Summerabbacat

Michael's behaviour was very foolish. Stephen was correct in that anyone could have kidnapped him. If an 8 year child recognised he was blind, any adult with unsavoury intentions could have made mince meat of him, literally if they were so inclined. However, we should cut him slack as to date he has always been such a sensible and mature lad, and the news he received was far more upsetting than he let on. I am glad Michael has the support of his father should he wish to pursue a discrimination case at a later date.

Do I see an Elsie, an Ivy, a Doris, a Mavis, a Gertrude, a Mabel, an Enid, a Margaret and/or a Madge amongst this lot? I can almost bet at least one of them would have had one of the aforementioned names. My grandmother's given names were Dulcie Muriel Gertrude, but she was known as Dulce. Spell check does not even recognise the name Dulcie but it does Dulce. How odd that is to me.

Gran becomes more delightful with each passing chapter. I am so glad she has been given a much bigger role in this story than she had in any of its predecessors @Wombat Bill. I am also very impressed with the relationship you have established between she and Caleb, a relationship which is proving so very beneficial to both. I must say when Gran shed a tear reminiscing about her days as a young woman with the CWA, I shed a tear with her reminiscing about my grandmother, long passed now at the age of 95 years 9 months in 2012. Hopefully neither of the unsuccessful candidates for school captain begin a smear campaign against Caleb. It would not surprise me if one or both do as many children nowadays do not take losing well, in fact, apparently no one ever "fails" or "loses" anymore as that is just too demeaning and too hard to handle. Perhaps EdWiener can perform a special show in honour of Caleb's first foray into "public life" and "serving the people". Is there a little of Ted Mack in this young man, a shining light for the future? Now a nod to the "man of the hour", young Caleb Richards.

Liked it, I applauded it. Ingenious. No blood and guts to clean up, no land wasted for burial and no police resources wasted on raiding the compound with the possible loss of innocent lives. A mass cremation, although perhaps not the most environmentally sound method. All in all, a little Bohemian Rhapsody. Well done "Freddie".

"I was in the car before I realized I had no idea where we were going. I simply stuck close to Micah and pretended I was shadowing a suspect. I needed the practice, anyway. Tailing was not one of my more polished investigative skills." Oh no. This means more driving @drsawzall. This cannot be a good thing if history repeats itself. Killian may need to work longer hours just to pay his insurance premiums. Micah's ultimatum would be a lot for anyone to consider, but for a 19 year old in his first adult relationship, the pressure on Killian is enormous. Killian faces an unenviable task, and the only person I think he can really turn for sage advice or reassurance is dead, Seth. It is always Seth who manages to get through to Killian about the tough choices and I think it will be Seth again. Terrific start to this new work @Josh Aterovis. I sense Killian faces turbulent times both professionally and personally.

I hope you are very wrong @weinerdog. If it is Fletcher I hope he survives another heart attack, even if it is with lesser capacity, unless it is with no capacity, in which case a Change of Worlds may be a relief.

Seemingly Graham was not necessarily that fond of Daphne either, more concerned is he regarding the content of her laptop. I wonder if Graham might be named in the Epstein files or is Gary Glitter one of his "dodgy" business contacts/clients? Is Louis' life about to change drastically? Will exposure in Brussels lead to a significant increase in income, but a significant decrease in privacy and "me" time? Will his relationship with Charlie change? Intrigue and suspense are the name of the game in this story @Robert Hugill. Well done yet again.

I am obviously losing the plot because I cannot see it at the top of the next chapter. WTF.

Very comprehensive. I am not familiar with most of the songs, but certainly recognised and loved the songs by The Seekers, Linda Ronstadt/The Stone Pony's, Judy Collins and a couple of others.

