The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 46
Warning:
This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction between males of similar age. If the reading or possessing this material is illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so.
The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story. You may not publish it or any part of it without explicit authorization from me.
I have written several other stories. My longer ones on Nifty include: "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004), "Jacob and Jacques" (May 30, 2004), "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Tales from Bentonville" (November 16, 2008), "Second Chance" (September 24, 2010), and "Tommy and Tanner (October 21, 2012)under "High School" and "Someone to Watch over Me" (January 21, 2011 under "Beginnings" in the gay male section.
My short stories include: "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 22, 2004 under "Camping", "Of Angels and Dragons" (November 8, 2008) under "Camping", "A Christmas Tale" (December 22, 2009), "Wyatt's Thanksgiving" (November 20, 2012)under "High School", "Brazil Affair" (October 1, 2010), "A Technological Christmas" (December 23, 2011), and "Patrick's Christmas (December 19, 2012) under "Beginnings," I have one story in the Sci Fi/Fantasy category called, "Seth's Gift" (October 10, 2010).
"Banana Splits" was added under "adult friendships" (September 17,1013).
You can easily access most of my tales by going to the "Author" button in Nifty's home page and scrolling down to David Lee. Some of these stories are also posted at: www.storylover.us and www.saberpeak.com.
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Thanks and hugs to Tom and David (boxerdude) who edit for me so that there are fewer mistakes! They not only proof-read, but make other valuable suggestions.
Your donations to Nifty are appreciated to keep this a free site for us and for you.
David (dlee169@hotmail.com)
The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 46
Sean took possession of his house just before Brock and Brent staged their annual July 4th picnic. He hadn't had time to do any redecorating, but had purchased a few pieces of furniture, including beds for three of the bedrooms so that there would be extra sleeping space for guests if needed. With Tyler and him in their own house, David and Amanda could occupy the room Tyler had been living in or the apartment at Brock and Brent's where Sean had been residing and no one would end up sleeping on the floor.
Brent had been concerned about getting an access gate cut through their privacy fence in time for the occasion. It wouldn't have happened but for Cade and Harrison coming to his rescue. They had the tools, time, and knowhow to make it a reality. The finished product looked quite professional and was completed down to a lock with a keyless entry pad.
With the addition of Tyler's buddies and their families, the crowd at the celebration was larger than in previous years. Of course, Sean kicked in on the cost of the burgers and brats to help defray the additional expense since they were his son's friends.
It was a fun party. Some of the guests thought to bring anniversary cards for Todd and Jim. They were surprised, and pleased, to have their special day remembered.
Having Sean's house next door meant that there was more room to set up games, and more deck seating for watching the downtown fireworks from a good vantage point. It was mostly the younger set who went over to use Sean's backyard, at least when they weren't in the pool. Everyone had a great seat for the pyrotechnics at the end of the evening.
Tyler had the musketeers for an overnight.
Percy looked pleadingly into his father's eyes when he came to visit for the last time.
"It's all arranged, if you're sure," Fred Harris said cryptically.
He didn't know if the room was bugged or not, but didn't want to take any chances.
"I'm sure, Dad. I can't go on like this; I need to rest, please."
His father merely nodded as he sat on the sofa in the private visiting room. Percy lay down with his head on his father's lap and closed his eyes. Fred spread a throw over his son and sang a lullaby he had sung to him as a small child.
Percy closed his eyes and smiled. He felt a sense of peace washing over him. Then came a momentary sharp pain at the base of his skull before the lights went out. Instantly, he floated effortlessly toward a new light.
Fred got up from the sofa, went to the nurses' station and asked that Percy be allowed to sleep where he was for at least a half hour, if not longer. The nurse nodded, knowing how little rest the boy had been able to get in the weeks he'd been there. She watched the weary-looking father, who seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, as he trudged slowly down the hall toward the elevator.
Once in his car, Fred began to drive toward a wooded area about five miles out of town. There he parked his car, took a backpack out of the trunk, and walked half a mile or so, eventually sitting on the ground near the creek.
He bowed his head in prayer for several minutes before retrieving the Ruger Lc9 from his backpack. He slid the magazine in place and cocked it, making sure a bullet had seated in the chamber. Then he placed the barrel in his mouth at an angle that was sure to take out his brain and pulled the trigger.
It was more than an hour before the nurse looked in on Percy. It seemed unusual for him to be out that long without heavy sedation. When she moved the afghan which partially covered him, she knew immediately that he was dead. The tears she felt for him came from a mixture of emotions – sadness for a life cut short, but relief that the boy was no longer living in torment.
