Disclaimer: My stories, like the private fantasies of many people, often depict "breaking some rules". Do not read this story if you believe fantasy stories should never depict situations undesirable in real life.

Be warned that you may not be comfortable with the sexual situations. Do not read this story if you are less than 18 years of age and/or subject to coercion.

Additionally, one must realize that names, places, and dialog, seem similar to that which may be known in a more personal way. Rest assured that no resemblance to persons, living or deceased, is intended. Pure coincidence is in play here.

JM

April 15, 2002

"WHERE IN THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?"

Two frightened little boys were staring into their Mother's eyes and were perplexed as to which eye to look into. That has always been a problem for these boys, for Nancy Mirra had one Brown eye and one Blue eye. When the boys looked at her, for her demanding attention, they could not move. It was as if they had encountered the ancient Medusa, that the Greeks talk about. Yes, they stood still, as if they had been turned to stone.

Speaking of looks, Andrew and Cole Mirra, not only frozen in time, but actually had the look of total disdain. This made Nancy Mirra even more angry. The boys had heard all of this before. It was like a broken record, as they used to say on the radio. Why was she in this mood this time?

"DO YOU REALIZE THAT IT IS TEN O'CLOCK AT NIGHT?"

Before Andrew could utter a word, being a spokesman for he and Cole, Nancy Mirra started in again.

"I SLAVE AND SLAVE ALL DAY AT THE HAT FACTORY AND COME HOME TO FIX YOU CLOWNS SOMETHING TO EAT AND YOU ARE NOT HERE. YOU DID NOT LEAVE A NOTE....NO NOTHIN'. WHY AM I DOING THIS FOR YOU CLOWNS?" I THINK I'M DUE MORE RESPECT THAN THAT."

Nancy Mirra was at the top of her voice. She was yelling, and if it had been anyone else than Andrew and Cole, Mirra, no one would have understood her. She was not only yelling, but slurring her words. She had been drinking......been drinking a lot.

Andrew and Cole, when they were trapped at home, knew how and when to avoid her. They pretty much stayed in their shared room and talked, or listened to music, or hell, even did homework, such as it was for their age and school year. One thing they did learn at home, was to tell time in different ways. One male influence that they remembered from years ago, taught them that. Since the digital mode of things were coming into vogue, the old ways were forgotten. Who knew any more, to look at a clock with hands on it? There was a joke that had been around for a while, referencing "Mickey Mouse" and the Marines. It would be said, that in order to tell a Marine the time, one would say "Mickey's big hand is on the Ten and his little hand is on the Four," for example. Now Andrew and Cole can tell time another way. They had suddenly missed the male influence and never received a satisfactory answer from Mama, as to where he was. They also noticed a different form of clock in the house. It was bottle shaped. Funny name for a clock too. "Beam's Choice" was the logo on the face of it. In the mornings, the fluid level was high within the glass column. At mid-day, the fluid level was down a good bit. Then by evening time, the fluid level was at the bottom. The boys, even at that young age Three (for Cole) and Six,(for Andrew) they knew how to associate the fluid level in the bottle, (and Mama's ultimate demeanor) with the actual time of day.

Andrew and Cole withstood the repetitive lecture from Mama Nancy and shook it off as she went to the kitchen and took another swallow of "Captain Morgan," her evening-time cordial. Andrew and Cole looked at her with their rehearsed saddened eyes and bad puppy-dog looks, in order to give her the feeling that they were actually sorry for whatever it was she was ranting and raving about. The boys were a little hungry at this Ten O'Clock hour. Although breakfast was assured the next morning, because Andrew fixed it for himself and Cole, for Mama has to be at work very early. But the boys needed something to tide them over for the night.

"I HAD THIS NICE SPAGHETTI AND MEAT BALL DINNER, ALL HOT AND WAITING FOR YOU CLOWNS," Nancy said, still yelling. The echo were still ringing from the hard plaster walls of the kitchen.

"We're sorry, Mama," Cole said with his drooping blue eyes and dejected look. "Can we...."

"HELL NO! I SHOULD MAKE YOU SUFFER LIKE I DID WAITING FOR YOU!"

One could see fire in her face.

"AND BESIDES, IT'S 'MAY' WE."

Damn! As snockered as Nancy was, she still managed to correct the boy's English.

"YOU BOYS GO TO BED RIGHT NOW!"

"We're sorry, Mama," Cole said with his drooping blue eyes and dejected look.

Fire came into Andrew's face too. He was not going to stand for that. It was not so much for himself, but for Cole. Andrew and Cole were real brothers, as far as he knew, but being the younger, Ten-Year Old Cole had not been through some of the things in his short life as Thirteen-Year Old Andrew had. To think through that, Andrew did not. It just felt natural for him to protect his little brother in some given situations, especially those involving their Mother.

Andrew mumbled a word that Cole had heard him use; in fact it was two words. Mama, while way to her bedroom, turned on a dime and looked harshly at the boys.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOUNG MAN?"

Nancy was still yelling. What was her problem now? Certainly, the bad puppy-dog looks from her sons would have calmed her down.

"Nothing, Mama," Cole said, with that same dejected look. "You must be hearing things."

Andrew damn near lost it. He knew that she heard him and also knew those words. If fact, he had learned them from her in the first place. But when Cole said that she was hearing things, that was so funny. Her reaction was pure comedy.

Nancy gave a "if looks could kill" look to the boys. Again, the Medusa look. In the bright light of the kitchen it was even more frightening. Too bad Halloween was in October. The boys could have taken her around the neighborhood for "trick or treat."

"We're sorry," Andrew said. "We're going, we're going."

"HURRUMPH," Nancy said, as she turned to continue her journey to her own bedroom.

Andrew and Cole extinguished the kitchen light and followed her down the hall part way, watching her stumble over a pair of underwear in the floor. Andrew, as angry as he was, watched to make sure his Mama got further into her room, safely. Nancy Mirra regained her balance and flopped across her bed. She was finally out like the proverbial light. Andrew extinguished the room light and closed the door. Cole had continued to the room that he and Andrew shared. He was in tears, but did not show that to brother Andrew. He was only Ten, but he was a big boy now, nonetheless.

"Pssst," Andrew said, as he motioned to Cole.

Cole looked up from his seat on the edge of his bed. He had his chin in a cup formed by the palms of his hands. One could see the stress in his face. Mama's drinking and the lack of an older male influence, other than his older brother, Andrew, was taking its' toll on him.

"What do you want to eat, pal?" Andrew asked his brother. "I wonder if Mama put away that Spaghetti or threw it out. She probably threw it out.....Damnit! That sounded good."

Cole giggled at the word "damnit." He did not use that word himself, but he knew that Andrew was angry when he used that word and the others he said in the kitchen a few minutes ago.

"Take your shoes off and follow me, Cole," Andrew said, as he removed his own shoes. "Let's be real quiet."

Cole removed his shoes and followed Andrew down the hall, cautiously past the closed door of Mama's room, and finally to the kitchen. Andrew opened the refrigerator and looked inside.

It was more bare than he had expected. This was Thursday, and there is an obligatory trip to the grocery store on Saturday, Mama's day off. This way, Nancy could keep an eye on them and yell and scream accordingly, if they got lost in the game room of the grocery store or the snack section. If they had money, the game room was the place where Mama had to come looking for them. She was angry anyway, but that really made her more angry. Nancy not only took the kids to grocery shopping to keep an eye on them, she took them to get input as to their culinary likes and dislikes. If it was left up to them, the kids would be malnourished. She spoiled them in that respect, but with some discretion. (Well one point for her)

If no money in their pockets, Andrew and Cole would haunt the snacks area. Let's face it. The snacks area of a grocery store can be alluring to all. There were prepackaged goodies such as bags of potato and apple chips, 10,000 different varieties of candy, national brands, and some you never heard of.

Although April, it was beginning to be warmer weather in Beaufont, Maine. However, Andrew and Cole wore light, deep pocket, jackets, from "Land's End," that Grandma Helen and Grandpa Mike Mirra sent them. Among the displays of goodies, there were big jars of loose candy, promotion samples, peanuts, etc. They were full when Andrew and Cole, arrived, but when Mama rounded them up, the jars were damn near empty, unbeknownst to Mama and the store clerks who had their backs turned. The poor store clerks and underpaid help like that. They caught Hell from store management for the jars being so low in volume, little did he know of the pilferage, until it was too late, and the hired help quit from the harassment.

"There is some peanut butter," Cole whispered, as his eyes adjusted, in the dark kitchen from the only light of the refrigerator.

"And Jelly........Grape.....Yum!" Andrew said, also whispering.

Andrew navigated to the cabinets and took two small plates from the shelf. Cole had found hamburger buns in a lower shelf of the refrigerator and gave them to Andrew. Andrew slowly opened a sticky, squeaky draw, careful not to pull on it too hard and dump the contents in the floor with a clatter, or not to pull it hard enough to make it squeak.

Cole's eyes opened widely in anticipation as Andrew finally opened the drawer and removed a standard table knife.

"Are you really hungry, Buddy?" Andrew said to Cole. "I am."

It was a rhetorical question, and Cole did not answer. He just smiled. Andrew did not pursue the line of questioning, either.

Cole turned back to the refrigerator and look around.

"Let's make a big sandwich like that guy on TV does."

"What guy?" Andrew asked.

"I think they call him 'Dagwood,' Cole replied. He has a family of two kids, a wife, and a dog with a bunch of puppies....He's got a stupid name...'Bumstead," I think it is? Ha-Ha. What a name. Anyway, it's a funny program and he fixes a sandwich that is a foot thick."

"Pfffft," Andrew said. We don't have enough in the refrigerator to do that with. Besides if he put pickles on it, you don't like pickles."

Cole giggled with that little boy giggle that Andrew loved.

"Well here's some Bologna and Cheese....Oh lettuce," he said with glee.

"YUK!" Andrew whispered loudly. "I don't want that junk on my sandwich..I'll fix yours any way you want it, but forget that for me."

"Tee-hee," Cole said, giggling.

If he was not going to bed hungry, he sure would enjoy the consequences should any of that combination react with his delicate, little boy system.

Andrew made himself two peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches, and Cole, two, 2-inch thick "Dagwood" sandwiches. He loved Cole, and wanted to please, as well as protect him.

"Where ya gona put that, Buddy?" Andrew whispered. "You got a hollow leg or something?"

