Summerabbacat

Hopefully it is a case of, Orel the mouse who roared.

Whatever you have in store for Tarquin will never be enough to erase the pain he has caused Orel and Finn @Topher Lydon. He is, as you have said, a monster.

Give A Little Bit you Dreamer otherwise you may be Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft.

I am hoping the revelation of what transpired in the barn will be cathartic for both Finn and Orel, and will ignite a flame of revenge in Oliver that cannot be extinguished until Tarquin is either dead or exposed and brought to justice.

I am not familiar with that one. I would never have heard of them if it was not for Kasey Casem's American top 40 which used to be played on my local radio station in the late 1970's and early 1980's. They were not popular in Australia at all; Dust In The Wind was their biggest hit peaking at #52 and their albums likewise did not make the top 50. I should have mentioned Supertramp too in this group I detested; unfortunately they were very popular in Australia, especially with The Logical Song and parent album Breakfast In America. I hated them then and still do. Our tastes are not predictable though. I should not have liked Foreigner, but did, especially Urgent and the uber-schmaltzy I Want To Know What Love Is and should have liked Disco Duck, and did not. One of the worst songs ever. And I should not have liked Heart, but loved them, even their cover of Stairway To Heaven (even better than Dolly Parton's cover). Ann and Nancy rock.

It's Keep On Loving You that I particularly detest. Dust In The Wind is bearable, unlike Carry On Wayward Son and Point Of No Return.

Yes and yes. Poverty and irrelevance/invisibility would be an anathema to him. Although not your intent with this comment @drpaladin, I like the idea of removing all his teeth too. Perhaps Finn could do so very slowly, without the aid of anaesthetic, using some of his tools at the garage.

The pretentious restaurant was very amusingly written @Paladin. I had an image of the pompous maitre d resembling Captain Peacock from Are You Being Served in appearance, tone of voice and attitude.

Although Scott's reaction to catching Virgil and Sam in flagrante delicto was unexpected, it was believable. A remarkably mature response for a 13/14 year old boy, one who professes to not like gays, but one who is obviously not stupid. Now that he actually knows two gay boys, boys who just happen to be his best friends, his attitude may soften or perhaps change completely. Scott's caution to Virgil and Sam to be wary of accidentally outing themselves was sage advice at this point in time. We don't as yet know whether their parents are liberal-minded or rampant homophobes or something in between. If Virgil and Sam have their parents support it may make things a little easier for them to come out if they so desire. I too found the recount of the "mooning incident" extremely amusing. I have a vague recollection a "mooning incident" took place in another of your stories @Lee Wilsonand it was treated as a sex crime, or have I imagined this? Perhaps it happened in real life and I read of it. It is almost 3 years since I read this story on that other site. Some of it is familiar, some of it not so much. Either way it is an enjoyable read again.

No that's OK @weinerdog. If however he likes REO Speedwagon, Kansas and Ted Nugent, this will change irrevocably. Robbie Robertson wrote some great songs, which I like covered by other singers, The Weight by Cassandra Wilson in particular.

Dumb as a post? Cunning as an outhouse rat?

That gold-digging tramp will have a seizure when she learns what she has missed out on by being so hasty in divorcing Martin. There will be no low to which she will not stoop in an attempt to get more money. I hope Martin is smart enough to never be in a situation where it is just the two of them alone, without any witnesses.

This was certainly very apparent in The Secret Lies Of Schoolboys.

I think Orel holds the key to Tarquin's destruction. If he was to reveal to Oliver what Tarquin forced him to do to Finn I believe Tarquin would be a dead man, although I think it would be figuratively only unfortunately.

The finesse, elegance and gall of Jean Levesque, the intelligence of Theo Harding, the resolve of Elias Sawyer, the grit and determination of Bobby Grady, and the destructive power of Jack the "Demon Horse", this is what built Merrickville. This is what is needed to eradicate the toxicity of Tarquin. Orel is frightening @Topher Lydon. His tortured mind in desperate need of absolution and restoration. Hopefully Finn has already granted the absolution, or at least helped make a dent in the self-revulsion inflicted by Tarquin. And Lydia, what a transformation, a greater transformation than that of Garrett. She is still a bitch, but she is now a bitch with a just cause, and it is not one which is Lydia-centric.

