ricky

"Wake up. We need to be getting' ready for church. Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes!" Tad and Andrew woke up as Aunt Gladys hollered up the stairs. "Alright, we're up Aunt Gladys! We'll be down in a few," Tad hollered. "Come on, get up. We have to get ready for church. Didn't you hear? Aunt Gladys called us. Whether you believe or not, you need to come. Aunt Gladys expects it." "Alright, alright. I'm getting up." Tad stopped off at Andrew's Mom's room on the way. "Mom! You n

"Holy shit, who is that?" Tad asked as they boarded the bus the next morning. "Don't know, nev . . . no way! Tad, turn around quick. Don't look at her," Andrew leaned over and whispered. "That girl isn't! She has an Adam's apple!" Tad whipped around so fast his clothes were still facing front. "Oh my Lord! Kenny, is that you?" "If 'en ya can't beat 'em off, then join 'em. That's what I like to say." Kenny smiled broadly. "I'm declarin' today." Tad just looked at Andrew and whispe

"Goooood morning!" Andrew said as he sat down for breakfast, smiling ear to ear. "Morning," his mom said as she put milk on the table. She looked like she hadn't slept at all. Tad came in and sat down and started to butter some toast, "Morning Ms. Harter. Man, am I starving this morning." "Mornin' everyone." Aunt Gladys strolled in and grabbed herself a cup of coffee. "Eat up. Don't be late for your bus," Aunt Gladys admonished. "By the way, Ms. Mays from the farm to the east and Ms.

The bus ride home was very quiet. The bus driver was still chewing on that same piece of gum Andrew figured. That thought made him smile. He really wondered how Tad was and what he was doing right now. He wondered what he would say when he got back. That thought made him smile more. As the bus pulled up to his stop, Andrew stood up and looked at Buster who still wasn't feeling his best, and blew him a kiss and winked. Buster looked appalled as the bus erupted in cheers and cat calls.

School was just around the corner when calamity happened. "How long will you be gone?" "Don't rightly know just yet. Could be a week, could be a month. Depends how long she hangs on. My dad is all broke up. Don't blame him none neither. Ya only get one Ma." "What about school? You'll be way behind if you're gone that long. Maybe even set back!" "I know, but it's family and anyways, I can't stay here alone." "I'll have to start school alone and they'll all know about the two of us.

"Hey, wake up! You goin' to sleep all day? Man, you city folks. I swear." Tad opened the curtains and the window. Andrew was sitting up. He had slept in his boxers and he was clearly having escape problems. Tad started making trumpet sounds of the Star spangled Banner with his lips and moving his fingers on his air trumpet and his eyes looking directly at old glory. Andrew snapped awake and covered himself up. Then he jumped up and ran over to the bureau and looked in the mirror, closel

It was a long way from Oxnard to Podunk where ever we are. Like 2 hours to the airport, two hours for security. Sheesh that guy liked his wand, three hours on the flight to Atlanta, then another three hours drive to here. Still not sure where here is. I just know this isn't LA. Their idea of a Mall out here is a Target® next to a Walmart® with a theater in between, a hair salon and a bar. That's it. The big city; I almost forgot the fine dining. Pig Stands, Mickey D's and Burger King®. If you

The crisp leaves from the morning dew compact as I tread on towards my goal. Breathing the fresh air and watching it return to the world in hazy rolls as I exhale. I glance up seeing the hawk feeling the air above with feathered fingers. I pause to take in the moment. It belongs to just him and me right now. He sees me and I see him. I wonder if he sees beauty in me as I do in him. It's the only way I could be seen as such. Onward, head bowed now studying the path that lies ahead. I take it w

Martin Wagner is 14 and different than everyone else in his high school. It worries him but he has a resolution, one that will take him to the top.