Cole again giggled and smiled at his brother. He knew that his comment was not meant to be chastising and that Andrew couldn't care less about any of his wants and needs in the food department. He closed the refrigerator and followed his brother through the now dark kitchen, precariously carrying his sandwiches on that already heavy plate. Down the hall,they went, carefully by da Mama's still closed door. A loud snoring noise could he heard from the other side of the closed door. This time, more serious Andrew giggled.

Andrew placed his plate on the desk that he and Cole shared at homework time. He then closed the door and released a sigh and a sweet look to his brother, smiling at his big appetites and his love for him, in general.

"What?" Cole said, with a mouth full of peanut butter and grape jelly and bologna and lettuce and cheese.

Andrew giggled and took a bite of his own, plain, peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich.

"Nuttin" he said, as he looked into the boys's bedroom sea-blue eyes, giggling again.

Cole ignored him after that. Cole had lived with his brother long enough to get used to his antics. When it came to brotherly love, that was one thing, but he loved the image of protection that Andrew presented for to him. He was not as talkative with others of Andrew's Thirteen years, or other's of his own Ten years either, for that matter. He was more talkative with Andrew, but right now, he was not interested in talking. He was more interested in devouring that big sandwich and starting on another.

"Hiccup!"

Andrew looked at his brother and released a bathroom word.

Cole grinned from ear to ear, hearing his brother say such things. He started to cough but caught the remaining food in his mouth with his hand and started to giggle. Shoveling the half-chewed food back in, he hiccupped again.

Andrew let out another bathroom word and said to be quiet. He opened the door and told Cole that he'd be right back.

"Ooomph caymmmph," Cole said.

Andrew returned two minutes later with a plastic glass and a big 24-Ounce bottle of Pepsi. He poured half of it in the glass and handed the bottle to Cole.

"I'm sorry, champ. I forget about sumptin' to drink."

If da Mama had been in the room, he would have known it. Andrew used the wrong tense of the word "forgot." Why was she such a nut on the language with those kids? It's a good thing she was passed out in her room, for Andrew and Cole had no use for her at the moment.

Andrew looked at Cole and the remaining parts of his sandwiches and realized that the little bit of 12-Ounce of his half of the drink was not enough. He looked at his own and decided that just maybe, he should have some more.

"Damn!" He exclaimed.

Again, Cole got tickled with Andrew's use of curse words...so appropriate they were. Andrew didn't think of them that way, as to impress his friends or brother. He simply used them as an expression of how he felt at any one moment.

"I'll be right back," he told Cole.

Cole was still giggling at his big brother's antics, not realizing that it was for him, that his brother was showing such concern. Andrew returned with another 24-Ounce bottle of Pepsi. Before the door closed, they could still hear the rumbling sounds of da Mama loudly snoring.

"I hope Mama doesn't see all that stuff missing from the icebox," Cole said.

"HA! Didn't think of that," Andrew replied. "That's too bad if she does. She will never put it together with tonight. By the time she realizes it, we will be at the store again.....Ha-Ha. She will cuss a blue streak, but we won't care, will we, Coe?"

APRIL 16, 2002 (EARLY)

Andrew awoke to the sound of fairly loud whimpering. He rubbed his eyes and focused on the digital clock that was located across the room on the work desk. It was 2:15 A.M.

"Cole?" he mumbled, "Cole?"

Receiving no response, he grunted and thought about calling his brother's name again. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, then,

"COLE?"

Andrew was now thinking better. If he could not wake his brother in this manner, perhaps he could console him.

Mama, Nancy was an antique nut. She had gone into debt practically, to purchase a twin bed set for the boys' room. The two beds were reproductions, but still a little bulky for their taste. They had been at their friend's houses and did not see such useless designs. He wanted to push the beds together, but they were too heavy.

Andrew hopped out of bed and joined his little brother in his. There was not much room. but the two boys were small and would fit snuggly in the room provided by the single mattress.

Cole had gone to sleep on a full stomach from two big sandwiches of an unheard-of combination of peanut butter, grape jelly, bologna, lettuce and cheese. It is a wonder if he was asleep with that on his stomach. And don't forget highly 24 Ounces of caffeine Pepsi.

Andrew slipped in behind sweet Cole as close as he could and snaked his right arm under the boy's neck, then wrapped his left arm and hand over the boy and placed his left hand flat upon Cole's chest.

"Cole-Cole," Andrew said in a low voice. "Shhhsss-Shush now. I know, I know... It'll be okay... I'm here now."

Maybe Andrew was presumptuous maybe not. He did not know exactly what it was that was bothering Cole, this time, but he was determined to find out and see what he could do to ease the boy's pain. He began to have guilt feelings about the situation. He thought about all of the times that he'd been mean to his little brother. He thought about the times he had teased him, or not included him on things that should have been brotherly things to do. "It was downright selfish of him," he thought. Andrew found himself kissing the sweet little boy on his exposed left ear. He really loved his little brother, but had never fully realized the impact of the word "love" from the standpoint of the little bit of introspection that had just occurred.

Cole never budged. Andrew was not going to pursue waking the little boy up, but he was still curious. He also wanted to return to sleep himself, but now he was too deep in guilt feelings to go peacefully. In the daylight, was a road ahead of him that he did not look forward to. The only solace he had this night, was the fact that Mama was still asleep and would not complicate his thoughts any further, and Cole, sweet, sweet Cole had calmed down and was no longer whimpering.

Cole took a deep breath and released a soft moaning, sigh.

"BLAAAAAAAAAAAAA-BLAAAAAAAAAAAAA-BLAAAAAAAAAAAAA-BLAAAAAAAAAAAAA,"

A rhythmic, raspy sound filled the room. Andrew was the first to awaken, finding himself in his brother's bed. Cole awoke, felt his older brother's presence and shook in wonder.

"What are you doing in my bed, Drew?" Cole asked his older brother.

Andrew did not answer, other than with another under-the-breath curse word. As perplexed as Cole was, he did giggle at Andrew for that little display of temper. Andrew hopped out of Cole's bed and went across the room to silence the raspy alarm from the digital clock. It was Seven O'clock as he silenced the alarm and he knew that he had to fix breakfast and get themselves off to school, which was only a Ten-Minute walk from their home. As soon as alarm was silenced, another of the same sound was heard through his door, his Mother's door, and down the hallway.

"DAMNIT!" Andrew exclaimed.

Cole again giggled. When was Drew going to answer his question?

Andrew opened the door to the room and sprinted in his underwear to his Mother's room.

"MAMA-MAMA-MAMA!" Andrew yelled at the top of his voice. "WAKE UP! YOU'RE LATE! MAMA-MAMA-MAMA!"

Andrew turned the knob and opened the door. He sprinted across the room and shook his Mama hard, in an attempt to wake her.

"WAKE UP, MAMA YOU'RE LATE FOR WORK!"

"Whut? HUH? Oh SSSHIIIIT," Nancy Mirra said.

Good ol' Nancy. Went to bed angry at your sons and this is what you get for doing that. Ha-Ha. Serves you right.

Nancy was usually up and gone from the house by now. She worked at the "Adams Hat Factory." Her duty hours were from 4 O'clock in the morning to Noon. What a shift. But now it was after seven.

"SHIT-SHIT-SHIT, ANDREW!" Nancy Mirra was in top form now, casting blame in her tone of voice towards her oldest son, Andrew.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME EARLIER?"

The alarm had gone off at Three. Usually she awoke and quickly got dressed and headed for work. Today, of all days to be late, with the most senior Adams wanting to tour the plant and hand out awards for various notable things his employees had done to save the "Adams Hat Company" money, yet produce a quality product. Nancy was to be awarded one of those "BAD" Awards, today. "Save a "Buck A Day." Award...Today, the alarm had continued to ring and ring. Nancy slept through three hours of that raspy, repetitive, sound, pulsing at one hundred twenty times per minute. Damn! She must have been dead. Sometimes, she wished she that she was.

Andrew did not quite what to say. He was not going to tell her of his sleep being interrupted with the whimpering sound of young Cole. He had planned on not responding at all, and just let his Mother's ignorance answer the question.

"COULDN'T YOU HEAR THIS STUPID ASS CLOCK?" Nancy yelled with maternal excitement.

"NO MAMA! OUR DOORS WERE CLOSED AND I CAN'T HEAR NUTTIN BACK THERE." BESIDES YOU ARE USUALLY GONE BEFORE ME AND COLE GET UP."

Nancy's face was red as a beet. She was wearing the same clothes she fell into bed with. She did not know which to be more angry with. The fact, that she was really late for work, or the fact that her son, Andrew did not take the initiative to check on her, knowing her previous condition, or his use of the language.

She decided on the latter and began to yell, as if Andrew really cared.

"DON'T YOU USE THAT TONE OF VOICE WITH ME, YOUNG MAN! IT'S YOU CANNOT HEAR ANYTHING BACK THERE, AND COLE AND I...NOT ME AND COLE!..GEEESH!"

Andrew ignored her, turned to go back to Cole's side, get him dressed and himself dressed. Breakfast would have to be short this morning, for his Mother had interrupted the boy's routine. Da Mama finally shut her mouth, and within ten minutes, she was out the slamming front door, into the used Red, Saturn, which was a real rattletrap, spinning the tires in the loose gravel and out of Andrew and Cole's hair for most of the day.

"Whewee," Cole said.

Andrew looked at him, smiled, approvingly, then squeezed the little boy's shoulder in a loving manner, as if to say "Everything's gona be okay, Cole, my brother."

Andrew bent down and gave the little boy a gentle kiss on the neck. saying,

"Hurry up, Champ. We should get goin' pretty soon."

Cole scrunched his shoulder between his chin and neck, trying to fend off Andrew's brotherly love kiss. He did not succeed, before Andrew planted a good kiss there, and one on the opposite side of the little boy's neck. Cole sputtered and giggled. He loved the attention, but kissing was silly, he thought. He was Ten. He was a big boy now. Kissing was for babies. Also, he could not figure out Andrew's sudden show of affection towards him.

Neither boy paid any more attention to any thoughts of the matter. Andrew ran some water into the sink and put the breakfast dishes in to soak. One more check of the clock, then off to school it was, for sweet Andrew and sweet Cole.

"Hey Cole," Kyle said, as he walked past the Mirra house.

