Will Hawkins

The Chosen Four are learning among other things, that defeating the beings from Hell is by combining their powers into one tremendous effort. And they are learning that Nathanial's guidance is NOT a requirement for them to defeat the enemy. This is a great step forward, it implies that learning to work together is going to be the solution to the problems of the monster invasion. You go, guys! Is there some way they can shut the gate that is allowing these invasions? After all, they do know that the gate is located somewhere near Centennial as that is apparently the center of these invasions from Ever After, though Nathanial seems to have been called to a meeting in England because they are suffering from a similar invasion. Okay, onward to the next chapter, xTony.

Now that the chosen four is complete we will have to move on to finally closing the gate to the underworld. I am fascinated by your writing style though as a very old man I am lost in all your contemporary references. I am sure a young person who watches TV and goes to movies regularly would understand them all, however. I am most interested in whether Adam's blindness will be cured now that he one of the four. It would seem possible as each of the others was given the ability to cure broken bones and battle injuries at an accelerated rate. Okay, on to the next chapter for more answers.

shatter concrete with his care hands - shatter concrete with his bare hands

scoffing = eat in a hurried fashion, equivalent to 'scarfing'.

A hamburger with 'the lot' is a single patty of meat, perhaps somewhat thicker than normal but with many different ingredients added, these may include slices of onion, pineapple, beetroot, bacon, assorted cheeses, and catsup, chili, or any salad dressing. The finished sandwich may be stacked 6" or more in height and is quite impossible to eat in a sandwich style.

Reef sandals = either a brand name of slightly upscale flip-flops or the economical Japanese style itself. The Reef brand has a thong that goes between the toes as well, but the straps on the top of the foot are wider and may be several different colors.

jocks = Jocky shorts usually much briefer than the typical style. duffer = cattle thief, here just a put-down. walking stick = cane. nipple nauger = nipple twist pancakes with butter and maple syrup are not usual in OZ as maple syrup is a New England (American product). They are frequently served with jam or some other sweet like honey.

stir = tease From time to time I will translate OZ (Australian) into American English for the benefit of my friends on this side of the Pacific. Mister Will

he strummed his fingers on the tabletop - he drummed his fingers on the tabletop. To strum implies strings, drumming can be done on any flat surface.

There are a number of terms used in this chapter which I guess refer to various forms of male prostitution and to their clients, but to me as a new reader, they are confusing. Is there a glossary where a 'newbie' can find a list of these special terms along with their meanings?

For an upper-class gay boy, Eton might not be too bad a place to be. It certainly promised an education -- perhaps of a different kind than is available elsewhere. Several authors, I have read emphasize the 'fagging' that is a part of the Eton system. That might be just the type of education that a boy of noble lineage needs. Interesting thought. I do not know of any educational institution on this side of the pond that has a similar reputation, perhaps that is my ignorance.

as he led Perceval and I to the road - as he led Perceval and me to the road between Lucas and I that night - between Lucas and me that night I am in love with the language in this story and am following it with delight. There are a few grammatical faux pas along the way and, if you do not object, I will call them to your attention. These suggestions are made in the spirit of adding a gloss of good English to your efforts, not in any way meant to be snarky.

For a modern author to write in the language of an aristocrat of the preceding generation is most difficult. I am enjoying this submersal into a different world. We will see where it goes.

It was not until the second decade of the twentieth Century that the spread of infectious diseases was well enough understood to bring about some methods of control. The principal cause of mortality prior to that era had been poor sanitation, infected water supplies and pests such as fleas and mosquitos. The transmission of deadly diseases among an increasing population density was a great determinant of an early demise.

The lady that was at the farm when the brothers returned with the new wood, Mrs. Applgate, did not mention whether she was a resident to the south or to the west and also did not say anything about others living on her farm. That is a little unusual, I hope it does not bode ill for our friends.

just a halter and short reigns -- just a halter and short reins. Well. the troll under the author's bridge discovered the first homophone. Do you want me to call these small errors to your attention, Q? I do not want to embarrass you or anger you, but I am sure from our past notes that you want your stories to be as near perfect in grammar as possible. Grammarly will detect spelling errors and some punctuation mistakes, but it will not detect homophones, and even the most experienced editor-authors eye will skip over them because of his familiarity with the writing. Sometimes it takes an old grump like me to spot them! But I will do so only if you wish me to. Mister will

I was just roaming through the listings on GA when I came across your pen name, Quokka (Preston). I have previously read several of your stories about Australian country life and thought I would give this one a go. I am not sorry I did -- it looks like an interesting tale of early days in the South Australian outback. Of course, I will have to keep my dictionary of Australianisms handy as to a North American it is a somewhat foreign language, but that just adds to the interest for me. So far these young men look like they are doing very well, much hard work, but getting a good start on their farm.

