Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:19:58 -0800 From: Zyngaru <zyngaru@ml1.net> Subject: Birthday in the Swamp Disclaimer: This story is totally fictional. Any resemblance to any persons alive or dead are completely coincidental. There is absolutely no sexual content in this story. There is however lots of male/boy nudity. There is expressions of male curiosity between boys. If this type of story offends you, please do not read it. If this type of innocence between boys is of interest to you, then I hope you enjoy the story. If so feel free to let me know at zyngaru@ml1.net BIRTHDAY IN THE SWAMP JULY 1965 By Robby Journal Entry, Friday, July 1, 1965. The smell of frying bacon enters my nose and brings me wide-awake. There isn't anything in the world that smells as good as fried bacon. Lying naked in the early morning coolness of a summer day in Dismal Swamp is about, as good as it gets in life. After the long trial and now the talk of divorce, I really need this time away from everything. Uncle Max is a God-Sent, allowing me to visit this summer. Even though I work the mornings of every day, helping him rent out his fishing boats, I have the whole afternoon off to explore the swamp, fish and swim. "Hey, you going to sleep the whole day away?" I hear, as my uncle opens the door and looks in. "No, Uncle. I'm getting up. I was just laying here thinking is all." I roll out of bed, grab my shorts, tee shirt and sneakers and head for the bathroom to take my morning pee and brush my teeth. After finishing, I go into the kitchen and Uncle has made a giant breakfast of fried potatoes, bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy. "You made all my favorites!" "Well it's not every day that my favorite nephew turns 13. Happy Birthday, Robby." "Thanks Uncle." As I start filling my plate, my uncle hands me a rolled up piece of parchment. It looks very old. "What's this?" "Open it and see." I unroll the paper and it's what looks like some kind of map. "A Map? A map of what? It looks old. What's it for?" "It's your Birthday Present. I'm giving you the whole day to explore, so you don't have to help out here today. The map will help you find some places in the swamp you haven't been to yet, and some places no one has been to in a very long time. They are special places that only a few ever get to see." "Cool! What will I find there? Is it good for fishing? How about a good place to swim?" "Oh yes. You'll find plenty of good places to fish, like none you have seen before. And there is a great place for swimming. But I don't want to tell you too much, cause it is best experienced, not told about." "This is so cool. A mystery to explore. Thank you Uncle. Thank you so much." "You are welcome my boy. Just go and enjoy it, and have fun. Oh, one thing. Never tell anyone else about this place. Okay? It's our special place, and I wouldn't want others to ruin it." "Sure Uncle, no problem." "Okay then, get you a good lunch packed before you go, and enjoy yourself. Just be back before dark as usual, got it? "Sure, no worries. I'll be back before dark. I wouldn't want to be caught out in the swamp after dark anyway." So, I finish my breakfast, pack a lunch, put it along with my fishing gear and some towels in one of the rental boats and set off on my adventure. Uncle keeps a fleet of twenty-six wooden rowboats to rent out to fishermen during the summers. He puts small 7hp outboard motors on them so the fishermen don't have to row them up and down the channels of the swamp. He usually rents out around 20 of them a day, so there is always one available to me for my adventures. Today is different. Today he gives me my pick of boats before the incoming fishermen. What a great uncle I have. I motor down one channel after another following the map. After about an hour of traveling the mazelike canals, I come to an area that is unfamiliar. I slow down, trying to make sure I don't miss the turn off into the special area, but before I know it I am to the next cross juncture and have passed the turn off. I quickly turn around and go back the way I came even slower, but again I come to a junction and have missed my turn again. I turn around and go halfway up the canal, and just stop the boat. Looking around there just isn't another channel to take, no turn off anywhere. But the map clearly shows one, right where I am sitting. I sit there totally confused. What do I do now? As I sit there, I hear laughing. It's a boys laugh. A high pitched distant giggling. Then I see him. A naked boy playing under a tree on the opposite bank. He is on the bank where the channel is supposed to be. I sit in the boat and watch him run around under the tree and across the open spaces. He is definitely cute, sandy blond hair that gleams in the sunlight and a small sleek little body tanned to perfection. He can't be more than 11 and definitely not more than 12, because his body is hairless that hasn't started puberty yet. He is fascinating to watch and he doesn't seem to notice me sitting in my boat watching him running around playing and having a fun time. As I continue to watch this boy I start thinking of why a naked boy is out here in the swamp playing. I didn't know anyone lived this deep in the swamp. Being caught between deep thinking and daydreaming about this naked boy, all of a sudden the giggling and laughing stop. Everything gets deathly quiet. I don't even here birds chirping. I look over at this mysterious boy standing on the edge of the bank, as he looks back at me. As soon as he gets my full attention focused on him, he smiles and then takes off running and disappears. I have to see where this boy went. I start up the boat motor and head back up the channel to the junction and look to the right but no boy in sight, so I turn around and go back to the other junction, so I can look up the other way, but still no naked boy anywhere. With nothing left to do, I go back to where I first saw him and there, where it wasn't there before is a side canal going in the direction where the boy had been playing and the way he ran. I pull up to the canal entrance and stop the boat. This is just so weird. I know this canal wasn't here just a minute ago, but now it's here. How can that be? What to do? This is the canal on my map. But how can it all of a sudden be here? If I go up this canal, will it disappear again? Will I be trapped? This can't be real? This has to be a dream or something? As I sit there totally confused, trying to figure this out. I hear the giggling again. It is definitely coming from up this new canal. Asking myself, Why are you doing this? This is so not right! You are crazy for doing this! You are going to get lost in the twilight zone or something! I start up the canal, very slowly, constantly looking back over my shoulder to make sure the way out is still there. This canal snakes this way and that way through the murky swamp and I even think it might be circling back towards the way I came, until I come upon an open area. It's a small pool. A beautiful gleaming blue pool with over hanging willow trees completely circling it and grassy slopes going up the banks. This has to be a dream. Nothing like this place can exist in the swamp. I shut the motor off and sit listening. There