Summerabbacat

I remembered you mentioning the Peters family "connection" to the Woolnough family when I posted I Go Rio with comments on a chapter of Kandanga Falls. I seem to recall you mentioning he used to play the piano in the Ladies Bar at the hotel you frequented, and something about a location known for blowjobs, LOL. I neglected to comment above that the visit to, and visit from, Patrick also appears to have had an effect on Charlie. Charlie was overwhelmed at Christmas when he was openly welcomed as Kieran's partner, not only by Kieran's immediate family but his extended family too. It appears to me the welcome Patrick received from those same people has strengthened Charlie's belief he is genuinely a part of a much larger family now, something he never knew when it was just his mother and himself. I have said it before but I believe it bears repeating, I am soooooooooooo glad you have taken what was a limited edition Traditions (2 chapters only) and re-released it as a full @Mark Ponyboy Peters experience. These characters are such a delight and deserve to star in a story of their own. One thing I would like to see if I may be so bold as to suggest it, is a bigger role for Toby.

It was wonderful to see Patrick enjoying his short visit with his cousins, his laughter infectious at his farewell lunch. The longer he spent with his Aunty Rose, Uncle Max, his cousins and their families, the more he seemed to settle. The visit to, and visit from Patrick, has given Kevin the courage to share with Kieran his recently awakened suppressed desires. He disclosed to Kieran that as well as being attracted to women he has long held an attraction to his own sex, but only recently had it reared its head again when he bumped into an old school friend, Nathan, whom he always thought was gay and did ask him out once. Kieran gave him sage advice, be true to yourself and don't worry about labels. @Mark Ponyboy Peters your fellow Armidalean (?), Peter Allen, recorded a wonderful song in 1980 about Kevin's "dilemma", bisexuality.

Hopefully it is still mortgaged to the hilt.

As the ship crashed down, Gran exclaimed “Jesus fucking hell!” “Gran!” “Oh no need to be so prissy, I have been saving that for a special occasion and this is definitely it. That was the worst one yet”. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Gran is such a character. She and Caleb were able to calm each other with her telling tales of her youth and he listening with enthusiastic intent. I sensed Gran was going to reveal Farm Boy was Nigel. She was crafty leaving the revelation until she finished the story AND after relaying he proposed to her on stage. And we have another story featuring Australian characters and their "passion" for Tim Tams. Gran would get along very well with a number of characters featured in stories written by your fellow Aussie @Paladin @Wombat Bill.

Maybe Gran will push her overboard?

You were right @Lee Wilson. There was a tissue moment. WTF was the boy doing? Dropping metal parts onto the road to kill people for a thrill? He is one sick little fucker.

Clearly you "assessed" the situation far closer than I. I saw the word headphones and immediately thought Ali, and when Felix said he was Ali's twin I obviously linked him with the headphones, overlooking a "minor" detail that it was not he who was actually wearing them. LOL

I assume you made these errors deliberately @Robert Hugill, testing we readers to observe who is sufficiently perspicacious to notice. LOL. I certainly will not notice, unless you are referencing pop music from the 1970's to 2010's. As for English literature of yesteryear I am very fond of Austen, the three Brontë sisters, especially Emily, and D H Lawrence. Anyone else and I haven't the foggiest. As for Shakespeare, well, no.

Maryanne is ghastly. One of those insufferable mothers who thinks their children are the smartest, the prettiest/most handsome, the most delightful and generous, without fault. Perhaps Frank might slip a little something in Maryanne's drink @Wombat Bill. Something to calm her excitable state, something which makes her a little unsteady on her feet. Perhaps she might fall overboard? A most unfortunate accident of course. Although a different mode of transport, I had a song by The KLF playing the whole time I read this chapter. The lyrics "all aboard, all aboard" could just as easily be applied to Gran and Caleb's departure.

Surely not. I can understand James killing his father, but marrying his mother? She is a fucking bitch. Let Sam marry her.

Yay @Lee Wilson. I love it.

Gran's "theme" song for the cruise. One she and Nigel used to dance to as a younger couple, blissfully unaware of the "real" meaning of the lyrics.

Gran enjoying herself on the cruise with some gay men looking on, envying Caleb for having such a cool Gran. It might even be the Village People (minus one).

Brilliant @Davide. This thought occurred to me too but I dismissed it as crazy. You have applied logic and assessed it and now it does not sound crazy at all. It was the headphones Felix was wearing that strongly suggested duplicity on Ali’s part to me.

Time to call in Sawzall & Associates to investigate?

What would a Balkan do in a situation like this @Cane23?

The favouritism is so blatant @dboggs9700. I won't be surprised if there is something in @VBlew's speculation about James' lineage. Another possibility is that he is adopted, that neither parent is his biological parent and Sam is their only biological son, a son whom they thought they could never have.