When she notified the police, she stressed that there was no reason to come with sirens blaring. She suggested bringing the coroner because she suspected his death should be treated as a crime. In the meantime, she summoned a doctor from another part of the hospital to verify that the boy was indeed deceased, and to sign the necessary papers.
The evening news on Channel 6 gave a rather enigmatic statement from the police about Percy's death. It said that the authorities wanted to contact his father, and asked viewers to report if they had seen him or knew how to get in touch with him.
Several calls came into the station within minutes of the broadcast. It appeared that Fred Harris was as ubiquitous as Elvis Presley. Someone had spotted him at the mall, of course. Another couple had been in line behind him a few minutes earlier at McDonald's. There were several other sightings as well.
Although the alleged crime hadn't happened in their jurisdiction, Todd and Jim had been invited to go along with the Johnson County sheriff and coroner to investigate the scene. For them, Percy's death brought some sort of closure, but it saddened them, especially Todd. He looked at the angelic face of the boy and thought about his own son. He was way too young to die, but it was a relief.
At the same time, Jim relived the horrendous scene he and Bill had witnessed at the Harris' home. There had definitely been a demon of some sort inhabiting the kid's body. What a shame!
The two men gripped each other's hand for a moment in support.
The coroner had no doubt as to the weapon and the cause of death. He and the sheriff asked the men if they could suggest a motive. They both thought it was probably a mercy-killing. They didn't necessarily approve of what Percy's father had undoubtedly done, but they could understand it.
Later that night, Todd and Jim invited Bill over for a drink to discuss the case. He had been out of town escorting a prisoner, or he would have been at the scene too. None of them had a shift the next day and both Jim and Bill needed a few medicinal shots of whiskey. Jim and Todd insisted that he stay the night.
The cousins and their friends got quite a bit of work done on Sean's new home despite their part-time jobs. Having had the most experience, Davy oversaw the removal of the wallpaper. He told the other boys that they were very lucky to be working with the modern kind which was strippable. He recounted the messes they'd run into at Cade and Harrison's place, and the number of days it had taken to get each room done.
This paper was of such a high quality that some of the strips came off intact and could probably have been re-hung somewhere else, had anyone wanted to. As a result, the powder room and dining room were both stripped in the space of two mornings before Jon and Davy had to go to work.
On their next morning off, Davy, Jon, and Joe scrubbed off the residual paste and filled nail holes. By the time the older two left for their jobs at the mall, it was ready to be primed. Joe didn't feel qualified to start the painting alone, so he drove over to pick up Mark for playtime in the pool.
After seeing what an excellent job the boys had done, Sean decided to hire them do the priming and repainting too. He might just as well pay them a decent wage instead of hiring a contractor. He would save some cash by doing so, and it would give the boys extra spending money.
Tyler enlisted his best buds to help paint his room. He got the formula number for the color his uncles had used on the room he had at their house because he thought it was perfect and wanted his new room to be the same.
Jon and Davy made sure the boys removed all of the electrical cover plates, and protected the edges of the trim with "frog" tape before starting. They spread heavy drop cloths over the carpet as well. They had learned it was much easier to avoid getting paint on woodwork and floors than it was to remove it after the fact. All the experience from helping Cade and Harrison was put to good use.
His involvement with the city soccer league prevented Tyler from being as involved with the new house as he might have been. It didn't, however, prevent him from going to the drivers' licensing station on his 14th birthday to take the written test for his learners' permit.
Joe drove him because no parent was needed as long as he had proof of his age. Armed with his passport and a copy of his birth certificate, he had more documentation than necessary. He passed the test with flying colors, but had a difficult time not grinning for his ID photo. In fact, it had to be taken three times before the clerk was satisfied that he didn't look too happy.
The extended clan, including his paternal grandparents came to the house for his party. He was excited to see everyone, and pleased that they would make the drive. He sort of felt bad that his time at the lake had prevented them from coming for Joe's birthday, but Joe graciously told him he shouldn't be concerned.
Naturally, Tyler wanted the rest of the musketeers to come for an overnight, and Sean was fine with that.
After the food was eaten and the presents opened, all of the boys splashed around in Brock and Brent's pool. The adults retired fairly early and the older boys, who had to work the following day, didn't stay up late either. That gave the four buddies a chance to go skinny dipping by the light of a nearly full moon, augmented by the underwater pool lights.
