E K Stokes

Perhaps you take after Thomas Paine, but he left America and became a French citizen (the country where I live) and helped to draft the French constitution after our revolution. Which means we can buy alcohol on Sundays... that's if you find a shop open 😄

Well, the country was founded by puritan immigrants, those persons having or displaying censorious moral beliefs, especially about self-indulgence and sex. They have apparently left a lasting legacy.

I hope so too, but they do say... we learn by our mistakes... Sure he does, the big bear wants his twink, and Rókus has already confessed to Laren, "I... I'm a virgin." Of course, words of wisdom, but Rókus has added to the prize Laren is after, the new pretty young man... and Laren will be his first...

You both, @chris191070, @drsawzall, make good points, bullied or encouraged towards what Jude wants is certainly true and he (the narrator) doesn't put up much resistance. Maybe you could suppose they both want this relationship, " I was so deeply drawn to him I would do anything he asked, "

Very true.

I was a virgin. Not anymore. Jude? I didn't know. He didn't say. In fact, he didn't say much at all. We fell asleep together in my single bed. It was... cozy. My body felt exhausted and a little sore, but my mind was racing. I had so many questions about him, about myself. I hadn't forgotten Damien either. Yeah, I found out the kid's name. He was a second year, thirteen years old. I wanted to talk to him again, to try and make things right, but it felt like mission impossible. Right now, I just

Rókus woke with a start, the familiar light of morning filtering through his thin bedroom curtains. The curtains fluttered gently, pushed by a breeze that smelled of damp earth and fresh air. He was in his own bed. He sat up, the comforting reality of his room slowly sinking in. The previous night's frantic rush and disorienting colours felt like a bizarre, fading dream. He could recall the music, the smell of the club, Laren’s touch, and the sharp cold of the night air. Then, the panic in the t

Thank you @drsawzall, @andy cannon, and @VBlew for your comments. I'm pleased the beginning was interesting and captured readers attention. Bartenders are interesting creatures, they see a lot, but don't interfere. The encounter was not the best start, neither was the cocktail of alcohol and drugs, it could have ended in disaster!

The music pulsed like a living thing bouncing around in a confined space, Rókus felt it more as a pressure against his eardrums than an invitation to dance. He’d made it inside, ID successfully presented despite the doorman's skeptical look. Now he was a part of the throng, a lone island in a sea of bodies. The air thick with the scent of spilled beer, sweat, and something vaguely sweet which he couldn’t place. He gripped his glass, the condensation cool against his palm, and watched the crowd,

Rókus is a shy twenty year old virgin who comes out to his dad whose only concern is that his son ought to go out into the world and find a nice boy. The story follows Rókus and what happens as he takes his father's advice.

The presentation the following day was a blur of prepared speeches and projected slides. I stood so close to Jude that I could feel the heat of his body, could smell his faint cologne. He brushed against me as we switched places at the front of the class, and I felt a jolt. He grinned at me, the same shy smile that had drawn me in months ago. It was like the beginning again, a sick, twisted rewind. Nothing had changed, and yet everything had. I thought the project was over; I thought I could fin

As @andy cannon commented the narrator doesn't like the place where he finds himself, and what is @chris191070 interesting, at least to me, is how he will deal with that, as @drsawzall says, does he have the courage, and I could add, the will, to do something about it?

There are a few more twists to come.

I tried to show in synopsis that this story was about teenage relationships, but not your usual boy meets boy and they live happily ever after.

That Monday, it was like nothing had ever happened over the weekend. The air between us was a strange kind of normal. I saw him in the corridor; he looked at me, a brief, knowing grin on his face, but no words were exchanged. It was a silent acknowledgment of our shared secret, a reminder of the power he now held. The silence was as heavy as any confession. Two days later, the day before our presentation, the dam broke. It was in the middle of a class, the teacher droning on about some hist

I'm pleased @chris191070 you enjoyed the chapter and @drsawzall you found the character portrayal was realistic. Now let's see how things develop. Thank you for your comments.

Me too! Currently publishing a short story written in first person, working on two others in the third person, my usual preference. I don't see myself writing many stories in first person because I find it has a limited appeal, working for a minority of stories, but too restrictive when wanting to create a whole universe. Plus, if you don't like the character and his inner thoughts, his view of the world before him, then you probably won't like the story he's recounting. In third person you can follow different characters who can each be developed together and apart.

The project was finished and ready to be handed in. We were sprawled on my bedroom floor, surrounded by crumpled papers and our laptops. We briefly discussed the presentation—the order of our slides, who would say what—but the conversation felt empty, a mere formality. The real show was about to begin. Jude abruptly changed the subject. "When you..." he started, his head tilted at an odd, unnerving angle as he looked at me. "When I what?" I asked, my voice a little too high. A sense of

Lovely evocation of an almost wistful memory, and it satisfied the prompt perfectly.

I don't know how to reply to your comment other than to say, awareness can sometimes be a slow dawning process.

Ditto, I hope what is not expected is a good point?

The overwhelming reaction to this first chapter was surprise, if I interpret the wow emoticon correctly, neither the antagonist nor the story is perhaps as expected, I don't know, I tried to sum it up in the synopsis. You might well get angry as things progress, we'll see!

