Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2009 14:14:16 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 2  Chapter 1-2

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 1 -- A new beginning.

**Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read
this.

From the time my grown children left at Easter and up until the week I
adopted all of the boys, I spent much of my spare time trying to decide
what we were going to do on our vacation together.  Even though my priority
was for everyone to have a good time, I also wanted it to be relaxing and
free of stress, especially for the working members of the family.  This
would be their opportunity to unwind from the rigors of their jobs, as well
as spend some quality time with the rest of us.  After many weeks of
thought on the matter, I finally came up with an idea.  With this in mind,
I contacted a friend, to see if he would be able to help me work out the
details.  Luckily, he had what I needed and wouldn't be requiring it during
that particular time frame, so we made a deal and I called my children and
set everything up for the final week of July and the first week of August.

I planned this to run for two consecutive weeks for a couple of reasons.
First of all, the boys and I would be able to spend both weeks there, but
this would also give the others some wiggle room, if they found they
couldn't get off one week or the other.  As it turned out, three of the
four decided the last week of July would be best for them, while Robert
became the holdout non-conformist, as usual.  He decided to come in on
Thursday of the first week, so he could spend some time with his older
siblings, and then he'd stay the second week, so he could have his younger
brothers to himself.  I thought that was pretty good planning on his part
and suited his purposes quite well, even if it was a bit devious.

Now that nearly everything had been agreed upon, there was something else I
needed to address.  It was a persistent problem, one that had begun to
manifest itself even before the boys had come to live with me, and had to
do with learning potential.  As the school year came to a close and
everyone's academic achievements were posted, as I expected, most of the
boys had done very well.  However, there were a couple of notable
exceptions to this rule, but it was also clear their lack of success wasn't
due to a lack of effort.  During the school year, it had been discovered
that both Cole and Graham suffered from learning disabilities.

When the early signs of their difficulties became obvious, both boys were
tested and evaluated by the school psychologist.  She was the first to
inform me about their problems.  Once school was out, I had them
reevaluated by another professional, in private practice, but his results
were nearly identical to the first.  He suggested the boys also be taken to
a medical doctor, for complete physicals, to see if we might be able to pin
down the source of these difficulties.  After running an extensive series
of tests on the two boys, it was determined that most of their problems
stemmed from their mother's indifference and lack of concern.  Let me
explain what I mean by that.

First of all, both boys suffered from 'fetal alcohol syndrome,' which was
caused by their mother's excessive drinking problem while she was pregnant
with each of them.  This had deprived their rapidly growing bodies from
getting the nutrition they needed to develop properly and also robbed them
of an appropriate oxygen supply.  This had its greatest impact during the
time their brains were still developing and some irreversible brain damage
had occurred.  Both professionals agreed the boys could be taught to
compensate for some of this, but it would require an extreme effort on
their part and they would be required to work twice as hard as anyone else.

As if that weren't bad enough, this problem had been compounded by the poor
diet and lack of nutrition they endured while growing up.  Their physicals
had shown they had also suffered from a mild form of malnutrition for most
of their formative years.  This not only meant their bodies had been
deprived of the vitamins and minerals they needed to grow strong and
healthy, but it was also severe enough to cause additional complications.
Cole's situation was the most severe, because not only had he suffered from
these things over the longest time span, it was also discovered that when
there was food, Cole would unselfishly give a larger portion to Graham than
he would take for himself.  He later explained to me, in private, that this
was because he couldn't stand seeing his brother cry from being so hungry.

Although there was nothing that could be done to reverse the situation at
this point, we could make sure they ate well and received vitamins from now
on.  Not only that, but we would also be responsible for making certain
they were provided with the educational materials and additional assistance
they would need, in order for them to succeed.  More importantly, we would
also form a support system and provide the encouragement beneficial to
motivating them sufficiently to overcome this handicap.

Once the problem was diagnosed, Ricky took it upon himself to make sure
both boys were able to function and progress with his assistance.  "Dad, I
have to do this for them," he told me one evening, when we were alone.  "If
it wasn't for some of my neighbors who gave me things to eat from time to
time or the food I got at school, I might have had those same problems too.
I know my mom drank and did drugs, both during and after she had me, and
now I'm beginning to think that's what caused a lot of the problems I had
in school too."

I was momentarily speechless and just stood there looking at him.  I was
thinking about what a profound insight he had just made about his own
situation, but Ricky interpreted my non-responsiveness as a sign I didn't
understand what he meant by his statements.  Therefore, he decided to
explain it in more detail for me.