I keep trying to explain that a 50 year old is twice the fun of a couple of 25 year olds but he just isn't buying it. Damn it. Shocking! I agree totally. Mark a simply delicious chapter! I just wonder if Mr Gatling is going to let Granger lick his old uniform off of him. A little midshipman sweet and sour perhaps for lunch. And what happens when Captain Somers and Mr. Roberts get together? What about that first deck shower for the captain? He doesn't know about that little tradition yet does he. Will he notice how clean the ship is and how fresh smelling the hold is by comparison? And what of Ranger? He hasn't played into the bark that alerted the enemy. I guess all he is good for is ferreting out rat candy. But good enough I suppose. We haven't heard from the French chef in a bit yet either. He must be getting rather old now eh? And where has Wilcox snuck off to? I feel better when I can see his hands. And shouldn't we be hearing something of Clifton now that they are in London? Perhaps needing to get new uniforms too since his went overboard. Shouldn't there be some praise for how he has changed? Perhaps it will sway his family away from the Wilcox tribute and now lean more favorably towards Grainger. So much happening. Delightful Mark, Every chapter makes this Epic a favorite. Bloodlines is sweet but let's face it, they don't have the gunnar's daughter. So they hold second place. But which ever is whoever's favorite, one thing remains clear. YOU are an author of extraordinary talents and I really enjoy your work. I hope it remains a labor of love for many years to cum. er, uh I mean . . . to come.

Don't you love getting those kind :king: Cosmie? When they are so good the fans want them to continue. Well earned too. A really great story . . . and they said all the great plays had already been written.

We agree on something! That has to be worth a drink or two. Cheers! The big question is whether or not Granger will over think this and decide that having Cavendish onboard is impairing his judgement and thus endangering the rest of the men as well as the ship. That is the real fear. And if that were to pass, would Freddie act like a scorned lover? Tell me Mark, were any Captains ever hung over the articles of buggery? (27 or 28 what ever it was)

A fantastic chapter. And all arrived safely. Well the frogs didn't make it but . . . Cavendish is a bright clear headed lad. He will be the next Granger I suspect. Granger is becoming Nelson and Cavendish is becoming Granger, Fitting I think. And what about Clifton! Standing watch and a target for the French were there action. But I'm sure he saw what they did to the French. Sobering I suspect. Fascinating that they all were ready and even eager to follow him blindly. The trend can not continue. Loss is inevitable. And it will land hard when it is one the crew all loved. Let the ship change her name to Walgreens. Mark, I love the Box. But this is a masterpiece without Rival. I shall be converting it to audio for my long drives into the city. (That of COURSE was a request for permission to copy it for personal use and consumption.) As far as I am concerned you can take this one on right up to the current day. month by month. I can't get enough of it. At the very least, take it to the point where Granger's oldest signs on as a midshipman on Cavendish's Ship. That would be about right age wise I think. Cavendish would be between 25 and 30. That would make Granger's oldest about 15 or so. Yes, that would be a very nice sentiment to end with. And Granger of course would be relegated to the admiralty by then, grumpy and complaining about having to serve at a desk! He would then have to steal waste cans to salvage a prize! Oh the shame of it all! lol

Patriotism during that time was a measure of manhood. Facing his true inner self probably made him feel that if he didn't then people would find out about him for sure. Remember that at that time being gay was considered a mental illness. Shock treatments were a favorite treatment and considered "THE" cure. Joining would convince everyone including himself that he was all man. Mark the mental makeup for Arron is perfect. To the rest of you, ya, this was a real tear jerker. It is the sign of a really gifted writer who has the ability to flesh a character so well that you can smell their breath, feel their touch and gaze into the portals of their soul. Well done AGAIN, Mark. Thanks for making your gift so freely available to us. Cheers, r

