Canuk

While I can guarantee Australia, even the state of queensland, is not perfect, our author has used his skills to extrapolate, enhance, stretch and all round multiply some of the less desirable characteristics of Australian society! There is no doubt Australia was a very conservative very macho place. Then from about 1968 a social revolution started. While many good things changed, i think we lost a bit too (i think that goes for all revolutions, social or otherwise). As where I live at present, the dramatic increase in "freedom" was great, its counter point has been what some call "political correctness" others a simple breakdown of society. Either way, I think particularly among younger men, there is a sense of confusion and loss. This is what our author is addressing. In my experience teen aged boys, more so that girls, need rules, not only for guidance , but also something to bang up against and break occiaionally. Well that's enough diatribe from me. Apologies, @Rigby Taylor, for taking over your comments section with my own rant!

Yes, tho' they tend to be "metre" and "kilometre". "Meter" is used but in terms of "water meter", or "electricity meter". From memory we changed over in the early 70s? I am sure some one will correct me if i am wrong!

Ah! What it is to be 15! Based on my own childrens experience it is truly difficult to be a 15 yo bloke; nothing much makes sense, adults seem to know it all or be really stupid, your hormones are all over the place. Life is bloody hard. The our hero has the comp,exity of all the people he cares about dying, his "mother" being less maternal and less caring than any person has the right to be and his school likfe is non existent. I really hope this is the nadir and it looks up and rosy from here on? 😊

I am glad that Mort has found a like minded man in this chaos. I feel he has bery few places where he is not "en garde" as it were. Even his phone calls "home" are self censored and while his actions with the idiot teacher may have earned him some respect, I doubt it earns him friends. At 15 he needs some happiness. ... hope he finds it soon. Thanks

I know that we all feel that as far as Ashley is concerned karma is a bitch, but teen pregnancy is never good for anyone. Stupid, stupid parents, Ashley and Devin. Paul and Gordon are just plain stupid as well; who in the hell gets involved in other peoples fights? moving ahead, there does seem to be some clarity emerging. But I am sure there will be tears and drama before we get to the end!

I am sorry, but I cannot let this pass " they were bored witless by cricket, " Cricket is not only the game they play in heaven, it is the most masculine, creative, athletic, cultured and spectacular sport ever devised. It is a contest between extremely skilled men, who in nearly all cases have the bodies of divine gods. I am a suporter of the sport, if you haven't guessed😆 As for Morts situation, I am slightly concerned for his safety; if Perdita wants the notional inheritance, what is she waiting for?

Hmmmm, sorry, but the wrong bloody person died! Jeez mate, you screw with us big time! Come on, we know what was supposed to happen and ! Bingo! toute fucké! ( impressed at my command at foreign?) all is buggered! 《Sigh》, now we need to wait.....

In many ways while Kreek and his type are truly nasty, it is through ignorance that they become like they are. The colonel on the other hand is truly hateful. Willing to use others to put into effect his perversions. Without enablers like the Colonel, the Kreeks of this world are minor, sad, frustrated bit players who either see the light or become ineffectual, isolated and bitter. People like the Colonel need to be removed from society so they stop spreading their poison.

Well, I have been savouring the delectible.... The dark subterranean swirls of chaos do not seem to be clearing at all. Certainly not for this reader and I suspect for Mort as well. I feel neither he nor I are prepared for the Hades inspired depths of pain and depravity that I feel is about to engulf us.... Your mind Mr @Rigby Taylor is a very deep well... keep pulling up those buckets, I really need to know where this is headed!

Upbeat would be good! The colonel is going to be a difficult nut to crack, even with his weirdness.

Oh! Dear! There goes my innocence. Yep, she's a bitch. Should've guessed... and the Ethiopian/Kenyan who speaks posh.... hmmm. Mort certainly gets himself into shit (not rea,ly wanting to blame the victim here, but in all f'ing honesty...) I am sure dear Mort will surviqve in his own inimitable way.. well, I bloody hope he does!

