as anti-productive and were made slaves.  After all,
it raised a lot of money; it also reduced public expenses.  With the next
emergency though, there weren't enough felons to sell.  What did we do?  We
looked around and found another set of anti-productive individuals; the
homeless.  They were considered a major threat to society and a negative
influence.  Guess what happened to them; enslaved.  It worked.  Money was
raised, the coffers were padded and the bills paid; until the next time,
that is.

"When the next emergency reared its ugly head, what happened?  Well, the
citizenry didn't object to changing the enslavement laws last time, so
let's do it again.  Who was the target?  Again, the homeless.  But the
adult homeless were no longer there, so the homeless this time became the
orphans and foster children.  To make this work the age of enslavement had
to be lowered from eighteen, the age of majority, to sixteen.  The changes
allowed the government to reduce public expenditures and raise the required
funds to meet the unforeseen emergency.  But is that all that really
happened?

"It's true that expenditures were reduced on the care of homeless children
that, apparently, no one cared about.  If someone cared about them, if they
had family to love and care for them, they wouldn't have been in homes and
costing the public money, right?  So, no loss, right?  For those of you
nodding your heads that the statement is right, I respectfully disagree
with you.  Not only do I respectfully disagree with you, I adamantly
disagree with you.

"Why should those children have to pay the price for someone else's error
or suffer for misfortune beyond their control.  Those children didn't harm
anyone; they were not criminals.  Those children were victims.  Think about
it for a moment.  They were victims in the sense that for some reason,
completely beyond their control, they suffered, they were denied the love
and support of family.  Why were they forced to pay the ultimate price?

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me ask you to do me a favor.  All of the
gentlemen in the audience, pull out your wallets.  Ladies, please reach in
your pocketbooks and pull out your wallets.  Now look at the pictures of
family and friends I'm sure most of you carry.  Look at the boys
circulating among you now; then think about this.  How many times has the
government changed the rules for enslavement and why?  The age for adults
was eighteen, then the age for enslavement was sixteen to meet an
emergency; then thirteen to meet an emergency; then twelve; then ten;
today, it is six years old. SIX, Ladies and gentlemen!  Each change came
with a new, unexpected financial emergency the government had to meet.
With that many changes, that many emergencies, was the government being
fiscally responsible?  Another question; with the age down to six years
old, where do we go from here?  What happens the next time around?

"While looking at your personal photos or holding one of these boys, I want
to ask you one question.  Which boy in here, which child in your family,
which child in a friend's family, are you willing to have enslaved to pay
your bills?"  Daniel stood in silence, unmoving.  The Cherubs stayed still,
not sure of what they should do.  When Daniel realized they were looking
directly at him, he signaled his boys to join him on stage.  Danny
approached with arms raised; Daniel picked the boy up and held him close.
Danny wrapped his arms tightly around his protector's neck.

"I'll ask you only one more time, ladies and gentlemen.  Consider the
children in the pictures you now hold in your hands.  Consider the boys
standing on this stage with me.  Look at the child in my arms.  What have
they done wrong?  They are innocent of any wrong doing, of any evil
thoughts.  All they have ever asked is for someone to care about them; to
love them."  Daniel spoke in a quiet tone of voice, pausing after each
major point; he wanted his audience to have to concentrate on what he was
saying and have time to think about what he said.  "For fiscal
responsibility, as it has been defined on this stage today, which child
. . . one of yours . . . . possibly one that you know . . . . one of these
beautiful children up on this stage with me . . . . which child would you
be willing to sacrifice?"

                                                 ****

"Mr. Thompson.  Helen Watkins with The Chronicle; question please.  You've
made quite a point on the number of times the government has amended the
laws to protect our economy.  In your statements you make it very clear
that you believe the government has failed in its efforts.  Would it be
fair for us to assume that you have an alternative plan, and if so, what is
that plan?"

The discussion had entered the question and answer period.  Daniel knew
that his statements would most likely generate some hard responses or
questions from the audience.  Anyone attacking government actions,
particularly when those actions are perceived to have benefits, rarely gets
by without having to defend themselves.

"Ms. Watkins, I don't believe that I said the government has failed.  What
I have said is that the government is taking the easy way out of the
predicaments by following what many would term the path of least
resistance.  The other fact I have insinuated, if not stated outright, is
that the government has used band-aids as a short-term solution to correct
a situation that needs a long term solution."

"Excuse me, Mr. Thompson," Helen Watkins interrupted.  "Could you please
define what you mean by 'situation' and short-term solution?"