on the other side of this small clear blue pool, is the boy swinging out from the bank on a rope hung from one of the huge willow trees and dropping into the pool. He hits the water with a gigantic splash. When he surfaces, he shakes his head, flinging water from his long gorgeous golden hair and immediately swims back to shore and swings out again, and again, laughing and giggling the entire time. He is the most "beautiful and carefree" sight in the world. Every time he climbs out of the water, his entire body glistens in the sunlight. His hair glows like liquid gold and his laugh, oh his laugh, is like the sweetest music ever played. After awhile, I decide just watching this boy isn't enough. I have to go over and find out who this kid is and maybe go for a swim myself. I start up the boat motor and start for the other side of the pool. It immediately gets completely quiet, no laughing, no giggling, no splashing. I look over to the other side of the pool, and the boy has stopped playing. He is looking directly at me. I am quickly crossing the pool towards him. Then out of nowhere he smiles really big and then runs away disappearing into the surrounding foliage. This is now the second time this boy has just disappeared on me, when I try to approach him. I really want to find this boy and meet him. He's got my curiosity up, and besides, he's so very cute, but how do I meet him, if he keeps running away? I decide since I am on his side of the pool, I might as well go for a swim. If he is still around, maybe he will return and we can swim together. Besides it is getting really hot. Summertime in southern Virginia is very hot and uncomfortable. When I reach his side of the pool, I tie up the boat and walk over to the tree that has the swinging rope tied to it. Still no boy around, but hey, it's time to swim. So, what the heck, I strip off my tee shirt, shorts and sneakers and stand there, enjoying being naked outdoors. It always feels different from being naked inside the house. Out here, it's like total freedom. I love how the wind blows across my naked body. It is exciting being naked where anyone who wanted to look, could see me. But it is time for some fun, other than just being naked in the world so I grab the rope and make my swing out over the pool and drop into the cool water below. Wow, what a feeling! Going from the hot dry air to the cool wet water is exhilarating. Swinging out on the rope is like being Tarzan of the Jungle or maybe Boy. What a thought, I would do anything to be Tarzan's Boy. Running around the Jungle in just a loincloth. Why does boy bother wearing a loincloth anyway? There isn't anyone to see him if he went naked. Yes, I daydream a lot and when I am swimming naked, "You Tarzan Me Boy" is my favorite daydream. I splash and swim in the pool, swinging out on the rope and dropping into the sweet pool over and over again, until I get tired. I slowly crawl my way out of the water and climb up the bank to a great spot to lay on the grassy slope and rest. This is the best place in the world. Uncle sure gave me a great birthday present. But he did say it was a secret place. How did this boy find it? It is so relaxing here. Just the sweetest place to take a nap. Just as my eyes start to close, I hear giggling behind me. I quickly turn and look, but no one. "Hey, I know you're out there." Silence. "Common, I know you're there. Might as well come out." Silence. "Okay, suit yourself, I'll enjoy this place all by myself." Still silence. I lay back down, and close my eyes. This is so relaxing, yet all the time, I feel like someone is watching me. It has to be that naked boy. No big deal, if he wants to hide in the bushes so be it. Then I hear the giggling again. I snap up looking behind me quickly, to see? Nothing, absolutely nothing and no one! "Okay, that's enough, come on out, I know you're there." Okay, this is getting tiresome so, I stand up and walk back in the direction I heard the giggling, but still see nothing. I spend an hour looking here and there, but no sign of the boy. Getting really frustrated, I decide enough is enough. I go back to the tree, pull on my shorts and shoes, pick up my shirt and go to my boat and head over to the other side of the pool, to do some fishing. As I am boating across the pool, I hear laughing behind me, and looking over my shoulder, there's the boy, swinging from the rope and splashing into the pool. I immediately stop the boat, and just sit there and watch him. Why is he staying away from me? He can't be shy, not going around naked like that. I just can't figure this kid out. With nothing better to do, I take out my pole and start fishing on my side of the pool, while the boy swims on his side of the pool. He is really fun to watch. He is so happy and full of energy. He is absolutely beautiful to watch. The fishing is also great. Brim are biting like crazy and every time I catch a fish, the boy stops laughing, looks at me, and smiles, then goes back to swimming again. After catching a dozen good-sized fish, I notice it is getting late and I need to get started back, if I am going to get home before dark. I reel in my line, stow away my gear, and take one last look across the pool at the still swimming boy. When I start the motor, the boy stops laughing and looks at me with that beautiful smile he has been giving me all day. Not knowing just what to do, I smile back and throw up my hand in a good bye wave, and surprisingly, the boy waves back. I start up the canal towards home, and look back over my shoulder and the boy isn't there, he has disappeared again. Just as I make it back to the channel entrance, where I came into this special place, there at the junction is the boy standing, smiling and waving. Then to my surprise he asks, "Are you coming back tomorrow?" He spoke. He spoke to me. He asked me a question. I am totally stunned, almost beyond being able to speak, but I did stammer out. "Ya, I'll be back tomorrow, when I get done working. Will you be here?" "I am always here. Good bye until tomorrow." And he ran off and disappeared again. It is getting really late, so I twist the throttle to full and head for home, getting there just as the other fishermen are coming in for the day. I jump out of my boat as I pull up to the dock, tie it off, and run over to help Uncle with the rental boats coming in. "Well Robby, you have a good day?" "Ya Uncle, the best. You should see the fish I caught. They will make a fine mess for supper." "Yep, not a better fishing spot in the swamp. How was the swimming?" "Oh Uncle, there was this great pool, with a huge tree with a rope to swing out on and everything. It was great." "So, you telling me, that you had a good time, and enjoyed your little birthday present?" "Ya, Uncle, it was the best. I'm going there everyday, for the rest of the summer." "I thought maybe you would enjoy that special spot. Just remember it is a secret place, so make sure no one follows you and you don't tell anyone about it." "I'll be careful Uncle." Then it got really busy, with no more time to talk until we got all the boats in, unloaded, fueled and ready for the next days fishermen. Then I had to unload my boat, put my gear away, and clean the fish so Uncle could cook them for supper. After getting