Bertrand and Rick's father, either Frederick or Lawrence, are an Earl, which makes Rick and Martin, a Viscount. Had Natasha remained married to Martin she would have been a Viscountess. She will be spitting chips, all that money and a title. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. It appears Martin is a regular Dolly Levi. Let us hope he can apply some of that "talent" and find himself a suitable match if he so desires. I wonder if randy Rick will be satisfied with Simon only. We learned in this chapter from Christian, that Rick has had a string of lovers, both male and female, in the past. How very Bowie-esque. I am very pleased Martin chose to retain his father's family name, particularly now it has emerged Terry knew Martin was not his biological son. Things are progressing very nicely @Paladin. Now the trio have arrived back in Sydney I expect the "real" turmoil will emerge, with Gina's sister, Natasha Hard-Faced Bitch, making her demands known.

This chapter felt like it was set in an alternate universe. Lydia expressed vulnerability, Lydia was pleasant, Lydia appeared to show some compassion, Lydia was concerned about someone other than herself. I assume Tarquin has appeared in a 'Carter' series story which I have not yet read. I have many speculations as to what he did to Orel and the reasons he did so, all of them horrific. It appears he may have also driven Finn and his parents out of Merrickville. If so, I wonder if he had anything to do with their deaths.

“He’s a ruin,” Lydia corrected, her voice softening, losing some of its theatrics. “A beautiful, shuttered ruin. He’s terrified of everything. Especially his brother. Tarquin treats him like a servant. I saw him outside the library; Tarquin snapped his fingers at him, and Orel actually flinched. Like a dog expecting a kick. It was heartbreaking. It was pathetic.” She grinned, showing teeth, but there was a fierce protectiveness behind it now. “I’m going to keep him.” Lydia becomes more unpleasant with each appearance in Merrickville. Her apparent glee over Tarquin's mistreatment of his brother, Orel, a low even by her standards. The final sentence in the text above suggests she wants to keep Orel like a pet to pat when he is a good boy. Apparently Tarquin is a monster, someone who sounds far more suitable for Lydia. Lydia's ridicule of Kenny sounds like sour grapes to me. He may not be suitable as a partner for her, and frankly who would want her, but it is clear, at least to me, she is jealous Steve has someone who loves him, whilst she is a dried-up cliche. Her comments about Garrett and Kyle also smacked of jealousy. If they are a Hallmark movie, then she is a song by the Cure from Disintegration, a dark gothic tragedy, although in her case it lacks conviction. Her comment regarding Oliver“I hear he’s got… mechanical issues. He’s been asking around for a specialist. Someone discreet.” I assumed was another put down. I interpreted the comment to mean he has erectile dysfunction, so I was very surprised when he showed up at Finn's garage with a car with genuine mechanical issues. Having read a later work in which Finn and Orel are a couple I already know the direction this story is headed in, but shall still enjoy the journey to reach the destination. Tremendous start to this story @Topher Lydon. As you may have gathered from previous comments I don't like Lydia at all, and my dislike of her has been further cemented by the first chapter of this story.

I agree @VBlew. Whilst some people are able to continue a relationship where one partner has gender reassignment, I suspect many cannot. I don't believe this makes them a "bad" person or transphobic, it likely means their attraction to someone is very much based on a specific gender and the usual sexual characteristics of that gender. I don't believe Juanito's comment he was not looking forward to Rajani starting to grow breasts was said with any malice; it was a genuine statement that he does not find breasts physically appealing. Whilst Juanito may continue to support Rajani in her transition, I don't believe their sexual relationship will continue. Kilby annoyed me again in this chapter with his comments Edward and Romel are stingy with money. He seems to base this on the fact they did not buy him a mobile phone as soon as they started fostering him. Mobile phones are not cheap, especially if he wants the latest model with all the "bells and whistles".