The mid July weather was rather warm, so the water felt especially good. By the time they had played chicken fighting and general grab-ass, the boys were horned up. Going through the gate back over the Tyler's house, their towels were at full tilt.
Whatever happened after that can only be imagined.
A day after Tyler's party, Eddy boarded a plane for Montana. He had to change in Denver, but it was a short layover and everything was on-time, remarkably.
Spencer gave Eddy a big hug the minute he saw him. He had come alone to pick up his little brother at the airport because Billy and Grandpa couldn't take the time off. Several calves were due to be born and there was a chance that a couple of them would be difficult births. Losing them would put a dent in finances, especially with the current high beef prices resulting from the numbers of cattle that had been lost in bad winter storms in the Dakotas.
Summer wasn't necessarily the best time of the year for producing new calves because they usually took longer to finish out for market. However, by having a summer birthing as well as a winter one, there were more chances of keeping the herd populated. Since they had a mature bull, he wasn't stressed out from impregnating the willing cows. All of that information made Eddy giggle when Spencer explained it to him on the way.
When the brothers arrived at the ranch, Billy and Grandpa gave Eddy a warm welcome too, and told him he could help after he changed his clothes. There were a number of pairs of old jeans and shirts for the dirty jobs he might get into.
The work was difficult and messy, but Eddy felt rather proud after he helped get a calf turned so it wouldn't be born breach.
Despite the blood and muck he was exposed to, Eddy had a good appetite for supper that night. He went to bed tired, but feeling like he could do a man's job.
Billy and Spencer had the guest bedroom in their little cabin all fixed up for Eddy's comfort. He fell in love with the wood interior decorated with quilts and aboriginal art work. It felt like living in the Old West. He dreamed that first night about the Ponderosa with Hoss and Little Joe. It was something he'd seen in a rerun of the old TV show, only this time he was in the scenes with them.
The next day, Billy and Spence took Eddy with them to repair a section of fence where they were planning to turn the cattle out to graze soon. It was hard, sweaty work. Billy was the first to peel off his shirt. Eddy almost gasped as he saw his brother-in-law's muscles. Billy looked like a body-building stud without going to a gym because his muscle growth came for the work he did.
When Spence removed his shirt, it was evident that he, too, was developing a fine body. Eddy was shy about letting them see his back and chest, but the weather finally made him follow suit.
The guys took their lunches to a shaded area by a creek when it was time to eat. Before they ate, they stripped and splashed in the cool water. Then, fully refreshed, they sat naked in the shade to partake of them. Eddy thought that was really cool.
Day after day, Eddy did his best to keep up with his brother and the others. Sometimes there was less to do because there were other ranch hands to do some of the labor. However, it seemed like Eddy got a pretty good workout at least several times a week.
Billy and Spence took a couple of days off when things slowed down and showed Eddy the beautiful countryside. One of those days, they fished at a cold mountain stream. Eddy caught the most trout, and among them, they had enough for the next night's dinner. Of course he was very proud when Grandpa praised him for his catch.
Before Eddy knew it, his three weeks in Montana were drawing to a close. He was of two minds; in that, he hated to see the time end, but he was eager to be back with his buddies. He would always cherish the time spent with Grandpa and the boys. They all seemed so content with their lot. Spence and Billy had an awesome life together.
The investigation into Percy's death didn't require a lot of time or energy on the part of the authorities. After obtaining a search warrant for the room Fred Harris had been renting, they found a note which described in detail how he intended to "set his son free." It also told them where they could find his body, if all went according to plan.
He had figured out how to get around the metal detector which was intended to keep weapons out of the psychiatric hospital area by wearing his steel-toed boots whenever he came to visit. Each time, he had to remove them when they set off the alarm, but he was allowed to put them back on after they were inspected.
After several times of going through the process, he figured the guards wouldn't examine them as carefully and he could slip the needle under the thick padding at the heel.
Everything he had written checked out from the location of his body to the impression made by the needle inside the right boot when it was examined later. The coroner had already identified the trace of fast-acting poison that Fred had put on the needle as a backup in case he missed the vital spot at the base of Percy's brain.
Fred Harris had also provided a kind of history about the strange behavior of his son. The family cat was found strangled when the boy was about six years of age. When he was asked about it, Percy claimed the screen door had slammed on it and choked it. He didn't show any grief over the pet's demise.