them cleaned, I went in and handed them to Uncle and went to get showered while Uncle cooked supper. I always loved a nice hot shower to clean all the sweat, grime and fish stink away. As I am taking my shower, I realize that I didn't tell Uncle about the boy. Why didn't I say something? Well, it was busy. Ya, it was because it was busy. Nah, it wasn't that busy, that I couldn't have told him. Uncle said the place was special and it was secret, yet that boy was there. Maybe I should ask Uncle how come he was there? Then maybe I shouldn't. It might make Uncle mad to find out someone else found it. He might even think I took the boy there. No, I think it's best I keep the boy a secret for now. I might try and get some information out of Uncle about the boy without telling him he was there. That might work. Well, I can smell food cooked so I better get done here. A quick towel dry, and slipping on a clean pair of shorts, and I'm ready to eat. "Supper done?" "Sure is, come and get it." Uncle can sure cook. We sit down and start gorging ourselves on fresh fish, corn on the cob, hush puppies and turnip greens, with a large glass of lemonade to wash it down. "Uncle, does anyone live back in the swamp?" "Not anymore Robby. There hasn't been anyone living back there for over a hundred years. Why you ask?" "Ah, no reason just curious." "Really? Sounds like maybe you found yourself a mystery?" "No. Well, maybe? I just want to explore it for awhile. That okay?" "Sure. Have fun. Just be careful and stay safe." "Oh Uncle. I will. You know I won't do anything stupid." "Ya, I know. Just being a good uncle and making sure you think before you act." "Always Uncle. Always." And with that, we finished eating and watched some tv and went to bed, because 5:00 a.m. comes mighty early in the swamp, and that's when those city fishermen start showing up for a day out in the swamp fishing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Journal Entry, Monday, July 4, 1965. 4th of July weekend is busy. Every morning, we rent out boat after boat just as fast as we can get them loaded and sent out. All 26 boats get rented, which means I don't have a boat to take into the swamp. Uncle has an airboat that he uses to run errands and to go and get any of the fishermen that get stranded out in the swamp, but I'm not allowed to use it, so I stay around the dock and fish and swim and clean up the place. All the time, wanting to go to my special place, and see that naked boy and find out more about him. I catch myself daydreaming about him. I'll be fishing and be thinking about him, and miss a bite. Funny thing is, I don't care. It's just a fish. This comes from a boy who loves fishing more than just about anything. Swimming isn't fun either, cause he isn't there. Oh, I still swim around the docks, cause it is way to hot not to, but it just isn't fun. At night lying on my bed before falling off to sleep I think about him and what he is doing. I imagine swimming with him and lying naked on the grass together. This mysterious naked boy, that wasn't supposed to be there, becomes my favorite nighttime fantasy. I lay there dreaming about him, naked and glistening. I see myself naked with him. We are close and almost touching. We swim and play together. Our skin wet and glowing in the sunlight. Somewhere in my fantasy, I fall asleep. Monday night, after the boats get in and we get them all ready for the next day and eat supper, Uncle pulls out a box from the hallway closet and says, "Come on Robby, time for a little fun." "What you got? What kind of fun?" "Come on out on the dock and see for yourself." Sure enough, when I get out on the end of the dock and look in the box and my eyes light up like high beams on a Cadillac. Fireworks. Tons and tons of fireworks. Fireworks are illegal in Virginia, well all except those baby fireworks called sparklers. But Uncle has the real thing. Every type firework imaginable and they are all for us and we light all of them, one after the other, and marvel at the wonderful light show we are creating in the swamp sky. "Uncle, can't you get into trouble for shooting off fireworks?" "Nah. Don't you worry your head about such things Robby. There isn't anyone around here for 50 miles or more. And besides it's a stupid law anyways." So we just keep shooting off fireworks until they are all gone. I did sort of wonder though. If there isn't anyone around in 50 miles, where does that boy come from, but I don't want to tell Uncle about him, until I find out all about him. He is my secret. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Journal Entry, Tuesday, July 5, 1965. Very early Tuesday morning, Uncle sticks his head into my room and tells me time to get up. Like always, I am lying on top my bed naked in my usual condition. "Good Morning Uncle. Happy Birthday." "Good Morning Robby. I can see you are excited it's my birthday." "Ya. Seems I am always excited." As I turn two shades of red and laugh at the same time. "No big deal Robby. I am a little excited in the morning myself." "Really! At your age!" "Watch it boy. I'm not all that old. There's still some life in this old man." "Prove it." "Oh no. We ain't going there." "Ya, I thought so." "Watch yourself boy, or this old man, might decide you need some correction." "Ya. And whose army?" And with that, he dashed up to me and started tickling me, like crazy. I couldn't get loose, he is really strong, and I am laughing so hard, and squirming so violently that I didn't even think to tickle him back. It does feel really good being tickled by him. That's something my dad never did with me. Actually, my dad never did anything fun with me. I have such a cool Uncle. "Uncle, Uncle" "Yes Robby" "No I mean I give up, you know Uncle." And with that, he stopped tickling me and I had to really pee. I got to pee like a racehorse. I wonder where that saying came from. I wonder how much a racehorse actually pees. All I know is that I have to really pee, so I roll out of bed, run past my Uncle to the bathroom and pee and pee and pee. I didn't think it would ever stop, but finally it does so it's back to my room to get dressed. The usual shorts, tee shirt and sneakers. No since wearing underwear since I will be pulling them back off to go swimming. I wouldn't even bother to wear anything, if I thought I could get away with it. Then it's into the kitchen for a bowl of Cheerios and out onto the dock to move the boats into position, making sure no snakes have spent the night and are hiding under the seats. Wouldn't want a city kid finding a moccasin curled up under his seat, he might crap his pants. Then again, it might be fun, to see what he would do. One time Uncle had to go get two city slickers that sunk there boat when a snake crawled in it while they were fishing. The silly guys took a pistol and shot at the snake in the bottom of their boat, and sure enough next thing they knew the boat was filling up with water and they were in the swamp with the snakes. How silly, we put machetes in every boat for that purpose. Being a weekday and the first day after a 3-day weekend, not many people show up to rent a boat. Uncle soon tells me I can take off for the day, if I want to, and of course I definitely want to, I had been waiting to go back to