Dearest Mark, I am in receipt of your most recent chapter of HMS, Belvadier. I have read it enthusiastically and with great fervor. Let me say how endearing I found Clifton to be. The thought of his rosy red crackling little butt alight the carronade well "behind" him so to speak. Regarding the recent chapter ending however I find myself forced to colloquette my emotions. I shall do so here in the extreme base in which I live having read it. Be forewarned that this will no longer be a PG-13 thread. Please act accordingly. You fornicating son of a fatherless child! Did your cliff hanger crown feel threatened? AHHHHHH! We, your royal patronage would NEVER endanger the crown! I myself have even stopped writing cliff hangers all together just so you wouldn't feel threatened! I am severely disappointed that you would try and sensationalize on such a common ploy. Almost, well kinda sorta. . . Well alright no one could touch your record if they tried. I hope you don't expect us to wait the full week before you tell us that both Roberts and Clifton are killed in the action. And that Granger seeks solace in Mr Roby's arms. Granger will of course go to the family and tell Clifton's father how he had changed and how much he admired the man he had become before he was used as cannon fodder. I can't believe you have become a fanatical cliff hangerer. Man, talk about power going to your head! Sheesh!

Definitely! Do you have any idea how gamey that mush have been? And not even any A-1 sauce! And horse meant isn't bad. It is a little sweeter than beef. I'm rather fond of Kangaroo beef. In the US it was considered a USDA Grade A beef. And in fact the Sizzler Steak house was litigated over it. They stopped the practice. I thought they were pretty good myself. But oh, Donner hash must have been tough.

Well it's all quite queer clear to me. And the answer is a simple one. A Ford.

Everybody go easy on Arron. You forget the propaganda machine was running at full throttle. It was thrown at them from every conceivable place. We didn't have CNN, Fox news and all the rest. We had Radio and newspapers and other printed things. Billboards, Movie trailers with news reals. They even used comic books and candy bar wrappers. Every wonder why the little guy on the Cracker Jacks box wore a navy uniform? That uniform that eventually took on the name of the box of caramel corn? Then there was the school system. Imagine the peer pressure when they read off in class every morning who brought what recyclable prize in. And they didn't just say who did, but also who didn't. And they were often asked why not. They coupled that with bringing the fear to your door step. Air raid drills where children learned to dive under their desks and place their hands over their heads as they put their heads to their knees. Even if you were playing outside and the sirens went off you were expected to, and in most cases did, exactly as you had been taught. Almost every classroom had airplane silhouettes of both our planes and the enemy. They did their best to convince every person that unless you did everything you possibly could, they would surely be at your doorstep. You could not even whisper descent as you were admonished, "A slip of the lip, can sink a ship." Later as TV joined in, the cartoons Joined the propaganda machine as did the romance of the screen with audiences packed with indoctrinated junior war hawks waiting to see the next war related film. Even our lighthearted comedies were war related with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. It was everywhere. In every church, every grocery store and market, and even hardware and livery. The sides of Barns were even painted with things like, "Kill the japs." So you see, the surprising thing is not that Arron is so gunho But that Stephen is not. A note to Mark. A wonderful meaty chapter. You have captured that fear in the writing and if the reader allows themselves, they will feel the fear and tension of the times. You wrote it with all the emotional feeling that the purported author would have felt missing nothing. Very well done. My admiration. And for the rest of you. I am 53. Born in 1957. But I remember my mom and my grandparents talking about it. I remember that the sentiments caused major prejudices against the Japanese, Germans and the Russians. What really sucked is that society was so uneducated as a whole that they couldn't tell Japanese, Chinese or Korean one from another. Or Russian and check or Bulgarian. In short, if they had an accent of any kind they were enemies. It took a long time to get past that and even today some of it remains.

Did we underestimate the readers here mark? Come on you were chumming and now you're freaked out because you see fins? Oh and the bold part above! Kiss my rosy red readership butt.