"That's part of the reason I'm so small, kind of like Graham, and why I
could never settle down or control myself in class," he admitted, referring
to his hyperactivity.  "I think that's why I also had trouble learning how
to read to and why I don't like to read so much now.  I'm sure I know
better than any of the rest of you what it's like for them, so I want to do
whatever I can to help them get through this."  I can't tell you how
impressed I was, after he'd finished his explanation.

>From that moment forward, Ricky was like a little father to the pair and
that only caused Cole and Graham to adore their older brother even more
than before.  As a result, many nights the boys would talk him into
sleeping in their room, snuggled adoringly between them, since they had
pushed their two beds close together, so it was almost like having just one
big bed.  I think Ricky enjoyed their attention as much as they benefited
from his guidance and support.

I can't explain the depth of my pride in Ricky for what he was doing and
for shouldering a great deal of this burden for me.  Whenever we were
alone, I would go out of my way to make a point about it and let him know
how much I appreciated all of his hard work.  I also told Cole and Graham
how fortunate they were that Ricky was willing to assist them, and whenever
I did that, they would just smile and say something like, "We know, Dad,
and we love him as much as we love you."  I thought that was a truly
remarkable answer.

One thing that particularly amazed me though, was how patient Ricky was
with them, especially whenever they faltered.  For a hyperactive young man
who had trouble waiting two seconds for an answer and couldn't sit still
for longer than a heartbeat without bouncing around in his seat, he would
sit with them for an hour or more, patiently teaching whatever they were
currently working on.  He seemed content spending his time trying to think
of different ways to explain the same thing, in order to make it easier for
them to understand.  He was like the hyperactive version of Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde.  However, he wasn't always the kindly Dr. Jekyll.

Mr. Hyde generally came out on the weekend, especially during the early
morning hours, when Ricky would conspire with his two little charges and
come up with a new way to wake me up.  One day the three of them came
running into my room naked, leaped high into the air and land on me,
startling me awake, from out of a deep slumber.

Another time they slipped into my room at the break of dawn and tucked all
my bedding under the mattress as tightly as they could, but they weren't
done yet.  In order to make certain I was completely restrained, they took
a length of rope, which they had previously discovered in the storage shed
and hid it in their room for such an opportunity.  Now that they had it,
they proceeded to wrap the rope under my bed frame and over my bedding,
thus effectively tying me to my bed.  However, the coup-de-grace was when
they began running around my room yelling 'fire.'

I nearly had a heart attack when I couldn't get out of the bed to save my
boys, but eventually I began to realize it was just another of their
pranks.  After letting my heart rate and respiration settle back down from
the sprinter's pace they had risen to, I noticed all three boys laughing
hysterically.  Although I had to promise I wouldn't do anything to them for
this little prank, or they wouldn't untie me, they weren't off the hook
yet.  I was a very patient person.

I waited for the right moment to get revenge and luckily the opportunity
presented itself later that afternoon. The trio was sitting out on the
lawn, discussing something, although I wasn't sure what they were so
interested in.  Seeing my opportunity, I sneaked out the back door, grabbed
the garden hose, turned on the water and then slipped up behind them,
unobserved.  Once I was within range, I squeezed the handle on the nozzle
and proceeded to douse all of them.  When they wanted to know what I was
doing, I told them I was only putting out the fire they had started
earlier.  After thinking about this a moment, they began to catch my drift
and understood I had just taken advantage of a play on words and used the
ploy they had dreamed up, to also pay them back.

One other morning, they raced into my room and threw damp towels on me.  As
if that weren't bad enough, the boys had placed them in the freezer first,
not long enough for them to get stiff, but just long enough for them to be
ice cold.  Needless to say, this caused me to launch out of my bed,
screaming mild obscenities at them, before I grabbed one of the towels and
began snapping it at their cute little butts as they fled down the hallway,
squealing in delight.

On another occasion, my trio of devils had also filled my bed with an
assortment from their collection of little rubber and plastic creatures as
I slept, so these toys would work there way under me as I tossed and
turned.  They hoped this would lead me to believe that vermin were invading
my bed, but I felt more like Gulliver being prodded by the Lilliputians, as
he lay on the beach.

One other time, the three of them got on one side of my mattress and
managed to lift it up, thus rolling me onto the floor.  I would never have
guessed they would have been strong enough to do that, but I was rudely
proven wrong.

