ReaderPaul

So, doe Kylie want to be more to Lewis than just good friends? Will we find out in this story or a future one? Time will tell!

“Let's not look back in anger, or forward in fear, but around in awareness.” ~ James Thurber

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.” ~ Mark Twain in the 1907 “Watermelon Speech.”

Our lives, I think, are made up of little slices of magic. The really potent memories, be they good or bad, are nearly pure magic, and you can tell just because of the power they have. ~ Israfil and Dabeagle

“Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.” ~ Robin Hobb

Thank you, @quokka.

Quokka, I don't remember where this story ended in the previous posting on GA, but please don't feel you have to limit yourself on the length of this story. I am enjoying it and I know others are, as well. There are some words missing from the story after the following quoted paragraph: When I woke the next morning, I was pleased to see that the little fellow was still alive, but he was still weak, I encouraged him to eat a little and I made sure that he drank some water, before I dressed and made my way over to the homestead for some breakfast. When Nicholas and the twins entered the dining room, the first thing they asked me was how is the little echidna, and I (What is the rest of the paragraph(s) supposed to say?) Looking forward to the next (hopefully many) chapters of this story.

Congratulation, Dodger!

@quokka, how many chapters of the story were posted previously before your hiatus? As I mentioned before, it seems easier to read this time, with the re-editing removing almost all typos and related errors. It seems to me that you might have added small stitches of dialogue here and there, making the story even better than the original version.

Liked them all. Especially meaningful: the first two and the last one.

@quokka, thank you for finding and reposting this story. Thank you also for the re-edit. It's easier to read than ever, with minor errors corrected. I am certainly enjoying reading this once again. Do you know how many chapters the re-edited story will be? (And BTW [By The Way] ) if you wish to add an extra chapter or two, that would also be good.

@Mikiesboy --- The best reading order for Geron's "Charlie Boone" stories is: A-- "It's the Great Punkin', Charlie Boone https://www.gayauthors.org/story/geron-kees/itsthegreatpunkincharlieboone/ B--- "It's the Gayest Christmas Ever, Charlie Boone! https://www.gayauthors.org/story/geron-kees/itsthegayestchristmasevercharlieboone/ C--- "It's a Spooky Night Out There, Charlie Boone! https://www.gayauthors.org/story/geron-kees/its-a-spooky-night-out-there-charlie-boone/ D--- "It's Almost Time for Christmas, Charlie Boone! https://www.gayauthors.org/story/geron-kees/its-almost-time-for-christmas-charlie-boone/ E--- "Is That My Heart in Your Hand, Charlie Boone? https://www.gayauthors.org/story/geron-kees/is-that-my-heart-in-your-hand-charlie-boone/ F--- "Is That a Rocket in Your Pocket, Charlie Boone? https://www.gayauthors.org/story/geron-kees/is-that-a-rocket-in-your-pocket-charlie-boone/ Great stories, from one of my very favorite authors.

By the way, I like the way you are posting in one go. Personally, I prefer not to have long gaps (defined as more than a week) between postings in a series.

Okay, Geron, this story rates at least 6 stars out of 5. It's almost as good as your Door series, which I rate 7 stars out of 5. So Kippy has possibly a ring of the Builders/Armenti, and Adrian's star chart details where Doorways have been established and shows the worlds the Armenti have explored? (Hint, hint.) Perhaps Ricky's dagger is an Armenti artifact? Maybe the Armenti were scared by meeting Korig's people? Geron, I have had no trouble reading any of your stories on GA. And the last two or three GA updates have fixed any problems reading anyone else's stories that I can ever remember on GA. I think this story could intersect better-- at some point in the distant future-- after several more stories in each series-- with the Doorways/Doors than with any of your other series thus far. Good going, Geron.

Looking forward to seeing the rest of this story again, and hopefully you will extend it a bit beyond 39 chapters. Have you decided which story you might post after this one ends?

@quokka, if you decided to extend this story past 39 chapters, I am sure you would still have an audience.

"No man has ever won a game of ‘Notice anything different about me?’” ~ Unknown

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

“Diligence is the mother of good luck.” ~ Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard’s Almanack.

Good chapter, @quokka.

How old is Tom? In Chapter 5, Tom is described as "about 11."

@quokka, I forgot whether you mentioned an emergency generator or not for the cavern in case of long, stormy days or in case the solar panels were damaged and unable to function. If it is not in this story so far, it would be easy to get a couple of good generators and have them picked up on a future trip.

I like Tom's sense of humor, as is showing up in various ways.

I like the emphasis on privacy. I have seen too much recent invasion of privacy. And, many years ago, I worked for a chain of retail stores with over 200 locations. I foresaw a problem, and over the PA system I would call (examples of made up names) "Jane in Jewelry" or "Sam in Sporting Goods" or "Ella in Electronics" "Peter in Pharmacy," as a few examples. Most of the other folks who worked there would call, Jane Jones, or Sam Smith, or Ella Edwards, or Peter Pipe or whatever. One day a lady in a particular department started getting phone calls at home. (This was WAY before cell phones became common or inexpensive; if you are paying $2.00 a minute for air time, you tend to think several times before buying a cell.) These harassing calls caused her to get the phone company to change her number. The caller had put the first and last name together and looked her up.... Someone at another location was attacked at home by a stalker. With the number of nuts in the world now, @quokka is right to emphasize privacy, in my opinion.

Yes, it's good to see this one again.