my secret place all weekend. Faster than superman on a rubber band I'm into the house to pack a lunch, PB and J sandwiches and a couple bottles of root beer. Then gather my fishing gear, a couple towels and my knife, put everything into a boat, and off I go, for a day of adventure. I am so excited that I can't wait to get there. It has been 3 days since I had been out in a boat, gone to the secret place and seen the naked boy. I am really wound up tight. As I round the last channel I listen for laughing, but all is silent. I come to where the turn-off is supposed to be, but it isn't there. I pull up and stop. "Hey, I'm here. Come open the channel." Silence. "Come-on. Don't make me wait out here." Still silence. I look up, and there is the naked boy, but he isn't laughing and he isn't smiling. He is just standing there looking at me. "Hey, Hi. Sorry I wasn't here over the weekend, but all the boats were rented." Just silence. "Come-on. Let me in, Please." Nothing. He is just looking at me with absolutely no expression on his face what so ever. "Please. I'm here now, we can swim and play. Okay?" Still nothing but silence, then he raises his arm and points to something behind me. I turn to see what he is pointing to, but there is nothing there and when I turn back around the boy is gone, he has disappeared yet again, but the channel is there for me to enter into the special place. I motor in and follow the snaking channel to our special pool and there he is, swinging from the rope and laughing. I motor over and land the boat on the bank, tie it off, strip off my clothes and go over to the rope to swing out into the pool. It feels really good to be naked again, and here in my special place. As I swing out over the pool, I let go and try to do a flip as the boy climbs out of the pool and goes over to where he can catch the returning rope. I mess up and land on my back. OUCH! Boy does that smart. I almost run on top of the water to get back to shore. As I climb out of the water, the boy swings out and does a perfect flip and splashes into the pool. I catch the rope as it swings back to shore and get ready to swing out again. "Smarty pants. I'll get it this time." I swing out, let go and do a perfect flip, splashing into the water. When I surface, the boy is just standing there holding the rope. "Hey what you waiting for, come on, swing out, the water is great." He remains standing in place. What's he waiting for? I was hoping we could swim together, not one at a time. Finally I get tired of waiting for him, and start to shore. As I climb out of the pool, he swings out and drops into the water, laughing and giggling. I catch the rope and hurry to swing out and catch him, but when I hit the water and look around, he is standing on the grassy bank holding the rope, waiting to swing again. We continue to do this all morning. When I am on the bank, he is in the water and when I am in the water, he is on the bank. Around lunchtime, I swing out and drop into the water with a big splash and when I surface and look back the boy is gone. Disappeared again. So, I climb out of the water, go to my boat, get my lunch, and lay on the grass and rest while eating my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This isn't the way I dreamed it. We were supposed to swim together, pushing each other underwater and playing together, not this one in the water and one out of the water bull crap. When I finish my lunch, still no boy, so I get in my boat and motor over to the other side of the pool and start fishing. In no time I have caught a dozen, huge brim and then I hear giggling again. Sure enough the boy is back. He is swinging from the rope. I motor over and swing out and splash into the water and like before when I look around the boy is back on shore holding the rope, waiting for me to get out before he swings out. We do this for about another hour until it is time for me to dry off, get dressed and head home. As I motor down the channel toward home, I look back, and no boy. When I reach the entrance to this special place, there he is standing on the bank, watching me. "Good bye, see you tomorrow." Silence. Nothing. Not a wave. Not a giggle. Not a good bye. Just that silent stare. I make my turn and head for home. Looking back, no boy, no channel nothing to show I had ever been there. I return home. Dock the boat, fuel it, clean the fish, and go take my shower. I don't bother to put my shorts on after my shower, just go to supper naked. Then I watch some tv until bedtime. "Robby, is something the matter?" "No Uncle. Why you ask?" "Well, you seem so down and this is the first time you went naked after your shower." "Oh. I'm not really down Uncle. I just have lots on my mind." "Anything I can help you with?" "No not really. Just something I have to figure out by myself." "Okay, I can relate to that. What about being naked?" "I just thought, you see me naked all the time, and I sleep naked, that it is foolish to dress after my shower to just get undressed again for bed. But if it bothers you?" "No. No. You can go naked as much as you want. It doesn't bother me a bit." "Thanks Uncle. I like being naked. It feels good. Thanks for letting me, my dad wouldn't understand like you do." "That's okay Robby. I am glad you can feel comfortable enough here to go naked." "Well, I better be going to bed, morning comes early and you will be in to wake me up before I know it. Good Night Uncle." "Good Night Robby." Journal Entry, Tuesday, July 12, 1965. Next morning, I'm up early and do everything exactly the same. Matter of fact, all week, everything happened exactly the same. Nothing changed, nothing at all. Not one word out of the boy. Not one smile my way. He was in the water when I was out and I was in the water when he was out. I would catch my fish, while he swam and had fun, but if I looked at him, he would ignore me. Obviously I had done something to him, but for the life of me, I don't know what I did and he won't talk to me, so I can't find out and apologize. When I return home, Uncle can see that something is wrong, but he doesn't push me to tell him. It is really cool he lets me go naked in the house. I do enjoy that and I think he does too cause I keep catching him looking at me with a smile on his face. But when he sees me looking at him, he acts like he isn't looking. When we are watching tv I find lots of reasons to get up and walk past him and wiggle my butt as I go by. He sometimes gives me a swat on the butt and it feels really good. When my dad swatted my butt it was never fun, it always hurt, but Uncle does it in play and dad never played. After our playful tv watching, I go to bed like every day, and lay there thinking about the boy and why he won't talk to me. I can't figure it out. He was so friendly the first day, and was happy I was coming back, but when I did go back, he ignores me, why? All I know is, I can't take anymore of this. Tomorrow is going to be different, one way or another. Journal Entry, Wednesday, July 13, 1965 Next morning, I get up and follow the usual routine, then head for my special place. Just before I make the turn to go down the channel that leads to the entrance to my special place, I run my boat ashore and climb up the bank and start walking towards