Another memorable event happened when they took their boom boxes and set
them in a triangular arrangement around my bed.  Each was set to maximum
volume, but tuned to different radio stations, before they plugged them in.
When the speakers began to blast this cacophony simultaneously, I shot
upright in my bed, startled out of my slumber.  After the other boys came
in and scraped me off of the ceiling, I chased my three little monsters all
around the house, smacking their bare bottoms playfully each time I caught
up to one of them.  Ricky still retained his unique ability to cause
mischief and was taking great pleasure in teaching those skills to his
little brothers, as well.  This was definitely causing them to bond even
closer.

In between Easter and our summer vacation, we also celebrated a couple of
birthdays.  Jay turned fourteen on June 10th and Ricky turned fourteen on
July 7th.  We had parties for each of them, and included our entire
extended families and a few of the boys' friends.  Ricky got teased a bit
that Jay was nearly a month older than he was, but he took it in good humor
and played along with what was being said.  I think this was due in part
because he found some comfort in the fact that he was no longer the baby of
the family, since Graham had now assumed that honor.

No matter how much everyone teased him, Ricky still commanded respect from
his brothers and was greatly adored by Cole and Graham.  Ricky, however,
was not the only one who was the focal point of hero worship.  Cole and
Graham also had two little admirers of their own: my grandsons.  Jordan and
Nicky thought the sun rose and set because of their uncles and that Cole
and Graham were real life superheroes, of sorts.  When we'd met for our
joint summer vacation with my oldest children, the two little ones wouldn't
allow themselves to be separated from their youngest uncles, even to spend
time with their parents.  The four of them played together, ate together
and even shared one bed, nearly every evening they were with us.  However,
I guess I'm getting ahead of myself here, so I'll tell you more about that
in more detail, in due time.

After all that time trying to come up with an idea for our vacation, I had
finally decided to take everyone to my friend's cottage, which was located
on a fairly large lake.  I had talked him into renting me the place for two
weeks, as I felt this would be just what the doctor ordered for all of us.
After picking up Brandon and Jay, so they could join us, the boys and I
still got there well ahead of the others.  We then took time to air out the
place, put clean linens on all of the beds and stocked the fridge to the
brim.  By the time my older children began to arrive, the boys were already
diving off of the dock and swimming in the lake.

Nicky got there first, with his parents, and immediately sought out Graham.
Graham could barely wait to give him the water wings I had purchased for
Nicky to use while he was there, as he was still too young to be much of a
swimmer.  That's why I didn't want him out swimming with the boys, without
utilizing these safety devices.  By the time Jordan got there with his
family, the others were already out splashing around and he was kind of
disappointed he had missed out on some of the fun.  After I assessed the
situation, I suggested I could call Cole and have him come back to the
cottage to pick him up, which seemed to make Jordan forget about his
disappointment at arriving later than the others.  Cole and Jordan both lit
up like Times Square on New Year's Eve, the moment they saw each other
again.  I was glad they felt so strongly about each other and had become
soul mates, the same way Graham and Nicky had done.

After a few minutes of getting reacquainted, Cole presented Jordan with his
water wings too.  Knowing Jordan might think he was too old for such
things, as he was a year older than Nicky, Cole quickly explained to him
that it would help Nicky feel better if he also wore them.  Since it was
Cole who had asked him to do this, and thinking it would also make things
easier for his cousin, he did as requested, but it also gave the rest of us
a little more peace of mind knowing he was using them.

During the rest of that day, we all found time to swim, as well as lounge
about and get some sun, while also making time to catch up on what the
others had been up to, since we'd last been together.  The boys gladly told
their older siblings about their exploits, but also listened amazingly well
when the older gang did the same.  Not only that, but they were also
exceptionally patient when listening to Nicky and Jordan tell them about
all the things they'd been up to.  My grandson's mouths were both like the
energizer rabbit -- they just kept going and going and ... well, you get
the idea.

At dinner, Michael and Adrian (my son-in-law) offered to get up early the
next morning and take out anyone who wanted to go fishing with them.  I
immediately began to wonder if any of the boys would take them up on their
invitation, until Dustin and Danny said they'd like to go.  The other boys
just weren't as keen on the idea of getting up early, sitting quietly in a
boat and then, worst of all, having to clean the fish they caught, since
the fisherman had already promised to supply the meat for dinner.  And then
there were the little ones, who just thought catching fish was 'yucky.'