Rector Reichenau. Just his name alone made me think of the nazis, and his demeanour and behaviour did nothing to dispel this. The man oozed evil, and is in a position to orchestrate it. I would not trust him as far as I could throw him. In comparison, Boris seems almost pleasant and harmless. The Golden Circle are a motley crew. I am intrigued as to why Ali's twin Felix is a member of this "exclusive club" and yet Ali is not. Was he perhaps a member before and he was exiled by his Dark Eminence, Anton, for some transgression. Anton reeks of repressed desire, quite possibly for Bastien, who is likely oblivious to this. I think Anton is the likely killer at this stage, jealous of Lukas because he had what Anton does not, Bastien. He is controlling and uptight, with barely contained fury waiting to burst forth. On the one hand we have Ali, Felix and Bastien, all of whom appear pleasant, but can they be trusted? On the other, we have Anton, Boris and Rector Reichenau, all of whom are unpleasant to varying degrees, and all of whom I do not trust. Another spellbinder @Laura S. Fox. If only Jack could teleport himself and his cards from Beyond The Veil to Veridien Academy, Lawrence may have a valuable ally. At this point in time I think Lawrence is on his own.

Hopefully the cranberry scones, the blueberry muffins and the carrot muffins contained a significant amount of e coli, enough to give James' parents and Sam an extreme case of diarrhoea at least. Of the three James' father is the least objectionable. He is clearly consumed with something akin to hatred for James but he at least keeps it to himself most of the time, with the occasional look of distaste. His mother and Sam openly mock him and both need to be bitch-slapped into the middle of next week. Another infuriating chapter @ChromedOutCortex. It is like observing the behaviour of some of the criminals in power from south of the border. Sickening. Hopefully before the story concludes James' father won't be the only one of James' family who is dead, and if the other two are not dead, hopefully they are suffering severely. Rotten to the fucking core.

I have to ask @Lee Wilson, did you write Buried Alive, words and music? If so, wow? I had a great laugh at Russell's disclosure of Reid's 13th birthday party tryst with Javier Gomez. It's funny how all the band members, including his replacement Fabian, can hear Russell speaking but Reid cannot. Is it a the age old case of workers vs management? LOL.

Jeez Louise. If Gran's offer to take Caleb on a cruise wasn't "sweet" enough, his positive response “Of course I’d love to go if it’s all right with you and Craig” sealed the deal. I shed a tear or two @Wombat Bill and I cannot blame hay fever or having just patted the cats excessively for this. “You’ve never mentioned your grandparents” “Don’t know who my father is so….and Mum’s parents disowned her and cut off all contact when she went on the streets. I don’t even know if they’re still alive”. I think I may have commented in the prior story, speculating it may be possible to trace Kilby’s maternal grandparents if he wishes to do so, particularly if Edward and he asked for assistance or guidance from Pamela. I eagerly await an update on Rajani's transition and if her ghastly sister, the uber-bitch Rani, has become aware of this. If so, I expect she will make an unwelcome reappearance with the intention of causing trouble and unhappiness for Rajani. I cannot remember for sure, but I vaguely recall she and Daniel may have moved interstate or even overseas. Hopefully he may have come to his senses by now and dumped her.

Riveting start.

Me too @Gary L, anything to piss off property developers. The initial physical description of Maudie "The speaker had emerged from the door into the other excrescence. She was probably in her 60s, rather buxom, with dyed blond hair, a pink sweater and alarmingly patterned leggings, her feet in pink mules and a cigarette in her mouth." had me thinking she was going to be a senior Vicky Pollard. "Yeah but, no but, yeah but, no but, yeah..." Fortunately for Alex she isn't, in comparison to Vicky she is a Rhodes scholar who was initially educated at a Swiss boarding school for young ladies. Uncle Edwin is a grub. It appears his "generosity" towards Alex has nothing to do with altruism, and everything to do with him keeping his flat (broom closet) safe until such time as the property has been rezoned so it can either be knocked down or redeveloped. Profit is Uncle Edwin's sole motivation for appearing to be "generous". Fortunately Alex is a good judge of character and has learned to expect nothing from Uncle Edwin which does not come with a price tag attached. Alex may have had better luck with expanding his musical audience if Uncle Edwin was friend's with another Dame Vivienne, Westwood to be precise, except she is dead. Neil is up to something. Either Charlie fancies Alex and Neil is going to test the waters for him, or Neil fancies Alex. Although I have no interest in classical music or opera, and have never read any Dickens @Robert Hugill, I am still enjoying this story because of the characters you have created and the humour which you are once again peppering this story with. Very English.

I have no idea what you and @Gary L are talking about @Robert Hugill, but you do make it sound as if it might be interesting.

A superbly crafted tale from @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Short, thought-provoking, universal, and more relevant than ever in the hostile times in which we currently live. A must read.