“He’s not peaky,” Lydia drawled, stabbing a perfectly roasted carrot with surgical precision. She was in full gothic regalia, a black velvet choker stark against her pale throat, a stark contrast to the sunny kitchen. “He’s pining. He’s cultivating the dramatic lethargy of a Brontë heroine. I’m surprised he’s not clutching a miniature portrait to his consumptive chest. Honestly, the commitment to the aesthetic is almost admirable.” Lydia is a bitch, just like her mother and her deceased Aunt Charlene were. Her comments about Finn were cruel and uncalled for, motivated by her obsession to draw attention to herself to show how clever and witty she is. I must say though, she summed up Brontë heroines beautifully. Perhaps she has read the greatest novel of all time (IMHO), Wuthering Heights? Perhaps Emerald should have enlisted her to write the screenplay. A marriage proposal. I certainly did not see that coming. And what of Garrett's confession he was attracted to Kyle at the age of 14, the age when he first started taunting and terrorising him. I believe him, and it is a sad indictment on humanity teenage boys feel compelled to suppress their true, or at least true at the time, sexuality to satisfy religious or cultural beliefs, which are an artificial construct. Tabby thinks Oliver rather than Orel might be a good match for Finn. I look forward to reading that story next @Topher Lydon.

Garrett's transformation is extraordinary @Topher Lydon, but wholly believable. He seems to relish Kyle's subtle and not-so-subtle (the scarf) efforts to "modify" him into a happier being.

I saw a few episodes as a pre-teen @drsawzall with Jon Pertwee playing Doctor Who (the third one to do so), but it did not appeal. I was way more interested in music by then than TV.

Who would have thought that within Garrett there existed the words of a poet. It appears he is not just a washed up, ex-jock after all. I am pleased he chose Kyle, the ocean, as he does not need the saturation of negativity that plagued his "fuckship" with Finn. And Garrett's put down of Miller, exceptional. He needs to make this a daily habit.

Kyle to Finn - my dick's bigger than your's and I use it to fuck Garrett Finn to Kyle - Finn assumed Garrett was the top and Kyle the bottom because that is how the sex between he and Finn had panned out. I don't think it was mean of Kyle to correct this misconception, whether it was said with malice or not. Finn showed an unattractive side of himself in his attempt to bully and attack Kyle, although the 'fight" between them did add some comic relief. It was like watching two girls/women fight over a boy/man, the only difference being Kyle and Finn did not attempt to pull each others hair out.

I had the same thought @weinerdog. Is it merely a coincidence Killian was just "introduced" to Larry and shortly thereafter he experienced "tiny tendrils of emotion snaking into my consciousness. At first, I mistook the slight feelings of anger as my own, but it didn't take me long to realize the emotion was coming from outside. That was all the warning I had before I was hit by a rolling wave of pure unadulterated rage." The rage may have been Larry's rage from beyond the grave; he may know who assaulted Fletcher, that someone being at the dig site, that someone being Professor Healy perhaps. Professor Healy behaved as a school boy in the school yard bullying another "weaker" than he. His reference to Killian as a child was the behaviour of a petulant child. His admonishment of Lily was laughable; I half expected him to pull out the "little professor" and wave it around, shouting "my dick's bigger than yours". I doubt Lily would have been impressed, but it may have made for comic relief. A thought struck me out of the blue, like I was a "spirit talker", as I started to write these comments. I wonder if Professor Healy may be the one who has disturbed the site, not with the intention of removing artefacts, but with the intention of adding artefacts. I cannot recall if it has been stated he has been part of a major discovery before; if not, what if he has decided this may be his opportunity to make a name for himself with a major discovery. I don't know how easy it would be to add "fake" artefacts or perhaps artefacts "borrowed" from another site, but if anyone would know how to do so I imagine it would be he. There is just something very fishy about him as one would think he would welcome transparency. Another well crafted chapter @Josh Aterovis.