The boys were going to use one of my friend's boats, since he had
previously told me we were welcome to use any of them.  He had a larger
boat I think all of us would fit on, a smaller, faster motorboat and a
rowboat.  In anticipation of using the motorized versions, I'd filled up a
couple of gas cans along the way, just before we reached the cabin.  I'd
figured the gasoline would come in handy, since I suspected the boats would
probably be kept quite busy.

The fishermen were all up before sunrise, so they could be out on the lake
when the fish were biting the best.  I heard them get up, so I went to the
kitchen and fixed them some breakfast, while they were getting their things
together.  I didn't want their grumbling tummies to scare away what was out
there, since I was looking forward to a nice fish dinner later.  By the
time the rest of the boys were getting up, somewhere around 10:00, the
fishermen were already heading back to the cabin holding up a small
collection of rainbow trout and small-mouth bass.  Danny and Dustin looked
as proud as could be, as they displayed their catch to me.

"Looks like tonight's dinner has been provided by our newest anglers," I
announced, eliciting smiles in response.

"These two were naturals," Michael quickly added.  "I've never seen anyone
take to fishing so quickly in my life."

"Let's see how they do when it comes to cleaning them," Adrian teased,
drawing disgusted looks from the pair he was commenting about.

"You don't think we can do it?" Danny asked, more of a challenge than a
question.

"I've had friends who got that far and then lost their enthusiasm for the
sport," Adrian announced, in reply.

"Well, I won't have a problem with it," Danny shot back.  "I want to be a
doctor, so I'll be cutting into things that will affect me more than just a
bunch of fish."  I found it astounding that this was the first time I'd
heard Danny mention his career goal, but I was also quite impressed by it.

"And it won't bother me neither," Dustin added.  "I went hunting a few
times with one of my foster parents and he made me skin and clean what we
killed.  I was able to handle that, so I'll be able to do this too."

Both Michael and Adrian were taken slightly aback by the boys' stubborn
determination, so they took them into the kitchen area, to teach them how
it was done.  To their surprise, the boys did a very good job and had no
problems doing whatever they were taught, which gained them a great deal of
admiration from their mentors.

"I'm impressed," Michael told them.  "You guys have more spunk than I gave
you credit for.  Anytime either of you want to go fishing or even hunting,
I'd be happy to take you with me."  I think that was the highest compliment
either boy could have received and their chests swelled, as they thanked
Michael for his kind offer.

After putting the fish in the fridge, Danny and Dustin changed into their
swimwear, so they could go out and join the others, who were already
frolicking in the lake.  As soon as they were out of earshot, Michael
filled me in about some of the details of their fishing excursion.

"I mean it, Pop," Michael began.  "Those two really impressed me.  I've
never been out with first timers who caught on as quickly or were willing
to do as much as they were.  Most of the guys I've taken out were usually a
little squeamish at first, and if not then, they would get that way when it
came to cleaning the fish, but not these two."

"I'm glad you took them out," I told both of them, in all sincerity.  "You
know hunting and fishing have never been my thing, even though I took you
out when you were younger.  It's really nice to see you all growing so
close, by doing things like this together."

"Pop, I love having all these little brothers," he blurted in response.
"They're all so different, yet I feel close to each of them, but in
different ways.  You aren't the only one who's benefiting from having them
around."  I knew he truly meant this.

"Same goes for me, Pop," Adrian added.  "You know I was the only boy in my
family and had to live with two sisters, so I think that's why Michael and
I have always gotten along so well.  But now, I really love having all
these younger brothers, so I can teach them all the things I wished an
older brother would have taught me."  Marie had previously told me, in the
strictest confidence, about how Adrian had always regretted being the only
son.  However, I'd never heard him express it to any of the rest of us
before, at least not until now.

"Well, go join them out in the lake then, but don't forget your sons," I
warned them.  "Even though they love their uncles' attention, they don't
want their fathers to forget about them completely."

"Oh, we won't," Michael assured me, "and thanks for doing this.  It's
working out great."

"Yes," Adrian chimed in, "this is turning out to be a great vacation."

My daughters and daughter-in-law had also been enjoying their time here and
had been out sunning themselves most of the morning, when they weren't
taking a breather in the lake.  However, I think the best part of their
vacation, at least so far, was the fact that the other boys were looking
after their sons, so they didn't have to worry about them.  Not only that,
but I was doing most of the cooking, along with Michael's help, so they
didn't have kitchen duties either.  Since Michael had always enjoyed being
the main man at our cookouts, he was the logical choice to give me a hand,
but he pitched in and did more than I expected.  Not wanting to look lazy
or be left out, Adrian was helping out too and the other boys were
splitting the clean-up duties, so the ladies were completely free of these
responsibilities.