"The situation is the inability of the government to maintain a balanced
budget.  I don't think anyone will argue that it is possible, for the
government and for individuals, to accurately predict the future.  You may
be able to express an opinion about what you think may happen, but it is an
opinion, not a statement of fact.  If you can not accurately predict the
future how can you predict needed outlay of funds.  The government has been
worse than many in their predictions and resorted to the short-term
solution of amending selected laws to cover the errors.  My argument is
that those amendments have imposed a terrible penalty on the innocent.  My
suggested solution is that the legislators that comprise our government be
held accountable to those who put them in office in the first place.

"At our next meeting, the topic will be 'moral responsibility'.  During the
meeting I hope to expand this discussion and let's not forget to bring the
role of business into our picture."

The questions and answers continued during the allotted time frame.
Elizabeth, using media intuition, quickly realized that the public wanted
to know more than either David or Daniel was revealing during their talks.
The producers had discussed changing the format of the debates, so
Elizabeth decided to take the intiative.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's apparent that you have many questions that we
have not had the time to answer.  We would like to suggest that the format
of these debates be modified to the town-hall type meeting.  In other
words, if you would send us your questions, we will take the most popular
subjects and submit them to David and Daniel.  They will present their
respective positions through their answers rather than having an allotted
amount of time to speak individually.  We have asked both gentlemen to stay
with us for a few extra minutes to address questions this evening."

Daniel and David both agreed to stay for a few minutes after the scheduled
session to answer questions.  With his adrenaline flowing but under
control, Daniel was more than ready to attack the system and drive his
points home on a personal level.  Elizabeth had allowed the audience and
the speakers to manage their own time and answer questions.  She realized
that if someone didn't step in, though, they could be in the hall all
night.  Thirty minutes after the scheduled end, the lights flashed,
signaling everyone that it was time to go.  When most of the people had
left, only the residents of the senior center remained.  The boys moved off
stage to visit in quiet with their 'grandparents'.

"Daniel," Grandpa Smith called out.  "You know it's about supper time now
and I'd be willin' to bet these boys are hungry.  We'd like to take 'em all
out to dinner.  When I say all, of course we include the staff, too."

"Yeah, but I bet it'd be more fun without 'em." One of the seniors chimed
in; eliciting laughs from everyone.

"We're not talkin' about that senior center food neither." Grandpa
continued. "We're talkin' about getting some good old fashioned high blood
pressure, high cholesterol fattenin' food.  You know, greasy fries, milk
shakes, ice cream, hamburgers, whatever the boys want.  What the doctor
doesn't know won't hurt him."  Grandpa knew how to get all the boys
excited.  Daniel was also well aware of the old gentleman's trick.

"No, but it'll probably kill you."  Clinton Thorpe stepped from behind one
of the seniors.  "But I know you well enough Grandpa to know it won't do
any good to argue."

"You're doing a pretty good job of putting me on the spot as the bad guy
aren't you?"  Daniel said with a smile.

"Yeah; doin' a real good job of it, too;'case you hadn't noticed; plus, you
won't be gettin' any help from Doc."  Grandpa replied while keeping a hand
tucked under the rear cloth of his two favorite boys.  Daniel noticed where
the old man's hands were; he also noticed the big smiles on the boys'
faces.

"Okay, Grandpa, you win and I'm sure the boys will all have a great time.
One condition though, all you boys head to the back and change clothes.  I
don't think the restaurant will serve you dressed like you are now."

"Damn shame, too.  That's their loss." Grandpa added.

The boys were in awe as they entered Dave & Buster's.  Daniel had brought
nine boys plus Jeremy, Derek and Ted to Orlando.  This had not been in the
schedule, but no one seemed to care.  The boys had heard of the place while
they were on the streets, but never felt they had the money to spend; nor
did they think they would be allowed in.  Jeremy, as a slave, had never
been in such a place; neither had Derek and Ted.  It was a little loud, but
it was full of people laughing, smiling and having a good time.  The boys
quickly realized they were not the only kids in there when they saw many
families out enjoying a fun dinner.  When Danny saw all the people and
activity, he just stopped and stared.  Daniel had to pick the boy up and
carry him when they were shown a table.

Grandpa did not follow the group; he took the opportunity to speak with the
host.  Soon, another gentleman approached Grandpa and they spoke for a
couple of minutes before Grandpa joined the group.

"Daniel, I just spoke with the manager to let him know we were all a group
and the boys were to be allowed to have whatever they wanted.  I don't want
to hear any arguments.  We brought them here to have a good time and I plan
on enjoying watching them.  My only regret is that I'm not able to get out
there and keep up with them."

While Grandpa spoke, a young man approached the table and set two tall
stacks of tokens in front of him.  Grandpa explained to the boys what the
tokens were for and that they could go play some games after they ordered.
A couple of the boys expressed their willingness to skip the meal and just
go have fun.  They quickly quieted down after getting a stern look from
Daniel.