A few years later, Fred had discovered the bodies of missing neighborhood pets in shallow graves inside a new flowerbed. At that time, Fred had pleaded with his wife to get psychiatric help for Percy, but she wouldn't hear of it. Her precious child wasn't responsible. She pointed a finger at the landscape worker, a Mexican immigrant who spoke little English, and threatened to call the police. Fred had backed off, fearing that the poor laborer would be arrested for something he didn't do.
In his musings, Percy's father wondered if the drugs which Georgia had taken to prevent miscarrying had somehow damaged the boy's brain, like alcohol and street drugs do. He had no evidence, but considered it a possibility.
A fund started by several anonymous donors paid for the cremation services and internment of the urns next to Mrs. Harris. The gory details of the case were never made public, so few people knew the whole story about the nightmare which had ended.
"Hey guys," Joe said to Davy and Jon as he came down to visit them in their apartment, "I, um, want to talk to you about my car."
"Is something wrong with it? You can borrow ours if you give us a ride to work," Davy offered.
"No, it's fine. In fact it's too much. I mean, you guys have to share a car and I have my own all by myself. I didn't ask to be treated better."
"You weren't. I happen to know that our car was worth about double what yours is and that's why all four dads went together on it for both of us. We were planning to share one anyway. It wouldn't have made sense for Mark and you to do the same since he already had access to the one Bradon usually drives."
"Okay, I feel better. I don't want to feel like I'm special."
"But you ARE special, little bro! We all love you and want the best for you. Besides, you need your own wheels so you can take your boyfriend around when Bradon has other plans. I think with the new babies, and having a son heading for college in a little over a year, Phil is probably watching his pennies more closely."
"No doubt. Anyway, I'm glad you're not jealous of me."
"Never!" Davy insisted, "You and I know how great we have it living with our dads and having grandparents who dote on us. We both paid our dues, especially you."
"You're right. I have pretty well forgotten my old life to the point that it seems like a bad dream; you know, like one that can't haunt you once the sun shines."
"That's a great analogy!" Davy exclaimed. "Are you taking any creative writing next year? You have a way with words."
"Thanks," Joe blushed, "I'm preregistered for a writing class with Mr. Bousek, like you suggested before."
"Cool!"
The three boys embraced before Joe went back up to his room to bed.
With all the things the boys were involved in, the summer passed quickly. The last week before freshman orientation, the usual gang of Davy, Jon, Joe, Mark, Bradon, and Micah went up to the lake for their annual frolic. It was fun, as always.
They skied on the water, rode the Jet Skis, and went skinny dipping every day. The skies remained cloudless and the sun was warm. Everything was perfect, including the private times each couple spent together.
The manager of Abercrombie and Fitch hadn't been thrilled to have Davy gone during the early part of the back-to-school sales, but was pleased to have Joe and Davy model to attract students when they came back with full, golden tans. He had them both outside of the store, shirtless, wearing skinny jeans which rode low on their hips. Without any noticeable tan lines, they looked very hot indeed.
Because of working all week, they missed helping with most of orientation, but Bradon, Joe, Mark, and Tyler took up the slack. Davy and Jon did get off for the karate demonstration because Dr. Frances wanted them to show Davy's amazing kick maneuvers. When she presented their demonstration, she was careful not to make any reference to the shooting incident involving Percy. No one on the staff wanted to relive that day either, though they couldn't help remember it in passing.
Davy and Jon didn't go out for cross-country in the fall of their senior year because they kept their part-time jobs at the mall and something had to give. Both of them made arrangements with their store managers so that they could have greatly reduced hours during swimming season. Neither of them wanted to give that up, and their bosses valued their hard work enough to cut them some slack.
During most of their terms in high school, they had taken extra classes and had lots of extra credits on their transcripts. Therefore, they could take a lighter load their final year. That worked out especially well when they got the chance to enroll in computer classes at the community college. Earning college credit while still in high school would set them up well for their higher education experience. They would be well prepared, and have fewer units to take at the university. It would put them on the road to be able to graduate in four years and cost less in tuition.
Besides earning credits in their majors, they were able to get a few core classes out of the way. Davy knew that he wanted to save some space in his university schedule for creative writing. He still wanted to dabble in it at least.
Davy and Jon celebrated their birthdays together as usual, but this one wasn't a big a deal to either of them as the 16th had been last year or their 18th would be next year. They had their usual friends over, and Tyler was part of the crowd too. He got a little friendly teasing about being the token straight boy, but he took it in the spirit it was meant. When it came time for the sleepover, he excused himself and went home, saying that the rest of the musketeers were due at his house in a few minutes.
