Geron Kees

You know, I really wish we could edit these responses. I look at some of the ones I post and see typos, and think, "How did I miss that?" Anyway, I liked those old Scooby Doo mysteries. I didn't think of them in relation to this story. It isn't supposed to be a mystery as much as just a fun little outing with maybe an adventure or two tossed in for grins. The teen years were all an adventure. Everything is still new, and it just doesn't take all that much for some thing or some situation to be cool. I'd love to be able to bottle that feeling, and sample it again every now and then. We did some crazy stuff back then, and some dumb stuff. But it was all cool at the time. You have to get a little age on you before you can look back and think, "Man, we sure were lucky to get through that one in one piece!" Wouldn't trade away those memories for anything, though.

I remember how my group was when I was a teen. New people came along all the time. A lot of them were just passing through; but every now and then someone special would show who just clicked with everyone, and suddenly we had a new addition to the gang. Sometimes a new friend became a very close one, very quickly. I wasn't really going for Hardy Boys here, but I don't mind the analogy. I grew up with a set of the old editions from the fifties, that my dad had in storage and reclaimed when we moved back here to the US. These old editions were unabridged, unlike the ones that came along later. Many of them were actually pretty good mysteries. Brian and Jeff could do worse. And there are having fun! Hey, what's life without a little mystery?

Speaking of new blood - hi! Thanks for joining in. Hope you get your money's worth!

I think you should keep up with these two. They would seem to have a lot to offer. Nice piece of writing. You've found your niche in life. Or, one of them.

Chapter Ten -- They spent most of Friday trying to set up the party. Ed and the girls were up for it, immediately giving enthusiastic nods to the idea. They all loaded into the Bee, and Brian and Jeff played friendly follow-the-leader as they drove about looking for others to invite. But they struck out, every place they went. All the local hangouts seemed empty. They managed to locate Dave Routh, Mike Zurka, and Wade Tomlinson at the shopping center, but all three had already made other pla

Oh, a comedian! Yep, you got a groan out of me for the movie title, but also a laugh. Hey, there are far worse movies you could have compared this story with. Thanks! Yeah, there was a Brad Casey in the first story, just kind of passing by. No relation to the Brad in this one. I know there is more than one Brad in the world, because I checked. Thanks for taking the time to comment. You're always welcome.

Interestingly, I am briefly reminded of Patrick McGoohan's old TV show, The Prisoner. Not because of any similarity in plot, but rather because that show also held the viewer captive in a dream. You never knew if what you saw was as real as it seemed, or if it meant what it looked like it meant. I haven't seen the show since I was a teen, and that was in reruns on PBS. That show is likely as old as I am. That it has stuck with me, though, is a sign of the impact it had for me. Any story that operates along the lines that reality is flexible leaves much to the imagination of the reader. So I am enjoying seeing the inside of my own head through your eyes, as it were.

Thank you for the nice review, buddy. As I said in the other responses, I knew it was time at this point for Brian and Jeff to have some time to themselves. The thing about being in a group of friends that expect each other's company daily is that it makes it hard for any couple to have some private moments. And relationships are built on private moments - all the little secret joys that two people in love can only share with each other. They have to be let out now and then to roam a little. The girl in the Vette - well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Still in the dreamlike state, but now on the upside of that experience. At this point all I could think was that the clues strewn about were insufficient to even let me try to guess where things were going. Pleasing erotic interlude, but only served to deepen the puzzle, in the end. I'm reminded of the snake charmer and his snake, the gentle movement of the pipe back and forth both enticing and a little mesmerizing for the serpent. At this point I am aware that I am being enticed, but not sure if I am the snake or the charmer. That kind of doubt so far just makes me want more...

I'm a little late getting here. I was reading this elsewhere, and apologize for not realizing I could just as well read it here. I thought the story began very unusually. It feels much like the kinds of things we examine in our heads while we are on the borderline with sleep. This sort of sensory intrigue is extremely provocative and intriguing. I love a story that prods my imagination fully, even if the setting is dark and the footing unsure. Just makes the trip more interesting. Great start!

