Wayne Gray

Thanks, molly! I'm glad you're a fan of the story. I hope this edited version makes it worth reading it again.

I set out to reach a single person. I wanted to show him that he was worthwhile, loveable, and that he could have a life if he wished it. This story really did become more than that, and I'm happy it touched the folks who emailed and messaged me over the span of my postings on Nifty and Storylover. This chapter got a lot of feedback, and I began to realize that the story had grown beyond the original purpose. 🙂 Thanks for commenting and reading, Tom.

Thanks for taking the time to comment, Dave! I'm glad you're enjoying the revision. Everyone has their demons, and Jeremy is not excluded from that - as we'll see.

There is a trans character in this story, though it's not Jeremy. 🙂 Thanks for reading and commenting. Jeremy is upset. He let down his guard a little, and he just doesn't do that. Mason sort of blindsided him - he didn't expect to feel what he does, and he's angry with himself about that. There's more to come as to why.

Thanks, Fae. Yeah, he turned into one of my favorites too.

Heh. Yeah. Jeremy is young, but he has been through a lot already. That can age a person beyond their years. We'll see if you think he's justified later. Thanks for reading and commenting, tim!

Thanks for reading and commenting, Tonyr. There's something. If it's fishy or not remains to be seen, but there's definitely something. Stick around and we'll find out!

Thanks, Chris. There's a lot going on, at least personally for all of our guys. And what is going on with Jeremy, exactly? He's reacting a bit strangely to Mason.

May 18 (Friday) Mason helped Jeremy finish up the last touches of his campsite set-up. It was apparent that Jeremy camped a lot. He had a nice, stand-up tent, a comfortable two-inch thick foam pad to sleep on, and a string of solar lights he hung from his tent poles. He really didn't need much help at all, but after they were done he thanked the lanky teenager all the same. After finishing up, the two started the walk back to Clay and Greg. On the way, Mason agonized over what to say to

Great story, tim. Well done. 🙂

This is a fantastical tale in a high fantasy style, yet set in a gritty and somewhat bleak world. The reason for that bleakness is challenged, and improbable odds dog our protagonist(s). Read this story. It's a grand adventure filled with hope, love, sacrifice, fantasy, magic, and bonds not even a god can break.

Great wrap to a fantastic story, tim. Well done, my friend.

Yeah. It's difficult to read. It's also difficult to sit and listen to your friend look you in the eye, with an utterly flat affect, and recount almost this exact situation that happened to Greg. It's not make-believe, I just changed names. But, to answer your question... societal pressure is how people do it. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers... all are pressured to have the perfect families. If you hear your whole life that being gay is wrong, and suddenly you have a gay kid? Well, you failed, right? It's insidious, and it ruins families, destroys people, and rots institutions. This is my little part to take a wrecking ball to that. Shine a little light, show just how barbaric and terrible it is - and maybe we can build something better tomorrow.

Well said. This story... it means so much to me because of the breadth I attempted. I tried to reflect the experience of as many people as possible, and we're just beginning to see that in this chapter with the reveal of Greg's past. I did a poor job of representing folks of color, because there are very few represented where the story is set. I want it to be as real as I can make it. That said... there's also an upcoming connection with my story, Guarded and for a while readers will have to suspend a bit of disbelief. Mostly? Mostly it's about people just trying to live and be the best that they can be. It's about people supporting one another long enough for them to find their feet. Long enough for them to believe they're worth something. I did my best. There's so much more coming.

Thanks, Dave. It's hard for many to imagine how hard is is for some older/less free folks. Mason needed to hear it.

Thank you, Tonyr. 🙂

He does seem to, doesn't he? Ah... love and lust and all their permutations in a young mind are so crazy-making. I remember that well. 🙂 Thanks for reading and commenting, Chris.

Thanks, tim. What happened to Greg really happened to people. I think it needs to be told.

May 18 (Friday) Mason paced back and forth in his cabin, phone in hand. He checked the time again. It was still 6:58 a.m., and he made a noise of frustration. He knew his dad and Greg were already up as he had heard Greg's door open a little after six, and then there were the sounds of a fire getting built. Mason checked the time again. 6:59. "Ugh." Mason forced himself to sit and tried to relax. He was supposed to call Jeremy. He knew the redhead started work at seven, and he didn't wan

LOL. It's actually great bread. We get the multigrain/seeded stuff. Tasty!

If Facebook isn't lying, it's a certain @rickproehl's birthday. Happy Birthday, rick! I hope it has been a great one for you.

That's what book two is for! 😄 I hinted around at Shawn's nature, but they were exceedingly subtle hints. He shook off the voice a lot faster than most others (even faster than Wolfgang), and his ability to perceive when the beast was riled up in Daniel were both tells. To be fair, they were tells only to show that Shawn is not quite "normal".

Hint: New friends. Though, I don't know if you'd want them for friends? They're pretty dysfunctional!

They will definitely return. Thanks, for reading and commenting, Chris!

Thanks, Tom. Hahahaha... I'm glad I caught you off guard with Shawn. I hinted around at Shawn's extrasensory abilities (Bad Puppy Chapter in particular). He already had minor gifts, and he's a natural vessel for the spiritual world. Stay tuned. There's more to come down the line.