"Hey Kyle," Cole replied. "What's happening?"

"Not much, Coe." Same stuff, just a different day.

"Wait up, we'll walk with ya."

Andrew slammed the front door and made sure it was locked. He and Cole bound off the front stoop, rushed across the grass, then joined up with Kyle.

School was a Ten Minute walk from the Mirra house and really no sweat, when there were friends to walk with.

"You think Mrs. Shields is gona give us that spelling test today?" Kyle asked.

Since Cole was a student in Mrs. Shields' class as well, he answered, for Andrew didn't know.

"OH MY! Kyle replied, "I'm not ready. Maybe we can cram a little before we go in."

Kyle was a sweet boy and did not want to make waves, but sometimes, he got himself in a pickle and was lost for a while.

All three boys made it to the Poland County Elementary and Middle school. The township was so small and poor, that they had to combine two schools in one. the lower classes would stay in their home room and the upper classes, such as the one Andrew was in, practiced changing classes. Andrew had different teachers for different subjects. However, it was only practice for when he got to high school. He could no longer look out for Cole. The high school was further away and he'd have to take the bus. Andrew did not like that….Not one bit!

School bells rang all day, as the synchronized clocks ticked off the hours. Finally, Six hours later, the final bell rang and Mrs. Shields announced that she had a feeling that some were not ready to take a spelling test and postponed it until the next day. If the sigh of relief sound had any pressure, it would have blown out the windows in Mrs. Shields' classroom.

"Hey Coe," Kyle said. "Why don't you come home with me and we can study for this thing?" It won't take too long and I can get my Mom to take you home.

"I don't know, Kyle. I'll have to ask my brother," replied Cole.

About that time, Andrew was seen waiting for Cole at the front entrance of the school.

"Hey Drew!" Cole exclaimed to get Andrew's attention.

"Can I go home with Kyle to go over some spelling words?"

Andrew has a funny look on his face, for he did not want to get yelled at again by Nancy Mirra, and on the other hand, he was responsible enough to be a little assertive and make a simple decision.

"Pleeeeeeeeeease-Please, Drew," Cole whined.

Andrew looked at the sad puppy-dog eyes of Cole's and shook his head in the affirmative.

"Yaaaaaaaa!" Cole said.

"Yaaaaaaaa!" Kyle said.

Andrew headed off in front of the boys and they followed. Kyle lived one block in the other direction of the Mirra house.

"Hey, Buddy," Mrs. Waters" said to Kyle, as he and Cole walked through the front door. "Who's your friend?"

"Hi, Ma," Kyle replied. "This is Cole Mirra. He is in my class at school and lives just down the street."

"Glad to meet you, Cole," Kyle's Mama replied. "Welcome."

"We gona study for a spelling test tomorrow, Ma, so we gona go to my room now."

"Sounds like a plan, son." Mrs. Waters replied. "I have a few things to do in the kitchen and I won't bother you. Have fun."

"Thanks Ma," Kyle said.

"Nice meeting you," Cole said.

Mrs. Waters smiled and returned to the kitchen. The two boys headed upstairs for Kyle's bedroom.

The two boys opened their spelling worksheets and began to call off words to each other. With pencil and paper, they both made the attempt to spell the words without any help. The only interruption was Mrs. Waters, bringing some cool soda-type drinks for the boys and a couple of cookies. She returned downstairs. Kyle and Cole took a break from the rigorous spelling and enjoyed the snacks.

Suddenly, Kyle began to disrobe. No reason was given at the moment, however Cole did not concern himself. As soon as Kyle was down to his undies, he dashed into the bathroom and declared to Cole, that he was going to take a shower.

Cole knew what a shower was, and did not pay it any mind. Kyle disappeared and water was heard running into the shower. Almost as suddenly, the soda and sweet cookies began to work on Cole. He had to relieve himself.

The boy was a little apprehensive about bothering Kyle to let him in, so he tied the bathroom door first. It opened with no effort.

Cautiously, Cole walked through the wall of steam and found the toilet. He reached down to lift then tops and they were slippery in his hand.

"CLANK," went the tops against the tank part of the toilet.

Cole was a little embarrassed but had to relieve himself too much in order to care.

"HEY! WHO'S IN HERE WITH ME?" Kyle said above the noise of the rushing water and crinkling shower curtain.

"HEY! WHO'S IN HERE WITH ME?"

"Sorry, Kyle," Cole said, "I had to go real bad. I did not mean to bother you."

"Hee-Hee," shower boy replied, "I thought is was Mama."

Kyle drew back the shower curtain and exposed his beautiful boy body. He couldn't care less, if Cole saw him naked, for they were both boys and he felt comfortable with Cole around. Cole was not a threat to him, like that boy across the street that used to like to play naked all the time. Kyle had forgotten his name, even.

"We should practice our spelling a few minutes longer and then get you home. I don't want you to get yelled at by your Mom or have your brother get in trouble for leaving you somewhere. I got an idea, Kyle continued, come on in, the water's fine. It will be relaxing."

"Come on in, the water's fine. It will be relaxing."

With that, Kyle pulled the shower curtain back and stepped further up into the tub to allow room for Cole.

Cole was taken back and could not say anything. He was so surprised in seeing Kyle naked without an argument, that he was speechless. The look on Cole's face was priceless. He had not seen Kyle naked before and was really captivated by his body. The invite to join him was too much to ignore.

"Um-Ah," Cole stammered, with a curt smile. "Ah..."

"Oh come-on," Kyle replied. "We're both boys.

Cole did not need to be asked twice. He held up a finger to indicate to Kyle to give him time to get his clothes off.

"Now isn't that better, Coe?"

The best Cole could do, was giggle and produce a smile from ear to ear in response to Kyle's question. Never in his born days, had he been naked with another boy, besides Andrew in a bath, or other situation. At least not within his more recent memory. Perhaps as a baby at grandma's house with other kids she was babysitting for, but at that age, who cared? The concept of nudity and the body parts, were not suppressed as they are today, as a child gets older. Certainly Kyle erased all of that from the scene, and it was wonderful. Cole felt at home and wondered when he'd get the opportunity to do this again. And the naked time between Kyle and himself, had only just begun.

"Now isn't that better, Coe?"

After Cole recovered from the initial "shock," he began to speak about the spelling test tomorrow and started to practice some words with Kyle that he could remember, without pencil and paper. In his mind, he was recording every possible scene and every nuance of Kyle's sweet body. The two boys applied soap to each other and scrubbed each other in a most caring way. No words sexual connotations were ever spoken. All actions were done in a loving manner, care for the "fellow boy" was paramount. They each washed the other's genitals, and butt crevasses, without a hint of it being anything funny. Cole remembered being bathed by Andrew in that manner. A boy' body was just a boys body. It needed cleaning at every point. Besides, Cole, nor Kyle talked in terms of sex. They did not know the words, so to speak. Only Kyle had the advantage from his experience with the neighbor kid a few years ago, to know and associate certain words and actions that pertained to anything sexual. However, he did not bring the memories forward. It was a simple shower with a good friend, nothing more, nothing less.

With the shower at an end, both boys stepped out of the tub and wrapped themselves in a large towel. Kyle obtained a smaller towel and begun to dry Cole's hair. Cole had never been treated in such a fine manner by anyone, even Andrew. This was certainly going to be a most memorable occasion. Cole was looking forward to doing this again with Kyle.

With Cole meeting the approval from his good friend, Kyle, he got dressed and gathered his schoolbooks.

"I'd better go now," Cole said. "You are right, Drew might be getting a hard time from Mama. She was late to work today, so she may have not gotten home yet. The hat factory probably made her work the time to make it up. She's had to do that a few times. I hope so, for Drew's sake."

"That's okay, Cole," Kyle said. "Let's do this again sometime. I really enjoyed our time together."

Cole could not believe his ears. Here he was, wanting to discover a way to ask Kyle about showering together, and the like, and it was Kyle that asked him. WONDERFUL!

Again, Cole expressed that toothy grin and said okay to Kyle's request. He headed out of Kyle's room and down the stairs to leave the house. Kyle called to his Mother and asked if she could take Cole home, so he would not get into any trouble with his family. It was getting a little dark and that may cause some worry.

Mrs. Waters acknowledged Kyle's request, having turning heat from under the various pots and pans in the kitchen.

"I was about to ask Cole to have dinner with us," Mrs. Waters said. "Are you sure he has to go?"

"Maybe another time," Cole replied. "Thank you. Mama may be expecting me. I hope we can do it again. I will like that very much."

Cole had been trained in manners well. It was not clear whether it was his Mama Nancy, or some influence from Grandma Helen and Grandpa Mike, or even Drew. Nonetheless, he was extremely polite. After he made that statement, out of sight of Mrs. Waters, Kyle gave Cole a healthy, affirmative, wink. Cole knew that the time with Kyle was assured, in some regard. Dinner, homework, bath, sleepover, it didn't matter, just so he was with his new best friend, Kyle Waters.

Cole arrived home under the watchful eye of Mrs. Waters. As soon as he got through the front door, Mrs. Waters tooted the horn and drove off to her home.

"Who was that?" Andrew asked.

Cole looked into his brother's eyes, and smiled from ear to ear. Andrew had a funny look on his face and ignored his little brother. He did not pursue the line of questioning, for he knew he would not get a straight answer, from his sweet brother, Cole. He was mainly asking to show that he, at least, cared for Cole a little.

"Mama's not home yet," Andrew said. "She called and said they made her work over, for being late this morning. I'll fix us something to eat, if you want."

With another toothy grin from ear to ear, and a stary look in his eyes, Cole was feeling some pains of love. He could not put words to the feeling, nor did he care. He had a new "best" friend and knew that his new "best" friend, Kyle, had feelings for him as well.

"Ya-Ya, Drew," Cole said. "Whatever."

APRIL 17, 2002

It seemed like a matter of timing, as Andrew and Cole exited their front door. Cole's friend, Kyle was walking by on his way to school and hailed them.

Cole's eyes lit up and Andrew could see the glow in his little brother's face, that told him Cole was a more happy boys now and he was thankful that he had some close friends now. At one time, that fact seemed to bother Andrew. Not consciously, you understand, but somewhere in the back reaches of his mind, he seemed to be worried for his little bother. The incident last night of his whimpering, probably was now a concern as well. Maybe this sudden interest in Kyle, will soothe the savage beast within Cole.

