ColumbusGuy

Mark has such a sad story, lets hope he isn't using David as a cure for loneliness...it doesn't seem like it so far at least. Pizza is a very contentious food in my opinion, toppings are likely to form intense feelings: you hate one, love others...what if their toppings aren't compatible? I mean, anchovies? Really? Barf city! I'm fairly pedestrian in my likings: pepperoni, extra cheese, Italian sausage...veggies, onions, mushrooms or such like are anathema to me. Two of my best friends have entirely different likes: one hates cheese an peels it off, the other won't eat tomatoes. On to the next chapter....

Mark seems nice, too bad David's only in town for two weeks...but he did say he lives in the suburbs. Phones make keeping in touch easier than in earlier times, so this could work.... Craig saying Mark seemed familiar just means he's seen a lot of people in his time, and New York is a huge place, so maybe Mark just has one of those sort of 'generic' faces? Meeting in a catacomb...hmm, Mark doesn't have a small axe hidden somewhere does he?

I wasn't much into mysteries as a kid, preferring science-fiction, but about fifteen years ago I got into it and bought all the original Hardy Boys ones until volume 30 when the format got modernized and dumbed down, and all the Charlie Chan books and movies. Big difference in those two formats. I also got into the Hamish Macbeth books and the Lilian Braun cat ones, along with Rita Mae Brown's. You've captured all the classic elements with this one, and in your earlier reworking of the Hardy Boys. You've reminded us that thrillers don't have to involve axe murderers or psychopaths haunting campgrounds to be fun.

Perhaps the Boltfort is haunted...there are tons of shows about old buildings harboring spirits...and we aren't talking about Al Capone's secret vault Geraldo opened years ago. As a teen I'd watch scary movies very late on weekends, then shoot down the long hallway to my bedroom, using a string of lights to keep goblins away, then dive under the blankets with my cat. Hard to say which was worse, the unknown outside our country house, or later, in/outside my century old house in Columbus' first streetcar suburb....My street was named for an old farm now long gone, and the name indicates it had something to do with Indians, so I hope there weren't any burial grounds here before my neighborhood was developed! At least my stairs have multiple squeaky treads....

I've only seen one other elevator so lovingly described: the quirky one from Thoroughly Modern Millie that required you to dance for it to work I think the Boltfort is going to be another major character in this story. Love everything about the tale so far!.

I'm so glad that Brent and Dawson opened their hearts to one another at last, making this a partnership in more ways than one. Of course, we'll need updates on them, or a spin-off story now, right? On to the other aspect for me: renovations. My house is 112 years old with original varnished woodwork and other features like the intact pantry, lighting fixtures and gas fireplace, but the kitchen had been done in the 70s and didn't fit at all, so I took on the task of gutting it--dropped ceiling, fluorescent light, cabinets and wallpaper and cheap panelling. I got lucky finding the original cabinet doors in the garage, so built my own frames for them, and that left one I used for a medicine cabinet in the upstairs bath which had original tub, sink and toilet. I varnished repro wainscotting to put in the kitchen and bath, and found a period light that matched the ones in the parlor and dining room. I had plans to uncover the floor in the kitchen, but my eye surgeries have stopped that, though I did get it done in the bath. Money now prevents hiring someone to finish the floor work, but linoleum is okay in the kitchen for now. In a campus neighborhood, it's hard to find houses with so much original stuff intact, but I got lucky. The first owners lived there into the late 60s, and no one after that stayed more than six years, so didn't bother changing anything other than the kitchen. Just wish I had the funds to finish a couple minor things, but limited income is a bear. So, dear Gary, you've got to keep tabs on Dawson's life now too...and you probably thought he was gone now that he's settled, I bet! xoxoxoxo,

I'd forgotten much of this final chapter, except for the happy ending, and it made me feel good all over again to see this couple leading good lives wit the cats and having George living with them as he ages. This is a sure sign of the love they all have for one another, rather than seeing it as an obligation. For that time, chances were slim of two boys finding a welcoming home with anyone, particularly a stranger....we see that love is the vital ingredient in forming a family, and that isn't necessarily a given with your own blood kin. It doesn't always have to be sexuality that sunders family ties--ofttimes a simple argument will do it. I'm sad to leave George, Billy and Chris behind, but happy they are ready for visitors any time we care to call.

