Wayne Gray

Hehehe. Yeah, that song. It's a wonderful piece, really, and Caleb was really trying to pull out all of the stops. I think it worked out.

I missed this comment. Thanks, Danilo! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and appreciate that you'd take the time to comment on it. You know by now how this ends, so I'll leave the rest alone. 🙂

That quote is drougtquake's but I do agree with him, and you too, tim. Ashton Kutcher's speech to the US Senate concerning child trafficking in 2017 was both illuminating and awful, and speaks to that innocence, and how it's used against kids by their abusers.

Thank you, Tom. This is a really weird thing, to have such a compartmentalized slice of who I am. I don't let it out much, I don't talk about it much. When this story is done, it'll go back into the box, and it's unlikely I'll ever bring it up again. The only reason I do now is to show people that you can survive it. You'll never forget, but it doesn't have to be who you are. You don't have to be a victim, ever again. You can break the cycle, you can find strength, you can help others. It's uncomfortable for me, recalling... reliving. But if one person sees this and it helps them, then that's enough of a reason. I too like this rewrite more than the original. Thanks for your input on it. 🙂

Hrm. I'll try it. This has happened to me repeatedly from multiple computers. I suspected that perhaps it was due to some strange formatting leftover from my Google Doc. I used to bold my chapter dividers, and I always started my works in Google Docs. Thanks. And as I said above, I just wanted to get this out there in case others are having the same issue so they can work around it. Even if clearing the cache doesn't work, it's not a big deal now that I know how to work around it.

Tracy is fierce and loving, feminine and strong all at once. She fits with Charles perfectly, and he with her. When it was time to step up for their loved ones she never hesitated. She is one of my favorite characters I’ve ever written. Yes... absolutely.

Hey, if you're gonna do something go all the way! Perhaps the uncles are just misunderstood? I'm sure they'll be sweet as pie if they find out about Caleb and Wren messing around! 😉

I've encountered a persistent, repeatable bug. Copy/paste seems to carry over some echo of bold formatting in my original documents, and it makes the entire chapter irreversibly bold (selecting and unselecting bold for my text does nothing when this happens). To avoid this I had to paste chapters as "plain text" which, of course does away with all of my formatting. I copy/paste from Google Docs, Word and sometimes Grammarly to try and get around this problem. However, the problem persists. I use Firefox as my browser, and Windows 10 is my OS if that matters. I request no action as I have managed to figure out a workaround, and it's fairly painless. Before pasting to GA's editor, I type in a word into the window. Next I hit enter, then paste my text. Voila, it's all perfectly fine, no bolding. If you start with some text from the GA editor then your copy/paste works fine. I put this post here only in case others have the same issue.

Hehehe. Ah, those boys. And maybe Mom will be able to help. The ugly trio might have turned over a new leaf, you never know! Travis doesn't quite know what he's into, but Mr. Branson can certainly help with that!

Hi, mayday. Thanks. The thing with Clay... I considered it. I thought about going back and showing his angst, and guilt a little more clearly. But that stuff is often invisible, even to the person carrying it. How they're feeling is often discarded as nonsensical, and so it invalidates their emotion instead of allowing them to deal with it. This is even done by mental health professionals if they're not careful. Purely trying to convince Clay that his guilt is unfounded isn't helpful. He'll nod, say that he knows, pretend to be okay - even think he is... and still not be okay. Elias is safe and surrounded by a vanguard of those who care and watch out for him. Orson in particular has taken it on himself to fold him up in a protected, loving space. Camp Refuge gave him a glimpse of what life should be like - a positive reference for how the world should work. So when the time came, and Danny assumed that he'd be able to have his way with our little camper, instead he was brutally surprised. Mother is not Elias' ally. At best, she is an ambivalent roommate. He needs more than that, as do all kids.

Thanks, droughtquake. I know this helps me understand Elias a bit better, and maybe that will cause some good out there in the world.

Thanks for the nice words, Jeffrey. Everyone deserves a chance. Except maybe Danny.

Thanks. I have a great life now. And, make no mistake, most of my life growing up was great too. But, even though I had people who I knew loved me, I never thought I could tell anyone. I thought people would believe that I caused it, somehow. That it was my fault. So I buried it. Things like that don't stay buried though. They come out, usually at the worst times, and make us relive the moments over and again. I juat want things to be different for those who have and will come after me.

Thank you. It helps to help. Perhaps that sounds childishly simple, but that's true - at least it is for me. So my wish is that someone out there sees this work, and that it gives them strength and hope. I have this little thing that I can do, and I will continue to do it.

Thanks, Parker. It's worth being angry over. My view on abusers is so tilted, that I realize my portrayal of Danny is almost cartoonishly villainous. But, I can't help that. Elias gained courage because he had support. His story is one that is not unique, so my hope is - same as yours, that this work can help someone either intervene, or find their own courage to stop their abuse.

I can't imagine how you never turned into a raging crazy man with these sick bastards. Abuse never goes away. Unfortunately, I know how true that is. I don't say this often, but maybe it'll help someone. I have an intimate understanding of Elias' situation. I was sexually abused as a kid, and you're right... it really never goes away. For so many years it was hard to trust, and be open and honest both with others and myself. It leaves scars, and it instills a blind rage when I see or hear that it is happening to others. But, time and distance help. They help because we see examples of people helping, caring, and people who deserve our trust. It takes a lot of patience, and there's no rushing it, but... it's worth the effort to reach out to someone who might have been hurt in this way. I never had a knight to ride in and save me, but you got to be exactly that for so many kids. I know your work was hard, and I know that it had to grind you down. So, I'd just like to say: Thank you.

Thank you. I think it is too. There's a satisfaction in getting justice ourselves, but in this case justice will wait for the law.

Yes, what occurred in the last version of this saw Clay stepping pretty hard over a line.

Sad, but important to remember. Thank you for writing.

Thanks for commenting, chris. Elias seems to be safe, and more, he's very happy to be away from his apartment and Danny. As for Danny getting what he deserves, well, we'll have to see about that.

Thank you, tim. Some hard stuff, but good too.

We will see, indeed. It's good that you care about him. As the writer, that makes me feel good. 🙂 Thanks for commenting!

Thanks, Fae. Yeah, it's rough to read. But, I do hope there was a bit of satisfaction too. As for changes, there are a few. Some subtle, but one not so much. The scene with Greg and Clay is new, while we're missing a scene with Clay and a certain parolee... As I said, I've grown as a writer, and it was time for the story to show that.

Oh no. I'd never write such a thing. There's enough hurt of that flavor in the world already, I won't breathe more of it into life. Thanks for reading. I'm glad you liked it!

Awww, well, I'm glad you're happy with the chapter. Clay has more going on than his temper. He has real issues with a lack of control and power over what had happened to Orson. He blames himself for the loss of Orson's leg, even if it isn't logical, he still feels responsible. That feeling of powerlessness was part of the reason behind his behavior with his son and Jeremy, and now his sense of failure is raising its head again. Luckily, Greg gets him.