I was fifteen when I first saw him. Jude, a beautiful boy. I don't remember coming to that conclusion, his beauty. It was self-evident, a fact that declared itself. Like the sky is blue and the grass is green, Jude was beautiful. Was he unaware of it? I thought so. His shy smile and the way he carried himself, standing apart, seemed to suggest he was. But I was wrong. He was totally aware, the master of the game, and he played things out slowly. There were little moments. Him sitting next t

A compelling and unsettling coming-of-age short story about first love, deception, and the painful loss of innocence. The novel follows an unnamed narrator as he navigates the tumultuous landscape of his teenage years, a time made both magical and terrifying by his growing obsession with a boy named Jude.

I regret I have not replied sooner to all your comments, my only excuse is I left on vacation before the end of the competition and have just now arrived back. During my absence I had no internet, a vacation choice, hence my late response. That said, I feel I owe it to you all to give my reply, it's rather long, but there were lots of points made. The character of Morris. Not gonna lie. Morris gave me creeper vibe @kbois just say no and scream if someone touches you in your private places lol. @Jeff Burton Morris is a predator, ... he made me angry @Headstall I'm not sure is Morris predator or guru @Cane23 Morris strikes me as a possible predator @chris191070 Focus too hard on Morris, and it feels like grooming behavior @Thirdly taking the photos may cross a line, but I didn’t get the feeling of any malicious intent. @Lee Wilson Morris was wrong, no doubt but he helped a young man to crystallise his own inner turmoil. @Darryl62 I felt Morris was merely attempting to help Lucas become comfortable with being gay. @Bill W The slant on making Morris so understanding and just trying to help poor ole Lucas comes across as predatory because it is. I've met plenty of Morris's in my life. @Jason Rimbaud In this opening chapter, the entry for the Secret Author 2025 competition, the story plot and characters are being set, with a premier encounter and a revelation of a deep secret, Lucas is a boy attracted to other boys. As some readers commented, we are not sure if Morris is "guru" or "predator." This uncertainty is an essential part of the story, the characters are not black or white, but complicated personalities who act the way they do for varied reasons which may be viewed as good or evil, and your point of view may change. The character of Morris is complex, but the crucial point is he is a human being, as one commentator noted, "I've met plenty of Morris's in my life," and that is the whole point, he's real! The character of Lucas Not gonna lie though me at thirteen probably would have done it too @Jeff Burton you see a teen that's so desperate to accept himself, @Thirdly From Lucas viewpoint... it was a momentous interlude @Darryl62 we are left with the feeling that Lucas feels grateful for being abused @Jason Rimbaud Is Lucas desperate to accept himself or is he longing to find a place in the world where he is accepted? There is a difference. Without doubt his choice is dangerous, "momentous," but very risky. "We are left with a feeling that Lucas feels grateful for being abused," what Lucas feels grateful for is finding acceptance, certainly in an abusive context, but acceptance nevertheless, and that is a reality. Is it good or bad, we don't know, but draw our own conclusions all the same. The story sets the seen, exposes the complexities of the characters, but draws no conclusions, those are for the reader to decide upon. Trigger warnings There should have been a gigantic warning message on this one. What a terrible disservice to GA readers! @Tim Hobson I refuse to read this. ... this story needs HUGE TRIGGER WARNINGS @Inkognito I've read some serious violence and abuse stories here at GA. Comparing to them this story is not exception. @Cane23 I know you've read at least one of each, violent and abusive, because I wrote them. @Lee Wilson Trigger warnings are something I admit with hindsight, I should have consider, fortunately Cia addressed the issue very quickly. Taking a look at Lee Wilson's stories I didn't find trigger warnings. On other stories with phyiscal and sexual abuse I have not found warnings, but perhaps it is a development which older stories did not use. I apologise to those readers for whom trigger warnings should have been there from first publication. I take exception to a shout back that huge warnings are needed when if you haven't read the story how can you know? The story theme/plot I too found this v disturbing to read. @Gary L Morris blatantly broke the law...in any jurisdiction. @drsawzall We can hope that Lucas ended up at Hugo's a few hours later playing video games, and just a little out of it. @centexhairysub Perhaps if the story continued taking the masturbation topic further, i.e. videotaping, my thoughts may differ. @Lee Wilson This feels almost like a gaslighting, propaganda piece ... I find it disingenuous that the adult is written in such a way - @Dabeagle Utterly disturbing and creepy. @Camy The plot is disturbing and Morris blatantly broke the law, absolutely correct. Like any mystery drama, murders, grand theft, kidnapping, the characters, protanganist or antagonist may break the law, they are outlaws. That the story is disturbing, even creepy, illustrates it works, it puts the reader in the place where the characters live and the events happen, it provokes emotional reactions, fear and trepidation. The story does continue, as said previously, the Secret Author entry was in effect the first chapter, so you will have to decided how to interpret things if you read on. "Gaslighting" is a term I'm not very familiar with, but it refers to psychological manipulation and a questioning of one's own perception of reality, in that sense the term applies to this story. There is an undercurrent of manipulation and quite possibly the character of Morris poses a question which perhaps doesn't go so far as to make us question our perception of reality, but does pose questions as he hovers between what may be seen as good and evil. Thank you, @Mikiesboy this entry left me with more questions than I had before. @BendtedWreath Finally, "more questions," than answers is intentional, the story develops, expands, and changes as do the characters. Will all your questions be answered, I'm not sure they will be, but hopefully it's a good story and packed full of drama, a struggle if you like, between what's good and what's not, but each of you will draw your own conclusions. Thank you for reading and commenting, be sure, unless it's not your type of story, to pick up the book as the next chapters get published. For the lack of trigger warnings at the initial publication I once again apologise. For those who obviously didn't like the theme or the way the characters were drawn, then there are a wealth of stories on GA to choose from so you should easily find something to your taste. Thank you, EKS.