Holy Cow, Batman...not even gonna try reading all the comments. I know there have been insightful and witty ones along with sensitive replies from our dear G-Man. Chase' father still shows his concern, and rightly so, but our hero is moving ahead despite occasionally wanting to relive his old moments of sadness. He's realized that it's okay to feel them still, and not to let them dominate his life as they did before. The focus needs to be on the present and how he can take a more active role in shaping his own future. Wonderful to see him in contact again with Stacey, and she can give him another viewpoint into Hank's actions from a more independent outlook. Let's hope that Kevin is a part of the past where he belongs. Perhaps some things that may hinder Chase and Hank from becoming friends again will be dealt with now that Stacey is back? Fingers crossed for Dawson and Brent, but I hope he stays in touch no matter what happens out in White Horse. I take it the town isn't named for a frozen equine as the moniker indicates? 🐈

Been a good few years since I saw Georgy Girl, but it's a great movie telling about the times then and the struggles of lower-class Londoners trying to be teens and wanting to escape their surroundings. It probably isn't the same, but Billy's accent is what I think of as East London, not what is called Cockney, but similar. The English have turned out some wonderful, though often sad, gay movies since those times dealing with everyday people, in contrast to the upper class ones like Maurice and Another Country which were both great in their own way.

I'd forgotten that George wrote out a new Will that included Chris and Billy, so that was a nice surprise. If I recall, the change to Britain's homosexual laws would come in a couple years, but not apply to young people until much later. What was odd is that this time had some very erotic movies to inspire boys' dreams of nice wanking material. I recall the scene in Georgy Girl where the hero is chasing his girl through a tunnel and stripping as he goes...sigh. Then there were movies with Tom Courtenay, one about a juvenile detention school and a runner, if I remember right, and the star Brandon de Wilde was very appealing in more than one boy movie. That's just English-language films and not Continental ones in French or German. I'm eager for the final installment, and hope the boys will eventually find themselves adopted by George. We can think of one stand-out icon for gays during this time--Quentin Crisp, who refused to submit to society's lingering Victorian mores. And Brighton was to become a center for British gay culture in years to come, so I could see older versions of Billy and Chris living happily in George's house.

Danners and Geron have said all that I could and in better words, and I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking our last days aren't an empty wasteland after life's battle is ended. We may speculate but never know what's occurred, and with no outside observers, history is a blank to be filled in only by physical artifacts rather than living memories. I want my gems to remain and sparkle and guide me, and I hope I've left some behind for others to enjoy. My mother's mind was clear to the end before she went into a coma for her last three days, and I'm grateful for that as it gave me time to say goodbye one last time. With the estrangement by my father, I can go only on what little I heard, and he too remained alert until his end in 2001 at age 83. His stroke some two years before meant he couldn't live alone any more, so he went into a facility in Florida, and I'm sure that was torment for him...always active, he worked until he hit 70, then did every sport they had where he retired. Alas, my stepfather didn't have the same luck as his own mother, who was clear as a bell until she died in her 90s. He began losing memories in 2003, stopped telling jokes a while later, barely talked at all, and needed help doing everything. Once my mom was gone, his daughter put him in a facility and he spent his last ten or so years there, but the last time I saw him was at my mom's funeral when he was in a wheelchair and on oxygen. He didn't know any of us by then, but when he looked inside the coffin he began to cry, so some things were still there even if he couldn't communicate them any more. My consolation is that though they had failed marriages behind them, they found happiness at last in their final fifteen years. So, beautiful images and lights for a future unknown, and I'll hope for their guidance when my time comes. So long as we remember, our loved ones are never gone, my dear friend.

I'll still wager that rogue members of Dorian's old pack are behind the assassination rather than one of the Council. They were examples of the adage that scum rises to the top, not being real leaders themselves and willing to be sycophants for their own advantage. As for the future intolerance, want to bet that was a symptom of Dorian's poisoning rather than his innate feelings?

I want to concentrate on the positive with chase right now; resolving the grief over his mother's death by hearing of her plans and ongoing concern puts him in a better place to deal with Hank, and now Dawson's leaving. He's passed a major hurdle in his recovery. As for Dawson, well, we don't know Brent as he does, so perhaps there are things we're not seeing. Is it enough to risk such a drastic change? We don't know with the information provided, but Dawson wants to be there for his best friend, so I applaud him for that, and hope he isn't entirely wrong. If friendship and a business partnership is all he gets out of this, then that's okay as he is at least back in Brent's life in some form. Whether this 'relationship' can work depends on the honesty and maturity of both parties, but I think Dawson will end up okay even if it doesn't work out to be a romantic dream. One other thing, with Chase now accepting the end of his and Hank's relationship, the possibility of becoming friends is now possible, if not immediate.

Harman is finding out that learning about a culture is different from growing up in it like Silver Eagle has. There are subtle differences to a society where even air is a commodity that changes even basic assumptions in new ways, though they might appear to function the same.... Our two boys are helping one another to really understand an alien culture.

I'll let everybody know where we're headed once I know myself... Rude boy, did I just get 'mooned'?! Do I turn into a 'were-writer' under lunar influence? Now to check in with Jay & Miles for their opinion....

Yep, more mystery for our young hero...but is it a good or bad one? Col. Mustard in the Library with the Candlestick.... Until we're uploaded into robot bodies or something, I think we're stuck with emotions, and I try to keep my boys happy when possible. More coming, never fear....

