Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 07:55:19 -0500
From: Jamie Anderson <JamieAnderson@compuserve.com>
Subject: The Wizard of Solton Part 1 of 7

              The Wizard of Solton - Part 1 of 7.

The Disclaimer. The usually boring bit that you can skip if you are
in a hurry and lack a sense of humour.

This story contains descriptions of sex between males and they are as
detailed as I can make them.

If this type of story causes you offence, you may rest assured that I
have done my level best to offend you as much as possible.

If you live in an area where reading such material may cost you your
liberty, then I would advise that you flee while there is still time.

If you are under the age permitted for reading such stories in your
neck of the woods, please remember to clean out your browser's cache
directory and history file immediately after reading. Otherwise one
of your parents might accidentally stumble on it and blow your cover.

The rest of you can read on with a clean conscience.

               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

           The Prologue (It helps if you read this bit.)

With the invention of the Faster-than-light (FTL) drive mankind
spewed forth and set up colonies all over this arm of the galaxy.
Back then, they called it "The Empire of Man." Like all previous
empires it fell, and for the same reasons - greed, nepotism, bad
local rulers and slow communications. Radio, unlike the FTL ship, is
restricted to light speed.

There followed a "Dark Age" where civilisation quickly regressed to
the pre-industrial age on many colony planets.

Two inventions changed things. The first of these was The Assessment,
which allowed everyone to be tested and assessed as to what
responsibilities they should be allowed. This ensured fair and just
rulers were appointed. The second was the sub-space radio, which
brought the boon of instant communications. These led to the
foundation of the second empire, which was called "The Union of
Mankind."

The tale begins as the Union is slowly spreading and bringing the
long lost colonies of the old empire into the Union. The logistics of
this operation are horrendous and although the whereabouts of many
ex-colonies are known, the resources are not yet available to bring
them into the Union.

Our story is set on one such world. Unknown to its inhabitants, it is
being used as a sub-space radio relay station. To maintain the
station, a Union citizen has been sent to the planet. His name is
Arun and he is trying to live undercover, as a native of the planet.
So he is a sort of glorified janitor and yet he is the most powerful
man on the planet. The fact that he is gay is seen as an asset; he
will not be liable to interbreed with the natives. He is assisted in
his endeavours by a sentient computer called, Spyk.

So, let our tale begin...

                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          The Wizard of Solton arrives and takes an Apprentice

Dawn was breaking over Solton, as it lay in its strategic position,
nestling where two rivers, the Ak and the Eb, met. The town had
bridges across both rivers. These were the only bridges for quite
some distance in any direction, and in consequence, they brought the
town much trade.

But this dawn was heralding no ordinary day. This was made obvious by
the amount of activity on the Common. Tents and stalls were being
erected and there was a great bustle of activity, even more than on a
market day.

For today was Solton's Apprenticeship Day. This was the one day of
the year when all the tweens, those who had left childhood behind and
had entered that interesting state between boyhood and manhood, would
seek out a Master Artisan to teach them a trade. As this trade would
last them for life, it was a very important day in the life of a
tween.

But it was to be no ordinary Apprenticeship Day either, because Arun,
the new Wizard, had expressed a wish to take on a tween as an
Apprentice.

The town was agog with gossip at this prospect, as this had never
happened before. Arun had arrived only a month before. There had been
a two-year interregnum for the post of Wizard of Solton, during which
time the Wizard's Manse had stood empty.

The reason for this was that Willum, Solton's largest, not very
intelligent and really quite blunt resident, had taken exception to
the fact that the previous Wizard had been unable to cure a running
sore on his leg.

Now to be brutally fair, the previous incumbent of the Manse had been
a charlatan, alas an all-too-common trait among Wizards in these
parts. However if Willum was not happy about the failure to cure, he
was even less so about the refusal to return the fee. Being of an
uncomplicated nature, he solved this by thumping the Wizard,
extremely hard. The next day the Wizard left town, predicting grave
disasters that, of course, never arrived.

It is said about Wizards, "They're as thick as thieves and when you
kick one, they all limp". So the town of Solton became an unpopular
venue - well, for those in the Wizard trade at least, until Arun had
arrived. He carried a warrant that had affixed to it the King's seal,
both of which were excellent forgeries.

Arun had caused comment from the moment he walked through the gates
of the town. His size was the first thing everyone noticed, as he was
about two sizes too large. However if you saw him at a distance, with
no other reference point, he seemed normal. It was only when you got
right up close that it became apparent. He was not just tall, his
body was of normal proportions, he was just, well, big.

A small donkey, which pulled a rather large covered wagon, followed
him. Had anyone been observant, they might have noticed that the
donkey pulled the wagon with ease, even though the wagon's wheels dug
deep ruts into the road testifying to its heavy load.

However there were not many who had such powers of observation and
even fewer who bothered to use them. In fact, if the truth be told,
there was but one - Wix. This was truly odd as Wix was very
shortsighted and anything at even a modest distance was rather
blurred to him.

However since Wix was an inmate of Solton Orphanage he, and any
observations he made, counted for little.

Wix got as close as he could to the Wizard, and fell quietly in lust
with him. However considering his lowly position in society, he knew
that his lusting after Arun was all it could ever be.

Even the most unobservant could not help but notice the other
oddities about Arun. First, he was fair skinned; he had almost no
colour in his body. His hair was blond and reached his shoulders, his
skin was light and his eyes were the most piercing blue anyone had
ever seen. There was one other peculiarity about Arun; every time he
stepped into direct sunlight he sort of... sparkled. It was like his
skin took on a sheen that twinkled.

Around his feet ran a small, black and white dog which, like Wix,
seemed to be of little significance. So nobody looked closely at it
as it sniffed around, the way dogs do. Had they done so they might
just have seen the gleam of intelligence in its eyes. But, there
again, they were not really interested in the Wizard's dog and not
even Wix gave it more than a glance.

As the crowd followed Arun to the Manor House only Wix noticed a
slight oddity; Arun almost bumped his head on the doorframe. Now most
people who are tall tend to duck automatically when they get near
anything that might catch their head, but the doorframe obviously
caught Arun unaware.

Well, the truth of the matter was that Arun had not always been a
tall person. Oh, not that his size had in any way changed, but size
is relative. Born on a high-gravity world, Arun was of average size.
Then he moved to a much lighter-gravity planet where he was
considered diminutive. He had been chosen for this assignment to this
planet because of his lack of height. However he was suspiciously big
when compared to the locals who, in galactic terms, were very small
indeed.