As he listened to the boys order, Daniel knew there would be more than one
stomach ache before morning came.  After they ordered, the boys continued
to talk about all the fantastic deserts on the menu and how they needed to
hurry through their meals to get to the deserts.  Daniel watched the boys,
laughed to himself, and said nothing.  With the orders placed, the boys
were off for their first round of games.

"Grandpa, I hope you realize what you've gotten yourselves into."  Daniel
commented.

"Grandpa," TJ and Evan walked up on either side of Grandpa and bent over to
whisper to him.  "If you want, Evan and I could take you back out to the
van, ya know, and if you wanted ta^Å^Å"

"Boys, that's sweet, and a really generous offer." Grandpa interrupted the
boys.  "Tonight, this is all about you boys.  If you want to make me happy,
go play and let me see some big smiles and hear you laugh."  The boys each
gave Grandpa a hug before heading off.

"Daniel, when you get to be our age you realize there are many things in
this life that you didn't appreciate when you were younger.  At our age,
now, we try to make up for that little mistake and acknowledge that we
didn't take the time to appreciate the pleasure you get from a child's
smile and laughter.  Children never understand when an adult says they get
pleasure from watching the child be happy, but it is true.

"Let me ask you something.  I know who that young man over there is; I
recognize him from the picture in the paper.  He looks a little healthier
now; how's he doing?  Do you think he'll make the adjustment?"

"He's doing fine.  He was frightened and uncertain in the beginning, but I
think that was normal.  The way he was treated, he learned not to trust
anyone or expect anything.  It's been long enough now that he's accepting
that this is all real.  Having him set free by the court and his SIN
removed was a good move.  He's visiting us for a few days.  We're hoping
that by being around the other boys he'll realize that you can recover from
bad experiences.  His friends, Derek and Ted over there with him, are a
good support for him also."

The adults sat around the table watching the boys enjoy themselves.  Each
adult seemed to have attached themselves to a particular boy and followed
his activities.  Grandpa watched two boys but it wasn't difficult since the
two boys were rarely apart.  Elizabeth enjoyed watching her two boys and
laughed when they kept pulling at their clothes.  She also had the idea of
making the boys wear clothes a little more often so they would be
accustomed to how they felt.

Daniel watched Jeremy and his friends.  Initially, Jeremy seemed to hold
back and let someone else lead him.  After watching the other boys, Jeremy
tried to play some of the games.  It helped that he realized not all the
boys were 'experts' at the games, but they still had fun.  When he found a
game he enjoyed, and seemed to play well, he stayed with it.

Daniel allowed his attention to roam around the establishment.  He watched
each boy to see how they interacted with other children.  It didn't take
long for the boys to mix in and become part of the evening's group.

"Mr. Dan'l," Sean approached the table. "Mr. Dan'l, we got a problem."
Sean held up what Daniel knew were New Horizon clothes; clothes that fit a
small boy.

Daniel walked through the crowd looking for Danny.  He asked Sean if there
wasn't a special area for games for the smaller children and Sean led the
way towards the other side of the restaurant.  When Daniel reached the
children's area he found Danny playing in a cage filled with plastic balls;
a very naked Danny.  Daniel stood there and looked at the young boy.

"Hi," came the angelic voice with a smile, "I'm playin'; it's fun."

Daniel signaled the boy with his finger to come to him.  When Danny came
out Daniel scooped him up in his arms and carried him over to a less
crowded area.  Setting the boy on a stool, Daniel knelt down to talk to
him.  Daniel almost laughed when he saw the pouting look on the boys face;
Danny knew he was in trouble.

"Danny, didn't you and I have a talk about this.  You were supposed to
leave your clothes on, remember?"

"But I like bein' naked," was the pleading response.

"I know you do.  But, don't you remember I told you when we are here you
can not be naked.  You told me you would leave your clothes on.  Now, I'm
giving you one more chance.  You can put these clothes on and go play, and
leave the clothes on; or, you can put these clothes on and come sit with me
and watch the other boys have fun; but, you'll still leave the clothes on.
What do you want to do?"

"Play," a sad little boy whimpered.  "I sorry, don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you, but I am disappointed.  I thought you were a big boy
and would keep your promise."

"I will!  I will! I promise."  Daniel had to fight back the urge to laugh.

"Okay, but if you do it again, I'm going to tell Sean to just pick you up
and bring you over to the table and you'll stay there for the rest of the
evening.  Understand?"  Danny nodded. "Alright, now give me a hug and go
play."  Danny wrapped both arms around Daniel's neck and gave him a long
hug before running off to play.