The boys talked and basically goofed-off on their way to school. Andrew did not have anything too much in common with Cole and Kyle's antics, but he stuck with them just the same. Late to school? SO WHAT?

Cole and Kyle talked about the spelling test from Mrs. Shields and called words to each other from memory. Andrew decided to be a wise-ass and put in some bigger words to fool them with. The tables were turn, for Kyle was no dummy, he knew them and bounced the spellings back at Andrew. Poor "Drew" left the younger kids alone after that. Cole and Kyle also talked about after school plans. Not secret shower plans, but plans just the same. Cole looked at his brother, Andrew, and gave him that sweet puppy-dog look, as if to get his permission to participate in Kyle's plans. Either he knew how to push Andrew's buttons, or Andrew was a perpetual "softy." Either way, Cole was assured of a great time with his new friend Kyle.

"Just be home before dark," Andrew said. "We were lucky last night, when Mama was still at work. she couldn't yell at us for whatever reason."

Cole was a little shy for Kyle to hear that remark, but then again, he felt that he would understand.

"Okay, Drew," Cole replied. "I promise. I don't want to hear her yell at you either. It's bad enough that we are not together in the house when she's there."

That was very perceptive of the sweet Ten-Year old boy. Why at his age, was he being respectful at some times, and deceitful at others? Perhaps it was because he was tired of the home situation and did everything to avoid a confrontation with Mama Nancy? The boy needs not to think of those thing. He needs to just be a boy.

As they were at the front walk to the School, a loud bell was heard to indicate that you best get to your homeroom. All three kids rushed down the walkway and piled into the building. They almost knocked over the school custodian, who was replacing a light bulb in the illuminated exit sign.

"Yumpin' Yimmidy, you rascals," Larse Anderson said, after recovering his balance. "You scare a man out of a half years growth."

Larse was a slender man of about Five Ft. Seven inches tall, with slightly thinning hair. He looked at the boys, somewhat sternly, through Octagon-shaped, wire-rimmed glasses. Being from Sweden, he began to tell the boys to slow down and behave in Swedish. the shock of almost being thrown to the floor by kids rushing to get nowhere fast, made him forget his adopted tongue, English.

Andrew grinned in his boyish way, yet didn't think that was too funny what had happened, but the resulting admonishing in Swedish was. He apologized to Mr. Anderson for the group and helped the man recover his tools that he had dropped on the floor. With a forgiving smile from Larse, the boys went on their way to class.

School is, and school was, for that Wednesday, April 17, 2002. Andrew waited at the front door for Cole, to firm up plans for the day and whether just go home together, and spend the rest of the afternoon doing nothing but TV and listening to Mama complain about her day. The brothers need their Father back in their lives. If not, Mama need a boyfriend. That had to be a reason why she yelled so much, particularly at them, or their male image. How could these sweet boys be any threat to her?

Andrew was lost in thought. He seemed to take on more responsibility than he needed. He watched over brother like a Mother Hawk, but also gave him freedom to get with his friends and such. Tuesday night's whimpering episode was still playing on his mind.

"Hey Drew!" Cole yelled, above the noise of a hundred kids escaping from school for the day.

Andrew turned to find his brother and saw him together with his new little friend, Kyle. Andrew smiled, somewhat in relief, to see the two together, and surmised that the morning plans those two cooked up were still on for the afternoon. He knew that he need not worry, if Cole was going to be with Kyle. After Cole had told him about Kyle's mother, that she had brought him home, he figured that Cole was in good hands.

"We gona go over to Kyle's house, Drew," Cole said, as he caught up to Andrew. "What you gona do?"

"Oh, nuttin' much, Bubba." Andrew replied. "I might go over to Westover Avenue and see what is happening at the little mall over there. There is a game room and I have about a dollar in change. Maybe that is enough for three-four games on the "Rocket." Maybe I can meet up with a couple of guys and see if they will play me. Ha-Ha. Maybe I can get a free game out of 'em."

"WOW! Where did you get a dollar?" Cole asked.

Andrew being a smart ass, replied,

"Can't tell you that."

Cole's response to his brother at that point was "PffffffffffT." Cole's main concern was being with his "best" friend, Kyle. To heck with his smart-ass brother.

To be truthful, Andrew had lied. He had lied to his little brother. This was something that was truly foreign to him. He had not done that before, ever. He had actually more than a dollar, for he had stolen it from his Mother's wallet while she was in the shower. He actually had close to Five Dollars. He did not want to make it look too obvious. Mama probably knew to the exact penny, what she had in her wallet the day before. He thought about sharing the wealth and walking to Westover Avenue with Cole and Kyle, then treating them to snacks and soda. On the other hand, he was in a trap and told Cole that it was almost a dollar. He didn't want to perpetuate the fact that there was some mystery to his increased wealth. He let the boys follow their plan and he took the next left at the corner of the school property.

It was a four block walk to Westover Avenue. Andrew was again lost in thought, but thinking about his future. What was his next grades going to be like? What kind of people would be with him? His peers? Were from around here, or North Poland County. North Poland County had the reputation of having kids that were "Punkish." He did not want to associate with them, if he could avoid it. After his Eighth year at this school, he'd have to go to the High-School and out of sight of sweet brother Cole. That worried him more than the "punks."

"STOP IT!"

This female voice brought Andrew back to reality. Where had it come from?

"STOP IT!"

Andrew turned in the direction of the sound and observed an older boy (it seemed)and a younger looking girl, in some sort of tussle. The Boy was pushing the girl to the ground for some reason. Andrew watch this a few times, before he could react and come to her aid. He observed the girl in a nice dress that was, due to inertia, compromising her lower leg area and allowing the seat of her undies to show out for all the world to see. At first, he silently giggled, yet on the other hand, he did not think that was right to be abusive to a girl. Fire flew into him.

"HEY!" Andrew yelled at the older boy. "Ya wana push me around, instead of a little girl?"

The little girl recovered her composure and felt free to stand up. The boy looked at Andrew and laughed.

"I'll push her and you too. What do ya make of that?"

The older looking boy led with his right hand and Andrew blocked it. Andrew charged the boy and wrestled him to the ground. He was full of fire. He did not know what had come over him, but just wanted to make things right. He did not like abuse like that to occur for the little girl at the hands of some bully. It just was not right. He would not let that happen to Cole, and certainly not a sweet little girl, whether he knew her or not.

The two boys tumbled around several times, replacing each other in the "on-top" position. The little girl was somewhat excited, yet not screaming to add to the drama. She was yelling at the two boys to just stop.

Somehow, Andrew landed a few punches to the older boy and made him gasp for air. At that time, he took the opportunity to recover, ask the little girl if she was okay, and then stand up straight, asking the older boy to get up.

The older boy got up alright, but not before landing a punch to Andrew's left cheek bone and eye. Here again, another wrestling-type tussle began.

The little girl began to yell at the fighting pair to stop the nonsense. About that time, squealing brakes were heard from a truck traveling the street. Suddenly a driver came out of the noisy truck and came over to the two boys in a scuffle. the little girl was still yelling at them to stop.

"Hey now," the fairly big truck driver said. "What's this all about? Stop it now. Life's too short for this kind of crap."

He reached down and took both boys by the shirt collar and virtually lifted them to a vertical position, then keeping them at a distance from each other. The little girl was now more calm.

"What's happening here, girly," the truck driver asked the little girl. "Who are these palookas?"

The little girl almost laughed to hear the boys called Palookas. She had not heard that term before, yet one of the boys was her brother.

"My brother was pushing me to the ground. And this boy," she said pointing to Andrew, "came over and tried to help me. My brother did not take kindly to that and they started fighting.

The truck driver, with one hand, tighten his grip on the girl's brother and shook him like a rag doll. You could see the steam coming from under his shirt colar. The truck driver was H-O-T hot.

"YOU KNOW BETTER THAN THAT, SON!" YOUR SISTER IS FRAGILE AND SHOULD NOT BE PUSHED AROUND LIKE THAT. YOU IS A DUMB-ASS. IT MIGHT BREAK SOMETHING INSIDE HER AND SHE WON'T BE ABLE TO HAVE BABIES WHEN THE TIME COMES."

The driver released the older boy and told him to be on his way to where ever it was he was going. He turned to the little girl and asked if she was okay, then lightened his grip on Andrew.

"That's quite a shiner you'll have there, son," the driver said to sweet Andrew. "What got into you? That boy was a head taller than you."

Andrew was shaken by the whole incident. He did not know how to respond to the truck driver's question. He did not know how to express his feelings. He just shrugged his shoulders and released a toothy grin from ear to ear.

The truck driver helped Andrew straighten his shirt and such, then extended his right hand.

"My name's Jake," he said.

Andrew extended his right hand and shook Jake's hand. "Drew," Andrew replied.

"Well, Drew," Jake retorted. "Where ya off too? So ya want a ride somewheres?"

"Naw. I was going to the mall a few blocks away," Andrew said. "I don't know what I want to do now."

"Well that shiner's gona get bright red soon and people will notice." Jake continued. "Maybe you should go home and have your folks attend to it, or go to a Doctor if it's worse. Right now, it don't look too bad. Get in the truck and I'll run you by your house."

Andrew had been warned about accepting rides from strangers by his Grandma Helen. On the other hand, Jake was not a stranger anymore. He had helped him in a "fight to the death" and told him about his injury, or potential injury. No, Jake was a nice man, someone that Andrew could relate to, maybe. Maybe he could come by and help get past Mama. Maybe he could date Mama to keep her a little more calm. Was Jake married? He was a handsome enough brute.

"Well, okay, Jake, Andrew replied. "I just live close by. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Not a bit, Drew," Jake replied. "No problem to do for a nice boy like you. It is not often that I come across a boy that will defend a little girl like you did. Get in."

Andrew did not hesitate. He picked up his schoolbooks and followed Jake to his truck. He had the feeling of comfort. He felt that he was somehow loved and shown concern by an older man. It was refreshing to be in that position.

"Hey, son," Jake said after starting the engine and putting the truck into gear. "I was a boys once and I know what it is to fight for the honor of a sweet little girl like that one was, but the days of Ivanhoe are over. It is one thing to pursue ones feelings of love, and so forth, but quite another to be so violent about it."

"But-uh, I..." Andrew attempted to respond.

"I don't know what your plans are for that girl, but son, go about her another way." Jake continued.