Arun having, as tradition demanded, paid a visit to the Manor House
and presented his warrant to Pers, the Lord of the Manor, he now
moved into the vacant Manse and he and the Manse were not seen for
several days.

You see, during this time the Manse was surrounded by a dense fog
that even the brightest summer sunshine could not shift. From within
this mist strange noises were heard, further discouraging
investigation by the locals.

When the fog finally vanished it was obvious that the Manse, a
rambling building would have been the kindest description, had been
radically altered. Now it was a neat two storied structure in the
shape of a hollow square. In the middle was a private courtyard
accessible only from the house or the large double width tradesman's
gate at the back. Additionally the roof was now strangely black in
colour. This shade of black seemed to suck in the light. As it
happens it did, suck in the light; it also converted it into
electricity.

Shortly after settling in at the Manse, Arun's first run-in with any
of the locals had been with Willum. Willum, not wishing to waste more
money on an attempted cure for his sore, and also slightly peeved at
no longer being the biggest man in Solton, had called Arun a fake to
his face and threatened to thump him. This confrontation had taken
place at the Inn, a very public place, and in front of an extremely
interested audience. Gil, the elderly owner of the Inn immediately
began gathering the more expensive breakables and stored them under
the bar.

"How do you know that I am a fake, before you have given me a chance
to prove myself?" Arun asked, completely unfazed by the man's threats
and wearing an expression of hurt amusement on his face.

"All Wizards are fakes," Willum replied, with that certainty of
conviction that is only bestowed upon the truly stupid.

"If I could defend myself from your attack, would that alter your
opinion?" Arun asked, still looking vaguely amused.

There was a short pause while Willum translated this query into words
that he could understand, and then he nodded.

"Then feel free to thump me," Arun said, squaring up ready to receive
a blow.

There was no need to translate this offer, so Willum walked over to
the Wizard, drew back his fist and, aiming for the teeth, let fly
with all his might. There was that sickening sound of flesh and bone
hitting something much more solid, which made everyone wince.

This was immediately followed by a shriek of pain as Willum fell back
clutching his right fist in obvious agony. Arun hadn't even blinked,
never mind rocked from the blow. Willum's fluent cursing was all that
broke the silence that followed.

"Perhaps we had better go to my Manse, Willum, and I can fix you up,"
Arun said. Then he turned to leave and Willum followed him without a
word.

The next morning Willum was to be seen with two working hands, no
running sore on his leg and no memory of how it had all come about.
One thing that had impressed him even more than his remarkable cure
was that the Wizard had charged no fee. He only said that as Willum
had already paid his predecessor for the work, it would be unfair to
expect him to pay again.

This impressed the town's folk more than the cures, as they were
mainly traders and a more parsimonious lot you would be hard pressed
to find.

So the citizens of Solton gradually, if grudgingly, came to trust
their Wizard. A few even visited the Manse and consulted him. His
honesty and his most reasonable fees astonished them.

Then he announced that he would be seeking a tween as an Apprentice,
and did that ever set tongues wagging! As none of his predecessors
had ever taken an Apprentice, speculation on who would get this most
position was the only topic of conversation before the great day
arrived.

Now the siting of the tents and stalls on Apprentice Day was done on
a first come - first served basis. The best sites were those which
would be in the shade for the entire day. Next best were those which
would be in the shade for the middle of the day, when the sun was at
its full height. Then came those that would only be in the shade
during the morning or the afternoon. Last came those that had no
shade at all.

The sun was well up when Arun arrived pulling a cart, accompanied by
his small dog. By that time all the possible places with shade had
gone. The smiths, cobblers, cabinet makers and the like, who were
setting up the other tents, looked on in amusement as their Wizard
chose a nice central spot that would be in direct sunlight for the
whole day.

Of those present, only Willum went over to offer assistance. Oh, he
may have had his faults, but lacking gratitude was never one of them.

"How kind you are Willum. Please lift the silver-coloured box out of
the cart and bring it over here. But have a care, as it is rather
heavy," Arun said.

Willum discovered that the Wizard was right. The box was bloody heavy
and he was almost staggering as he carried it to the indicated spot.
On it there were strange runes, bright red in colour. Arun thanked
him and them moved the box, with ease, until it was positioned to his
satisfaction.

"Now Willum, stand clear as I am about to erect my tent. No, a bit
further back if you please," Arun said. Then, when Willum was out of
danger, Arun walked up to the box, looked at the top and read the
legend, "Reusable - self-erecting - emergency shelter - push here to
erect," and he surreptitiously placed his finger on the spot applying
pressure until there was a soft click. That done, he stepped back
smartly and joined Willum.

For the benefit of the onlookers Arun made a complicated magical
gesture. From somewhere near his feet came a noise that at first
sounded like a snicker but turned into a sort of growl.

There was a hissing noise and the box began to move. The lid split
open like the petals of a flower and revealed a black mass. This
unfolded until it was a rectangle on the ground, then it grew. In
seconds there was a rather functional looking structure some three
man-lengths across by two man-lengths deep and high enough for Arun
to enter without having to duck his head. It was black in colour. The
assembled masses gasped, as Wizards seldom did magic for free.

Everyone watched as Arun wheeled his cart inside. After a few moments
the exterior walls began to ripple with colour. It was as if a
rainbow was running down the walls. The roof, however, stayed the
same resolute black as the roof of the Manse. There was a soft sigh
as the shelter's air conditioning system started up, taking its power
from the solar panels that covered the roof.

In time Arun reappeared with a small stool which he placed on the
ground outside his tent. Then he went off round the rest of the
Common, looking at the displays of workmanship at the other stalls.
He was quite casual, picking up pieces and asking intelligent
questions.

In due course His Lordship arrived to open the proceedings. Arun
returned to his own stall and took a seat on the stool outside the
door.

When the speeches were finished the tweens and their parents began
wandering around the stalls. At first no one came near Arun's stall.
Then one brash lad, Kyl, who fancied he could do magic tricks, was
dared by his peers to visit.

Politely Arun ushered the lad into his tent and firmly closed the
flap on the others. The inside was light, cool and sparsely
furnished, one table and two chairs. The Wizard's dog was lying
quietly under the table. Arun motioned Kyl to sit and moved behind
him. He placed a small skullcap-like device on the back of the
tween's head and it stuck there. Instantly a glazed look came over
Kyl's face.