Alright, am I permitted to have an all time favorite chapter? This would be among the top. I love to think about the arrogant little whelp Clifton, breeches at half mast and kissing the gunnar's daughter before they even got out of port. And with Sir John watching the boy's sideways smile gracing the carronade through his glass as the ship went by. It was almost like a second salute to Jervis, his cries as the cane landed, the report. The fact that Granger tipped his hat to Sir John and wasn't even paying attention to the lad and his situation behind him had to please Sir John immensely. Especially if he also got news of the chests going overboard. I suspect the sound of the boy's screams the first few times the cane landed could be heard in port. It will be interesting to see how the family back home receives word of this. Even if the lad matures, the family may think unkindly of the embarrassment. I suspect they will be happier with a son who is proud and accomplished having recognized his folly. Unless of course this was the normal way maturity was expected to occur in influential families. Kind of a finishing school for boys if you will. "Send them to sea! Make a man out of them!" This one is my favorites so far. It will be difficult to beat. (Pardon the pun.) (And no I'm not into that rough stuff. But I have to say that the Gunnar's Daughter is a favorite punishment because it's affects are more humility than lasting abuse.) But I would be delighted to be a fly on the wall at the next meeting between Sir John and Granger. (A note about the gunnar's daughter. The Caronade being the stop/guide for the cane on the way to it's intended target would land the strike in roughly the same location. A cat's whiskers effect. Ouch! And as with flogging, I am sure a bucket of seawater terminated the punishment; it's intent was to prevent infection. The salt being the disinfectant and the preventative. Hence the phrase, rubbing salt into the wound. It would certainly sting give the lad a few days of firm memories.) One question remains in my mind and is potentially a serious problem. Is Clifton's family familiar to Nelson? If their families are close he could spot the lad in seaman's clothing and find himself in embarrasment if he doesn't intervene. And possibly even seek retribution in answer to the expected demand when the family finds out. For Nelson not to have dealt with it would almost be an endorsement of Granger's actions, regardless of the fact that the lad had it coming and should have been put ashore and sent home in disgrace. As for the relationship with Cavendish. What will be even more interesting is what will happen there when Roby wants to get laid by Granger. He certainly will not want to hurt Cavendish but Roby has been there before and the ship is not the only thing Granger apparently has Mastered. But who now will be there for Roby? Will Granger go off if Cavendish and Roby are found together? Will he have to send Cavendish away from him because he can't have someone he feels so strongly about, that near to him? Will his jealousy affect his command? Could he be destroyed over it? And will Clifton be a homophobe or a conquest? Will he leverage Article 28 to his advantage? Blackmail? There are a lot of directions this story could go. None of them fare well for Granger however. Unless of course by some miracle Granger and Cavendish decide on a threesome and Clifton gets washed overboard. For a moment I was confused thinking the three were having supper together. Not realizing one was lunch and one was dinner. I thought Roby was speaking rather freely to also be in front of Cavendish. But soon sorted it.

You think we're that easily bought? You can slack as long as we can get your 115 year old hands to hold a quill. Perhaps then we will talk about stripes. Of course Billy Chase will be on Journal entry 5,762, 596. Saturday. Freshman year sucks. Again, but you know that. Brandon still won't talk to me and I'm beginning to think it might not work out . . .

Found parts 2 and three. Dude you just flat rock. I love your writing. But there is soo little of it. Barely 2 volumes of it. Not nearly enough.

I think I've got it. I think something will happen between Steve and JP that will change Steven's determination not to go to war. He will want to go to protect JP and the JP's of the world. But JP will convince himself it was his fault that Steven went to war. His fault that he died. My thoughts anyways. And that's how a child's mind works. It can affect his personality for the rest of his life.

Where do you think he's getting it? We're talking Stanford here after all. Besides, I'm sure he doesn't inhale.

Pssst Method writer 85 - He doesn't read the story, only the comments and then comments from there. And he stops reading the comments if they are too long. His words, not mine. Just a reminder that you can't teach a pig to fly. You'll make yourself crazy :wacko: and the pig will resent it. Of course I'm talking about the investing portion of the story.