Money seems to set its own rules, but is that really true here? Silver Eagle seems unconcerned by the concept, and he's shown Harman that what he's seeing are not genuine antiques...does that extend to the Top-Sider society itself? Two of me? Twice the fun, or double the trouble?

“What time are we supposed to be there?” Harman searched his pack for the embossed and laminated card that had appeared three days earlier at their apartment’s mail center. It was extremely unusual for a single letter to arrive in any format other than electronic as physical copies were seldom needed, and could be printed in a matter of seconds when they were. Only packages were sent physically these days, so they’d had to pick it up in person rather than schedule a robo-carrier for it. It

Billy has learned some important lessons here: that he has other options than flight in tough circumstances now that he has friends at his side, and that he can trust in the love of his friends at all times. He's building himself a new life that has perks his old one didn't, and he couldn't imagine, and he should now begin to see how much progress he's made from his earlier life thanks to George and Chris, but also his own desire to change for those he loves. Also, he now knows that other boys have problems too, no matter what their lives may look like to an outsider, and that may help them bond. The implications of Chris' picture being found on a train at random is worrying because there could be far more out there than they'd thought, and perhaps some ruder ones are here too? 'A picture is worth a thousand words,' so let's see how many come up if Andrew's father tries anything....

A lot of major developments in this one, my dear friend, and under other circumstances they would have been wonderful...now only bittersweet regrets and remorse remain. Younger guys won't get the Jane Mansfield reference, perhaps not even after looking it up...but I laughed my ass off when you sprang it on us! How many adolescent boys and men had wonderful dreams about her and those brassier ads? Did nothing for me, but the guys underwear pages in the mail order catalogues were my earliest sources for such dreams. Messers Sears, Roebuck and Ward must have been turning over in their graves.... I can't say what will happen now, but the ball is entirely in Hank's court, hinging on his emotional growth concerning his mother's actions. I hope Christine's final act will bring about the wedding she so wished for.... 🐈

I'm still sorting through the dynamic between Itumak and Lian, but wish the Daknar could abandon the need for the collar. As for Mateio, I think Aaron has a prime opportunity here to correct the wrongs that have been done to his Faro mate...Aaron should insist that as part of the price for joining the Alliance, Mateio should be made a Special Envoy or something with a suitable increase in rank and honor. Who could serve as a better liaison between the two cultures? More please!

This was a wonderfully told story, and I felt our heroes' pain at parting. Perhaps another author here could help with the translation? Or run it through one of the free online translators for the rough draft, then tinker with that version into a publishable form? That would lessen the wait for your fans, and the labor involved for you doing it entirely from scratch.... I took four years of German in college, and realize how arduous this task can be, but that was in the late 70s, and there are many online aids available now that weren't even dreamed of back then. Perhaps a request in the Editor's forum or Writer's Circle? Thank you so much for sharing this tale with us!

Andrew, to put it in Ivor's idiom, is a 'right wanker'.... George will fix it, with his wider range of experiences to draw upon. Regarding train tracks, I seem to recall that the track width goes way back into history to Roman times with standard cart widths used on the roads. At times, ruts were cut in to assist them in turning, and even in the course of normal wear, similar things would form naturally where most wheels wore down the stones. Recent studies of Pompeii's roads shows us that many were one-way to assist traffic flow as in modern cities, and we can even tell which way they went based on the marks left on curb and other stones giving signs of the wheels' rotation.

My home town's paper came out once a week rain or shine, and we got it in the mail on a Thursday. No special editions or extras...usually the most exciting parts were the emergency squad runs, though I had my picture in it twice for being in the elementary school's spelling bee two years running. That paper was printed in town in the same building since it was first printed around 1900 I think, and the same family edited it most of that time. It now is printed in the county seat rather than the town, and truly local news is often missed in favor of the larger towns around. Sigh...progress. Can't wait to see what presents Father Christmas brought!

We've seen now that Chris has unusual depths to his character when talking about George's experience in the War, but Billy has shown us the same in the way he's settled down and grown to accept these two into his life when he ought to mistrust everyone. Smelly teen boys? Some scents are okay in moderation, but heavy sweat, etc. has never been one of my fetishes. I just don't get the modern trend for strong ones like Axe or body washes...bar soap like Ivory or Dove are good enough in the bath, but I do use an apple-scented shampoo, and Old Spice has been my preferred deodorant since I was a teen, though it's old fashioned these days. I did use their after shave for a time, but don't use any now. I only use cologne when I go out for appointments, and then it's British Sterling or Jade East. Two cats is about right as they can keep one another company when their owner is out. My last two reside only in memories and a few pictures now since Bortai died 10 August 2015 from cancer at age 15. I love Chris' attachment to Lucky, and hope he knows his 'pact' with her to have only two kittens is just wishful thinking....