Arun took his position on the other chair and gazed at the readout
that was now shimmering on the table surface. He cursed silently as
he read the figures. Heterosexual component 75%. Homosexual component
25%, IQ 103. He didn't even bother with the rest of the read-out.
Well this one was no use. Still he could at least have some harmless
amusement with the lad.

"Stand," Arun said. The tween instantly got to his feet.

"Strip," was Arun's next command.

Without thought Kyl started divesting himself of his clothing and
soon stood naked before the Wizard.

Arun walked round the naked tween and admired the young body. The lad
was quite well developed, with a nice muscular chest, a flat stomach,
interesting buns and an exciting looking young cock.

"What a pity the lad is straight," he said.

"You really are a dirty old man." The voice was gruff and it came
from the dog.

"That is rather an interesting remark, Spyk," Arun said, "coming as
it does from you. Someone who has sniffed out and rogered every bitch
who was in heat in the entire town."

"I can't help myself, it is the smell of them - it drives me crazy,"
Spyk replied.

"One day the owner of one of the bitches will catch you on the job,
and then you know what will happen to you," Arun said, making a
snipping motion with the index and middle fingers of his right hand.

"Yes, roughly the same would happen if the father of that tween
walked through that door right now," countered Spyk.

"Fortunately that can't happen," Arun commented as he finished
admiring the body of the naked tween. Arun then resumed his seat and
gave the command for the lad to get dressed. He also had Spyk run an
Assessment on the lad. Which showed he would make an excellent
cabinetmaker.

He now interrogated Kyl about his interests. With some wry amusement,
he discovered the lad could do some "magic" tricks. In fact they were
simple deceptions. Out of devilment he taught Kyl some quite
complicated ones. Then he made alterations to the tween's memory to
remove all but the training, and to place there the unshakeable
belief that he was unsuitable for the position. Lastly he left him
with a strong desire to investigate the cabinetmaker's stalls.

Arun removed the device from the lad's head allowing the light of
reason to return to the lad's eyes and showed him out.

For about half an hour his peers had fretted outside, then the flap
was pulled aside and Kyl emerged blinking in the sunlight.

"Gosh it's hot out here," he said.

"What happened?" a friend asked.

"I'm not suitable to be a Wizard, but he taught me a lot of magic
tricks. Watch!" Kyl said making a coin appear from behind his
friend's ear.

"But what else happened?" said another, pressing for more
information.

"I can't remember," Kyl answered, and did not seem to think that was
the least unusual. Then he set off in the direction of the
cabinetmaker's stalls.

As the morning wore on, several other tweens tried their luck with
Arun but all were rejected. None seemed to resent this and not one of
them could tell you exactly what had happened. On the other hand,
Arun had a most satisfactory time having all those nude young bodies
paraded, apparently willingly, before him.

Only three registered higher than 50% on their homosexual component,
but they were not really very attractive. The rest registered less
than 30%. These were the main reasons that none got an offer of the
position. Also, their IQ hung depressingly around the 100 mark. As a
reward each had the Assessment run on them and was given a push in
the right direction for their future career.

Only one stood out from the rest, but this was not because of any
advantage. He was Meric, a nephew of Lord Pers. He was fat, indolent,
unwashed, spotty and really quite repulsive. Although Arun did check
out his capabilities, he was not told to strip. Spyk made some quite
acidic comments and these got slightly under Arun's skin.

The end results were that Spyk got himself thrown out for his remarks
and wandered off to have a sniff around the Common while Meric got
shown the door. After a while Spyk returned and looked pleadingly at
Arun.

"What do you want, you old fleabag?" Arun asked.

"Back into the Airco," Spyk said, but only Arun could hear him.

"Anything to offer in exchange for such a mercy?" Arun asked, with
his usual smile on his face.

"Wix, one of the orphans, is a bit different from the rest," Spyk
said, slipping into the tent. Arun, who was used to Spyk's cryptic
remarks, was quite content to wait.

Now, as has been said, the inhabitants of Solton were as penny-
pinching as they come. Their Orphanage was a charity and it accepted
children from all over the county.

Most of these arrived as foundlings. Outside the Orphanage there were
two baskets, one on each side of the main entrance. Above each basket
was a bell pull. By tradition the right-hand set was for receiving
boys and the left-hand set for girls.

It was a bit of a charade really. If a girl found herself
accidentally with child, she kept out of sight until the babe was
born then, when it was dark, placed it in the appropriate basket,
pulled the bell and ran. Then either the fat Proctor or, in the case
of a girl, his wife, would retrieve the child.

In truth, the Orphanage was the town's pride and joy. However its
charitable status was never allowed to be forgotten by its inmates.
They were regularly reminded of what a burden they were on the
community.

Given these facts, it could have been expected that the tweens from
the Orphanage would have been given first crack at the
Apprenticeships, thus removing their "burden" on the community.

Alas, nepotism had long ago reared its ugly head, and only when all
the tweens from the families in the town had had their go, did those
from the Orphanage get to apply for any Apprenticeships that might be
left. The old maxim, "Charity begins at home" was a well-observed one
in Solton.

So it was after the noon break that the orphans arrived. Moving as a
group - there is safety in numbers - they worked their way round the
stalls, their drab smocks and slightly hungry looks making them
easily identifiable. The expression "A fat orphan" was an oxymoron in
Solton. As they passed Arun he looked up and called out, "Wix! May I
have a word with you?"

The entire group stopped as one and turned to face Arun, who smiled
and said, "Please, I am only looking for one Apprentice."

A slim, dark-haired tween detached himself from the group, walked
over and stood directly before Arun. He had slightly elfin features
that made him look cute and brought out the protective instincts in
most people who saw him. In Arun's case it made him want to take Wix
off into a dark corner and do naughty things with him.

"You wish to speak to me?" Wix asked, slightly too haughtily.
Actually this was overacting on Wix's part, as he was thrilled to get
to talk to the man he so lusted after.

"Why else would I have called to you?" Arun parried, with a smile.

"You wish me to be your Apprentice," Wix asked, obviously not
expecting a positive answer.

"I would like to see if you are suitable first," Arun said, warming
to the tween's audacity. He liked a bit of spirit in a lad.

With that he stood, held the tent flap aside and ushered the tween
inside. The first thing that Wix noticed was how cool it was inside.

"Can I ask a question?" Wix asked, not realising that he was already
doing just that.

"If you are to be my Apprentice you must always ask questions. You
gaining knowledge is, after all, the object of the exercise."

"Why do you sparkle in the sunshine?" Wix asked.