After lunch, Michael and Adrian decided to take the boys out and teach them
how to water-ski.  They were planning to use the smaller, faster boat for
this purpose, since they would need something with a little muscle, to
generate enough speed to get the boys up and gliding on top of the water.
With the exception of Cole, Graham and my two grandsons, everyone gave it a
try, with varying degrees of success.  The older boys took to this activity
immediately, and even Jay managed to get up on the skis and did remarkably
well.  What caused his undoing was when he tried to cross over the wake
from the boat.  Hitting that small ripple of water sent him sprawling, like
a wounded duck, into the water.  Even with that miscue, though, I think he
was extremely pleased by how well he had done -- even better than some of
the others.

However, there was a subtler competition going on here too.  The girls
weren't about to be outdone by the boys' quick adaptation to this sport, so
they immediately set out to prove that being a member of the feminine
gender didn't mean they were weaker or not as athletic.  I think the boys
were both shocked and impressed by what they saw and managed to learn a
valuable lesson in the process.  Never underestimate someone because of the
way they looked or how they were built.  Both of my daughters had always
participated in various sports while they were in school, so I wasn't
surprised to see them going out of their way to prove this point.  Even my
daughter-in-law gave it her best effort, which was nearly as good as her
counterparts.

Once everyone began to grow tired and hungry, I went inside to cook the
fish the boys had caught for dinner.  I also made a few side dishes to go
along with it, along with macaroni and cheese for the littlest ones.  I
think everyone was pleased with what they got, not only because it tasted
great and was filling, but also because of the fact that the main course
had been provided by others we love.

After dinner, some of the boys decided to go out and try to catch some
frogs as it started to get dark, while most of the rest of us just sat
outside on the porch and chatted.  I couldn't think of a lovelier way to
end to this wonderful day.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 2 -- Family Ties.

Over the next few days, we did many things together, including taking a
nice long hike on state land, which was situated just a short distance from
the cottage.  Even though Michael had to carry Nicky most of the way on his
shoulders and Adrian ended up giving Jordan a piggy ride back, because both
boys tired out quickly on the rugged terrain, we all still had a nice time.

I think the only thing my older children weren't crazy about during that
entire week was the fact that Ricky, Cole and Graham taught Jordan and
Nicky how to terrorize their parents in the morning, as a way of waking
them up.  They showed their nephews some of the things they had done to me,
but only the milder forms of harassment, and they also somehow managed to
keep their clothes on while the others were here.  I knew some of them
would probably have loved to shed their garments at various times, but the
thought of having the women see them naked prevented most of them from
doing that.

"Dad, how do you put up with them doing things like that to you all of the
time," Elizabeth asked me, after the boys had startled her awake one
morning."

"Honey, compared to my dreary existence before they arrived, I'll take that
jump-start any day of the week.  At least I know it will get my heart
beating, even if the old ticker doesn't want to start on its own," I added,
trying to lighten the moment.  My daughter looked at me oddly, before she
grinned and responded.

"I guess that's one way to look at it," she chuckled, "as long as they
don't give you a heart attack and cause it to stop in the process."

"Dad," Marie told me later, "were we ever that mischievous?  Those guys are
something else."

"The four of you had your moments too, but maybe not quite in the same
manner," I told her.  "Don't you remember, that's when my hair started
turning gray and falling out."  She grinned.

"Well, we may have been partially responsible for that," she admitted, "but
I believe age had something to do with it as well.  By the way, I think
Adrian was ready to castrate them this morning, when they come pouncing on
him and covering him with wet washcloths, but I know he really loves them
down deep."

"Thanks for the warning," I responded.  "I'll be sure to keep the sharp
objects out of Adrian's reach while he's here, so I don't go home with a
group of sopranos," I teased.

"Yes, you do that," she agreed.

Things were going great and everyone was growing closer, when Robert
finally arrived on Thursday.  Not only did Robert arrive, but the
precipitation did too.

"So nice of you to show up and bring the rain with you," Michael commented,
pulling his brother's leg a bit.  "You always did have a dark cloud over
your head, didn't you?"

"I thought that dark cloud was you," Robert shot back.  "I never have these
types of problems, unless you're around at the same time."

I appreciated their playful banter, but noticed it momentarily shocked the
rest of the boys, before they realized Michael and Robert were only joking.
I don't think they ever suspected their older brothers teased each other
like that and were more like them than they had ever imagined.  I suspect
that incident shed a whole new light on their possible future relationship
with their older siblings.