When Daniel returned to the table he explained to everyone where he found
Danny and how the boy was having such a good time playing naked in the cage
of balls.  The boy was totally oblivious to the fact that he was the only
one naked in the whole place or that anyone saw him.

"Such is the privileges of the innocence of youth," one of the seniors
commented.

"Yeah, I doubt anyone would say anything.  Besides, he's within the age
allowed by law; he's not required to wear clothes."  Grandpa commented.

"Grandpa," Daniel said sternly, but teasingly, "don't you dare tell him
that, I have enough trouble with him now."  The adults enjoyed themselves
over the fun and antics of the boys.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please." Suddenly came
over the speaker system.  The lights flashed and the announcement was made
again.  "Thank you.  My name is Rob and I am one of the owners of this
establishment.  First, let me thank all of you for coming and I hope you
are all enjoying yourselves."  This was followed by much applause.  When it
quieted down, Rob continued.

"We normally don't interrupt the evening to make announcements, but this is
a special occasion.  We have with us tonight several very special young
men."  As Rob spoke he approached Evan and put his arm around the boy's
shoulders.  "Anyone that has had the opportunity to hear some news on
television, or see a newspaper, should recognize the name of New Horizons.
This fine young man is part of that group."  While he waited for applause
to quiet down again, he asked Evan where his group was sitting and moved
toward their table.

"The gentleman to my right is Daniel Thompson, the head of New Horizons."
Again, a brief pause.  "Sitting with him are seniors from the center at the
hospital.  Twice a month Daniel brings some of his boys up here and they
serve lunch to the seniors.  I understand that the boys have also adopted
many of the seniors as grandparents.  Tonight, their 'grandparents' wanted
to treat the boys.  My partners and I would like to express our support for
New Horizons and the boys.  You'll notice that all the game machines are
being emptied now.  For the rest of the evening, all monies deposited into
those machines will be donated to New Horizons.  Additionally, a glass jar
is being placed on the bar up front.  The jar is for donations for New
Horizons and I claim the privilege of making the first donation."  Rob
reached in his pocket and pulled out a roll of bills which he dropped in
the jar.  While the people applauded, Rob exchanged handshakes and
introductions with the group.  Near the end Rob made the final announcement
that the boys and their grandparents were the guests of the owners for the
evening.

"Well, Daniel," Grandpa observed, "seems you've won some support from the
local business community.  You should feel good.  Seriously, though, I
think after our talk not long ago you'll understand when I say that I've
renewed some of my old contacts and asked a couple of favors.  When you
bring the boys up to visit next time I think we'll be able to sit down for
a fruitful visit."

Daniel looked at Grandpa, fully aware of what the man was referring to.
With a smile and slight nod he acknowledged the message.

After the announcement from Rob, Daniel was curious to see how the other
kids would react to his boys now.  It was interesting to see that the kids
still played games but not as much; there was a lot more talking going on.
Occasionally, a boy would look around and towards their table, Daniel
guessed one of the boys was pointing out the group or explaining who they
were.  None of the boys seemed unhappy or hurt by anything someone might
have said and none of the groups seemed to have broken up.  Daniel also
noticed that the kids had one other thing in common; they really seemed to
enjoy the games that were the loudest and had the most action.

There was one particular game called Dance Dance Revolution that appealed
to all the boys.  The game looked simple enough to a novice.  The game
consisted of a platform with nine squares; the center square appeared to be
home base or the neutral zone.  A pattern ran up the screen, accompanied by
exceptionally loud music, telling the player which square to hit with a
foot and how many times.  The longer the player lasted, the louder the
music became, the faster the screen rolled, and the more complicated the
stepping pattern became.  As each boy came off the platform, perspiration
poured off their brow and soaked their shirt.  The boys, although in good
physical shape, gasped for air and tried to laugh at the same time.  Daniel
wished he had one of those games at Fort Ogden to let the boys burn off
excess energy.

What began as supper turned into a full evening.  When it was time to
leave, the boys said goodbye to new acquaintances.  Everyone was tired, but
it was a good tired.  TJ and Evan pushed Grandpa out in his wheelchair and
stood by him for a minute or two while the others boarded.  They stood
close and didn't mind his roaming hands over their backsides; they actually
enjoyed his tender touch.

"Daniel, I think it's a little late to be headed back to Fort Ogden.
You'll need to take me up on my offer of staying overnight now."

"I think you're right Elizabeth, I think you're right."  Daniel replied as
he walked out with Danny in his arms, sound asleep.

End Ch Sixty-Four

NOTE: Elizabeth made the announcement at the end of the debate session.  If
you have a question you would like David or Daniel to address, send them
in.  Contact Dwight Wilson at adm2780@yahoo.com