Wayne Gray

Thanks, Chris! There's a lot more to come for our folks at the campground. Stick around for more, and I'll see you next week!

Yes. Everyone needs a place, their own safe spot to just be. That shouldn't be too much to ask.

Thanks for the comment, Dave. Lee is pitiful. But he doesn't even know it. That's the insidious thing; he doesn't know that he could have a better life. Not yet. You're right that hope, when it begins to appear, it really changes things. Lee has had to make himself numb to so much for so long that hope is pretty damn scary. It's something he avoids, because it's a crushing disappointment when things don't work out. We'll see how he deals with being at the camp. Greg and the campground can only do so much for him. At some point, he has to meet them halfway. And that's a scary prospect for someone like Lee.

I am BACK! 😄 Thanks for reading and for the comment, starboardtack. "Interesting" is a good word to describe what may happen when you mix Lee with the environment of Camp Refuge. There's a lot coming. Stick around.

Thanks for reading and for the comment, spyke! You're so right. These situations with kids and young people, they happen. If there's only one choice, then that's not a choice at all. With Eddie, Lee is surviving. And just barely. Eddie uses him for sex, as income, and then when Lee is collared by the police, well ... he abandons him. Discarded, like trash. To Eddie he's losing a tool, but to Lee, he's losing his whole life. Lee is going to have a tough time. There's a potential journey for him, stretching out ahead like a rocky, bumpy road. It's there, it won't be easy, but if he chooses, he can take it.

Thanks for the comment, mayday! Eddie is not a good influence on Lee at all. The man has built in Lee a dependence that's so deep, Lee can't see a way forward without him. How could he? And yes, the last scene is quite the counterpoint. Lee has helped feed the entire campground, where as before he'd never made a meal that didn't involve sandwich bread. Lee is a fearful and suspicious person. While Greg and the others approach him carefully, Avery barrels right in. Lee is like a porcupine, trying to keep his prickly bits toward the youth, but Avery seems to be nearly immune. Lee is nasty, while Avery is just ... well, Avery. That little fit with his phone is one he may come to regret, but you're right. Now he can't reach Eddie to convince his former captor to come get him. Because that's what Eddie was. Lee was surely a slave, even if the chain wasn't visible. You're welcome. There's more to come. 🙂

Hey, Tonyr. Thanks! Happy New Year to you as well. It's good to be read. 😄 We'll see you next chapter.

Thanks, Chris! Lee is definitely in trouble. He has been in trouble for so long, it just feels normal. That's just life now. He is Broken. He might be too Broken. Greg and the campground have never had someone like him there. They've never had to convince someone the campground is a good place for them - everyone that went to the camp did so because they wanted to. Lee is different. And Avery, with his fast forward style doesn't make the best ambassador. Or ... does he?

Thanks, molly! you already know what's coming, and I appreciate your eyes and comments on the work. See you next week!

Happy New Year, and thanks for the comment! Lee is a wounded guy. He is not yet at a point where he can accept being away from Eddie is a good thing. Eddie is all he has known for years now, and anything else feels as if he's in a place he doesn't belong. We'll see how he does when surrounded by people who just want him to be okay. 🙂

Thanks, Tom! Happy New Year to you, and I'm glad you are here for this addition to Camp Refuge. Let's see if Lee figures out that he can belong in someplace good, for once in his life.

Thank you, Parker. My heart breaks for Lee too. But right now, he's in probably the best place he could find himself ... IF he can learn to recognize it. That's the trick. People go there to vacation, but he views it as a prison.

Lee has missed a lot. He has been in an unstable situation with a man intent on squeezing all available use out of him. Lee doesn't know anything else. He has been deliberately steered away from learning any life skills that may make him more independent. Eddie wanted Lee to be utterly dependent on him. Why teach Lee to fish when Eddie is paying him in tuna? Can't have that. So, no. Lee is not confident. Lee is woefully unprepared for life. He is suspicious and afraid. He looks for advantage where he can find it. Lee's in a terrible situation. Though ... if he can allow himself to adapt, maybe things will improve. Time will tell. Thanks for the comments!

Thanks, rick. I really do hope folks like this one. It's short, but hopefully sweet when it's all said and done.

Hahaha ... I'll take it! Okay, it's day one of the year, but I'll still take it! I hope you enjoy it, James! Thanks for commenting.

Thank you, tim. I truly appreciate the plug. I love how this one turned out. It'll be a while before everyone else knows it all, but ... yes. I really think it ended up a good story.

Thank you, tim! you know where this one goes. We've spoken, you and I, of the need to tell the darker tales. Not everything can be bright. Not all choices are clearly right. And this really is a story where we see that. I rather like how it turned out. Wasn't an easy road, but nothing worth doing is.

Thanks! Same to you, Happy New Year! This one really is a darker shade. There are utterly goofy moments too, but those are there to lighten what could otherwise be a rather gloomy tale. There's a purpose for it all, though. I tried to make every scene matter. It's a shorter story too. There are only nine chapters. But they are PACKED. A lot happens in each, even if none of them go over 4500 words. You'll see. 🙂 See you next week!

I'll be completely honest - mostly this story is about Greg, Avery and Lee. We check in with the others here and there, but they've had their chances to shine already. I've always felt that Greg was the most "boring" character in the series. He is steady, never makes a bad choice, and just ... well, he's just there. This story changes that. He's so much more real to me now, and you'll see why. I'm glad you're excited. Stick with me ... Thanks for the great comment.

Thanks, Tony. This is a weekly one. I don't know what days, exactly, as that depends on Thorn's schedule. But once a week, certainly. It's raw, for sure. Lee is like an angry, wet Alley cat, just looking for a reason to be mistrustful and upset. He hasn't had the easiest go of it, so it makes sense.

Hahaha. Thanks, kbois. I'm glad you're along for the ride. This one? Well ... this is a darker story. Those really do happen, and they need to be told, all the same. That's what I'm doing here. There's more to come next week. See you then!

15 October (Thursday) Eddie hung up the phone and turned to the thin man as he hovered nearby. "That was James. He wants to see you in an hour." Eddie stepped close to Lee. "I swear, if you don't come home with cash this time then don't bother coming back." His dark eyes glittered in the light of the naked bulb overhead. "I know James likes to pay with OX, but we don't need that shit; we need money." Nodding, Lee kept his gaze down as Eddie carried on. "I got it." Lee crossed his arms ov

Lee has had a hard life. And it gets even harder when he has a run in with the law. In an effort to keep the young man out of jail, he's sent to the campground, where he struggles to adapt. Will he succeed, or is Lee too Broken to save?

Well, this is a good start to the new year. I got my vaccine today. It was the first dose of the Moderna vaccine, and I am very appreciative that I was included in some of the first recipients in our county. The reason was based on a calculation by the county - I work multiple clinics, and have patient-facing work too. Essentially, I was labeled a "potential super-spreader" if I were to be positive. So ... first dose down. In twenty eight days, I'll get the second one. I'm looking forward to it. We're getting closer, folks. Stay safe till then. We'll get through this, and 2021 will be a better year.

Merry Christmas, everyone. May it be filled with light, and more than you could ever hope. Be careful, but be joyful too. There's still a lot to celebrate.