Mark Ponyboy Peters

@Summerabbacat Garden gnomes? Haha! That's gold ... because to me they were like a couple of the Seven Dwarves ... I could just see them marching off to their little mine singing 500 miles! LOL Hmmm ... maybe there's more of a story in Patrick's running away from Mac Harbour as a teen. Oh geez, just what I don't need ... another idea! haha I've only been to the Imperial once. When I was in Sydney once at the end of a work trip I met up with a mate and his boyfriend and they took me there. I was that proverbial country boy in the big smoke ... goggling everything. Funniest night I've spent in my entire life watching that drag show that night! Those inner-city suburbs always held something of a fascination for me ... not really sure why. Maybe because they're a mix of old and new, poor people and yuppies, grime and trendy reinventions of the old. A fascinating mix really.

@chris191070 I AM NOT PLAYING IT . . . I AM NOT PLAYING IT . . . I AM NOT PLAYING IT . . . LOL

-- Chapter Twelve -- Uncle Leo’s four-wheel-drive wagon probably wasn’t ever meant to hold four adults, four overnight bags, a milk crate full of miscellaneous junk from the boot, a large cosmetics bag, and Pippa’s apparently non-negotiable Esky, yet there we were, all crammed in and buckled up just after dawn. In the end we decided to leave a day earlier, to give us a chance to get there and get settled before going to the Imperial to see Patrick’s show the following night. Charlie an

@Summerabbacat no, no and no!!!!! And I HATE that bloody Purple Rain song! haha!

@Summerabbacat yeah, he is an ugly puppy, isn't he? That will be the story that follows . . . I've started mapping it out and have a pretty fair idea of the path it will take. All I need is time; to finish it and every other bloody story I have on the books! lol

-- Chapter Twenty-three -- Dawn had not yet fully broken when the Warning Bird screamed, beneath skies tinged with a fiery red. The sound tore through the valley, and the riders, who were still climbing the pass, were snapped to immediate attention. As one, they all looked up, but all they saw was the shadow of something huge. It screamed again. Another warning, then the shadow circled, before fading away. ‘What was that?’ asked a nervous Whip. ‘A Warning Bird,’ answered Chan

@Summerabbacat maybe . . . just maybe! lol

Exactly the song that came to mind when I started thinking about this movie! lol

@Summerabbacat yeah, me too!!! lol

Well, there was a line in there somewhere where he had no time for other stuff because of all the scripts and stuff that was being sent his way 😁

@Harshaw thank you so much! ❤️

@weinerdog perhaps I should finish the script first? LOL

@Summerabbacat well, I do have plans for these lads, but Thompsonville isn't in them at this stage. Perhaps Charlie can start to champion gay teens as he does become more aware of the world around him ... and maybe Brayden encourages him ... oh man ... let's not get too carried away too soon, eh? I have other stories I need to finish before I catch up with these lads again 😉

Thanks very much @Summerabbacat I'm sure there will be TV viewers all over the land having their little conniptions after Charlie's brave coming out, but I just had to have him step out of the shadows and step into his true self ... as much for him and Brayden, as for every other gay kid out there. I probably should have played that up some, but I didn't want to get too heavy with it. Anyhow, as always, thank you for all your comments and reactions as this story evolved! Hope the hayfever is doing okay tonight! MP

Thank you @Joseph OHara very much. So glad you enjoyed the ride!

-- Epilogue -- The movie dropped in late spring here in Australia, which meant it was coming into winter for the northern-hemisphere countries – which were considered to be the main market, apparently – and for a while there, it felt like the whole world was watching us. Or more specifically, watching Charlie. Trailers flooded YouTube and were played in cinemas, posters went up everywhere. Newspapers, magazines and social media were flooded with advertising, and Charlie’s schedule beca

-- Chapter Twenty-two -- Jamal set off in search of the grotto, with almost as many thoughts in his head as there were stars in the sky. Deven and Whip had made to follow him, but Luther’s gentle hand on Deven’s shoulder and a quiet suggestion that they give their friend a little time alone, was heeded. The two lads held back and found a spot near the fire, where they were soon joined by Christos – who was from their own village – and his friend, Drake. After a short search, with

Thank you @Summerabbacat Oh, and you better just make sure you have your meds and the Kleenex at hand when the final chapter gets posted Wednesday night!

-- Chapter Seven -- When Charlie stepped off the train that Friday evening – alone, as his father was staying in Sydney for business – I almost didn’t recognise him as he walked towards me, carrying his bag. He looked different, older somehow, especially with his hair specially styled for the role, his posture straighter. He looked, sharp, which was evident by the heads turning in his direction. ‘How’s life in the big smoke for the movie star?’ I asked, as I took his bag from him.

@dboggs9700 thank you, kind sir!

So, yeah, the old long distance relationship thing, eh? Do they work? Or don't they work? And more to the point ... can THIS one work? Let's work on the principal that it's only temporary, and that Charlie will be back home as soon as filming as finished? Or will he? Perhaps there is another role he is about to be snapped up for, that will keep him away for months and months and months? And as for Rachel Devine, maybe she was a TV game show girl back in the 70's ??? I'll have to check on that film company name though! Maybe I did use it previously . . . I'm not sure . . . 🤔 Oh ... and CharBray is ok by me. lol

Hmmm ... now that you've brought it up ... perhaps that is a slight error on my part then!?!? Might be a bit of an issue with them taking the long train ride into Central, if they only live in the 'outer' suburbs. Will have to try and figure out how to fix that. Thanks for the heads up! MP

@centexhairysub just two chapters to go, and all will be revealed!

-- Chapter Six -- After that first performance, everything changed, everything just blew up around us. That first Friday night show was sold out, of course – as every opening night always seems to do – but there were seats available for the remaining five shows. The first of these was to be the following night, Saturday, then the following Friday and Saturday, then the Friday and Saturday after that. Six shows in all. By the following morning, word was already spreading, and by M

-- Chapter Twenty-One -- The road grew steeper as Jamal and his band climbed into the mountains, winding through thick forest where the sunlight filtered down in narrow shafts between towering pines. Streams crossed the trail in cold silver ribbons. Once they even startled a stag that bounded away into the trees. And then, late in the afternoon, the pass opened suddenly onto a wide ridge, the mountains parting like a gateway, and beyond the pass there stretched a wide valley. Cradled b