The water in the swimming pool was fairly warm, so the guys went skinny dipping. The air, on the other hand, was a bit chilly, so they sat in the hot tub to warm up every so often.
Davy got a call on his cell from Tyler asking if the four of them could come over to swim. Davy told him it was fine if they all wanted to swim nude because everyone else was. One could almost hear the smile in Tyler's voice when he said they'd all be delighted.
Moments later, the four musketeers came through the gate wearing sleep shorts and Ts which they quickly stripped out of before they dived into the pool. There was a lot of horsing around and splashing.
They decided to play chicken fight, so the bigger guys got the lighter weight ones on their shoulders. The straight boys boned up as much as the gay ones as their dicks made contact with other guy's necks. It was a sensuous feeling for everyone but didn't lead to any overt sex play.
Davy's group of friends dried off and went into the house after about half an hour. The younger four got into the spa to warm up, and Tyler taught them the joys of using the jets to stimulate their dicks. He knew he'd have to clean the filter when they had finished.
Before the official start of swimming practice, members of the team worked out lifting weights. Vin Rossi usually supervised the sessions, making sure that the guys trained for endurance and strength more than bulk. Most of the juniors and seniors had more defined muscles than they did as underclassmen, but no one looked like a professional bodybuilder. All had stayed lean and sleek.
The guys were allowed to practice their strokes in the pool, but not with a coach present until the season started. However, kids like Bradon, Nate, Jon, and Davy could, and did, work with the younger kids demonstrating and giving tips. They could also make videos of each swimmer and review their strokes as a group. It was a way of getting a head start because everyone learned from one another.
The other bonus was that the experience caused them to really gel as a team. Davy used the same analogy that Coach Rapoport had used with the soccer team about a team being like the human body. However, he didn't make the joke about the lowly sphincter muscle. The memory of Percy was too fresh in his mind and it made him shudder to think of it.
Homecoming took place in the early part of October. This year Davy and Jon felt especially good about going to the dance with the "lake boys" as couples. It was great that Joe had his car so he could bring Mark. Bradon and Micah came in Bradon's car, and Jon drove Davy and him in Todd's convertible. It seemed that Todd frequently gave him the keys, and was considering giving it to him.
If there were any anti-gay bullies left in the high school, none of them wanted to take on any of these guys, especially not Davy. After what he had done to Percy with his karate moves the previous year, most of the other males were smart enough not to cross him. They were pretty sure if he got into a fight that, right or wrong, the administrators would take his side.
Despite showing up as couples in clothes that complemented each other, they spread themselves around and danced with a number of girls. Jenna and Willa didn't spend much time off the dance floor.
As Willa and Davy danced together, they recalled how they'd come as a group their freshman year.
"I hope you don't think we were using your girls as our `cover' back then," Davy said.
"Not at all," Willa assured him. "We weren't ready to get serious about one particular guy and still aren't. Coming as a herd was a practical solution and we've all been friends ever since, except for Megan."
"Yeah, it's too bad that she doesn't like any of us anymore."
"That's what happens when couples get too close too soon and then break up, I guess," Willa nodded. "I suppose finding out that Bradon was gay must have hit her pretty hard."
"You're probably right. Well, we're still a kind of a herd even though we all came separately." Davy smiled as the music stopped for the moment.
The musketeers showed up with girls, but not the same ones they had dated occasionally in the past. As sophomores, they had a wider range from which to pick, so several freshmen girls were in for the treat of being seen with "older" guys as opposed to the "boys" in their own class. If they had realized the guys' motives, they might have been less impressed. The musketeers tried to avoid girls who wanted go steady or girls who would put out too easily. None of them wanted to get emotionally or physically attached to a female just yet.
Dr. Campbell and her husband, Coach Rapoport, were the chaperones for the second half of the evening. Their expectations and discipline styles were very similar. They wanted everyone to have fun without getting into trouble, and that is exactly how the evening went.
Of course the evening wasn't over for the gay couples until each fell asleep with his boyfriend.
Author's notes: Thanks to the following people who responded since last posting: Ott H, Bill C, Tony W, Bill K, JTR, Bill T, Jim W, Tom A, Mendy D, Paul R, Scott W, and Jean-Pierre C.
Yes folks, I do know the difference between armature and amateur. I have made armatures for sculptures although I'm only an amateur sculptor. Sorry about the typo/glitch. None of us caught it for some reason or other.
David