Paladin

Ollie’s smile broadened even more. “Thanks. That’s what dad used to do.” He yawned and rolled onto his side. “Goodnight. I’ll see you in the morning.” We said goodnight and walked out, turning off the light and closing his bedroom door behind us. In the hall we looked at each other, both acknowledging what had just happened. Ollie wanted us to be like his dad, Dan. We were preparing breakfast when Ollie came out dressed ready for school. He gave each of us a warm hug. “Good morn

A wonderful, beautifully told story @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Matt and Luke have resolved to leave their past (or at least the bad parts) behind and are heading heading for their future together. Recognizing that they are leaving the town where they lived while they grew up and that they will never return to live there again is such a big step for them. Unfortunately, they would have to wait until 2017 before being able to marry in Australia.

Another wonderful chapter of loving and playful family interaction. Helen is delightful. The end is worrying. I hope they easily overcome the unwelcome vibes that have overtaken the plot of land.

Yes the correct advice is to report it to the police. One problem is that it is easy advice for the therapist, Manny and Bass to give. It is much harder for the victim, Rocky, to carry out. Bruce is a nasty character and is most likely a serial molester as well as being a bully. He is also a minor, which could make it difficult to find other victims. I hope Rocky does report him and I hope the police have some leads on other victims. In any case Bruce has to be stopped.

A beautifully written chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Your description of the campsite, the river, the animals and the bush land brought back so many memories of my own camping and bush walking. I could picture it all from my own experience and identify with what Luke was experiencing. That included finding the graves as I've also come across isolated graves in the middle of nowhere. It is very sobering and, as Luke experienced, reminded me of the frailty of life and the need to live it in the best possible way. I did notice they didn't come across any snakes. Well the reptile variety anyway.

What! So Rocky's not straight Looking forward to this.

A fun chapter and didn't we need it after all the drama and trauma of the previous chapters. Rocky seems to have ended up with a good group of friends. I just thought. Is Rocky's school co-ed? Will we have the drama of Rocky and a girlfriend?

You are correct @Al Norris that prawns and shrimp are different in more ways than size. While Australia has many species of both prawns and shrimps we generally refer to both as prawns regardless of size. Of course if you're a marine biologist you could have hundreds of different names for them.

I can easily picture that VW Kombi struggling up the hill next to the big banana. In fact I think I may even have passed it at some time.

Again another excellent chapter. I was pleased to see the boys followed the advice of The Hitchhikers Guide to have their towels with them. While I think justice was fairly delivered for Matt, I think Luke's father got a raw deal in court, perhaps because of Harry's preference for guilty pleas. Three years good behaviour strikes me as excessive, even though I don't think here is any risk of it being breached. No previous history of violence. first offense, no victim statement. Surely, given the magistrate's comments about the family not being punished further, it would have been better to invoke the first offenders provisions and issue a non-conviction order. Luke's scores are high enough for him to be near the top for the second round of offers for Southern Star University so I'd be very surprised if he misses out. As an aside Luke's score is also the frequency of one of the FM radio stations where I live. Luke is monogamous while Matt is prepared to have group sex. That is something they need to resolve very quickly in their relationship. Well you could say all's well that ends well, but what's next in store for Luke and Matt?

Another very full chapter. While it is true that "The sad part is, between us, we had seven years of experience as vampires." Greg is showing real leadership, especially in accepting advice and recognizing the actions of the others. I love the way Billy doesn't take any shit from Greg and Greg's recognition that Billy is totally supportive, loyal and right. We have a lot to find out about running the Barony and Greg's now personal wealth. Does not having a pool have anything to do with buried treasure? I'm really wanting to know what is going on with Jake; the blindness and the mind to mind with Josh. The meeting with Prince George is imminent and should be very interesting. Tommy is taking precautions in case there are problems. Hope there won't be any but who knows?

Where's the groan emoji when you need it?

Manny is back home and with the help of a therapist resigned to only having one complete arm. Wanting to use the one-hand implements is very positive. Rocky is certainly changing for the better both with his "family" and with his friends. Accepting gay friends and inviting his friends to visit is very positive. Bass seems back to providing Manny with loving care. I'm looking forward to Bass and Manny managing a house full of teenagers.

Tim and Guy, and Matt and Luke seem to be very relaxed with each other, even it it doesn't lead to a foursome. There is still the court case hanging over them but now they can enjoy the weekend and consider the positives ahead for them including university and moving away from their town. Matt could also look at further study possibilities and both could look at available work.

Why are so many readers getting hung up on the people in the window being actual apparitions of people from Phil's past or dead present? At no time did I believe there were actual spirits manifesting outside the window. I saw the window as being where Phil projected his reminiscences of his past and now in the case of Stanley as an expression of what he hopes will happen. I suspect his perspicacity will not be far wrong.

It is not surprising that Stanley is on suicide watch given the statistics of suicide rates amongst adolescent gay males. This was a serious risk for Stanley from the moment he ran away. But, 'indicators' of suicide are usually a "cry for help', which seek understanding and support. The suggestion is that Stanley will accept both and has both available provided Colin doesn't put off letting Phil explain the situation for too long. 🤞

At the same time I'm humbled by your skillful writing. I stumbled upon this story and now I have to make time to read not just this, but your other stories.

Wow! What an amazing, beautifully written chapter. The only part of the plot I expected was Ollie's father's reaction and to some extent Nathan's acceptance of Ollie. The rest was a delightful surprise which realistically fleshed out the characters and their interaction with each other. Thank you @CasualWanderer82. This chapter has left me wanting more.

This is exactly what Andre and Chris are hoping. Fingers crossed.

Another wonderful and engrossing chapter. I think, (Quote) "I looked out the window and saw a teen boy peering inside. He is the same boy I saw after talking to Susan earlier" tells us that the boy in the window is Stanley, because of him being associated with Susan. Phil has changed so much since the start of this story. He even got out of bed and moved by himself to comfort Susan. At the beginning he needed help to get out of bed. He is now very comfortable relating to Susan, and especially with Colin and Jason. I can't imagine him interacting with Jason and Colin the way he does now, when we first met him. Colin and Jason are great together and hopefully will continue that way. I hope they can all help Stanley (and his boyfriend).

You got me there @Al Norris, there will be conflict. Stay reading to discover when, what and involving whom.

Well @Lee Wilson, like @Al Norris why do you think something could go wrong with an extended family barbecue and a birthday party? I'm still not telling

Thanks @Al Norris but what makes you think there could be some bumps ahead? I not telling.

Thanks @drsawzall, I'm pleased you enjoyed the chapter. More on the quilts soon.