"But Hugo Allen was a hero. He was the grandfather of the most recent kidnapping victim. He had a heart condition that the doctors were unable to cure, and had previously been given roughly a month to live. With approximately a week left in that month, he drove his fuel tanker onto the compound. Just before he crashed into the HQ/dormitory building, his heart gave out. Two teachers also present in the school building spilled their guts about the cult to get a lighter sentence for their kidnapping convictions. Amazingly, Hugo’s body was saved from being ravaged by the fire. The autopsy concluded he had died from heart failure." That out-of-control 18 wheel semi-trailer driven by a middle-aged male who has had a heart episode was a long-time coming @Lee Wilson, but when it arrived it was a moment to behold (religious imagery intended given the circumstances). Grandpa Hugo was a hero for sure, and his choice of weapon, a fuel tanker, even smarter than an 18 wheel semi-trailer. I imagine there would have been little, if anything, left of the Higgins family. Darren and Luca are still together, Darren's adoption by Esteban and Aurora possibly strengthening their bond even further. Darren's generosity is to be admired, although it is not completely selfless, having Luca room with him is a win/win situation for them both. The Fernandez family are a close-knit family. And now a little dedication to Darren's COLGA "family" members. A marvellous little song from Polly Brown. I remember it well, but I have never seen this video.

Next year Noah will have to drown Isabella and Tony Romano before the sandcastle building competition so they cannot win again. Jay is like a puppy who isn't toilet trained yet or keeps humping the leg of everyone he meets. He is hard not to like though as he seems perfectly harmless, totally clueless and without any guile. 📣📣📣📣📣📣🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 for Noah and Leo. Take note of Deborah Harry lads, follow her wise words: .

I am sure it will be worth the wait, and in the interim we are blessed with more trips to the Hugillverse and more Hugillisms. I am sure "the faithful" will not mind one iota.

Hopefully you like this one @Lee Wilson and it is not too "folky".

I imagine feathers would delight you @Ticklishboy30, very ticklish. Hopefully faux feathers though.

Like a snow globe, unwanted and unloved.

Michael is a remarkably mature and calm young teen. I am not however, I was furious on his behalf. The IOC regard him as an insurance liability, but are happy to turn a blind eye to the obviously "juiced" athletes whose physiques have changed from resembling Timothee Chalamet to Arnold Schwarzenegger in a short period of time. A heart "episode" in the waiting when "juiced" to the eyeballs. I am curious as to Michael's intended destination. Great chapter @Lee Wilson, with Michael's rejection predictably realistic.

Now is NOT the time for that out-of-control 18 wheel semi-trailer, driven by a middle-aged male who has just had a heart "episode", to make an appearance @Lee Wilson. Nor is it the time for Abel Taft or Kathy Taft to be released from detention for a weekend only due to good behaviour, unless they happen to be in the vicinity of the out-of-control 18 wheel semi-trailer driven by a middle-aged male who has just had a heart "episode". All that wind @Lee Wilson, LOL. Have you been eating too many cruciferous vegetables? I for one am glad you have been "windy" as this story has been a delight from the word go, with only one really serious "villain" in Uncle Mark, and some small-time hoons like Melton, Sandy et al who were not life-threatening (or has my mind slipped as well my eyesight?).

I am about to read the new chapter entitled Return From California @Lee Wilson, and it appears it is I who have taken performance decreasing drugs. I made my comments above on February 5 on the basis the next chapter was titled Return To California. I have checked it again and you have not changed the title. I am, as we may say in Australia (at least in my age group), a complete Wally, which translates to a fucking dickhead or idiot.

I must say @Mark Ponyboy Peters, the The Prisoner of Carronne suggests a Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Carronne, although your writing skills are vastly superior, or a blockbuster action hero movie, Indiana Jones and The Prisoner of Carronne.

I agree wholeheartedly @Gary L. I assume they allow all humans to visit, and humans are the filthiest, most disease-riddled and most inconsiderate of the comfort of others, of all creatures on Planet Earth. One only has to visit the garbage room in my apartment complex to know this to be true. And the worst offenders of all, humans with babies. Filthy disposable nappies just thrown in the bins. They should be banned, disposable nappies that is (at least). Give me pooches, or better yet the perfect creation 🐈, any day ahead of many, many, many humans.