"My light-coloured skin burns easily in sunlight. The sparkling is a
spell that protects me from the sunlight," Arun replied, glibly.

Wix peered at him suspiciously. "Is that the truth?" he inquired.

Arun made eye contact with Wix and his piercing blue eyes seemed to
see right into the tween's soul. Then he smiled strangely.

"No," he confessed.

"Why do you answer with lies?" Wix asked, not daring to break the eye
contact.

Arun's smile did not even flicker. "If I told you the truth could you
believe it?" Arun asked, neatly avoiding the question.

"Yes!" Wix said, vehemently.

Arun's smile stayed on his face as he pondered.

"It was all true except the bit about the spell. Actually I have a
device - a machine - implanted in my body that uses the energy from
the sunlight to set up a protective shield. This stops the rays that
will burn my skin. The process is slightly visible while it is in
operation. Now that is the truth."

There was a long pause and Arun watched with some amusement as the
various expressions flitted across Wix's face.

"You were correct. You told me the truth, but I have difficulty in
believing it," Wix said.

"Hmm," Arun said, his interest in the lad quickening as he realised
that, as ever, Spyk was right. This tween was different; he could
tell when he was being lied to.

"So it is not magic?" Wix sounded quite deflated.

"When Willum broke his hand on my teeth was that magic?" Arun asked,
again replying to a question with a question.

Wix nodded.

"And when I healed his hand and running sore, was that magic too?"

Again Wix nodded.

"Well, as similar devices did all of those things, then I think my
shimmer must also be magic," Arun said still smiling.

Arun waved his latest victim into the seat and surreptitiously placed
the device on his head, causing the light of reason to dim in the
lad's eyes.

Returning to his seat he looked gratifyingly at the readout.
Heterosexual component 23%. Homosexual component 77%. IQ 145! Arun
got slightly excited for the first time. Then his eyes scanned the
rest of the readings. Yes, the tween was an Empath. He could sense
the emotions in others. True he was totally untrained, but his power
was already quite spectacular.

"Stand!"

The tween was instantly on his feet.

"Strip!"

Wix carefully removed his smock, folded it and placed it over the
back of the chair, and then he stepped out of his sandals.

Arun looked at the tween, his body was beautiful, but Arun could
count his ribs from where he stood. "Nothing that a few good meals
couldn't cure" thought Arun.

The tween had a very small triangle of pubic hair above a really cute
looking cock and balls. When he turned on Arun's command, he
displayed two small, but almost spherical buns, which had been much
admired by others in the past.

"Has he had any sexual experience?" Arun asked his dog.

"Yeah, lots," said Spyk, managing to get the sound of a dirty grin
into the reply.

"OK run the first one past me." Arun said.

"Aw come on Boss, you know the moral code as well as I do," pleaded
Spyk.

"As senior Union HUMAN," Arun stressed the word, "I authorise an
override of the code."

Spyk muttered something that was almost unintelligible, although the
word "human" did come through quite clearly.

"Rerun beginning."

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside Arun's mind he suddenly became a younger version of Wix, lying
waiting for sleep to overcome him...

Wix was alone in his bunk in the dormitory of the Orphanage. Suddenly
there was a movement and a heavier body was lying on top of him.

It was not the first time someone had been in his bed with him. The
blankets were quite inadequate in winter and the lads often shared a
bed and blankets just for warmth on cold nights. As long as the noise
was kept low, and did not rouse the fat Proctor from his slumbers,
the lads could more or less do as they wished.

"Shh!" said a voice in his ear. I'm not going to hurt you I just want
a bit of a cuddle."

The voice was that of Efl, a lad about two years his senior. Efl,
rolled to one side, slid under the thin blanket and wrapped his arms
round Wix's slender body. Both were naked; the feeling was not new to
Wix. Still, he found it strangely exciting and snuggled closer to
Efl, although he knew full well that Efl had lied when he had said he
only wanted to cuddle.

Efl's hands began to wander and caress Wix's body. When they got to
his buns they stayed there and made a meal of massaging them. As Wix
liked the sensation, he made no protest. Wix was also fully aware of
how much enjoyment his partner was getting from this encounter. Efl
moved slowly as he manoeuvred them both until Efl was on his back and
Wix was face down on top of him. It was only then that Wix noticed
that they both had stiff cocks.

Efl's hands now began to separate the buns that they had so lovingly
caressed and gradually fingers began examining Wix's ring.

"You've never been done before?" Efl whispered in Wix's ear. Actually
it was more of a statement than a question.

"Been done?" asked Wix.

"Shafted. Screwed. Shagged. Had someone put their cock up there and
shag you till they shot," Efl said in his ear, by way of explanation.

"No," whispered Wix.

"Good, I like being first," breathed Efl.

Wix considered the size of the stiff cock pushing into his belly and
then gave thought to the size of his bunghole.

"Will it not hurt me if you did that?" he asked quietly.

"It would, if we didn't get you ready for it first. Tomorrow night
I'll get the stuff we need. Tonight we'll just have fun mucking
about," said Efl.

Wix, knowing that this was the truth was quite happy to go along with
the older lad's judgement and co-operated fully as he was drawn up
the bed until he was kneeling astride Efl's chest. He was a bit
perplexed as to what was happening to him and very surprised when his
hot little member was suddenly encased in the warm and moist cavity
of Efl's mouth.

A small gasp escaped Wix's lips as he felt a tongue explore his
immature manhood. Efl's fingers touched the shaft of his member and
gently pulled back his foreskin allowing the head of it to become
exposed to the gentle ministrations of that lovely soft tongue. Then
his nuts were sucked in to join it and the probing tongue went off to
investigate them too.

Wix, whose entire sexual experience could be written on the head of a
pin, was unsure of what was happening to him. His cock and balls now
seemed to be in a most vulnerable position, between the teeth of an
older guy, but he knew that Efl had said he was not going to hurt
him, so he suppressed his fear.

Gradually something strange and wonderful was happening to him. His
cock was harder than it ever had been before. He could not stop his
hips from making thrusting motions. Efl was doing everything to
encourage him. Suddenly something was pouring out of his cock.
Desperately he tried to pull back but hands, far stronger than he
was, secured him firmly in place and whatever it was that shot from
his cock went directly into Efl's mouth.

Through the waves of rapture that swept over him he could detect that
Efl was actually sucking hard on his pumping cock, draining the fluid
from his body faster than it would naturally come out.

