Wayne Gray

Meeee toooooo .... But I'm also a guy who likes to write prompts and just leave them to be all that ever is of that little universe. 😛 Do as I say, not as I do! hehehehe

Oh, I like the punctuation scheme! Nice job. Avery is a wounded soul. Losing his home the way he did, and then getting shuffled around to various other houses before finally settling with the Mercers has done a number on him. It wasn't his fault, but he certainly suffered. So you're right. He allows closeness on his terms. And ... frankly, he frustrates his foster parents with his standoffish nature. They can sense he needs them, but he's just not able to allow himself to. Thanks for the comments. There have been some great ones for this chapter. 😄

Thanks for the comment! I like that you included Jeremy in your list. He keeps waiting for someone to tell him he's unworthy of Mason (really, unworthy of love). Yet, he keeps finding the opposite. Then there's Lee. Ah, Lee. He absolutely has the furthest to go. Avery breaks my heart a bit. He's a sweet kid, but he has his challenges. And he's terrified that those challenges will destroy the one home that he has had for the last three years. There's a lot going on for our campers.

Oh, you’ve really understood the situation with Avery as he relates to his foster parents. That’s good. Avery’s not a bad kid, he has simply been burned. And it’s hard for him to trust Bill and Anna. You also nailed the fact that there’s only so much to be done when it comes to keeping Avery safe. At some point, it will be what it will be. Lee’s having a slow-motion wake-up call. There’s no ... “ah hah” moment. Instead, there are these tiny steps and little realizations. But add them up, and Lee is getting there. Thanks for commenting and reading, Dave!

Thanks. 🙂

Thank you for reading and for the comments, Parker. Lots of keepers! 😀 I really think the title fits. And Lee is beginning to allow hope again. That had been a luxury he could never afford until now. Though it is still a tenuous thing, the emergence is something quite new.

Yes, indeed. What IS in that coffee? And I'm terribly sorry my timing didn't work for you. 🙂 Thank you for the great comments, kbois. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks for the comment! I'm glad you're enjoying the ride. It's not exactly a smooth one, but I do think it's worth the journey. See you next week!

Thanks for the comments. There are many ways the title works within the context of the chapter. You've hit upon quite a few, and yes, it's definitely a double-edged sword. That moment where Lee asks that question concerning his old life was one I rather liked. He's a man who is on a path completely different from the one he has walked. Distance from where he was lets him see more of the picture, and it's turning out to be something terrifying and awful. He just never knew it while trapped within, living a moment to moment struggle for survival. I can't comment too much more with

Thanks for this post, Mike. I can't really contribute beyond what has already been said.

Thanks for the comment! Avery is defensive when it comes to caretakers. He feels like an unwanted football, passed from house to house. He is determined not to screw things up with Bill and Anna, but to him that includes avoiding them. He feels if they get to know him, they will reject him - just as the others did. He may seem to be just a goofy kid, but there's more going on in that head of his than that.

Thanks, tim. Again, I appreciate your help with reading, and with getting things as right as I could get them.

Thanks for the great comment! 🙂 You know, I got a lot of emails concerning the "tone" of the initial scenes in this chapter. Many of my readers have come to expect a certain, light atmosphere when it comes to Camp Refuge, but not everything is. I'm glad you could see the need for the darker tone, and that it mirrors Lee. Lee has so much turmoil. He is wracked with it. The campground has never dealt with anyone quite like him, and that is likely to test everyone involved. It sounds like you enjoy my style, and I'm glad for that. That's one thing which is difficult for a writer to

Thanks for reading and for the comment, Chris. Ah, there are definitely some of the elements of the title in what you wrote. Thank you for taking a stab at it. Again, I'm going to refrain from what I was thinking when I titled it - for now. 🙂 Lee is changing. And there's a reason why. What happens to a person when they're under the kind of stress Lee had experienced with Eddie? The self gets covered by survival mechanisms and falseness. Anyone in his situation would become someone totally different, just to survive. But now? Now at the campground, Lee's old methods don't feel as nece

Thanks for reading and for the comment, Tony. Lee genuinely doesn't see how something he'd depended on for so long (Eddie) could be the source of a nightmare. You're right, of course. That life - that's exactly what it was; it was a bad dream of constant fear, uncertainty, and worthlessness. Greg is watching Lee carefully, and he's seeing little changes in him. There's quite a difference in how Lee behaves now. When they'd first met, Lee had been a petulant man-child, rebelling against even being there. Now ... he's neither mister confident, nor will he win any nice-guy contests, but