With the lecture over, Jake had turned onto Andrew's street and was in front of his house. Andrew had gotten a few words in, edgewise, to tell Jake where he lived. It was well after Two in the afternoon, so Mama would probably be home. Oh the pain of his injury and the pain of having to hear her yell and scream about fighting, for whatever reason. Maybe Jake could buffer the blow, and tell Mama what happened in his words. Then again, maybe he did not want to subject nice Jake to Mama's wrath at this time. Andrew did not know which form of embarrassment was worse for him today. He thanked Jake and began to exit the truck. Parenthetically, he hesitated, asking,

"Jake, are you married?"

Mama Nancy was H-O-T HOT.

Not only did she yell and scream about the cost of Doctors, etc, she not once asked the sweet boy, Andrew if he was okay in other ways. She got on to him about who was it that punched him and he should not get into the business of others. She wanted poor Andrew to find this boy and apologize, even if it was his sister that was involved. Not just any girl, but the boy's sister. That was go a family thing, she warned. No one should stick their nose in any family's business. She also wanted to know where Cole was, and gave poor Andrew hell for him not being there, before he was able to explain. Once he explained, she calmed down a bit. He was glad for the little boy, not to hear all of this yelling. Andrew put Two and Two together, then concluded that Mama's temperament was part of little Cole's whimpering problem.

"BOY!" Where is Jake right about now?" Andrew thought. "I sure could use him."

What actually made da Mama even more angry, was the fact that Andrew turned away from her, as she was yelling at him. Internally, it was tearing him up, just as much as it does Cole. speaking of Doctors? He, a Doctor, and special stomach ulcer medication, plus a bottle of Malox, would probably be needed pretty soon. Another thing that bothered him was that Mama's "Beam" clock was two hours fast. The fluid level was considerably below the mark he had placed on the bottle this morning.

Mama continued to rant and rave, and told Andrew that if it wasn't for the fact she had prepared dinner for tonight, and would have to throw away any leftovers, that The boy would not get dinner this evening.

Damn! What a Bitch!

She should be coddling him, instead of giving him hell for his actions. She jumped to so many conclusions. Where did she think Andrew could find that older looking boy and his sister, again? Apologize? RIGHT ON MAMA! First thing next century.

Sweet, smiling, Cole arrived just at Dusk. He was in the same mood as yesterday, only a bigger smile.

Da Mama was on the attack and asked him why the Cheshire Cat look on his face.

"Nuttin' Mama," Cole replied with a little boy, happy sigh.

It was such a sweet sigh. And Cole's little boy giggle is to die for. One turn on for Andrew, is his brother's infectious giggle.

"What's for dinner, Mama?" Cole asked.

"Chef's Surprise, Mama Nancy replied. "Go get your brother. It is ready now."

Actually dinner turned out to be home made Beefy-Mac and cheese. It was quite tasty and filling for the boys, for Andrew was particularly hungry. Mama Nancy did not have any leftovers this night. During the meal, she did not yell and scream, which was easier on the boys' stomachs. Cole was really curious about Andrew's shiner, but did not start anything at the table, for he knew that Andrew felt bad enough as it was.

After dinner, the boys returned to their room and confided in each other, about their afternoon activities.

"Who was that boy, Drew," Cole asked. "Was he really a big guy, or what?

"No, he was about a head taller than me, but I think he was the same age, or maybe one year older." Andrew replied, then smiled. "One thing that was sort of neat, but not nice for the girl, was that every time he pushed her down, I saw her underpants."

"Tee-Hee," Cole said. "I wish I was there."

Andrew thought about a response and gave it a second thought. He knew if Cole was along, that he'd have to explain his sudden wealth.

"No-No," he finally replied. "You got the better deal with your friend Kyle."

Andrew and Cole were doing their assignments for school and sudden;y Andrew heard the shower running. It was Mama in the shower. He excused himself and walked out into the hallway, down to Mama's room and sought her pocket book and wallet. As he opened it, several One Dollar bills squeezed out from a stack of Five's and Ten's. Andrew figured that the One's would be missed more than a single Five, so he replaced the ones and slipped out a Five Dollar bill. Jamming that in his pocket, he returned to the room shared with his brother. Mama must have been paid today. On a Wednesday? Usually factories do not pay in the middle of the week, for they may not get their employees back for next day's work. Especially if they drank like Nancy did.

APRIL 18, 2002

School days again. Mama Nancy had laid down the law to both of the boys. They were to come straight home from school and do their chores and schoolwork, if any. If not, sit there and stare at each other, if they had to, just so they were out of her hair. The TV time was up for negotiation.

Nancy Mirra's evening edicts went in one ear and then out the other. This was usually with Andrew, but now it was with Cole as well. Andrew was financially loaded for a Thirteen year old and Cole had a new, personal, and up-close, little best friend. Cole was looking forward to another shower with Kyle. Andrew was looking forward to a day at the mini-mall and a time of freedom from the confines of his house. Both boys figured out a lie to tell Mama when they did not arrive home until late. Ha-Ha. "School work?" That was it. Mama Nancy was all for their education.

"What's with the jackets?" Kyle asked. "It's not that cold out here."

Andrew looked at Kyle in a peculiar way, then answered that he felt like it. He was wearing his favorite "Lands' End jacket that his grandmother had given him. Cole was wearing a tan, London Fog windbreaker. As far as Cole was concerned, he didn't know. He saw his big brother putting on his jacket, then followed suit. Monkey see, Monkey do.

Andrew's shiner had turned a mixture of colors. It was quite obvious as to what had happened, but Kyle left him alone, partially in fear from Andrew's slight temper, and really, it was none of his business. Kyle continued to stare in silence.

"If you must know, Kyle, I tripped in the house and fell against a doorknob." Andrew finally said.

"Tee-Hee," Cole giggled.

"Tee-Hee," Kyle giggled, with that sweet, little-boy giggle that excites Andrew.

Andrew let the subject lie and prodded the boys along the walk to school.

After school, Andrew met his little brother and Kyle as usual.

"Kyle's gota go to the Doctor this afternoon," Cole said, with a dejected look on his sweet face. "I guess we'll have to go home as usual today, Drew."

Andrew looked up and smiled at Kyle. He thought, "Lucky Doctor." He wondered if Kyle would be given a shot in his butt, or somehow the Doctor would see him with no clothes on.

"Damn!," Andrew said.

Cole heard that and giggled.

"What?" He said.

"Nothing, Coe," Andrew replied, "just thinking about something silly.

All three boys walked homeward for a few blocks, when suddenly, Andrew asked Cole, that if he was not going to Kyle's house, then to follow him to the mini-mall on Westover Avenue.

Cole's eyes lit up. It did not dawn on him to ask questions of his brother's sudden interest in having him with him or how would he finance the venture. He was just happy a he could be, to be with Andrew, anywhere, and in any way.

Cole and Kyle said their daily good-byes and went about their separate ways. Andrew put his arm around Cole's shoulder and hugged the boy close. They had turned to the left and headed for the mini-mall.

Andrew felt a little remorseful for leaving Kyle alone to walk the distance to his house, for he thought of the bully that he had run across yesterday. He somewhat feared the point for Kyle, but also figured that Kyle had been walking this walk for a few years, before he and Cole were together, so he eased his fears a bit. Also, he feared a reunion with that older boy and his sister. He could have handled the sister, even if she did not show him her undies, but her brother was too much to handle again. Where would Jake come from, if he had needed him again?

The sweet boys arrived at the Westover Mini-Mall in record time. They both agreed to go to the game room first and play a round or two of "Space Invaders." Well two, turned into four and finally a fifth, to choose the winner, or who got the most points. Whatever it was, it was to give one or the other boy a "Gloating License."

It turned out to be Cole. He was proud as a Peacock as he and Andrew paraded through the other stores, looking at little boy things. He did not notice Andrew making use of his Land's End inside pockets, or the zippered pockets on the sleeves.

"Drew?" Cole finally asked. "Where'd ya get the money for the games and things we bought today?"

"Can't tell ya that," Andrew replied. "Let's just say I found it."

Andrew quickly changed the subject and started to ask Cole the results of his spelling quiz. In some ways, this puzzled Cole, but he let it slide by.

"Here, put this on, Coe," Andrew said, handing him a baseball cap with the "Old Navy" logo on it. Cole, being the dutiful brother, did as his older brother asked.

Both boys had gotten to the end of the mall and started a return path back to where they entered. Within twenty feet of the front door, there stood a tall man, approximately six feet tall and wearing a wide brim hat, a blue-gray shirt, and navy blue pants. His shoes were solid black. He wore a two-inch wide belt with bullets in little loops along it, and there was a gun weighting the man down on one side. The blue-gray shirt had a gold badge attached over the man's heart. On the left sleeve, was an emblem that said "Mall Security."

"Hey fellows." Kindly Earl Chancellor said, looking down at the two sweet boys. "What's your hurry?"

Cole looked up at Earl and his sweet smile turned to a frown. He was not in any hurry, only to follow Andrew. Besides, he had done nothing wrong. ....that he knew of.

Andrew, on the other hand, lost all control. He felt a shudder within his whole body. His stomach was now again in knots. He could feel a bubble of gas building up within his lower digestive track. And if guilt was a specific look, he had a guilty look on his sweet, thirteen-Year old, face.

"Why don't you fellows follow me to my office," Earl said. "Let's talk."

Cole looked at his brother in disbelief. What was this all about, he wondered. He did not want to run and leave his brother to his own defenses, but he wanted to be home, right now.

"Okay, fellows," Earl said to the boys, after they arrived at his office. "Empty your pockets on the table over there."

Andrew looked at Earl in a questioning manner. Cole was emptying his pockets as Earl directed, still not knowing what was going on sweet little Cole had only about fifteen cents from the lunch money change, a milk carton game piece, a stubby pencil and a rubber band.

Andrew was hesitant. He started with his pants, and delivered a comb, a handkerchief, Six Dollars in change and bills and a school identification card, complete with his photo.

"ALL OF YOUR POCKETS!" Earl barked. "THE JACKET TOO."

That uneasy feeling in Andrew's stomach got worse and he almost regurgitated today's lunch.

With each dig into his pockets, Andrew withdrew numerous store item. Many had the prices clearly marked. There were three of four hand-held calculators, some so specific, that an engineer would only be able to use them. There were C-D music disk, and some music cassette tapes. There was also a "Cross" pen and pencil set that retails for almost Forty Dollars.