Well the "outing" went better than I expected. Mothers like that are great mothers; they know they don't understand, but they know they love their children. As for coming out, mine was just funny; my mother and I were trying to fix my sister's photocopier. I mentioned to mum that I was gay, her response was that that would not fix the photocopier! Over the last 25 plus years it has been a non issue and she truly loves my partner of 19 years.

Perfect, until we got to the "unfriendly blokes".... my crystal ball tells me be are about to see more death! For all her failings as a mother, Perdita does seem to have lived the life she wanted to live. While we may suspect she is only back for money, there is no indication yet (i get the feeling I am grasping at straws here in an attempt to preserve Perdita's life; at least she seems so far a little more honest than some of the unfortunates that have died so far....) that she is as grasping as first thought..... What a soft touch am I!😆 Thanks!

This will end in tears, if not worse. Contrary to @Wesley8890, i hope Kenny delays as long as possible telling his Dad. His Dad is going to kill him, at least if he hears while Kenny is away from home there is a chance he can escape the bigots wrath. Good story, looking forward to seeing how it plays out....

Now that was a wonderful chapter that filled me with bliss and joy. Now I know it didnt advance the plot much, but in terms of blissfully happy and satisfied characters, it fair warmed the cockles.😆 Great read. Very enjoyable. Brought back some happy memories! 😆😘

nope. 7 months of winter and today is only the 5th day above zero.....

I do so feel for George. While there is absolutly nothing wrong with being old, and nothing wrong with being disabled, it is truly wrong and cruel to be kept "alive" against your will. I can imagine the George felt he was killing two birds with one stone, by killing Zoltans peculiar mother, he too would get a death sentence. I am so glad we have assisted dying laws here in Canada. While I don't fear dementia (my brains gone and my body is someone elses responsibility!)but being mentally agile but physically incompetent frightens the bejesus out of me.

Great story, love the whole variety of tensions! My 40 《sigh》 class reunion was the complete opposite; i had people wanting to speak to me and catch up that I hadn't spoken to back then and hadn't spoken to since. I really felt I had parachuted into a parallel, much better world!

Belated comment, apologies, life managed to interupt my reading /commenting (it won't happen again, I promise!) Good to see Mort hasnt suffered from his last interactions with death. I am concerned for the nice teacher.... Your initial description of "high school" is why I am firmly in favour of single sex schools. I went to one, both my sons did. It doesn't mean a complete exclusion from the opposite sex, but it does seperate sexual/social development from formal education. The former distracts too much from the latter. Thanks (and I'll be more prompt in future 😆)

Theres a hell of a lot of chaos brewing. I have a feeling that Kreek may be half telling the truth; i hazard a guess that the Colonel is as guilty in the murders as Kreek... just a thought.

Apologies, I did mean to write "literary device"! But thanks for your response. I do enjoy reading your work!

Strangely (and this pisses off my partner too) I can block extraneous sound and just either listen to what I want to listen to, or ignore sound all together while reading/sleeping/whatever. What I cannot block out is scent. Anyone who wears too much eau de cologne, or those bath smelly things or the smell of hotel rooms where someone has smoked, or they have used highly scented cleaning products. In so annoys me I can block one but not the other.

I know its been a case of "when", not "if", but still, its a shock. As for Ashley, god preserve us from teenage girls. Devin is a (for the moment) average hetro teenage boy, therefore completely at the mercy of just about any female. I am glad that he is at least having doubts about his behaviour towards his twin, it shows the hormones have not completely taken over, and that there is hope. That is unless between Devin and his mother they don't destroy a family completely.

While an excellent loterary device, I am not sure sending your child to a bizarre religous school to "know thine enemy" is good educational practice! And I see why Mort's name is so apt: he's getting to be at the level of Jessica Fletcher/Hercule Poirot/Richard Castle; as soon as he appears someone is sure to die! I am still sad /shocked re Leo. Dont worry tho', I'll forgive you....eventually!

We had a very sultry womans voice in a car rental gps in LA. Imagine Honor Blackman after a few scotches. Very weird.