Not until long after Wix was sucked dry, did Efl finally release him
and let him slip down into the bed again. There Wix was hugged and
cuddled. This intimacy went on for some time until Wix began to
notice that he was being gradually worked down Efl's body. His face
was now opposite Efl's chest. Then he was looking at Efl's navel and
soon the soft hair of a pubic bush caressed his cheek.

Efl moved and the wet tip of his hard cock brushed over Wix's lips.
Wix was now in a quandary. He would have had to be a complete moron
not to know the implications of Efl's actions. Wix was now supposed
to return the favour, but could he bring himself to do it?

Wix had never had his face so close to the sexual organs of an
aroused male before and the smell was a strange one. It was making
him... sort of... well... excited. So he parted his lips and that
proved to be all the encouragement Efl needed as he slowly pushed
forwards with his hips sinking his manhood, well boyhood, into the
lad's mouth.

As soon as it was safely embedded, Efl's fingers reached down,
grasped the shaft with two fingers and pulled back the foreskin just
as they had done before. Wix now knew that it was his job to run his
tongue round the exposed cock head. As he did so, he felt the wave of
pleasure that swept over Efl.

Wix was now fully aware that he was arousing his partner. In fact he
was concentrating so much on the effects of what he was doing that he
had given little thought to the consequences. Efl, at first, reacted
by running his fingers through the lad's hair in a playful, but
encouraging, fashion.

Then, like generations of cocksuckers before him, Wix suddenly
noticed that the fingers in his hair had got a grip and were no
longer playful. In fact, they had a firm grasp and his head was now
held immobile. Efl's hips now began to move rhythmically, driving the
naked head of his cock through the lad's lips.

For some reason that he could not exactly put his finger on, Wix
enjoyed this sensation. Then the hips began to thrust more urgently
and Wix realised that he could not escape his fate; getting a
mouthful of whatever it was that comes out of cocks at these times.

Despite his readiness it was still a shock when the cock bucked in
his mouth and suddenly his mouth was full of a thick, viscous fluid.
It had a sort of sharp taste to it and he swallowed it without
thinking. Which was just as well as the cock jumped again, refilling
his mouth. Remembering what Efl had done to him, Wix swallowed and
then sucked.

"Oh yes!" hissed Efl, through clenched teeth, as his third wad was
sucked from his cock.

Wix alternately sucked and swallowed until it was obvious that his
task was done. Then happily he slid back into Efl's arms. Once there
he slept until morning, when Efl slipped out of his bed and returned
to his own, prior to the fat Proctor doing his morning rounds.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Pause!" said Arun, the sweat dripping from his brow despite the
coolness provided by the Airco. Experiencing a first sexual encounter
for a second time was not something to be taken lightly. Also, as the
lad was an Empath, he could feel both sides at once. Spyk's playback
equipment was of such high a quality that Arun had difficulty in
believing that he had not just experienced it himself.

After an interval, while he collected his thoughts and got rid of his
erection, Arun went and removed the device from the tween's head.

"So you like boys more than you like girls?" Arun asked.

Wix, who had just woken from a highly detailed and quite erotic
dream, was not quite with it answered, "Yes!"

Then, realising what he had admitted to, he blushed.

"What do you think of me?"

"I am afraid of you."

"Why?"

"You knew my name."

"But I am a Wizard. If a simple task like finding out your name was
beyond me, I would not be much of a Wizard, now would I?"

"How did you do it?"

"I was told that you were different."

"So simple?" Wix somehow sounded disappointed.

Arun sighed.

"Most magic is really simple tricks. The average person is not
observant at all," Arun said, wearily. Then added, "Would you like to
be my companion?"

"Not your Apprentice?" Wix was in a tizzy; either an impossible dream
was coming true or he would wake up back in the Orphanage on the
morning of Apprenticeship Day.

"Well, to the rest of the world you would be my Apprentice."

"Would you teach me magic?" said Wix, trying desperately to keep the
dream intact.

"No. That is beyond my power."

"Huh?" Reality kicked in for Wix, it was happening to him after all.

"I do not know how magic works, or even if it exists. However I can
teach you how to use what appears to be magic and to the rest of the
world you will seem to be as great a Wizard as I am."

"Oh!" Wix sounded confused.

"You will have to share my bed."

"Duh?" was all Wix could come up with. He was sure he had misheard
the statement.

"Like you, I prefer boys to girls and I find you very pleasing. Do
you find me attractive?"

Wix could only nod dumbly, as his brain had seized up.

"Good!" said Arun.

"How long is the Apprenticeship?" Wix heard himself ask.

"The normal, five years, until you are a man."

"Can I break it?"

"Yes but you will lose all the knowledge that you have gathered
during it."

"That is within your power?"

"Easily. Did Willum remember? Do any of the tweens who were in here
before you remember what happened to them in here?"

"Will I remember?"

"Only if you accept, otherwise you will forget everything except that
you had been found unsuitable."

"I accept!" Wix said, desperately trying, but failing totally, to
keep the excitement out of his voice.

"Excellent. Get dressed and we'll get the paperwork done," Arun said
with some satisfaction.

For the first time Wix looked at himself and found he was naked. Now
that had happened to him often in a dream, but never when he was
awake. Arun's powers must be truly awesome!

Once the tween was dressed Arun produced an indenture of
Apprenticeship and signed both halves. Wix made his mark twice in the
places Arun indicated.

"You cannot read or write?" Arun asked.

"I am from the Orphanage. It is a charity, we have no luxuries like
reading or writing, we are lucky to be fed, clothed and given shelter
until we can get an Apprenticeship," recited Wix.

"Hmm. I can see what one of my first tasks must be," Arun said, "Now
I require the signature or mark of your guardian. Who might he be?"

"My Lord Pers is the guardian of all the orphans," Wix answered,
automatically.

Arun looked at the dog and said. "Sit! Stay! Guard!"

Spyk rolled his eyes heavenwards, lay down, curled up into a ball and
appeared to go to sleep.

"Sometimes I think he understands every word I say," Arun muttered,
as he lifted the flap of the tent and they went off in search of
Pers.

Lord Pers was an easy man to find and soon Arun was presenting him
with the indentures.

"My Lord Pers. I bid you good day. I believe that you are the
guardian of this tween, therefore I will require your signature upon
his indentures," Arun said in his most formal voice, one that he only
ever employed when talking to pompous idiots. Lord Pers looked rather
startled as he cast his gaze over the Wizard's choice of Apprentice.