"Okay take your jacket off, son," Earl finally spoke. He had been watching Andrew very closely. He picked up Andrew's school I-D and then said, "Andrew."

"Now your shirt," Earl continued.

Andrew's look of disgust now, on top of his internal problem, was too much for his system.

Earl picked up the nice Land's End jacket and tested its' weight. Something did not seem correct. The jacked was of light material, yet seemed to weigh more than it appeared. Earl tossed the jacket onto his desk and heard a "CLUNK!"

The big, kindly, man, seemed to get fire in his eyes. Andrew's look of disgust now, on top of his internal problem, was too much for his system.

Earl retrieved the jacket from his desk and found the inside pockets, filled with more trinkets from the various stores in the mini-mall.

Andrew had heard of strip searches and wondered if Earl was going to try that. If he did, he was going to grab Cole and take off running as fast as he could out of the mall and go home, quickly. No jacket, no shirt, and even in his undies, if he had to.

Earl was too kindly of a gentleman to try that. The crime was serious, but the two participants were only ten and thirteen years old. He didn't think they were big-time hoodlums, such as he has caught before. He actually wanted to help them. He actually wanted to talk to them and persuade them from this life of crime. He had been born on Oregon Hill, a rather rough community near Poland County. He had seen his share of little and big toughs, in his lifetime and did not want to be a part of that again. However, duty called. It was not his responsibility to coddle each kid that came through the mall and found themselves in trouble. As much as he regretted it, he asked the boys to sit up on the table and be quiet. Their scared looks were enough to keep them silent, for they did not know what Earl was planning. Strip search kept going through Andrew's mind. Cole flat did not know. He was just scared and now whimpering. He rested his head on Andrew's shoulder. Earl stared at the boy and told him to take it easy, that to cry would not do any good.

Earl picked up the telephone receiver on his desk. He dialed the mandatory "9" to get an outside telephone line, then dialed seven more digits. He did not release his gaze from Andrew and Cole. What could have been going through these kids mind to do this, especially with these junky items, except for the fancy calculators? Were they part of a ring of little punk thieves? Did they act alone and have a market for such items? Who knows? All Earl knew was, that he was out of his element. As much as he wanted to be a part of Andrew and Cole's life at this moment, he was out of his element. He did not want to see them become a likeness of Oregon Hill toughs, yet his hands were tied. He thought that they reminded him of himself, at that age.

Andrew and Cole jumped as Earl spoke next.

"Sergeant Gordon Smith, please," he said into the telephone.

"Sergeant Smith?" Earl said, after a short pause. "This is Earl Chancellor over at Westover Mini-Mall. I have two customers for you. Yeah,....yeah....Thirteen and Ten....No, local boys. Okay, I'll have all the information for you by the time you get here....Thanks. Good-bye, now."

"Damn." Earl thought. "I should have called their mother." There was no need for the police. "Damn, Earl said, audibly.

Both kids looked at him, only Cole giggled. Andrew was still a little angry. Maybe angry was not the proper word, but the best he could do at the moment. Bitter perhaps? In a quandary? He knew that he could not answer that big question....WHY?

Cole began to squeeze his brother's hand. He looked up to Andrew, and started to get a little angry. Andrew had let him down. He had brought him along and did bad things that got him into trouble. He had taken him away from his best friend, Kyle. He had a deep, and sinking, feeling in the pit of his stomach. Why had Drew done this to him? Cole began to squeeze Andrew's hand harder and harder. This was not a friendly, little brother hand hold. This was an angry hand hold, as in "DAMN YOU, DREW," hand hold.

"Yow, Coe," Andrew yelped. "Quit that!"

Earl had returned from deep thought over the situation. He would go home this evening and tell his wife what had transpired. She was a kindly person as well. He didn't know if she would understand his position or not. This worried him. She was the type of person that would take those boys under their roof and raise them in the path of goodness. Their past troubles would be behind them. Earl let out a big sigh.

Sergeant, First Grade, Smith was a tall man with now Silver-White hair. He was on the edge of retirement from the local, Beaufont Police Department. He had been a detective for about Twenty years. In his latter years, he had been assigned to petty crimes, such as shoplifting crimes, and such. He thought it was going to be a cushy job, but found out, that even in Poland County, and in particular, Beaufont Township, that shoplifting was on the rise. This he could not figure out. At this moment, he didn't care. He just wanted to do his job and go home in the evening.

Gordon Smith and Earl Chancellor exchanged handshakes and other greetings about their respective family, then turned to the business at hand. Andrew and Cole had the most disgusted look on their faces. It was their own fault, but when the two cops started with the "Old Home Week" routine, that frosted them. They thought that attention should be paid to them and the matter at hand. They couldn't care less, if Melissa (Earl's wife) or Mary (Gordon's wife) were planning a bake sale of delicious sweets, to be presented in the Westover Mini-Mall for a charity function.

Gordon smith was ready to go and he herded the two, sweet, boys in front of him. He had them carry a bag of the articles that were stolen by them. No since in him wasting his energy on that.

His car was parked at a reserved spot in the parking lot in front of the mini-mall. As the boys approached, they could hear the Two-way radio blasting out with typical police calls. Gordon smith pushed a remote button on his key chain, and released the door locks for his car. He opened the back and told the boys to get in. He opened the trunk and placed the bag of goodies in there.

Again, Andrew and Cole had thought about running. They tried the rear doors and found that once locked from the outside, or by remote, the interior locks were disabled.

Sergeant Gordon Smith got into the driver's side and started the car. He then put it into gear and proceeded to go to his office. He needed to find out more about these boys and get to the bottom of this "major" crime.

On the way back to the office, neither boy would answer his questions. They looked at each other, in what seemed disgust. No matter what answer one would give Gordon, the other would refute it and start an argument. Gordon Smith had to keep his eyes on the road, but suddenly he heard a smacking sound.

"OW! YOU LITTLE ASS! RIGHT IN THE SHINER!"

Gordon Smith was at a stoplight, and he turned to see Andrew, doubled up in pain, from a hit by his little Ten-Year old brother.

Within a second, Andrew swung his fist towards little Cole. Cole ducked the blow, which had only now grazed his ear. This started another round and a large-scale fight between brothers was started in the back seat of Sergeant smith's police car.

Gordon Smith looked both ways, ran the red light, then pulled his car over to the side of the roadway. He pushed the remote lock mechanism and jumped out to grab one of the boys and get them apart. It was a real battle, but he finally was able to get the two boys apart. It was Andrew.

"Okay, tough guy," Gordon Smith said. "ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP!"

The large man handled Andrew as if he were a toothpick. He rough-housed him around the car and placed Andrew in the front seat, against policy. He took precaution, however, by handcuffing Andrew to the seat position lever in on that passenger side seat. This would have been an opportunity for Cole to escape. He would seek Kyle, or go home to face Mama, but he did not do that, for Andrew was in deep, deep trouble and he did not want to leave him, whether he hated him or not. Maybe Gordon Smith was banking on that.

The boys arrived at the police station, with no more incidents, with the exception of the dart-throwing looks between them. Neither one spoke to each other. Sergeant Smith thanked his lucky stars that he did not have to control any further issues.

He sat them down at his desk, ascertained all pertinent data as to who they were, where they live, what school they went to, etc. He searched through the pile of "evidence," then picked up one of those fancy calculators.

Looking at Andrew, he shook the item in his face and said,

"What are you gona do with this, son? Are you some kind of whiz-kid scientist?"

The calculator had more functions that one could shake a stick at. It would take a "Philadelphia Lawyer" a month of Sundays to figure out how to use it.

Andrew, in his arrogant way, replied,

"I don't know."

"That's probably the most honest answer I've heard you give, son," Gordon Smith said. "I'm gona take you guys to the magistrate so we can get rid of ya. I'm tired of looking at you. You sit here and give me shit, then before, start a fight in my car. I will not put up with that. I have a boy who's grown now, and I didn't take that shit from him when he was your age, nor will I now. While you are down there, I'm gona call your Mama and get her down here, if possible. Is she at work now?

"No, she's ho--," Cole began, until Andrew poked him in the stomach.

Cole retaliated and attempted to wrestle Andrew to the floor.

"HERE-HERE," Gordon Smith yelled. "STOP THAT!"

He grabbed the little one from Andrew and held them at arms length from each other. Another fellow policeman came over to take them further apart.

"Take these little Buzzards down to the Magistrate's office and get them out of my sight! Sergeant Smith said. "Do not pass go, do not collect Two-Hundred Dollars, just GO!"

"What's a Magistrate?" Andrew said, recovering from his recent tussle.

"He's sorta like a judge," Officer Joseph, the cop that came to Gordon Smith's aid, said. He is gona make a decision on your little asses and tell us to what to do with ya. He may not let you go back to Mama. He may throw you in Beaufont Springs for the night, for the week, or for a year, who knows?"

Neither boy had heard of Beaufont Springs in that manner, but sensed it a place they did not want to be. The thought of not being home, even with yelling Mama or Kyle for Cole, or even the chance to see Jake again, was frightening. Both boys were so wrought up inside and out of control, gastrically. A silent, but deadly, cloud of gas escaped the bowels of both boys into the air around Sergeant Gordon Smith's desk. The poor man was gasping for air and a big drink of cold water. He ran to the water fountain, with his eyes tearing so badly, that he could hardly see. He was glad to get rid of those two boys.

Officer Joseph ushered the boys across the office and down the hallway to an elevator. Andrew was ahead of the pack and Cole was behind him. Suddenly, Cole kicked at Andrew's shoe, causing him to misstep and almost fall forward onto his face. On that hard hallway floor, that would not have been koshure.

Officer Joseph reached out for Cole to pull him back away from Andrew. "HEY-HEY! YOU KIDS ARE GONA BE THE DEATH OF ME, YET!"

"I have a good mind to tie your tails together and swing you over a clothes line, like two cats," Officer Joseph continued. "That'll fix your little hineys good.

Officer Joseph pushed the "UP" button at the elevator and waited. The kids were now silent in his hands. He had a tight reign on them for sure, this time. The elevator car arrived and he had Cole push the number Four.

"Well-Well," A short, balding man said. "You finally met your match, Joseph?

"Wait 'till ya hear what they are here for," Officer Joseph said. "You won't tease me so much."

