Stephen

This is a lovely story, full of confusing emotions and the doubts and distractions that make up an adolescents' mind. The form and mood make me think of Somerset Maugham's short stories about unforgettable moments in the life of an isolated, observant, and sensitive individual. Strangers in a strange land. -and it's also beautifully written .

A story opening to a dark, moody, and dramatic scene... You say it's an older story, written a while back. Well it's new to me and I like it.

Quite a way to wake up the morning of the first day of school: Screeching, screaming domestic bliss. Poor TJ! The awful scene at home is such an extreme contrast to the new school where someone, - a cute someone, is actually nice to him, leaving him in a state of shock. Again, poor TJ!

Well, I don't think I've read this before so I'm excited to see this even though the opening scene makes it clear that the guy that Randy loved is dead. Although that is a serious condition, I have high hopes that I'll enjoy this story and that it won't all be gloomy...

I waited to read this final chapter because I knew the story would end with it and so I put it off as long as I could bear to. It was a beautiful end to a lovely story. At the beginning we found out that Allen had died five years back and that Joey is now the principal of the high school that caused so many problems for him. The town seems to be more tolerant even though Allen's father and the homophobic coach linger on as symbols of the town's past. Those two characters die and set off a new dynamic and by the end of the story so much has changed, -for the better. I'm glad that Joey finally made the right decision and opens his heart to Gene in a quiet, happy way. The last line of the story is just perfect and brings the story full circle in a most poetic way. Thank you for sharing your talents with us once again.

A big change for Joey from the previous few weeks, mostly it's much better. There's just some unfinished business to attend to, and it's up to him to make the next move. I think he's on the right track now that Star has caused him to see the obvious. Sometimes people really do need to deliberately choose to be happy.

I like this story, your writing paints quite a vivid, mysterious picture.

This chapter is a nice surprise, and events are moving fast. Speaking of fast moving, I wonder where Celeste has to race off to in such haste? One thing is certain, and that is that nobody wants Torsten to get involved with hapless Theo. Araziah was being really serious about it. Is he jealous or very possessive? Does he have sentimental feelings for Torsten? He otherwise seems so detached and imperious that I liked him better before he took human form and started talking. He makes me think of so many good-looking guys you run into in bars: so nice until they open their mouth and ruin it all.

This chapter was a real tearjerker. It's not hard to become emotional when someone you've come to care about has been shot and may die. The scene at the hospital was terribly realistic, -I've been there before enough to know that scenario.

Poor Gene is a total mess. I think they used to call that externalizing. Whatever it's called he's textbook. How far will it go?

It is remarkable how in looking back at his death, we can see how important that man and his actions were. He had such an impact on these characters' lives, and now even dead he seems to be a catalyst. By the way, this wasn't even a depressing chapter, - I never liked him, so how sad could I be? He was a better plot mechanism than person...won't miss him a bit.

Their lives seem so different, but they have a common thread. Both have a need for the love of a partner in order to feel complete. Gene is desperately miserable while Joey suffers quietly in denial, but is happy superficially. Now that the old Demon Dad died they may see each other at the funeral, and then what?

Gene is so unhappy that I can't help but feel sorry for him, and the coach's attitude and outburst reminds me of what a mean town that place probably still is. But change will happen, like it or not. It's about change coming, -for the better we hope. There's always room for improvement.

I had an idea that the busty blonde may be the gay cousin too, but your ending was even better. It surprised me and that's always nice, -especially those good surprises. I love Loring Lane.

I thank you for Celeste's kitchen table debrief, since it helps me grasp the situation a bit more clearly. I now think that I'll need to do some re-reading of previous chapters, since I obviously missed some clues there. Agent Crawley seems impressed with young Araziah's almost precocious abilities, and thinks he'll grow to be quite large indeed. I imagine that like any child, he'll need to learn a lot and in the process make mistakes, but I'm hoping that he'll keep Thorsten as his friend. It'd be a shame if he did something like sneeze and burn the house down, -or worse. Are Nero, Darrin, and Theo brothers? I'm not too fond of the first two, but I believe that Theo has a good heart and isn't entirely committed to the evil cause. This Shiba creature is one truly scary Ice Queen. And, what did happen to Triskeleth in the end?

This is a happy and long awaited chapter. Things finally turned around for Joey, and he had a birthday that most people would enjoy, and mostly take for granted, but for Joey was the best day of his life and was spent with tears of joy in his eyes. Joey thanks you, -and so do I. His analysis of the differences between growing up gay as opposed to being straight were a bonus. He is a clear thinker.

It seems that this hard, mean town has more than just a couple of nice people in it. So we're up to a few from only a couple, but even so I think it's a hateful, nasty little place. Yes, Barry needs to be dealt with, but really he's just one of many on that list. Joey gets some good news at last and I'm happy about that. He'll need as much positive encouragement as possible to deal with the rocky road ahead and prevail. He is such a sweet person, even after all the crap in his life, he hasn't let the bad stuff win.

I like the ending, -including the epilogue, as much as the story itself. Logic dictates that Ethan and Caleb cannot be together if they're in different realms. It must be one or the other and if Caleb returns to the world of the living it would be disastrous for everyone, and so Ethan had to go back. I'm delighted that Liz' new little baby makes such sweet sounds, reminding us of Orpheus without the tragedy and conniving bitterness that marked his reign in the underworld for so long. This is an exciting and novel story that has made me think about death in a different, entertaining way. Thanks!

Orpheus has his bag of tricks, smoke & mirrors, and doesn't mind using them to demoralize Caleb but it isn't working. He has the strongest magic at his disposal, but I still contend that there's a limit to what he can do with all this to Caleb since he isn't really dead. All his tricks are proving inadequate and it must be galling to him since Caleb seems to have a stronger force fueled by love, and that didn't work for him so long ago.

It doesn't surprise me that Joey feels cursed. Like that old song goes, 'If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all...' That does sort of sum it up for him and who could blame him for the attitude that follows. He notices that the party's full of drunken hypocrites and that's just the way the town he lives in is too. I worry about Gene now, and how these events from the party are going to affect him. Like Joey, I can't help but feel sorry for what Gene's likely to face. Being sympathetic and nice is a curse, isn't it? People see it as weakness and pounce.

After all that Ethan's tried, I hope that love alone will work. The third time's the charm, right?

Orpheus plays to win, and he always wins, -who beats death anyway? This is his home field and he plays by his rules, and he rules the dead. Only Caleb isn't dead, is he?

You've added a new dynamic, I like it.

I see that Ethan now thinks he knows a way to work around Orpheus, but he and his friends on this side can't do it from here. Caleb could do it though, but can he figure it out? Orpheus is the key to everything. How to succeed against such a powerful entity? Quite a puzzle, isn't it? All I have are questions, but this is a fascinating prospect, -cheating Death.

Every day in Joey's life sees him navigating through a minefield. He views himself as a sinking rock, and I can see why. But he still has a tenacious hope that things will get better and despite all the bad stuff, he moves forward. He is an amazing character.