"Well, seeing that's more than a gentle summer rain," Marie began, "did
anyone think to bring anything to do in case of bad weather?"  We all had
to admit we hadn't.

"Let me look around a bit," I suggested.  I'm sure my friend must have
something around here he uses for days like this."  I soon discovered I was
correct, when I located several decks of playing cards in one of his
cupboards.

In an effort to pass the time, we keep switching cards games to keep it
interesting and over the course of the day, we played hearts, spades,
pitch, rummy, poker, blackjack and double solitaire.  We taught the various
games to those who didn't already know them, but we also played Old Maid,
War and Go Fish with my grandsons, so they didn't feel left out.  There
were always two or three different card games going on at the same time, so
no one ever lacked for something to do.

That evening, my older children suggested I tell one of my ghost stories.
They said it had been a long time since they'd last heard one and thought
this might be a good time to revisit those nostalgic events from their
past, but only after my grandsons went to bed.  They didn't want me scaring
the little ones and prevent them from sleeping throughout the night.  The
boys thought it was amazing their older siblings had made this request, so
they proceeded to tell them about the stories I'd already told them and how
they suffered through more than one restless evening after listening to one
of my renditions.  My older children just chuckled and said they understood
perfectly.

Once Nicky and Jordan were safely tucked in and fast asleep, I told them
all the tale of the Lady of the Lake.  "Eleanor was a very lovely girl and
full of life, She had many friends and was very popular, until she fell
deeply in love with a man who was ten years her senior.  They seemed truly
in love with each other, and that's why she gave herself to him completely,
cutting herself off from nearly everyone else in her life.

"One evening, her lover brought her out to this very lake for a romantic,
moonlight boat ride.  Eleanor assumed he was doing it to set the mood and
this would be the night he would propose to her.  She had told him a few
days previously that she was carrying his child, so she surmised he was
going to do the right thing and ask her to be his wife."

I now changed my tone from the light, wispy tenor I had been using, to a
dark and foreboding baritone to make this next point.  "You have to
remember that this was in the early 1900's and having sex before marriage
was taboo.  Much of society shunned unwed mothers and unmercifully gossip
about them, but Eleanor knew this would not be her fate.  Her boyfriend
would never allow this to happen to her."

At this point I switch back to my first voice again.  "That evening, she
got in his rowboat, eagerly anticipating his surprise.  She enjoyed
watching her lover handle the oars so deftly, as he rowed them out to the
middle of the lake."  I pantomimed rowing a boat as I said that.  "Seeing
there was no motor, and therefore no noise to alert others nearby that
anyone was out on the water in the middle of the night, they went
completely undetected.  Once her lover stopped rowing, he let the boat
begin to drift and gently rock in the small swells on the lake, as he moved
toward her.  Eagerly, she awaited his touch, as she suspected he was about
to wrap his arms around her, before smothering her passionately with
kisses, under the modest glow from the crescent moon.

"When he reached her, she was greatly surprised that he grabbed her and
shoved her out of the boat, instead."  As I said that, I stood up abruptly
and made like I were pushing someone out of the boat, which startled a few
of my listeners.  "Seeing she wasn't prepared for this to happen, she sank
under the water almost immediately.  As she struggled to resurface and
inhale a fresh lungful of air, her many garments became completely
waterlogged and the weight of them began to pull her into the depths.

"As quickly as she could, she began to frantically pull at her dress and
the many petticoats beneath it, literally ripping the buttons off of the
garments, in an effort to break free." Now I was mimicking her struggle
with her garments, making like I was trying to tear off my own.  "With her
last ounce of strength and her lungs burning from a lack of oxygen, she
broke free of her clothing and shot upward, now bobbing like a buoy and
gasping loudly.

"Once she regained her bearings, she frantically tried to climb back into
the boat, but as she did so, her lover slammed one of the oars into her
skull."  Now I swing an imaginary oar through the air and gave a loud
'whack' when it would have struck something.  "A sickening 'crack' was
heard, as the two made contact, and she fell backward, either dead or
unconscious."  I heard some of the boys gasp, as I went through this last
part of the story, although I assumed they were all anticipating something
foul to happen.

"Her body quickly sank to the bottom of the lake, and because the water is
so very cold there, it never rose to the surface again and was, therefore,
never discovered.  No one else knew for certain what had happened to her.
Some of her closest friends, whom she had told about her situation,
suspected she had run off, in order to avoid the disgrace and ridicule that
would follow her throughout the years to come.  Others, who merely knew
about her tryst with the older man, conjectured she ran away because she'd
been jilted or that possibly even some sort of misdeed had befallen her.

