Ben Esra telefonda seni bosaltmami ister misin?
Telefon Numaram: 00237 8000 92 32
Subject: Heatwave in the City Chapter 24 This is a work of fiction. Everybody in it is entirely my own creation. Don’t even think of suing me for putting you in a story, because I haven’t. If you happen to be resident in one of the places mentioned, or to belong to any of the institutions mentioned, don’t even think about telling me I haven’t portrayed them accurately. Work of fiction. The name of the institution only occurs because it is common knowledge so I couldn’t get away with pretending it was otherwise. If I’ve borrowed your Church, school, police station, laundrette – I haven’t. I’ve merely used the name on the building because people walk past and see it every day. Work of fiction. None of the people in the story exist, so none of the things that happen in the story can have happened to them. The world, however, is the one exception to this – the world which has in it so many wonderful people that writing fiction of this sort becomes an obligation – for me; not for everybody. You’ll have found your own place in the scheme of things, and can be wonderful in your own way. This is a story of love. It isn’t a story of sex, though that might get mentioned. There is no pornography here. Some of it is cross-generational, but it isn’t about perverted love either. Some is what nowadays is termed “gay”, but the same applies. If you think you might be offended by that, the time to go and read something else is now. Still reading? Then enjoy, and remember, you don’t pay to read these stories, but it does cost Nifty money to bring them to you. Please consider donating to Nifty fty/donate.html Heatwave in the City by Jonah Chapter 24 I woke at about half past seven the next morning. The king sized bed was incredibly comfortable, even with a surfeit of occupants. In point of fact the room contained two of these beds, so we had simply pushed them together. Not that any of the bedding was designed to cover a four-man bed (aren’t double beds usually meant to include the distaff side?), but that wasn’t bothering any of us. I had curled up with Luke attached as usual. but appreciative of the luxury of being able to curl up, and everybody else fitted in with plenty of room. Liam had moved over and slipped his feet in front of me, so I gently massaged those. “What are we doing today Jonah?” said Kori’s voice from somewhere at the other end. I identified his feet beyond Liam’s and addressed myself to them. “Not a lot till we’ve had breakfast,” I said. The feet disappeared. “I’ll go and get that started,” he said. “I didn’t mean that Kori,” I said quickly. “You don’t have to do that.” “Gonna try and stop him?” muttered a sleepy Jake from somewhere. I turned onto my back and threw out my arms in despair. “Ooof! said Luke. “Sorry Luke, forgot you were there,” I said. “Has Kori gone for a shower?” he asked. “I hope so,” I replied. “I’ll wait till he comes out” “Luke, three of the bedrooms on this floor have en-suite showers, there’s a shower in the bathroom, and another downstairs in the gym, so I don’t think you need worry about Kori occupying the shower,” I told him. Liam and Peter climbed out of the bed. I’ll say that again – Peter climbed out of bed. Yes Peter climbed out of bed, and what I tell you three times is true. The pair of them went off in search of a vacant shower. “Have they gone,” muttered Jake. “Indeed they have Jake. There is not a boy to be seen anywhere,” I told him. “Good morning, by the way.” “Morning! Dontcha think we’d better follow suit.” “I’m just enjoying lying here without a boy in sight,” I said. “Are y’enjoying not knowing what they’re up to?” “Worried?” Nope,” he replied. “It’s not my boss’s holiday home.” “Why do you have to spoil everything?” “Come on, we’d better get up,” he replied. “What are we doing this morning by the way” “Are you anxious to drive that tank out there?” “Hell yes! I can’t remember the last time I drove a manual shift.” “You know where we went last night?” “Sure do.” “Well that path goes all the way to Sheringham. I was thinking, if we parked up in that car park, then walked along the cliff tops, we could get some lunch in Sheringham, and come back on the train, after we’ve explored the place. Depending on what time we get back, we might have time to drive somewhere else afterwards.” “How far is it to Sheringham?” “Not very far – four miles at the most.” “Long walk.” “Old age and decreptitude setting in?” “No I was thinking of the kids.” “They’re younger and fitter than you are,” I replied. “Come on – you were the one in a hurry to get up.” We set off in search of free shower cubicles. I say we set off, because we never quite completed that quest. A naked Liam appeared on the landing and demanded that Jake go soap his back. Kori, asked me to do the same. “Please,” he said in his most wheedling voice. “I usually ask Jake to do it, but he’s busy with Liam.” I ought to have been happy with that. A gay man being asked to help a good- looking and naked almost-teenager to bathe. What’s not to like? Unfortunately everything. Sure I was