where the boy always stands waiting for me. When I get close, I duck down and try to sneak up on him. Just as I get almost there, I discover he is standing, looking right at me. When I try to approach him, he walks away and disappears. But the channel is there, so I hurry back to my boat and take off for the secret pool. When I get there the boy is laughing and giggling and swinging out over the pool and with one swift drop, splash. This time I am determined that things aren't going to be the same as they have been all week. No more me in water him out and no more silent treatment. Today, I am going to find things out, once and for all. I motor over, dock my boat, strip off my clothes, but instead of going to the rope like I usually do, I just lay down on the grass and wait. The boy is laughing and playing in the water, but not coming out to swing again. He is definitely waiting for me to go to the rope and swing, before he comes back in. But not this time. I lay back on the soft grass and close my eyes. I can hear him splashing in the water. I can hear the birds singing in the trees. I can smell the crisp air. I am relaxing and taking in all the sounds, feels and smells. Soon the laughing stops and I can here him swimming towards the shore. It's working. I didn't think he could resist swinging for very long. I still just lay there with my eyes closed but with my ears open to all the sounds around me. Everything gets really quiet, except for the birds singing. I can't here anymore splashing. I think he might be out of the water by now. Probably heading for the rope and another swing. I should be hearing him splash soon. But still I lay there with my eyes closed. "Why didn't you come swimming like you said you would?" He is talking to me. It's working. He is really talking to me. He has to be close, it sounds like he is right over me, but I keep my eyes closed, not wanting to scare him away or ruin this chance to find out why. "I did come swimming. I have been here all week swimming." "No. Why didn't you come swimming the next day, like you said you would?" Is that why he is mad at me, because I didn't return the next day? "Because we rented out all our boats to fishermen and I didn't have a way to get here." "Oh." And there was a long pause then, "But you promised. You promised ME you would be here." "Ya. I know I promised, but I couldn't come and I couldn't tell you why, cause I don't know where you live." "Oh. But you DO know where I live. I told you." "When?" Where?" WHEN did you tell me where you live? Where DO you live?" "I told you when I said goodbye to you. Don't you remember?" "No. I don't remember you telling me." "Well, I did." "Okay. Okay. I apologize. I must have forgot. So, where do you live?" "Right HERE silly." "Here? But where? Where is your house?" "Don't need one. You can open your eyes if you want. I won't disappear." "Thanks. I was getting tired of talking to someone I can't see." I open my eyes and He is leaning right over me, within inches. "I am really sorry for not coming back like I said I would, but it was just impossible." "Yes. Others have said that too. Lots of others. I'm used to it." "Others? There have been others?" "Yes. Lots of others, but they leave and don't come back." "I don't understand." I say. Then he changes the subject. "You want to swim now?" "Sure, but can we swim together this time, instead of you in the water and me out?" "Okay, you want to swing out together?" He asks. "Sure." And the rest of the morning, we swung out together on the rope. Our naked bodies pressing together, rubbing each other through the air. Then when we reached the highest point of our swing, we let go together to splash into the water below. We plunged deep into the pool holding on to each other all the way down only to resurface and swim back to shore to do it all over again. His body feels so good pressing up against mine every time we swing out together. Coming up from our plunge we pull at each other's feet trying to drag the other one back so we can get to the surface first. On the surface we splash water in each other's face and race for the shore to see who can get their first. We run for the rope in a race. The whole morning is a big race with each other and it feels so magnificent. I have found a friend. A real friend. One who likes what I like. One who enjoys playing naked and touching naked and swimming naked. But at lunchtime, as always, we swing out together hit the water with a splash, but when I come up, I am alone. The boy is gone. He is absolutely no where to be found. So, with nothing else to do, I swim to the shore, get in my boat still naked, go over to the other side of the pool, eat my lunch and fish, until the boy returns. Then like always, after I catch my dozen fish, the boy returns, laughing and splashing in the water, so I go back over to that side of the pool, to go swimming with him again. But to my surprise, he sits down on the grass and waits for me to sit with him. Looking deep into my eyes, he asks, "What's your name?" "Robert Edward Clarke, but everyone calls me Robby. What's yours?" "John Lee Walker, of the Maryland Walkers, but everyone calls me Johnny." "So you live in Maryland?" "Yes. That's where our home is, but I'm here visiting my aunt for the summer." "Really. That's so cool. I'm here visiting with my uncle for the summer." "I like you." And with that, he bent over and kissed me on the nose and got up and ran for the rope. I was stunned. I never had a boy kiss me before. "You coming in for a swim, or are you going to sit there all day?" He yells at me. With that, I jump up, and run for the rope. We both grab on and swing for dear life, out over the pool and splash, again and again and again. But like all good things, it is getting late and I have to go to get back home before dark, so I get out of the water, get dressed and head for home. When I get to the entrance to our secret place, Johnny is waiting and says, "Good Bye Robby. Will I see you tomorrow?." "Yes Johnny. Good Bye. I'll be here tomorrow I promise. Will you be here?" "I'm always here, Robby. Always." And with that, we wave goodbye and I head for home. Journal Entry, Saturday, July 24, 1965. For the next two weeks, I go to the secret pool every day and swim and play with Johnny. Everyday at lunchtime he disappears, and no matter how much I watch him, I never see him leave, he is just there one minute and gone the next. I spend lots of time searching the woods and swamp around the pool, but find nothing, not even footprints in the mud. Wherever Johnny goes every day, it's someplace I can't find. But when he comes back in the afternoon, he always wants to spend time lying on the grass naked to talk. I find out that he is 12 years old, and that his birthday is on the 27th of July, so we both have birthdays in July and are same age. Well almost just a few days different. I find out his parents dropped him off here with his aunt while they go to North Carolina on business, and are going to pick him up when they return, and go back home to Maryland. He comes here to swim everyday and he is a very happy and fun loving boy to be around. He is also very curious. One day, while we are lying on the grass talking, he reaches over and grabs me and