I'm sorry that Annie was kind of a spoiler for some readers. She was not meant to be. She's Brian's friend, and their relationship was so odd that it needed to be explored by them both. Brian is gay - and Annie leans that way as well. She has had a fairly long relationship with Missy, all the while pining for Brian, but not making any move to have other male company of any sort. The special attraction they have for one another is one of those rare things that can simply happen and not be wished away. Rather, it should be looked at, and closely, because friendship is involved. I saw absolutely nothing wrong with a gay boy stepping out for a look at something he doesn't really understand,and is curious about. I know very few gay guys that have not had such an experience in their lives. But, I am glad to see you are somewhat reassured that Brian and Jeff are still quite happy together. I knew you were a romantic from your previous comments. All I can say to that is, it takes one to know one!

Hi CG! Glad to see you again. I am guilty, all of my life, of stopping in the middle of something to look around. To take in the scenery. As a teen it sometimes used yo irk my friends, but I felt no guilt about it, and they got so they would simply sigh and look about with me. "What are we looking at?" they might say. "The sunset," I would reply. Or, "The mountains." Or whatever it was. I am extremely visual, and sometimes a scene would simply cut in and take my attention fully. The world is simply an awesome place, so beautiful it can simply be hard to comprehend. But as a result of those observations, I have a head full of pretty pictures of the world. They come in handy when I want to describe a place in my writing. And as I have a particular weakness for the woods where I grew up, they most often appear in my tales. To view the world as this partly mystical place of beauty and mystery is ingrained now. I'm afraid you'll just have to endure it if you read my stuff. Thanks for being here - again.

Thanks, Gary. Life is not always linear - I'm sure you know this. There are side trips, digressions, and even needless explorations. But all of those things seem necessary at the time we do them, especially when we are young. And all of those thing total up to make the person we become. I, too, felt that the guys needed some time together to recharge, and to see that what they have together is not in any danger. And, yes, to have that first special night together. It was too long coming. I felt that to actively describe that night would be to steal away its magic. We each have our own thoughts and dreams about such things, and they usually cannot be topped by another. So I hope, in your imagination, that you gave Brian and Jeff quite a wonderful night together. I have a feeling, from what I know of you, that you did.

Chapter Nine -- The next morning - Monday - Brian drove over to Jeff's and helped him put the new starter in his Camaro. Working together, they had it done in twenty minutes, and the car started right up the first time that Jeff turned the key. Jeff was all grins. "Shit, did we get lucky? Got it shimmed just right." Brian smiled and nodded, deciding not to point out that in a Dodge, one did not need shims at all. They went out for a drive in the Camaro, down to the gas station for gas, and

Preparations for war. I like Ms. Sybil. Those who sense things have always been great characters in fiction. Sometimes it's just your favorite grandma and her 'hunches', and sometimes it's someone with a real ability to get glimpses of the future. As a medium (heh) for alerting the reader to coming events, she is quite cool. The resonance of the shifter's auras with silver, and the dampening effect provided by copper, is an interesting twist. You know your folklore, it seems. Kellar and Tobyn are just great together. I get the feeling that they are going to be tested to the limits, and I am just hoping their combined strength is up to the task at hand. I do hope that we get more insights into the hunter's motivations. They obviously think of shifters the same way that shifters think of them. Good and evil are entirely relative. You are doing wonderfully with this one. Back for more soon!

“Advantage, shifters.” A little cold war starting here to keep pace with the warm one. Nothing like the inspiration of war to make people - and shifters - creative. The two peoples together would seem to have a synergistic effect on defensive thinking. Cool. It's apparent why shifters hate hunters, but why do hunters hate shifters? It's obvious that the two species can coexist, cooperate, and be friends. And lovers, even. So I'm sure at some point you have some devilish little piece of history that is going to come to light here. Can't wait! I'm wondering now how - or if - Reznick tracked them back to the compound, or if his visit to the garage was just random. The range of his ability to detect shifters with his silver medallion is limited. Oh, this is just too fun for words. On with the show!

Nice, sweet chapter. with all the right ingredients. When relationships get to this point they start to get that unbreakable sheen about them, and you know they are going to last. Having Jay's little joke turned back on him was cute. Nobody can betray you faster than your own family - if it's in the name of fun! So, I guess I have to wait to see what's in the package from Toronto? You could have just said they were sending blank - but you didn't. I love surprises! Having a relationship in which your whole family is involved is bound to lead to some interesting turns of events, Guess I'll have to go see. But...you knew that, right? I'm catching up to you. Write faster!