"But this tween is from the Orphanage," he said. He was more than
slightly peeved, as a nephew of his had been one of Arun's rejects.
Such things were not done in Solton.

Arun turned and his gaze swept the tween from head to toe, as if he
had never seen him in his life before. "Why, My Lord, I do believe
that you are correct. The drab smock, the cheap sandals, the
undernourished look, how could I possibly have missed them?"

Lord Pers was confused, as his mental agility did not reach the
dizzying heights of sarcasm. However he knew that it was better to
appear a fool, than to open his mouth and remove all possible doubt.

"Were none of the sons of the townsfolk good enough to do magic?" he
enquired, managing a generalised objection, rather than specifically
to refer to his nephew.

"Almost anyone can 'do' magic. However those that can control magic
and not let it control them are few and far between," Arun
shamelessly lied, while quietly watching Wix out of the corner of his
eye for any reaction. But Wix had discovered long ago that his talent
could get him into trouble and so took a care to hold his tongue.

"I am sure that a madman driven by uncontrolled magic is not
something that your Lordship would wish to inflict on the town," Arun
said, neatly flicking the ball into his Lordship's court.

"Oh, I'm sure that you know what you are doing," said Pers, reaching
for a pen. Then with his tongue sticking out of the corner of his
mouth he carefully drew his signature on the two places where Arun
indicated.

Arun sighed; the town was full of illiterates.

Arun now produced a knife and roughly cut the document in two. He
held both halves up before Wix to show that the jagged edges matched.
Then let the tween have his choice of which half was to be his.

When this deed was done Pers assumed his formal voice and addressed
Wix.

"The Wizard Arun is now your Master and will remain so until you are
either a man or you both wish to terminate the agreement. If you wish
termination you must both bring your halves of the indenture to me
and I will verify that they once were the same document.

"During your Apprenticeship your Master will clothe you and provide
you with bed and board. He will also teach you his trade. If, at the
end of this time, you have learned the trade to his satisfaction he
will bestow upon you the title of Wizard. Do you agree?"

Wix stood up very straight and said, "Yes, my Lord."

Pers now turned to the Wizard. "The tween Wix is now your ward. You
are charged with feeding him, clothing him, providing him with
shelter and teaching him the skills of your trade. Do you understand
your responsibilities?"

"Yes, I understand them and will carry them out to the best of my
abilities," Arun said, once more watching Wix and he had the
satisfaction of realising that the tween knew he was telling the
truth.

The formalities over, the pair returned to Arun's tent. There being
little point in interviewing any other tweens, Arun decided to shut
up shop and head back to the Manse.

Spyk opened a lazy eye as the pair entered, sighed and got to his
feet.

"I trust that we were not burgled in my absence," Arun said, his
voice dripping with sarcasm.

"There is nothing here worth pinching," Spyk said, as he stretched
the sleep out of his limbs.

"The dog spoke!" Wix gasped.

"The kid is a natural. So observant," Spyk said. He had picked up
Arun's talent for sarcasm.

"Spyk is not exactly a dog," Arun said, choosing his words with care.

"What is he?" Spyk asked, mimicking the tween's voice with great
accuracy.

Arun sighed. "Stop teasing the poor lad. He has enough to get used to
today without you adding to his burdens. Wix, Spyk is a computer, a
sort of thinking machine. He controls the body of a dog, which
permits him to roam freely without causing suspicion. It also allows
him to slake his prodigious sexual thirst."

"Relax kid. You are a lot safer round me than you are around him,"
Spyk said, nodding to the Wizard before retreating to a safe
distance.

"Master, why do you allow your dog to insult you?" Wix asked.

"I have made him do that in case I get too arrogant, he constantly
deflates my ego. Now, come Wix, we will be on our way," Arun said,
doing something to the table that made the top sink to the bottom of
the legs, then let the legs fill in to become sides. From the base
four wheels now appeared and a T-shaped handle slid out of the base.

Arun now folded up the two chairs and placed them inside the box.
Next he went to the wall and opened a small panel. Flicking several
switches he began the shelter's closedown cycle.

"We must now leave," Arun said, holding the flap open.

"Watch out for the magic gestures, they'll kill ya," Spyk confided to
Wix as they left.

Arun permitted himself a glare at the dog, then turned and
theatrically clapped his hands. Precisely on cue the tent began to
collapse on itself until it was just a black rectangle on the ground.
Then it folded itself up neatly and finally the silver case closed
round it with a gentle hissing noise. The audience was well satisfied
with the performance.

Arun pulled the cart over to the case while Wix ran on ahead and
nearly put his back out trying to lift it. Arun just grinned as he
picked up the case apparently without effort and placed it in the
cart.

"You used magic!" Wix said, accusingly.

"No. It is simpler than that, I'm just very strong," Arun said, then
he put the small stool which had sat outside the tent in the cart.

Before Arun could stop him Wix took the handle of the cart and
pulled. The cart moved forwards under the power of the motors that
were integral parts of the wheels. This caused the tween to go arse
over tip on the ground.

Arun walked over, knelt down and spoke to the tween. "I know that as
your Master I must expect you to do all the menial tasks, but in
future please ask me first. The cart is self-powered. All you have to
do is hold onto the handle and walk; it will follow and stop when you
do. To make it go backwards just push on the handle. Do you
understand?"

Wix gulped and nodded. He got to his feet, took hold of the handle
and walked off in the direction of the Manse with the cart trundling
along after him. Arun followed at a leisurely pace admiring the view
as a gust of wind plastered the tween's smock over his pert little
buns.

"Master, why do you walk when you could ride?" Wix asked, once they
were alone on the road that led to the Manse.

"I have no beast of burden," Arun said, watching the tween's
reaction.

Wix's mind was now in conflict. He knew that his Master had just told
the truth, but he had seen him arrive with a small donkey. He
suddenly thought of a possible solution and asked, "You have sold
your donkey?"

"I never had a donkey," Arun replied, smiling.

"But you arrived with a donkey, I saw it!" Wix exclaimed.

"Yes and I have no doubt everyone else who was there saw it too. But
trusting only your eyes can lead you astray," Arun said.

"Especially when you are around him," added Spyk.

"Did you touch the donkey? Or hear it? Perhaps you could smell it? I
doubt if you tried tasting it," Arun said.

"No, I only saw it," conceded Wix. "But why have a donkey that wasn't
there?"

"Which would cause the less fuss, a donkey that seemed to be pulling
a cart, or a cart that pulled itself?" Arun really was very adept at
answering questions with questions.