sprouting trabzon escort an enthusiastic member, but that only made it worse. I’m cursed, dear reader, with a conscience. I don’t know about conscience making cowards of us all, but it certainly made one of me. Even though Kori was not only gay, but pretty well guaranteed to remain so, I respected the boy too much to be prepared to take advantage of him, and I was also wary of doing things with him that Jake would not. Honesty being the best policy, I told him all this. His arms went around my shoulders, resulting in a lot more flesh on flesh contact and a swordfight. “Jake would have said the same thing Jonah” he said. “He always does. I’m really unhappy that neither of you will do anything with me, but I’m happy that you both love me enough to look out for me, so it’s cool.” I smiled shyly at him. “Well you never know Kori,” I forced myself to say, even though it came out as a croak, ” when you’re older – if you still want to – that is.” “You speaking for you or Jake now?” “Wait and see,” I told him squeezing some shower gel onto his back. Well I got him showered and then he went to get dressed while I showered. By the time I was dressed and ready to face the day it was twenty past eight and Kori had breakfast on the table for me. I agreed with him that a full English wouldn’t be a bad thing, though I knew what we were planning to do, and he didn’t. Jake certainly seemed to be enjoying driving the big 4×4 down to the village, and we parked it in the beach car-park. The sea looked different this morning because the tide was in. Every wave left a loud rattling sound as it raked back the shingle. Out toward Sheringham we could see small boats bobbing about on the waves. We soon climbed up onto the cliff path and headed the way we had the night before. The sun was shining on the sea (shining with all his might), and he beat down mercilessly on us too. I had made sure we were carrying plenty of water. My back pack also contained salt tablets, a first aid kit. an emergency blanket and my personal survival kit, which I was sure I wasn’t going to need. In addition I had taken the precaution of packing swimming trunks and towels. There would be no skinny-dipping on this trip. Once past the cottages we were close to the cliff edge all the way. I had to call the boys back from the edge a few times, because the soft sandstone has been known to crumble under people’s weight. In some places chunks had been taken out of the path, where former falls had been. The beach below was all shingle, though there may have been sand when the tide went out. Inland the cliff sloped down to a wild plain eventually lined off by the railway – just visible in the distance. The path climbed and dipped, and we had to negotiate a couple of largish hills. The occasional walker passed us, but mostly we had the path to ourselves. Soon the railway seemed to be closer, and we could see the Sheringham fixed distant signal across the field. There was a toot and we observed a plume of white steam in the distance. We stood and watched. A louder toot soon reached our ears. Very soon across the field we saw a crimson and cream caterpillar with a standard class 4 at its head. It showed only a small feather of steam as it slowed for the golf links level crossing, but with another toot the driver opened her up and the exhaust, more black now, mounted to the sky. We stood and watched it go by as the exhaust gradually turned back to white cotton wool, then we climbed the last high hill before Sheringham. From the top, the golf course lay below us, with the town beyond. We walked downhill at a brisk pace, but Jake and I discouraged the boys from running about. We didn’t want anybody forgetting how close that cliff edge was. The tide was ebbing, but was still rattling the shingle as we passed above the twin buildings of Sheringham lifeboat station, with its timber slipway in between. we were descending fast now and before long had drawn close to the first buildings of the town. A concrete path now passed close to a clifftop shelter and a raised boating lake was the other side. “Gee, I wish I’d brought my sailing ship now,” said Kori. “It’d have been too big for the plane,” Jake replied. “But there might be a model shop in town that’d have a smaller one,” I suggested, vaguely remembering having seen something of the sort last time we were here. We left the path to head into town but crossed the point where the municipal toilets formed a decorative archway leading down to the beach. Well we had to go down there didn’t we? As we stood on the shingle, the waves lapped at the shore a few feet below us. The tide had receeded beyond the shingle now, and a narrow strip of sand was becoming visible. “Can we swim in the sea?” Peter asked. “No way,” I replied. “With the tide going that way there could easilly be strong offshore currents, and I haven’t seen any notice to tell us whether they operate a red flag system here. Paddling in the shallows is the most you can do.” “Come on! Jonah says we tunalı escort can paddle,”cried Peter, pulling off his shoes and socks. Well in minutes four boys were clambering