Unfortunately, the links to the pictures you have chosen to represent our lovers have expired so I am still in the dark, but the names you mention for Harvey are still active and I agree that the Brazilian boy is very cute. If you include the names of your pictured people even at this late date Google will pick them out.

I am somewhat sorry to see the few negative comments to your story. After all, it is your story and you should write it in the manner you choose. If a reader does not like some direction the story is taking he is perfectly at liberty to cease reading. The amount of sex between the characters is also yours to control. Chapter after chapter of explicitly detailed sexual relations between characters can be just as boring as no sex at all. It is up to the author to control the leavening. Knowing the results of the election cycle into which you are entering only means that CJ's hopes will get dashed in the end, but the view into the backrooms of the candidates is most interesting. What I am saying, in summary, is, keep up the good work and you have one reader out there who is totally supportive.

OKAY-I guess I am dating myself - not only did I know what a Rolodex was, I used to own one! I even had a little twinge of "Hey, Ritchie doesn't know what a Rolodex is!" before my brain shifted gears to 2019. I remember when the visiting sales rep's card even had the little notches already cut into it so it could be snapped into the Rolodex without any transcription, and my secretary would grumble a little because the format of the rep's card did not match the remainder of the cards on her machine!

It is going to be difficult for me to hold my remarks in when Trump enters the field, but I have to be very careful as I have strong opinions about the man and his presidency, and I don't want to get points shaved off my status for expressing them. Something tells me that the Administrators are going to be keeping a close eye on my reactions so I will be switching over to The Pit from time to time.

more so when a few of days later - Hey, I actually found a grammatical boo-boo in this chapter. The 'of' in this sentence is not needed, the sentence reads better without it: more so when a few days later. Damn little word just snuck in!

I know the comment about politicians not learning from history was just thrown in but in reference to a recent Presidential election, it has a lot of meaning. Just ask the Prime Minister of Canada! The original statement was by George Santayana, a Spanish-American political philosopher, but in a slightly different form. Santayana is popularly known for aphorisms, such as "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"

One of the advantages of reading this story in 2019 is that I missed all the trauma about the changes to GA. I will be commenting on the 2016 elections in The Pit. I was chastised and fined for making political comments here, so I am avoiding them now. Tony, having trouble reading comments? Just select 'view'-zoom in' from the Safari ribbon at the top of the page. Once you get your view of the screen set up to your needs, it will remain where you set it for each new chapter - I hope! With my 85-year-old eyes, I had the same problem. I am sure Myr is chewing nails over the 'upgrade' so everything will eventually work out.

I have an opinion on the gun control issue - hell, I have an opinion on every issue! if existing gun control laws were universally and rigorously enforced the problems with gun possession in the US would be diminished severely. No, they would not disappear totally, but they could be manageable. The problem is not so much with the laws as it is with the lack of enforcement. When I was living in the US and traveling long distances by automobile in wilderness areas, I had a gun with me in the car. It was obtained legally and I had a concealed weapons permit to go with it. I gave my gun to my daughter. At this time, there is not a weapon in my possession. What I have done is suit my needs to the laws of whichever country I am living. This is not from any altruistic sense, I am just more comfortable obeying to law. I offer for your consideration the situation of gun possession in Switzerland. Every male, and I suppose now, female citizen of Switzerland is required to serve in the army. During the term of their service, they have issued a rifle to them and are taught how to use it. When they have completed their service they take their rifle with them back to civilian life. That means that nearly every home has at least one weapon in it, but weapons problems in Switzerland are at a very low level because criminals are aware that the man or woman they attack in a home probably is well armed and well able to use their gun. That, I believe is the meaning of the portion of the Second Amendment that speaks of a "well-ordered militia".