"It wasn't until many years later, when her lover lay on his deathbed, that
he finally confessed to what he had done.  He felt, at that point, he
needed to clear his conscience, before going to meet his maker.  Although
several searches were conducted after he made this fact know, nothing was
ever found which might confirm his story.  To this very day, her body still
lies at the bottom of this lake -- probably still appearing much as it did
in life, because the frigid temperature of the water would preserve it
perfectly.

"Every so often there are reports of a woman wandering around this area,
walking along the shore and appearing to be searching for something.
Nearly everyone who has seen or heard about this believes it is Eleanor,
who has returned from the depths.  Some claim she is seeking her lover, in
order to pay him back for what he did to her, while others believe she is
merely lonely and seeking the company of young people like herself, so she
won't have to spend the rest of eternity in those cold depths alone.  Every
so often, someone will come up missing while visiting the lake, and most of
the locals feel she has just taken another poor soul to keep her company."
I looked about the room now, gauging my audience, and found them all
transfixed and staring at me intently, so I added my final words of
caution.

"While we are here, I must warn you to be careful if you wander near the
lake at night and see a young woman approaching.  It just might be the Lady
of the Lake, roaming the water's edge and seeking out her next companion."

"Okay, I'm not going swimming in the lake any more!" Cole screamed, as he
moved farther away from the water.

"Oh, you're okay during the day," I attempted to assure him.  "It's only
after dark that she's been seen and when others come up missing."

"Well, I'm not taking any chances," he countered, "so no more swimming for
me."

"Daddy, why did you let Danny and Dustin go out fishing with Michael and
Adrian then?" Graham asked, extremely concerned.  "It was still dark when
they left and they were out in a boat on the lake."

"Yes, I understand that, but in their case, there were too many of them for
her to do anything," I advised him, before seeing a look of relief spread
across his face.

"Maybe she doesn't take them so she won't be lonely," Elizabeth added.  "I
think she probably wraps her cold, slimy hands around the neck of any guy
she believes might do such a despicable thing."  I do believe this comment
shocked most of the boys and caused them to wonder about their sister, but
she wasn't finished.  "Any guy who would do something like that to an
innocent young girl deserves no better."

My younger daughter had always been sort of a strong feminist, but I truly
believe her comments were intentionally made to add another element of
dread to my story.  However, her words did make the boys wonder if she
might do such a thing, and then try to make it look as if the Lady of the
Lake had been responsible.  Silently, I thanked Elizabeth for adding this
additional touch of horror to my tale.

Later, after we returned to the cottage, Cole and Graham announced they
wanted to sleep with me tonight.  I wasn't convinced this was only because
their little buddies were already sound asleep, even though that is what
they insisted was the reason.  I still think their decision had been
inspired by a lingering touch of uncertainty after listening to my story,
even though their older brothers kept assuring them I had made the whole
thing up.  Whatever the reason, I did not sleep alone that evening.

Friday turned out to be another lovely day, so everyone spent it out on the
lake.  Cole and Graham were still a little hesitant at first, but once they
saw everyone else swimming, water-skiing and soaking up some rays, they
finally became convinced it was safe and joined the others.

Sometime between breakfast and lunch, the boys talked Robert into taking
them for a hike around the lake, which wasn't going to be an easy feat.
The lake was quite large, so I figured it would take them several hours, at
a minimum, to accomplish this task and warned them so.  However the older
group was determined to do it, and Robert was eager to take them, so I let
them go.  I would stay back and not venture very far away from the van,
just in case I had to drive out to pick them up, if things didn't work out
as planned.

In the meantime, the couples set out to enjoy some quiet time with each
other, while I kept Cole, Graham, Jordan and Nicky entertained.  Well, that
isn't exactly true.  Cole and Graham actually kept Jordan and Nicky
entertained, while I merely sat around and kept an eye on them all.

The group hiking around the lake didn't show up until after dinnertime, in
fact it was quite a while after the normal time to eat.  They were
exhausted, yet excited.

"Dad you wouldn't believe what we saw out there," Kevin told me.  "It was
amazing."

"Yeah, we saw some deer drinking from the lake not far from here, but that
wasn't the scary part," Ricky announced, which immediately sent a chill up
my spine.  Wasn't the scary part?