barefoot over the shingle to the sand below, which seemed a little short-sighted to me. Surely it would have been more comfortable to have kept their shoes on till they reached the sand. There’s no point in trying to tell excited boys that. Even Kori, taking his time in deference to his advanced age, still wouldn’t listen and was barefoot by the time he started to struggle over the pebbles. BANG! “What the heck was that?” exclaimed Kori. “There’ll probably be another one in a minute,” I said. “One maroon’s only for the coastguard.” BANG! “If there’s another,” I said, “they’ll be launching the big lifeboat. It’ll mean a ship in distress. Two’s only for the inshore boat. That’ll mean a swimmer in trouble.” “There he is,” said Kori suddenly. “It looks like a kid, but hes a long way out.” “Carried out by the current probably,” I said. “The lifeboat will pick him up in a few minutes.” “If he gets under the water there’ll be nothing to pick up,” said Kori, running down the shingle. “Hey Kori you can’t…” began Jake, and then saved his breath for running. It was never going to happen. For a start, a head start on shingle remains a head start, because your pursuer can’t get traction for any additional speed. In any case, I didn’t give him the start that he had given Kori. “Kori’s right,” I told him, “and you’ll never stop him anyway. If you catch him in the water and try to stop him you’ll both drown.” “But I can’t…..” “I know you can’t. Neither can I, but we’ve got to.” Kori was in the water and making good progress. With the current on his side swimming was actually going to be less tiring than treading water. It was only a matter of two or three minutes before Kori – now just a speck on the surface – had linked up with the swimmer. There were cars arriving at the lifeboat station and the doors on the far building were open. Now the inflatable inshore lifeboat was at the top of the slipway on its carriage. It didn’t need a tractor to manoeuvre it as the big lifeboat did. Now its crew have boarded and it is running down the slipway. Now it is bobbing up and down in the water and a rapid growl builds as the engine is started. The speck on the water, that was once two specks grows more animated as the inflateable roars off out to sea and performs a large sweeping arc towards them. In minutes the inflatable is stationary in the water and the crew are clambering about. Two of the crew are in the water and the rest are labouring over the far gunwhale. In just over a minute the roar of the inflatable’s engine reaches us as it heads for just below the lifeboat station. “Come on,” I said to Jake and the boys, and we began to pick our way over the shingle towards the twin buildings. It never occurred to any of us to abandon the shingle and walk on the concrete pathway. We even clamboured over the groyns when they got in our way, rather than climb onto the promenade and avoid them altogether. An ambulance was parked by the pathway on the cliff and a paramedic vehicle at the lifeboat station. Next to it was a group of people. They consisted of a paramedic, an elderly gentleman with tears in his eyes and a small boy, probably about seven or eight. A lifeboatman,of about forty or fifty and Kori, made up the rest of the party. The latter two walked over as soon as they spotted us. “Dew this here young chap belong to one o’ you gentlemen?” the lifeboatman asked. Jake shyly lifted a hand, like a small boy in school. “Well just yew look after ‘im, ‘cos he’s a good’un,” said the lifeboatman. “There wouln’t ha’ been anything for us to rescue if he han’t shown some spunk.” “Hallelujah,” called one of the other lifeboatmen, “do you want her off the slip now?” The big man turned and bellowed, “Praise-be, if you think you can shift her on yer own, yore welcome to try, but don’t you come running to me when you slip on them wet planks and break your leg.” I saw Kori smile at that. I remembered that most of the Sheringham lifeboat crew would be Salvation Army, and were using typical Norfolk Salvation Army nicknames. The cox, Hallelujah, put a massive hand on Jake’s shoulder and said, “If you’ve just got a few moments to come up to the office, I can get our log up to date. It’s just a formality, but the RNLI takes things like that very seriously ‘n, since this young man actually played a part in the rescue, I’m going to need his help. The three of them disappeared into the larger building so I sat on the shingle, which was starting to dry out. Luke, Peter and Liam followed suit. I saw the paramedic get back into his car and start making notes. The elderly gentleman and, what I took to be his grandson, strolled over to us. “I nearly lost him,” said the man, standing over me. With the sun almost behind him, I could only look up at him by sheilding my eyes. “I’m glad you didn’t,” I said. “I don’t know what I would have done,” he tunceli escort said simply. I nodded. “It’s everybody’s worst nightmare,” I agreed, “but it didn’t happen. God isn’t ready for him yet.” “Davey wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for that brave young man,” he persisted. “And the other