asks, "Why is yours different than mine?" I am trying to tell him, "It's because mine is circumcised, and yours isn't." While he is slowly examining it. "What's circumcised?" Now try explaining what circumcision is to a boy, while he is examining it first hand. "It's where they cut that loose skin off the end." He instantly lets go of mine and grabbed his and started examining it closely. "This skin?" "Ya. That skin." "Show me." I can't believe he just asked that. I reach over and pull back his foreskin and show him where they would cut it off. "See, right here. If they cut it off right here, then yours would look just like mine." "Don't that hurt?" "Well I guess it does, but I don't remember cause they did it when I was a baby." "Oh." He replies. Then all of a sudden, he leans over, kisses me on the cheek and runs off to swim. And the moment is gone. Each day, is like that, something new each day. It's like he's learning everything for the first time. I never know what he might say or do. He is the most curious and exciting boy I have ever met. Journal entry, Sunday, July 25, 1965. Today starts out wonderful like all the days of this month have started. Uncle wakes me up, I go pee, and then get dressed for the day. After a quick breakfast, we go out on the dock and rent the boats to the days fishermen, then I pack a lunch, load whatever boat is left and go to my secret place. Johnny is always waiting for me at the turn off, with a huge smile, wave and a hello. Then he races me to the pool and he always wins. I still haven't figured that one out. I have a boat with motor, and he beats me to the pool on foot through the brush of the swamp. As soon as I get to the shore I shed my clothes and spend the rest of the day with Johnny naked and free. We swim all morning. Swinging together on the rope and splashing into the pool. We dunk each other and play in the water as we swim back to shore, just to swing out and do it all over again. Johnny laughs and giggles all the time. He is the happiest boy I have ever known, and I have fallen helplessly in love with him. I love being with him, around him, touching him, holding him, swimming with him and in every way, being near him. I have never known a more innocent, loving and carefree boy in my life. It's like he isn't of this world. Not jaded by life and its concerns. Everything is new to him and nothing embarrasses him or scares him. He likes to kiss me on the cheek and nose and forehead. I have never known a boy so free with kisses. Back home if a boy did that he'd be labeled a homo and his life would be a living hell. But with Johnny, it's like it's as natural to be naked and kiss a boy as it is to breathe. We lay naked in the grass every afternoon and talk, spending the time sharing with each other our lives. He is totally comfortable lying naked in the grass with me. Total innocence. But everyday at noon, he vanishes. One minute he is there and the next he is gone and I never catch that moment when he leaves and I never find out where he goes. He is the mystery of mysteries. The more I try to be prepared to catch that moment, the more it slips away. But when he returns, it's always special, as we lay naked and talk about everything under the sun. He's a virtual sponge taking in everything I tell him about my life and things outside the swamp. He will rub his hand over my body as we talk, causing goose bumps to rise up all over me. We will get into tickling wars. He's even more ticklish than me. I will touch him, here and there over his body and he just moves into my touch, wanting more and more. And when I think he can't surprise me with anything new, he does. "Robby, I love you." WOW! Where did that come from. He just said it. Ya, I have been thinking it, but he actually said it. Out loud. "Johnny, I love you too." Did I just say that? Out loud? Then without warning, Johnny rolls over onto his side and plants his lips right on mine and gives me a big kiss. Pulls away and smiles. WHOA! I am not ready for this. A boy just kissed me right on the lips and what's more, I liked it. Then as he always does, he suddenly rolls back and runs to the rope and swings out over the pool and drops with a huge splash, leaving me lying on the grass in total bewilderment. But all to quickly, he is out of the water, runs over to me, shakes himself like a puppy, spraying me with cold water, and asks, "Well silly, aren't you coming in for a swim?" "Ya, right behind you." And we swing and splash and swim the rest of the afternoon, until it is time for me to leave so I can get home before dark and as I reach the turn to leave our secret place, Johnny is waiting for me, smiling and waving. "Good Bye Johnny. I love you." "Good bye Robby. I love you too." "Johnny, You'll be here tomorrow, right?" "Yes Robby, I'm always here." Journal Entry, Wednesday, July 27, 1965. The last two days have been like heaven. Spending so much time with Johnny. He is so wonderful. The last two nights I have lay awake fantasizing of things we could do together. Today is his birthday. Today he is 13. Today we are both the same age. Today, this very afternoon, I am going to swim and play with my bestest friend in our special place and have so much fun. I want to give Johnny something special for his birthday. Do something special with him just the two of us. But like always the day started the same. Up early, take my pee, get dressed, eat breakfast and rent boats. None too soon, I'm finally free and off towards our very special place. Yep, this afternoon, after our morning swim and Johnny's little disappearance, I'll give him his special birthday present. He is going to be so happy. Before I know it, I round the bend and there he is, waving at me, and I make the turn into the greatest secret place in the world. Motoring across the pool, Johnny is already swinging and splashing into the pool. "Hurry up, Robby, You are missing it." "Ya, give me a minute to get my clothes off." "Hehehe! Ya, you and your clothes. Get naked already and get over here. I want to swing with you." "Coming Johnny." And we spend the morning swinging, splashing, dunking, tickling, laughing, giggling and swimming. Our morning together is so wonderful. Playing naked together free of everything and everybody. But then like every other morning this month, at noon, we both swing out over the pool together, let go, splash into the pool, and up I come and Johnny is gone. I still don't know how he does that, but every day at noon, he does it. By this time, I know it's no use looking for him, cause when Johnny disappears, no amount of searching is going to find one clue as to where he is or how he does it. So, I wander over to my boat, get in, push off, and go to the other side of the pool, and eat my lunch while I fish. But something is different today. The fish aren't biting. They always bite, but not today. At least an hour goes by, and not one nibble. This is very strange, very strange indeed. But then, I guess I am spoiled for always catching a lot of fish here. But it looks like no fish for supper tonight because, it's time for Johnny to return and I want to be waiting for him on the grass to give him his birthday present, one he will never forget. So I head back to the shore and lay in the grass, so I can