"Carefully, they had made their way down the tower in which they resided, managing to sneak past guards until they were in the deepest parts of the castle, where light never shone, and the rats grew as big as cats." Very Bowie-esque @Mark Ponyboy Peters; Future Legend from the marvellous Diamond Dogs album. It is apparent Garrett is a fine specimen of a man, horny and healthy; certainly no Leif. A sense of humour, mixed with mischief and a dash of raunch (well maybe more than a dash). The behaviour of the Knights of the Order of the Dragon, the taking of a young male lover, would be frowned upon in today's world by many, although in defence of Luther he has waited until Jamal has come of age, which appears to be 18 if I am not mistaken. Have Carel and Willem found a way to escape the dungeon in which Willem has been imprisoned? If so, will Willem be able to foretell the future still and assist those who attempt to overthrow Septimus? May a putrescent plague descend upon Septimus and his arse kissing cronies. What an incredible talent:

Is that Mr Darcy, Mr Knightley, Edgar Linton or perhaps Heathcliff amongst the trees on the right of screen @Gary L? The gardens certainly are magnificent, definitely more Austenesque than Brontëesque though. Imagine the fun Greta and Lilibet (or is it Lilibeth and why can I not remember) could have. So many things to sniff, so many places to mark their territory. And the pool/pond in front of the pavilion, imagine the cat fights Alexis and Krystle could have had in it. The perfect setting for a Merchant/Ivory classic, except James Ivory is the only one still alive and he is 97 years of age. I have always thought he was English, but he is an American. A real feel-good chapter @Robert Hugill. @centexhairysub was correct with his comment on the previous chapter: "Charlie is, I think, more upset that he isn't more upset than that Aunt Daphane actually met her demise." Very astute.

I thought it too obvious Ox was the culprit who stole the artefact which Mahaka found. I was not surprised the culprit was revealed to be an indigenous student, nor was I surprised by the reason he removed the artefact. I think Principal Ricketts did the right thing by not involving the police and by discussing the theft rationally with Bonner (named in honour of Senator Neville Bonner). His parents Archie and Aretha were eminently sensible and between the four the matter was resolved satisfactorily with very little fuss. Given Bonner's intention was neither malicious nor motivated by personal gain, I believe any kind of punishment would have been counterproductive. CI Richards displayed a good deal of knowledge regarding procedural examination of the artefact. It is apparent watching Law & Order, Midsomer Murders AND Morse has not been for entertainment purposes only. Will this be sufficient to earn him the position of School Captain or is Florence's son, Scott, a shoe in given his popularity, or is there an unknown dark horse yet to reveal his intentions?

I can totally relate to the text in bold. I just hope Andrew and/or Brody are able to convince him to return home and work on what is important i.e. his relationship with Andrew. Andrew may have to start shouldering some financial responsibility too given their comparative young ages, with Will being the younger of the two.

A terrific start to this new chapter in Adam's life @ChromedOutCortex. I was very impressed with his honesty in his disclosures to Alex. He did not attempt to conceal his mental health struggles and answered many of the questions some of we readers raised when commenting on In My Mind. I was particularly impressed he acknowledged he was able to fool family and friends alike for a long time because of what he had learned in his Psychology minor. He really is a remarkable man, with or without Jamie. The return to his hometown is a very good idea, particularly to visit Jamie's gravesite. It will be very difficult for him to do so I imagine, but I hope it helps in the healing process he must go through, perhaps for a very long time, perhaps for the rest of his life. Alex has been his friend for a long time, the one who continually made an effort to maintain a friendship with Adam whilst at University. He certainly appears to be in it for the long haul. I imagine he will be welcomed by Adam's and Jamie's family alike.