The two boys were ushered to two big chairs in front of a large desk The short, balding man walked around the desk and sat down in a large leather chair, facing the two boys.

Officer Joseph handed the man a folder of paperwork, then delivered his story as per Sergeant Smith.

"Boys," the balding man began, following a look at the folder in his hand. "I am Harold Beaston. I am the magistrate for this here County of Poland. I work directly for Judge Hitchings."

Andrew shrugged his shoulders and blatantly gave the indication of saying "so what?" to the man.

"Which one of you is Andrew?" Harold Beaston continued.

Andrew lifted a lazy right hand from the arm of the big chair.

"That figures, from your demeanor here today. I just got off the phone with Sergeant Smith before you got here, and he tells me that you are a pain in his ass. Do you know what that could mean? We run on things around here being peaceful and quiet. We don't take to much excitement around here. We get awfully mean, when that happens."

Cole was now worried. He still carried a slight hatred for Andrew at this moment, yet he loved him as a brother, otherwise. He was truly scared. No more starting fights with Drew, today.

Andrew's facial expression changed, pretty much for the same reason. He was now concerned and just wanted to go home.

Harold Beaston questioned the boys more extensively. Somewhat of the truth came out, but no connection could be made between the thefts, the items stolen, and just what plans he had for them. It was not as if he was part of a shoplifting ring that has been making its' presence known in the area, yet he needed to keep them close to be sure of his facts. There may have been a small connection after all.

"Okay fellows," Harold said. "Sergeant Smith is tracking down your Mama and I think we are not going to wait for her. We are gona take you on a little trip up to Beaufont Springs. There, we will make you comfortable for the night, until we can get some of this straightened out. Judge Hitchings will be back in the area in the next week or two and he will handle your case....Judge Hitchings is known as "Hang 'em high" Hitchings around here.

"But I wana see Mama, first," Cole cried.

The boy was in tears. He looked at Andrew and found that the older boy had tears in his eyes as well.

"Plenty of time for that, son," Harold said. "Ya should have thought of sweet Mama before you went to that mall and swiped all those things. Tonight, you will sleep well in a room of your very own. It will give you both some time to think about things and make up a story for Judge Hitchings. You better hope he believes it."

Officer Joseph used the phone and called for a little help. He was not going to have any fights started in his car and drive at the same time. He called Patrolman Emch. Patrolman Emch would take one boy to Beaufont Springs and he would take the other boy. At least there would be peace on the highway.

The rattling overhead gate and clanking doors made Andrew and Cole extremely nervous. What was this place? Both boys knew that what they had done was wrong, especially Andrew, but not worth this frightening place. And this was only the back entrance to the place. Who knows what lie ahead of them? Little Cole's only crime was wearing the "Old Navy" baseball cap for his brother, Andrew.

Both boys were still in tears, yet not showing it as much. Officer Joseph took both boys by the shirt collars and marched them in front of a clerk that was doing some sort of processing. He thanked Patrolman Emch and dispatched him back to normal duty.

The processing clerk did not look friendly and that frightened the two boys even more. Both boys needed to go to the bathroom, pretty fast. Officer Joseph gave the clerk all the paper work he had and marched them inside a caged area by the processor's desk. He closed the steel door and turned to the boys, saying,

"Good luck fellows."

He bid them a good-bye, then slipped out of the room to return to headquarters. Officer Joseph turned to look at the building, and thought a minute about what he had done to earn his pay for the day, shook his head, then thought, "Ah they'll be okay. It's only overnight. Hitchings and Beaston only want to throw a scare into them....Hell, they will be okay."

"Doc? We got two more for ya," said the processing clerk into a telephone. "Ten minutes? Okay, I'll do that. Yeah, one looks like that has happened already, hee-hee. I can't smell nothing, though. Maybe you're safe."

"Okay, you bag of bones, follow me," The clerk continued, speaking to the boys. "One at a time, in there."

Andrew allowed Cole to go in first. Beyond the door was a toilet and wash sink.

"Okay, kid, do your thing," The clerk said, leaving the door to the little room open.

Cole was so nervous, that he could hardly excrete any human waste, yet he felt like he needed to. Besides, that man was watching. He had no privacy. His entire system was in knots and did not function properly. Finally a stream of liquid waste began to flow and make poor Cole feel a lot better.

As soon as Cole turned to exit, the clerk ushered Andrew in, then stood outside the door, with the same "do your thing" order he had given Cole. To the clerk's chagrin, leaving the door open was probably not the best idea. Andrew's system was just as knotted up as Cole's and he had troubles to start anything in the beginning. However, his stomach problems were catching up with him and he felt a terrible burning in his mid section. Suddenly, he reached down and threw both toilet tops against the hard porcelain tank, which made a loud noise. The clerk turned to see Andrew bent over and voiding into the toilet bowl. He chuckled to himself, and gave the boys some privacy by closing the door. He grabbed the phone on the nearby wall and called the doctor to sort of hurry it up, for he had a sick boy on his hands.

Fire flew into Cole. He didn't care who the clerk was. He was going to the aid of his brother. He dashed around the clerk and opened the bathroom door. Andrew was recovering a bit, but Cole retrieved some toilet paper from the mounted roll, then wet it with some water from the sink. He attempted to apply the cool water to Andrew's face and forehead. The stupid clerk was trying to keep them separated when the Doctor entered.

"Leave them alone, Burt," I've got them now. Go back to your desk."

Doctor Sandborne took over Cole's duties and spoke to the boys as to what his duty was. He reached into his little equipment bag and retrieved a sweet tasting, pink tablet that resembled Pepto-Bismol.

"Here, son, chew this." Doctor Sandborne told Andrew.

The doctor winked at Cole and gave Andrew a kindly hug. For a doctor that was supposed to be an entrance doctor for an ominous place like the, he was not all that bad.

"Now, fellows," I must do my duty," Doctor Sandborne said. "I need to ensure the safety of every boy in here and the guards. I must examine you for any hidden weapons that could end up hurting others, or yourself. "Now sit on those cots over there and remove your clothes."

Both boys looked at the good Doctor in disbelief. They did not know whether to comply or not. The doctor threatened to bring back the clerk for help, if necessary. Andrew looked at Cole, and Cole looked at Andrew. Reluctantly, they began to remove their clothes. At this point, it was hard to know whom to trust.

Doctor Sandborne searched the boys' shoes and sox, their now empty pants pockets, then their shirts. He found nothing. Both boys were standing in front of him in their underwear. Andrew did not hint that he knew the doctor to mean "EVERYTHING."

"You smart asses," Doctor Sandborne said. "I said ALL YOUR CLOTHES!"

Again, the looks of disbelief between the boys. It was a wonder of which boy would comply first.

"Will I have to remove them for you?" Doctor Sandborne asked, roughly.

Finally, Cole removed his Tee shirt and then lowered his shorts to the floor. He began to whimper again. Andrew stood there, knowing he was next and there was not a thing he could do about it. Where could he run now?

The good Doctor had Cole face him and open his mouth. He had a flashlight and looked inside every crevice he could see. He had Cole extend his arms, so that he could look into his armpits. Of course, this was silly, but the man was doing his duty. He needed to be sure that the boys were safe from themselves and others.

As the good Doctor continued to explore Cole's Ten-Year old body, it made the boy quite nervous. He had been touched in like manner by Kyle and he had touched Kyle in the same manner, but they were in the shower. He had never had anyone touch him, such as by this Doctor, that he could remember. It felt really strange. Cole began to whimper again. The good Doctor ignored him.

The Doctor had Cole's penis in his fingers. He begin to stretch it out a bit and positioned it so that he could look under it. Cole's scrotum sack was still too close to his little body to hide anything under his testicles, as some boys have tried in that very facility.

"Okay son." Doctor Sandborne said. "Turn around, bend down, then grab your ankles."

Still whimpering, Cole complied.

"STOP IT!" Andrew yelled at the Doctor. "You don't need to do that to him!"

"Sit down over there, son and let me do my job. You are next. It is a must," the Doctor barked.

Andrew was angry. He wanted to find something and hit the Doctor on the head. He wanted to run, but where was he going to go, in his underwear? He was more ill than he knew, for he ran to the bathroom and voided again. This time, the Doctor ignored him for the moment.

Poor Cole was in an inverted position, holding onto his ankles and exposing his rear echelon to the world. He had now idea what that looked like and was slightly embarrassed, but he had seen Kyle in that position and even washed Kyle there, so it could not be too bad. After all, this man was a Doctor, so he had probably seen a butt or two, especially in this place.

Doctor Sandborne opened a jar of K-Y ointment and applied some of the contents onto a finger of the examining gloves that he had been using. He warned the sweet boy called Cole that he would feel something strange, but not to worry and to hole tight to his ankles.

With a flashlight in one hand, and the K-Y laden finger on the other hand, Doctor Sandborne probed deep into Cole's rectum.

"WHEEEEEEEE! OOOOH! STOP IT. GET OUT OF THERE! THAT HURTS!"

As suddenly as it began, it was all over. Doctor Sandborne produced a tissue and began wiping the excess K-Y Ointment from around little Cole's anus. He told Cole to straighten up and go sit down. As Cole straightened up, the doctor kissed his butt cheeks and crevasse then said,

"Thanks, son. You are a real trooper. I'm sorry I had to do that, but I needed to see if you were hiding anything dangerous.

Andrew heard Cole scream as he did and rushed out of the bathroom. Cole seemed to be okay and was sitting on a cot in the room.

"Here, son, you're next, "The good doctor continued, "Remove your Tee shirt and lower your underpants, then face me.

When the Andrew's cavity search was over, the good Doctor did not slight him, for he kissed the boy's butt cheeks and deep crevasse, massaging the area a bit to soothe the nerves of poor Andrew. Andrew did not yell and squirm as much, when Doctor Sandborne inserted his K-Y laden finger into his rectum. He felt a sudden exhilaration that he had never sensed before. Somehow it was pleasant. He thought about the little girl whose underpants he'd seen, yesterday. He wondered if she would have liked that feeling. Andrew shook the thoughts from his head. He was here and there was no way he could find that little girl, or Jake for that matter. Where was Jake right about now? For once, Andrew smiled and giggled, as the Doctor finally released his, in need of a shave , face from his smooth, sensitive , naked butt. Andrew had disdain for the Doctor and at the same time, he had some love and compassion for him.