give him his special birthday present. Thirty minutes go by and no Johnny. He is always back by now. No laughing, no giggling, no excitement, where's Johnny? Another hour, and still no Johnny. This isn't right. Something is wrong. He always comes back to lay with me in the grass to talk and fool around. What's keeping him? Where can he be? I lay there the rest of the afternoon, waiting, but no Johnny. The sun is starting to go down, and I have waited as long as I can, before I have to go home, or it will be dark before I get back. But I am scared for Johnny. He always comes back. Something has to have happened. But what can I do? Uncle. I got to get to Uncle. He will know what to do. He will help me. I run to the boat jump in and race back home as fast as the boat will take me. The sun is going down fast now. I waited too long for Johnny, and Uncle will be mad. But he has to help me, I know something terrible has happened to Johnny. He wouldn't have just left without telling me goodbye. Uncle has to help. There on the dock in the distance I can see Uncle. As I get closer, I notice something strange. He doesn't look mad. He isn't pacing the dock. He doesn't have a frown on his face. He is just sitting on the end of the dock, watching me motor in. "Ah, Robby, there you are." "Uncle, I'm really sorry for being so late but something terrible has happened. I need your help. Please help me, Please." "Calm down, Robby. Of course I will help you. Must be something really urgent, since you forgot to put your clothes on, before coming back." Sure enough, I am still naked. I had forgotten to get dressed. Well, it isn't like Uncle, hasn't seen me naked every morning, when he wakes me up and every evening while we watch tv. He helps me out of the boat and into the house, where we sit down and I start to tell him everything. "Robby, I know about Johnny. I have always known about him." "You have. But you said no one has lived back there in over a hundred years." "Yep, that's what I said. I guess it's time I tell you a few things about Johnny. But first, you need to know, he is okay, so you can calm down." "Are you sure he is okay? How do you know he is okay?" "Robby, trust me. Johnny is okay. And when you have calmed down, I will tell you all about Johnny and your secret place." So, Uncle made some tea, and we both sit down in the living room and sip tea and eat cookies and then Uncle gets up, goes to the closet, and brings out a huge old book. "Robby, it's time for me to explain some things about the birthday present I gave you, the secret place and Johnny. If you are ready to hear it?" "I am Uncle." With that, he opens the book, and starts reading. "On July 27th in the year of our Lord 1840, In the State of Maryland, John Lee Walker, is born to John Alexander Walker and Pricilla Lee Walker, Of the Lee Family of Virginia. He is a very happy baby and over the years, grows into a happy, fun loving boy." "Uncle is that Johnny's Grandfather?" "No Robby, it's not his Grandfather. Now please just sit and listen to the story until I am finished and then if you have any questions I'll answer them. Okay?' I shake my head yes, but thinking this is all to weird. "In May of our Lord 1853, the Walker family travels to Virginia, on their way to North Carolina to settle the estate of John Walker's brother, Thomas Walker. In June of our Lord 1853, the Walker family arrives at Willow Grove Plantation, Virginia, located on the edge of the Dismal Swamp. This is the home of Henry Beaumont Jackson and his wife Charlotte Lee Jackson. Charlotte being Pricilla's sister and aunt to young John Lee Walker." "So Uncle, there was a real plantation here?" "Yes, Robby. There was once a real plantation here on the edge of the swamp. Now let me continue reading, okay?" "It is decided that Young Johnny will stay with his aunt and uncle while his mother and father travel on to North Carolina, being that funerals and estate settlements aren't for young boys. Johnny spends his days playing with the slave boys of the plantation, giving his aunt and uncle some relief from the energy of a young boy. Soon, Johnny becomes restless, and the heat of a Virginia summer becomes intense and it is decided that Johnny and his playmates can go with the fishing boats into the swamp and be dropped off to play at Willow Pond. Willow Pond being a small retreat of the Plantation, for relaxing, fishing and swimming." "Willow Pond is our secret place, isn't it Uncle?" "Yes, Robby, the secret place is Willow Pond." "So, on the 1st day of July in the year of our Lord 1853, Johnny discovers the wonders of a very special place at Willow Pond. The boys play, swim, and otherwise entertain themselves during the day, while the men, go deeper into the swamp to fish, and then of an evening the men return to pick the boys up and go back to the plantation house. Every day for the next three weeks the boys go to Willow Pond and play. There favorite game being to swing out over the pond from a rope tied to a huge willow tree and drop, plunging deep into the pond waters below." "That's our tree, Uncle, Isn't it?" "Yes, Robby, that's your tree." "During the 3rd week of July, in the year of our Lord 1853, a huge storm blows through southern Virginia, knocking down many trees, damaging buildings, flooding fields and destroying property. For an entire week, the boys are not allowed to go to Willow Pond, but have to stay on the plantation to help clean things up. On the 27th of July in the year of our Lord 1853, Johnny's aunt and uncle agree to allow the boys to go to Willow Pond for the day. Men are sent to survey the damage that may have come about by the storm. It is also a way to get young Johnny away from the plantation, so that his aunt and uncle can prepare for a huge surprise birthday party for his 13th birthday. Johnny's parents are due to return and plan on surprising him, at the party." "Uncle, today is the 27th, Johnny's birthday." "I know Robby. You really need to let me finish this." "The men and boys leave in the morning, and boat to Willow Pond. They find the place a shambles. Trees are down all around the pond and limbs are strewn everywhere. Everyone pitches in and starts cleaning up the place, to try and return it to its former beauty. By noon the work party has cleared half way around the pond, and decide to take a break and eat lunch. While everyone is eating, Johnny being ever so restless, slips away, and walks back to the area of the tree with the rope and decides while everyone else is eating, to go for a swim. He strips off his clothes, and grabs hold of the rope. With a laugh and a yell, he swings out over the pond, and plunges into the inviting water below." "Ya, Uncle. Johnny loves to swing on that rope and splash into the pond." "Yes, Robby. He sure does." "Johnny, flips in the air and dives head first into the waiting water. But then all is quiet. Everyone on the other side, who have watched Johnny, swing out, wait for him to surface and swim back to shore. But nothing, Johnny hasn't surfaced. Johnny always comes up immediately so he can do it again, but this time, he didn't come up. Soon they know something is wrong and start running. As they get close two of the men jump into the water to find Johnny. They go down, and then