Wix pondered then nodded, "A donkey would be more believable."

"We'll make a Wizard out of you yet, lad," said Spyk. "You have a
mind with the capacity to be devious."

When they arrived at the Manse, Wix was in a state of constant
amazement. Every room was light and airy. However he was horrified at
the idea of having a smelly thing like a toilet indoors. But Arun
patiently showed the tween how it worked.

"Now," Arun said, "we will see if you can earn your supper."

He led the tween into the foyer. In the middle of the room,
apparently hanging in the air was a tap, or faucet. From it poured a
continuous stream of water, which landed in an ornamental basin that
was set into the floor and from there it ran down a drain in the
bottom of the basin.

"Now Wix, before you is a simple illusion that anyone could make. I
want you to tell me how the illusion is created," Arun said, his
smile never slipping.

Wix studied the device carefully. He could see water running. He
could hear water running.

"The water appears to be flowing downwards from the tap, as I can
both see it and hear it," Wix reasoned aloud.

Next he walked round the device. There was no way that the water
could get into the tap - but it did.

There was also no way that the tap could be supported in mid-air -
but it was.

The only thing that connected the tap to the rest of the world was
the stream of water. That could not support the tap - but it must.

"The stream of water, it is the tap's only connection with the
ground. Therefore the illusion must lie in it," he reasoned aloud.

Wix pondered. If there was a glass tube inside the stream of water
then it could support the tap and be used to take the water up into
the tap and it would not be easily seen.

"Is there a glass tube in the water?" Wix inquired.

"I told you he was bright," Spyk said.

Arun beamed. "Quite correct lad. Now let us go and see what Spyk can
provide us with for our supper."

This remark left the tween confused, but he happily followed his
Master into the dining room. There was a table set for two. Before
each chair there was a bowl of steaming stew on the table. The
tween's eyes bulged.

"Today is no high day or holy day, Master. So why do we have meat?"
he asked.

"Spyk is in charge of the kitchen. He provides a balanced, healthy
diet. Besides, you need feeding up," Arun said as he sat down to
begin his meal.

Wix carefully sampled his food. First it had lots of taste. Food in
the Orphanage had been uniformly bland. Next he discovered that the
meat was, well, meat. In the Orphanage the occasions that meat was on
the menu were few and far between and even then it tended to be
mainly fat and gristle. So he set to this meal with a will.

The drug in his food worked slowly, but surely, and as he swallowed
the last mouthful he found himself yawning. He never noticed himself
falling forwards and he retained no knowledge of the Wizard
effortlessly picking up his sleeping body and carrying it from the
room.

In the basement there was a room that was like no other in the Manse.
It was a complete anachronism for the pre-industrial age in which the
Manse was set. Flickering control panels lined one wall.

Several monolithic devices stood on the floor and in the middle was
something that looked suspiciously like a bier, on which stood
another device that could easily have passed for a coffin. In fact it
was an AutoDoc. Arun first stripped the lad, and then lowered the
sleeping tween into the machine.

"Off on a little fishing expedition, boss?" inquired Spyk, in a silky
voice.

"Spyk! Knock it off." Arun said in a level voice, he had had enough
for one day.

The dog abruptly turned and walked over to a basket where it lay down
and instantly went to sleep.

~ Awaiting Orders ~ said another voice.

Had Wix been awake his hair would have stood on end, as the voice was
dead level, carried no emotion and seemed to come from no discernible
source in the room. In addition each word seemed to hang around in
the air long after it should have dissipated.

Arun however did not react; he just closed the lid on Wix, and said,
"Full examination, report when ready."

There was an interval of several minutes, during which Arun displayed
no impatience. Then the voice spoke again, pausing sometimes for
prolonged periods between each statement.

~ No irreversible damage ~

~ Chronic undernourishment - but as puberty is not yet over this is
correctable ~

~ Teeth have caries - these are currently being repaired ~

~ Eyes are severely myopic - adjusting for 20-20 vision ~

~ Six species of pathogenic organisms have been found and have been
destroyed - symbiotic organisms have been used to replace them ~

~ Three species of external parasites have been located - all have
been destroyed ~

~ Evidence of anal sex with multiple partners found - this has caused
no damage physically or mentally ~

~ Genetic makeup within the bounds of what is normal for this planet
- propensity for the usual problems of old age - hypermetropia -
hypertension - rheumatics - osteoporosis - senility etc. ~

~ Do you wish these to be corrected? ~

"Yes," said Arun.

There was another pause.

~ Task completed. Awaiting Orders ~

"Insert standard implant," Arun said, and waited for the inevitable
argument.

~ This is not a Union citizen. That command cannot be obeyed without
a reason code ~

"Reason; long term companion."

~ Accepted. Which features do you wish activated in the implant? ~

"Standard, include sun protection."

~ The patient's skin requires no extra protection from the local
sunlight ~

"Do it anyway," ordered Arun. Well, if he was a Wizard and he
sparkled, his Apprentice should sparkle too.

There was a slightly longer pause.

~ Implant inserted and activated as instructed - patient's life span
now has no foreseeable upper limit. ~

~ Task completed - Awaiting Orders ~

"Delay ageing process by a factor of ten for the next fifty years,
then stop all ageing" Arun was partial to young men and wished to
ensure that Wix would remain a tween for a good long time.

~ Task completed. Awaiting Orders ~

"Re run his second sexual encounter for me," said Arun, with a
decidedly dirty grin.

~ To obey that order will contravene one or more ethical codes -
whose authority do you have? ~

"Who is the highest ranking Union representative on this planet?"
Arun asked, as usual side-stepping the question.

~ You are ~

"Then you have my permission to proceed."

Computers worked on logic, they were easy to circumvent, as Arun had
found out quite some time back.

                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The venue was the same but the world had turned once on its axis. Wix
again found himself in the arms of Efl and quickly snuggled up to
him. He also noticed that the older boy was already sexually excited.

Once again exploring fingers slid between his buns and investigated
his ring. Following Efl's commands, he was soon lying on his face
with his legs as far apart as they could get on the narrow bed.

Something cold and moist touched his ring and was delicately worked
into it. After a few moments he realised that Efl's finger was
actually inside him. It felt strange, like no other sensation he had
ever previously experienced. He also quite liked it and wiggled about
as he enjoyed the penetration.

Efl took this as encouragement and applied more of the cold lubricant
along with another finger. By careful and cautious use of his fingers
Efl expertly relaxed Wix's ring until he was ready to take a cock.