"Pop, it really wasn't all that scary," Robert informed me, although I
think it was just to get my heart rate back to normal.

"Danny, tell me what Ricky is talking about," I pressed, knowing Danny was
the most likely to tell me the whole truth.

"Dad, it was just that we saw this black bear off in the distance, but it
wasn't really anything to worry about," he assured me.

"Then why did Robert tell us to run into the lake and swim out as far if we
could, if the bear started toward us?" Ricky countered, and quickly drew
glares from the others as he did so.  I raised my eyebrows, hoping this
would get me a plausible response.

"Pop, I was just being cautious," Robert responded, "in case the bear did
come at us.  I knew there was nowhere else to go and we couldn't do much
else.  I just figured it would be less likely to follow us out into the
water.

"I'll give you credit for quick thinking, Robert, as that was a pretty good
plan, under the circumstances," I admitted.  "But don't treat me like some
doddering old idiot who can't tell what went on out there."  All the boys
cringed as I said this, realizing they had greatly misjudged the situation
and my reaction to not being told about it sooner.

"I knew there was a chance something out the ordinary might happen out
there," I continued, "especially where nature is concerned, but please
don't try to soft sell me, so I won't prevent you from doing things like
that in the future.  I think you should all know me better than that,
especially you, Robert."

Robert's reaction to my pronouncement was similar to a man on trial hearing
the jury foreman read the guilty verdict.  He hung his head, went weak in
the knees and looked as if his world had just come to an end.  After a few
seconds, he managed to look up at me again.

"Pop, don't blame the others," he began.  "It was my idea to encourage them
to keep this information from you.  I didn't want to give you any reason
not to trust me out alone with them in the future.  I should have known
you'd find out, one way of the other, just like when we were kids.
Whenever we thought we'd kept you from learning about something we didn't
want you to know, you'd ask us about it and we knew we'd been had."

"You never learned then either," I told him, which caused us both to
chuckle nervously.  "I'm not upset, but I'm glad this came out now, rather
than later.  I'd have been more upset if I'd found out some other way, like
overhearing a conversation about it, days down the road."

"See, I told you," Ricky chided them.  "I knew Dad wouldn't get mad about
what happened, but he would get upset if we didn't tell him."

"You were right, Ricky," Robert agreed, although I think he might have
batted Ricky upside the head for ratting them out in the first place, if I
weren't still there.

"Okay, let's put this behind us now, but no more secrets where the boys'
safety is concerned," I offered, with all of the boys going along with my
statement, sooner or later.

Over the next hour or so, each of them came up to me and apologized for
their part in the duplicity in what happened earlier and I told them all
was forgiven, as long as they didn't repeat their mistake.  They assured me
they wouldn't, and I pretty much believed all of them... except for Robert.
If he didn't learn that lesson when he was growing up, I think it was too
late for him to learn it now.

That evening we all went to bed early, as nearly everyone was drained.
Tomorrow, my older children and their families would be leaving us, with
the exception of Robert.  Therefore, there was also a touch of sadness in
the air as we spent our final evening together.

The next morning, I awoke early, while the others got up in their own due
time.  As my older children came into the dining area to join me, I would
pour them a cup of coffee and fix them some breakfast, in order to ensure
they had a good start to their day.  They would all be leaving before
lunchtime, and I didn't want any of them to leave hungry.

By nine, both sets of parents went to awaken their sons, who hadn't joined
us yet.  When they went to the area where they were sleeping, they
discovered their sons already awake, but clinging to Cole and Graham.  The
foursome were all hugging each other fiercely, knowing they soon would be
separated again.  They had enjoyed an invisible bond during their whole
time with us and we all understood it would be very difficult for them to
be parted now.  There were plenty of teary eyes to prove the point and that
malady soon became contagious and began to spread to the rest of us.

"Mommy, when can I see Unka Gwam again," little Nicky asked, looking more
sorrowful that I could ever remember seeing him.

"We'll go to see Papa and your Uncle Graham at both Thanksgiving and New
Year's, honey," she assured him, hoping that would be enough to alleviate
his concerns.  However, Nicky wasn't satisfied yet.

"How many days is that?" he asked.

"It will go by fast, sweetie, and you and your Uncle Graham will be able to
spend more time together then."  Although he kept pressing for an exact
number of days, he never got one, but Graham helped put an end of Nicky's
interrogation of his mother by telling him he'd see him soon.

I think many of us had tears streaming down our cheeks, as both families
drove away in their rental cars and headed back to their own homes.


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