back up, get a breath and go back down, then up for another breath and then back down. After awhile they find him. Just below the surface, where Johnny had plunged in, is a downed tree and tangled in its branches is Johnny. By the time the men free Johnny of the tree limbs, it is too late. They bring his lifeless body back to shore. All the life, excitement, joy, happiness and laughter is gone from the limp body lying in the grass before them. They wrap Johnny's naked lifeless body in blankets and boat back to the plantation house, where guests for Johnny's 13th Birthday Party are already arriving. The Party that is supposed to be the very best event of a boy's life, turning 13, becomes his wake." "Johnny drowned? He died? But how can he be my Johnny's ancestor if he died? " Like I said, he isn't Johnny's ancestor. Now Robby just a little bit more, and then I will try and answer your questions. Please?" "The death of Johnny, devastates Johnny's parents and his aunt and uncle. The boy that was so full of life is now gone from them forever. The place of his death becomes the place they despise. So, after the funeral, 100 slaves are brought in from the fields and sent to Willow Pond, where every tree is chopped down, and thrown into the pond and the canal leading to it. Then with shovels the men fill in the channel so no one will ever be able to return to that cursed pond. And to this day, that channel is blocked and the pond is no more." "But Uncle. I've been there. The channel and the pond are there. And Johnny is there." "Yes, Robby, the pond and Johnny are there, but they aren't there at the same time." "Uncle, I don't understand. That don't make sense." "Robby, think about it. What did Johnny tell you about himself?" "He said he was from Maryland, visiting with his aunt while his parents went to North Carolina on business. Wait. Are you saying that the Johnny of your story is my Johnny?" "Yes Robby. I am. Your Johnny and the story Johnny are the same Johnny." "They can't be. That would mean that Johnny is a ghost and he can't be a ghost because I've seen him. Talked to him. I have touched him. I kissed him." Whoops. Did I just tell my uncle I kissed a boy? "Robby, I know you have been there. All month you have been going there. And you have been spending your time with Johnny." "But how? Don't try telling me he is a ghost. There's NO way! I felt him, touched him. He ain't no ghost, he is real." "Robby, every year, Johnny returns to his pond during the month of July. If a special, 12-year-old boy, who also has a birthday in July, comes by, he will invite him to play in the pond. Many boys through the years have seen Johnny. Not many ever went into the secret place, because most of the boys were out fishing with their dad's and their dad couldn't see Johnny or the channel that leads back into the secret place." "So you really are telling me, the boy I spent this whole month with is a ghost! And. And. The secret place isn't really there?" "Exactly Robby." "No way. He can't be. He really can't be. The boy I love can't be a ghost." "Sorry Robby. I am really sorry Robby, but yes, he is." "Okay, let's just say you are right. How do you know he is a ghost? Not just because some old book says so?" "Oh no, Robby, not because of this old book. This book, just explains what I already know." "Then how? Tell me how you know for a fact that Johnny, my Johnny isn't real." "Oh he is real. Well, was real, for the month that you were with him." "Uncle that just don't make any sense." "Robby, I know this is hard for you to take in. It was hard for me to take in too, when your grandpa told me the same thing." "Grandpa? Grandpa told you about Johnny? You knew Johnny?" "Oh Ya! When I was 12, your grandpa took me fishing out by there, and I saw Johnny standing on the bank waving at me. I told your grandpa, but he didn't say much, only asked if I wanted to fish or play with the boy. I said play, so he took me over to the bank and let me off, and told me he would be right here fishing until I returned and to come back before dark. Everyday that July your grandpa took me to that place and I went with Johnny back to the pond to swim and play. Then like you, on this very day, the 27th of July, Johnny disappeared not to come back, and I went crying to your grandpa, and he got out this old book and told me the very same story. I didn't believe him either, and made him take me back there for a week afterward, but no Johnny. Your grandpa told me, he only plays with boys that are turning 13 in July, but on the 27th he disappears for good until the next year. Since my birthday was in July, Johnny invited me to play. So Robby, when you came to visit this summer, and you were so down and depressed with all that trial stuff and your father, I thought you needed something, SOMEONE special in your life to cheer you up, so I gave you the map, and let you find Johnny." "Uncle, How many boys have been to the special place?" "According to Johnny, lots of boys visit him, but very few stay the whole month with him. I think that is because most only come for the days fishing, and when their dad's take them home, they can't come back." "Oh, maybe that's what Johnny meant, when he said that most don't come back." "Most likely Robby." "Uncle the book. What is it?" "Ah. Robby this is a very special book. It's a book of the history of some of your ancestors." "My ancestors?" "Yes. Yours. Charlotte and Pricilla Lee are great, great, great cousins on your mother's side of the family. Have you ever thought seriously about your name?" "No why? What's wrong with my name?" "Nothing Robert Edward Clarke. Have you thought about where the Robert Edward came from since it's not your fathers name?" "No. Where did it come from?" "Think Robby. Think. Robert Edward. Who in history has the name Robert E." "Robert E., Robert E., the only person I can think of is Robert E. Lee." "Exactly, my dear Watson. General Robert E. Lee, was a cousin to Charlotte and Pricilla, who are related to you through your mother. This house we are in, used to be part of the original plantation. It along with this book has been handed down from father to son for generations and is now mine. This swamp is part of your heritage, that's why your mom suggested you come here for the summer." "But that would mean that Johnny is like my cousin or something, doesn't it?" "Exactly Robby. Exactly." "Uncle, this is just so weird. It is so hard to take in. Things like this aren't real. Are they?" "Robby, my dear boy, they are as real as you let them be." "As real as you want them to be." And with that, the most special of summers ended. My First Love. Johnny, my cousin, the boy who died over a hundred years ago, became the most special love of my life. Last Journal Entry for July 1965, Sunday, July 31, 1965. Oh, I went back every day of that summer, hoping that the channel would be there and that Johnny would return. One day, I even got out of the boat and hiked back through the brush trying to find the pond, but there wasn't anything to be found, just swamp. But even though I never saw Johnny again, he is forever in my memory. And he is as real as my memory can keep him. Excerpts from the Journal of Robert Edward Clarke, 13 years old, for the Month of July, 1965.