"Okay, son, Doctor Sandborne said, recovering his breath from seeing and touching those two, sweet boys in their naked form. "Keep still and we'll finish up here for the day. You, Andrew, need something to replace those fluids you lost. Do you feel like eating something?" I can give you an I-V and let you stay in my office, 'till they finish processing your brother. That may be better."

"NO!" Andrew exclaimed. "NO! NO! NO! Where my brother goes, I go. I don't trust you. Not now."

"Very well," the Doctor said with a glassy look at the two naked boys. "I will get you a sweet drink. It will taste a little like Orange juice, but it will be better for you. I'll leave instructions for Burt to get you back to me immediately, if you get into trouble."

Cole began to put his clothes on as Andrew began to follow his lead.

"NO! NO!" Doctor Sandborne said. "No more civilian clothes from here on in. I'll call Burt in a minute to start you on your way. They will have all the clothes you'll ever need."

Slowly, Doctor Sandborne observed the two naked boys and even had them do "stand ups" and turn arounds" just so he could observe their fine, sweet- boy, naked, form. Eventually, he went over to the telephone and called Burt.

Burt arrived and had a team of other salty looking men with him. the Doctor supervised, so that those delicate and sweet boys, would be afforded the dignity they truly deserved. He knew, that from this moment on, dignity was going to be the least of their worries. A light sigh was heard from the lips of the good Doctor Sandborne.

Burt and his crew took measurements of the boys and dug into the ten's of boxes they had brought into the room. After a short while, they had doled out a complete set of International Orange jump suits, Tight White, Jockey-type underpants, Tank Top-type undershirts, and sox, open-toe foot togs, AND AN Orange ball cap with blue lettering that read "BS" in script.

Andrew complained about the choice of underpants, saying that he didn't wear that kind and he hated them. He wanted to know why he had to wear that, because under his Orange suit, no one would know or care. The response from Burt was a grunt, a silly look towards Andrew, and then a verbal,

"TOO BAD, KID! Follow me!"

The good Doctor saved their hides for a few minutes more. He actually wanted to see them naked as long as he could.

"I will take care of these boys a little while longer, Burt," Doctor Sandborne said, pointing to Andrew. "I need to get some fluids in this boy as soon as possible, or he will pass out on you. You don't want that, do you Burt? I'll see that they get dressed and I will call you when it's safe to bring them out. They were hurting when they came here. What happened, the coppers give 'em the rubber hose treatment?

Burt looked as silly as he actually was. The "rubber hose" comment actually turned him on. It is almost a wonder, that he did not have an erection as he left the room. Doctor Sandborne knew that, and used that statement as a trick to get rid of Burt and his cronies.

Doctor Sandborne made another phone call and had a sandwich for each of the boys and a normal soda for Cole and the special, sweet, Orange- tasting liquid for Andrew, brought in.

"Do not let Burt see you bringing that over here. Take the back way," Doctor Sandborne said.

The food and drink arrived in a short time. Andrew was beginning to like the good Doctor after all. Still, there were reservations. Cole did not seem to care. He wanted Mama and he wanted Kyle. He thought of a new think he could teach Kyle, whenever he got out of here and could see him in the shower again. "What was that slippery stuff the doctor used to enter his hiney hole with?" Cole wondered.

Doctor Sandborne finished the last morsel of his sandwich and ensured the kids were through with theirs. He had Andrew finish the sweet drink and then parade around, still naked, to prove to the doctor that he could hold his own. He had Cole tag along to make sure nothing happened. What a show this good Doctor was getting today? Finally, he allowed the boys to be naked as long as he dared, for Burt would eventually put two plus two together and come up with five. He did not want to get into that hassle with the guy.

"Okay, my lovely's," Doctor Sandborne said, with a sigh. "We better get dressed and let Burt take you where you must go. I will leave special orders to have you watched over night, just in case you need more pink stomach pills, like you had earlier. I think you both have problems in that area and I want to keep on top of it. This place is not for you boys."

The good Doctor slowly and methodically assisted both boys in getting dressed, despite the tight white jockey-type underpants. He took in every nuance of their naked bodies as he donned their sox and raised their underpants, slowly, ever so slowly over their genitals and cute little butts. He actually enjoyed his job, today. He then phoned Burt and told him the boys had passed his inspection with flying colors.

"Listen, Burt," Doctor Sandborne said. "Andrew, here, has a special problem. I want you to ensure that he is watched over night and I have prescribed some medicine for him, should he need it. If anything happens to this boy on watch, your ass is grass and I'm the lawnmower. GOT THAT?"

Burt didn't know quite what to do or say. A feeling of relief within Andrew told him that the good Doctor's bark was not as bad as his byte.

"Okay, Bubba's," said Burt. "Follow me! "I want my mummy," Cole whined.

Andrew snorted and whimpered a few times in response to the boy, then reached out to take his hand. Burt was in the lead and a fellow worker was taking up the rear, to thwart any possible escape attempt.

"Ha-Ha," was heard from both of the employees of Beaufont Springs Juvenile Hall.

The two boys walked hand-in-hand, down a long, brightly-lit hallway. On each side, there were many steel doors with special looking locks and steel levers. Each door appeared to be windowless. Beads of sweat appeared on the boroughs of Cole and Andrew. Were these the "rubber hose" rooms that Burt and the Doctor were talking about? It was bad enough to have their hiney hole invaded in the manner the Doctor did, but to be beaten for nothing; for stealing some stupid calculators and a stupid hat? NO! Neither boy could understand that. Andrew was truly sorry that he did not level with Sergeant Smith, Officer Joseph, or Harold Beaston. Who knows what Judge Hitchings was going to be like?

Burt removed a large, odd-looking key from his belt loop and inserted it into a locking mechanism mounted on the big steel door. After releasing the lock, Burt's partner in crime operated a noisy mechanism that sent shivers up and down the spines of the two boys. Finally, the door was swung open and the boys could view inside. Thank goodness it, at least, had a window inside. Barred, but nonetheless a window.

"Dare ya go, Bubba's....In there. Meet your new cell-mate, Seth."

The room was rather large, compared to the view from the hallway. There was a single bed against one wall and a bunk bed system along the opposite wall. There was a stainless-steel sink with a stainless-steel toilet attached. The boys had not seen anything like this. "Disgusting," Andrew thought. "Who'd want to be in the same room as a toilet? Especially if someone had to use it."

Burt and his assistant gave the boys a gentle nudge and slammed the big steel door behind them. Andrew heard the locking mechanism operate with finality. Not even footfalls of Burt and the other flunky, was heard.

Within a few seconds, the noises were heard again. The door opened and on the other side, was Burt.

"Here! Ya forgot these," he said, as he tossed a paper sack of small items like a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a hairbrush for both boys.

Again the door was angrily slammed in their faces. Again Cole cried for his Mama. Again, Andrew whimpered, loudly.

"WHO ARE YOU?" An angry voice from behind the boys, said.

The boys nearly lost control of their digestive track again. Never had they felt a sinking feeling so low. They finally had the nerve to turn around and see just who was questioning them now. Visions of the "rubber hose" came into Andrew's mind.

"I SAID, WHO ARE YOU?"

The boys turned to find a nice looking, blonde boy, not in the garb that Burt and the Doctor said they had to wear, but normal street clothes. "Confusion-plus," was the watchword of the hour, now.

"Uh-Wha-How com...

"I SAID, WHO ARE YOU?"

The boys settled down, then Andrew brought all forms of politeness from early training, and extended his right hand towards, the boy, saying.

I'm Drew, and this is my lil' brother Cole."

The beautiful blonde boys did not return the greeting of the hands, he simply said, "Harumph.

"Mine's Seth, and don't you forget it," the blonde boy continued. "This is my room and you are not welcome. That over there, is my bed and keep your stuff off it. These bunks are yours."

Andrew and Cole looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. They did that, somewhat in retaliation for Seth being such a smart ass, and then for the reason that bunk beds meant nothing to them. These boys could sleep on a rock, if necessary.

"You're the smallest, Cole, and the lightest, so you take the top bunk. I'll be here to help you up, if need be," Andrew said.

Cole wanted to argue, but he had enough of arguing with his loved brother, Andrew. He and Andrew were now in it for the long haul. He hoped that it was not going to be long, and that he and Andrew were going to soon be back home with Mama and Kyle, and all the other outside school friends.

Seth returned to his bed and sat down. He was keeping an eye on Andrew and Cole. He was checking out their form and demeanor. He was not too sure of them as yet. Certainly, he was not going to let his guard down.

"How long yar in for?" Seth finally said.

Andrew and Cole were sitting on Andrew's bunk, now, facing Seth and looking around the room for any remote sight of anything that resembled privacy. The open toilet was still a disgusting sight to Andrew. How would they bathe, if need be? Where was any shower?

Lovely Drew? Hold on to your hat. You may not like the answer.

The police said overnight," Andrew replied. We are waiting for our Mama now."

Well that was a story Andrew was not sure of. He knew that Mama was probably burning up Sergeant Smith's ear right now. He knew what Harold Beaston said and he figured that something to be unsure of as well.

"H-Ha-Ha!" Seth guffawed. "Were you on drugs when they told you that? They just wanted to make you tell your story and then think of what to do with ya."

A loud gulp was heard from both Andrew and Cole.

"You mean we're here forever?" Cole said. "Our Mama will never see us again?.....But we didn't do anything wrong. Really!"

"HA! Really? Then why you here? Seth said. I bet you sat in a guy's office...a maj...a Madge...st..."

"Magistrate," Andrew proudly announced."

"Yeah, That's it," Seth replied. "Anyways, he told you that you'd be here overnight and them sent home to wait for Judge Hitchings to get back to town and take your case....That right?"

Cole shook his head in the affirmative. Seth laughed again.

"You know what they call that judge, don't ya?" Seth continued. They call him 'Hang 'em high Hitchings.' Ha-Ha-Ha! I didn't do anything either, but I'm here because I was with some others that did, and I've been here for over a year now. My Mama, does not know who I am anymore."

Maybe Seth was prone to exaggeration, and then maybe what he said was all the truth. Andrew and Cole did not know what to expect at this point. Cole turned to Andrew, wrapped his arms around the boy, then began to cry, loudly. Seth had a big grin on his face, as Andrew consoled Cole. Big Crocodile tears were building up in Andrew's eyes as well.