It's always a pleasure to see you here, buddy. One of the very nice things about writing and posting stories are the people that come into your life as a result. You never know, when you write something, who you will touch, or who will touch you back in response. I've very much been enjoying the latter of those two here on GA. Thanks for sharing.

Why, thank you! I am in agreement with you on the subject of friends. They're like flowers - water them, and they grow. I guess if I could really have only one word to define this story, I would have to say that it is about friends of one sort, or another. Ask most people what they remember best about school, and they will smile and tell you about a friend. And if they're lucky, more than one.

All things considered, it's a little hard to define this story as simply belonging to Brian and Jeff. But it really is about them. They are the purpose for it. Few relationships are defined solely by the two people living it. We're not that isolated in our lives, nor our hearts. Others play roles - sometimes important ones - that often serve to accentuate what is going on in the main story. For real, this is a gay story, even though it may look otherwise. Even though three guys went to the moon on each Apollo mission, only two of them actually got to stand on the soil of another world and look back at home.

Chapter Eight -- Brian led the others around the end of the water and up the path to the rocky ledge. The two guys from the Oldsmobile were standing with their backs to them when they arrived on the rock shelf, and Brian stopped and just stood there, watching them. Both guys were dressed in bathing suits and tee-shirts, and both were shoeless. The bearded boy was the taller and huskier of the two, maybe having two inches and ten pounds on Brian. The freckle-faced guy was slight of build, looke

Thanks. I agree that a lot of teens make it through the driving and partying era of their lives unscathed by just the skin of their teeth. It is really a risky time in our lives, but we never appreciate just how much so until we get older and look back. And you are also right that kids don't think about consequences as often as they should. Running for a title is just stupid. I had people want me to do that, and I always said no way. Anything can happen, and there goes your car. And when they said I was scared, I said I wasn't scared at all, I just wasn't as stupid as they were. Pretty funny, really, what kids think is cool sometimes. It's just sad that so many young people feed into the peer group stuff instead of standing on their own two feet. No one, ever, can do your thinking for you. The sooner young people learn this one simple fact, the happier they will be in life.

Well, every chapter can't end on a high note (just like life). But you should know by now that Brian and Jeff usually work things out. I try to get a new chapter every other day or so, but it might be Friday before I get the next one here. You can yell, but don't hit!

Thanks. I agree that the age restrictions we place on youth have little rhyme or reason. I have always thought that a lot of them are knee-jerk reactions to things that happen locally. The variation in age requirements for different things in just the American states requires a book to keep straight. When you look at the entire world, it's nearly laughable. Not only that, but laws are in constant flux. I remember myself in 1984 that you had to be 19 to buy beer in my state. But that was a change. It was 18 up until 1982, and after the end of 1985, it was 21. So teens are also the victims of sudden changes in direction of public opinion and political agendas. Driving is potentially far more dangerous than drinking. The modification of so many rules takes into account the fact that many young people combine the two. Driving by itself is a practical consideration, and a necessity for teens in some families - especially large ones -to get everyone where they need to go. So most legal authorities see the need for a younger driving age. They just want to stop kids from drinking and driving. But, as we all know, telling a kid no is not going to stop him or her from doing things. I still cringe at my memories of my own driving at sixteen, flying over the roads at ridiculous speeds in a high-horsepower chunk of steel more than 22 times my own weight. It's a wonder that more things don't happen to more kids. A good thing, too.

Summer and teens are made for each other. The rules of life loosen during the summer, and new experiences are everywhere. What happens one day may mean nothing the next, or may be the start of a whole new direction in life. There is sometimes an ethereal quality to being young. The rules associated with the adult world have yet to be pounded into place. The rules of youth are fluid, and they allow us entry everywhere imaginable, and even to places we cannot imagine before seeing them first hand. Putting a sixteen year old kid into a car with 500+ horsepower and giving him the freedom of the road is really quite insane, when you think about it. But for the kid, it is an element of magical proportions. Put his friends in that car with him, and the roads can simply go anywhere under the stars, or even among them. Summer and teens are made for each other. And, they know it.