Wix whimpered slightly as all the fingers were withdrawn then gasped
as a much larger object began to enter him. He knew that it was Efl's
cock and, remembering its size from the previous night, he was
surprised by the ease with which it penetrated him.

"That's right. Just relax and take it easy. Soon you'll have all of
me inside you. Ah! Yes!" Efl whispered in his ear, pushing with his
hips until Wix felt the fur of the older boy's bush brush against his
buns. In his mind he could feel the pleasure that his partner got
from being inside him.

"Now my little lovely I'm going to use you like you were a girl and
I'm going to make sure you enjoy every second," Efl breathed in his
ear.

Instantly his words became deeds, as his hips began a slow thrusting
motion, driving his cock its full length in and out of the, now
wriggling, body of Wix.

Wix somewhere noted the comment about being used as a girl, but it
was of secondary importance to the experience that he was going
through. He could not describe in words what it felt like; he just
wanted it to go on forever.

Experimentally he began to move his hips, reciprocating the action of
Efl's.

"Ah! Yes! My little beauty, you're doing just fine. Very soon you'll
be mine."

The words whispered in his ears spurred him on to greater efforts
and, in turn, this began to affect Efl's actions. His thrusts became
harder and deeper, as if he wanted to drive his entire body inside
Wix. He placed his lips against the younger boy's neck and kissed him
fiercely. Now Wix was doing everything that he could think of to make
things nicer for Efl.

This did the trick and almost immediately Wix began to recognise the
sounds and actions that signalled Efl was close to his climax. Then,
inside his guts Wix felt Efl's cock plunge deeply as it spewed hot
wads of tween cum far up inside him. Wix also felt the intense
sensations that Efl experienced and he almost passed out from the
over-stimulation.

After the initial discharges, Efl's thrusts began to lose their
urgency. He was whimpering quietly and Wix could still feel his warm
wet lips on his neck.

Eventually Efl raised his now-sticky body from Wix, slowly
withdrawing his shaft as he did so. Wix now felt strangely empty, as
if something had been removed from his life. After about 20 minutes
of cuddling, Efl made his way down the boy's body and began to use
his mouth on that cute little cock of Wix.

For the second time in his life Wix surrendered control of his body
to another and revelled in the feeling of being driven relentlessly
to his climax.

The force with which his discharge left his body left him shuddering
and he was barely aware of Efl's sucking on his slim cock to make
sure none was wasted.

From that moment on Wix had a happier life in the Orphanage because;
at least during the hours of darkness, someone actually cared for
him. He also had the biggest hickey that he had ever seen on his
neck, exactly on the spot where Efl's lips had been. He got a bit of
ragging from the rest as he was now marked as Efl's boyfriend, but he
didn't care.

Just as life began to have some meaning for him Apprenticeship Day
arrived and a silversmith of some repute took on Efl.

Now in the Orphanage the boys were kept strictly apart from the
girls. Well, the Orphanage did not want to drum up extra business for
itself with an endless stream of little bastards. However, once in
the outside world, Efl soon discovered what girls were for and all
interest in Wix melted away like the morning mist in the rays of the
rising sun.

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Again Arun was shaken to the core. The tween's memory of the incident
was as clear as it had been on the night it happened.

~ Task completed - Awaiting Orders ~

"What are his emotions concerning me?" Arun asked when he had
recovered.

~ Primarily fear ~

"Why?"

~ It is fear of the unknown ~

"Is it possible to remove it?"

~ Possible - but unethical ~

"Remove it!" commanded Arun.

~ Task completed - Awaiting Orders ~

"Now what are his emotions concerning me?"

~ His secondary emotion has now become his primary one - it is lust
for your body ~

The deadpan and emotionless way the computer made this statement
caused Arun to burst out laughing.

"Physically, could he accommodate me for anal and oral sex?"

~ Negative ~

"Then adjust him."

~ This action is unethical ~

"I refer to my previous authorisation."

~ Task completed - Awaiting Orders ~

"Make him up some clothes. Description; the same as mine, but
slightly less imposing," said Arun.

~ Gold trim reduced by 75% - Task completed - Awaiting Orders ~

"Anything else about him that I need to know?"

~ Affirmative - Until he recovers from his malnourishment he will
require extra food. He has been strictly trained not to ask for food.
You must see that he receives proper nourishment, as he will not ask
for it ~

"Excellent! Is he hungry now?"

~ Affirmative ~

"Then I think that we will break off and feed him. A roast turkey
dinner with all the trimmings is in order."

~ Task completed - Awaiting Orders ~

"Pause!" ordered Arun, as he walked over to the delivery chute to
collect Wix's new robes.

He opened the lid and removed the sleeping tween. With relatively
little effort he dressed the limp body in his new finery then picked
him up and headed for the door.

"Reactivate Spyk," he commanded, as he left the room and the small
dog woke up and followed Arun sniffing the air and licking its lips
as it went.

In the dining room, on the table, there now was a large roast turkey
surrounded by heaped plates of roast potatoes, roast parsnips,
carrots, peas and a large jug of steaming gravy to top it off. Arun
placed the tween on his chair and then proceeded to carve the turkey.

"Wake him," he said to Spyk.

Wix drifted back to the land of the living with the smell of the
roast bird making his saliva glands go into overdrive. He was very
confused. His body felt different! He could remember eating stew; it
seemed like only moments ago. Then all the wild dreams. It had been a
year since Efl's image had crossed his mind, now, twice in one day;
the memory of him was as vivid as if it had all just happened.

Then he realised that not only that memory was vivid. The entire room
was vivid! He had never seen things in such detail. He could see
everything, even from where he was sitting.

"My eyes?"

"They have been corrected. Now you can see what everyone else sees.
It'll take a bit of getting used to, but you'll manage. Are you
hungry?"

Wix's stomach made his head nod vigorously. Arun walked round the
table and put a heaped plate of food in front of Wix. This made Wix's
eyes pop. He had never in his life been given so much food at one go.

"When you get through that lot, there is plenty more to come," Arun
said amiably, as he returned to his place and began serving himself.

"Oh, and don't let the dog have any. The bones stick in their
throats, y'know."

There was a low growl from under the table, but Wix didn't hear it,
as he was far too busy eating - in fact so busy that he never even
noticed his new robes.

To be continued, in one week's time.

Comments and Criticism may be aimed at jamieanderson@compuserve.com

My thanks to RH and Scott for editing this.