brave men,” I added; “the ones who are ready to go out and risk their lives to save others any time of day or night, day in, day out, but you’re right. Kori’s a brave lad. Isn’t it good to know there are so many good people about?” The old man turned and, with an effort, settled himself on the shingle next to me. I steadied his arm while Davey steadied the other one. Once he was seated the boy sat beside him. “I’m 87,” said the old man, “and I’d never noticed the world WAS so full of good people. I know there’s some scum about, but I hadn’t really noticed the good ones till now. Just proves you’re never too old to learn.” “You’ve been reading newspapers and watching television,” I told him. “They only give you half the story. and it’s always the half that suits them.” “Seems so,” he agreed. “but if all the world was selfish, and just looked out for theirselves, I’d have lost Davey, and I couldn’t have took that.” “You nearly did,” I pointed out. “Kori’s dad tried to stop him going out there. Seems he didn’t want to lose Kori any more than you wanted to lose Davey.” There was silence after that for a while. Kori came back and sat next to Davey. Now Kori is a lively, outgoing young man, and generally has plenty to say for himself, but sensing the mood he sat in silence. It was Jake who finally broke the spell. “Young man,” he said upon his return, “do you not have any clothes to put on? You can’t sit in wet trunks and a survival blanket all day.” “They’re down there,” said Davey, pointing back in the direction from which we’d come. “Well go get them,” said Jake, “before somebody else decides to donate them to charity, and you lot, your shoes and socks are down there too. Off with you.” Within seconds there was only Jake, the old man and myself to be seen. Jake sat next to the old man. “I owe you an apology,” he said quietly. “No you don’t,” said the old man. “I tried to stop Kori from going in. I couldn’t bear to lose him.” “Well I know what that feels like,” said the old man. “I owe you an apology, because my boy put your boy at risk.” “If Kori hadn’t gone in….” Jake tried to continue. “But he did. You must be very proud.” Jake nodded. “Yeah,” was all he said. The sound of returning boys recalled him to his senses. “It’s time we had lunch.” he said. ” Have you two eaten?” “I’ll treat you,” said the old man, “I know the perfect place.” He was right, the Two Lifeboats Hotel, on the end of the High Street was the perfect place. They offered a full menu and most of us settled for pie and chips, or fish and chips. Seemingly they also offered good ales which, of course, we avoided. Liam picked up on this and protested, once more, that we shouldn’t be making that sacrifice just for him. I quickly made him change his mind. “Liam,” I said “would it mean that I loved you less if I had a pint of beer?” “No,” he said vehemently. “That’s what I’ve been trying to….” “So I can’t prove that I love you more by not having one. Perhaps I’m not having one because I don’t want one, and Jake isn’t allowed to have one. He has to drive the car later.” He subsided, as our food arrived just then. Our hosts were old Peter Page, and his Grandson Davey. We learned that Davey had been orphaned, when a joyrider took out his parents car with the family inside. Davey was the only one of the three to survive, and his grandparents had raised him. He had lost his grandmother the previous year so now there were just the two of them living in Aylsham- not far from Norwich. We took our leave of them, having exchanged addresses, and wandered through the town. There was indeed a shop that could sell us a model boat, though it came in kit form, There were, however, some smaller sailing dingies that were ready for use. Jake purchased two of those. I also decided that Jake was not cooking for us tonight, so I got Peter and Luke to distract him while I obtained ingredients for dinner. At this point we remembered that we had a train to catch. The class 37 diesel was waiting at the station on a short rake of articulated coaches. We found ourselves a compartment and made ourselves comfortable for the ride back to Weybourne. TO BE CONTINUED If you’ve enjoyed this story, you’ll probably enjoy other stories in this series by the same author. This is the latest in a series that includes “A letter from America”, “Stranger on a train,” “Marooned”, “the Boston Tea Party”, “Immigrant,” and “A Cantabrian Operetta”, all the foregoing are on Nifty’s Adult/Youth site. “The Pen Pals” is on Young Friends. You might also like “A Neglected Boy”, by Jacob Lion, also on Adult/Youth. Just in case you were wondering, all lifeboatmen in the UK are unpaid volunteers, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a voluntary organisation, wholely paid for by public donation. You can find links to all these stories, as well as some illustrations on Jacob Lion’s bly/jonah-stories.html My thanks go to Jacob for providing this facility as well as for his kind and generous support without which I would never have written any of them.
Ben Esra telefonda seni bosaltmami ister misin?
Telefon Numaram: 00237 8000 92 32