All rights reserved. Other than downloading one copy for personal enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, except for reviews, without the written permission of the author. As in real life, the sexual themes unfold gradually and are kept to a realistic level.
This story contains descriptions of consensual sexual contact between males, adult and minor. As such it is homoerotic, designed for the entertainment of mature adults. If you are not of legal age to read such material, or if the subject matter would create irresolvable personal moral dilemmas, please exit now.
Note: I would like to thank Matthew for his unwavering support and patience while I write this story. Also, my thanks to those who have taken the time to send me their comments. Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to the author, Dwight Wilson, at adm2780@yahoo.com
Matthew has just posted A Simple Christmas Story under the young friends section. Try it, you'll enjoy it.
Chapter Ninety-Seven: New Horizons
Daniel sat at a table in the corner of the dining room as far from the seniors and other boys as possible. Amos Crawford and the governor sat with Daniel. Standing before the trio were Carl and Terry with the boy and man between them. Carl placed his hands on the top of the boy's shoulders and had the boy stand in front of him.
"Daniel, this is Elijah; the boy I told you about on the phone." Carl leaned over to speak to Elijah.
"Elijah, this is Mr. Thompson, Mr. Crawford and the governor." Elijah did well until he was introduced to the governor. When the boy realized who he standing before, he became tense and frightened. His reaction did not go unnoticed, particularly the pleading look he gave his master. The look was not one of seeking permission, but a silent cry for help.
"Elijah," Daniel intentionally kept his voice low and soft. "Elijah, look at me." The boy was almost ignoring Daniel. He looked only when the man nodded his head towards Daniel.
"Elijah, there's no reason for you to be afraid. No one here is going to hurt you. We are all here to help you. Do you understand?" The boy continued to look at Daniel, but he didn't say anything. Daniel turned his attention to the man. Carl spoke up.
"Daniel, this is Gerald Furman. Mr. Furman is Elijah's master."
"Only technically," Furman quickly interjected. Daniel gave a questioning look to Furman.
"Well, it's true that Elijah is a slave and I'm his master, but that's really only on paper. It's the only way I had of protecting him."
"Protecting him from what?" the governor asked.
"Well, sir, from the boy's family. You see, when the sheriff's deputies came and got him and told us what was going on, we tried to get them to understand that our situation was a little different. They told us we didn't have any choice and that Elijah would be set free and returned to his family. Well, that's the worst thing that could happen to him." Elijah had quietly moved over to stand next to his master.
Daniel noticed the boy didn't assume the normal positions of submission like most slaves. Slaves were taught to never look a master in the eye, to always cast the eyes towards the floor or ground. Also, the slave was always supposed to keep his hands clasped behind his back. This was an unusual situation. Elijah did neither of these things.
"Mr. Furman, would you and Elijah care to take a seat? I think we are about to hear a story that doesn't follow the normal situation." Daniel waited for the man and the boy to sit. Elijah pulled his chair as close to the man as he could.
"Elijah, do you understand what we are trying to do for you. You are no longer a slave. We will work to get you returned to your family so you can have a normal life, so you can be happy. Don't you want that?"
"No, sir. I'd rather be a slave and stay where I am." Daniel could only respond with a look of bewilderment.
"I think I can explain it so you understand," Furman volunteered. "You see, Elijah is a slave on paper only. Everyone knows him as my son. All of his paperwork for school, insurance, everything, lists Elijah as my son. The reason he wouldn't answer you a few minutes ago is because he knows not to reveal his true status to anyone or we both could be in trouble. Now, I guess we don't have a choice."
"Mr. Furman," the governor interrupted, "could you explain to us how you got into this situation?"
"Well, sir, I think a lot of people wouldn't approve of what I did, but I'm glad I did it. You see, Elijah, his name was Russell back then, was a prostitute. He was put on the street and told to do whatever he had to for money, but he better not come home without money.
"His parents were killed in a fire, it was their home. From what I could learn, there were three children. Russell and his younger sister were taken out by their father. There was a toddler still in the house. Russell's mother was trying to get her out. When his father realized his wife and youngest child were still in the house, he went back in. People tried to stop him, but he went anyway. No one escaped. That's about all I know of that incident and most of it I learned from the newspaper articles that were written. I did some research. At the time, Russell here was seven and his sister five. They were separated and placed with different family members.
"Russell was placed with his uncle. Actually, it was his mother's sister and her husband. The husband was abusive and, from what I could find out, resented having another mouth to feed. In the beginning, the man started abusing the boy, sexually. After a while, the man decided to share the boy with his buddies, charging them for keeping the boy for pleasure. I don't know exactly how long it went on, but it all escalated to the point where Russell was put on the street and told to earn his keep."
"How did you get Russell?" The governor asked.
"Sometimes I think it providence, maybe just coincidence. I think it was meant to be. I'm a teacher and at the time I was teaching at a school in Pensacola, near the base. I had a lot of papers to grade and decided to work through lunch, or have a working lunch. That day, I left my lunch at home. So, I worked through lunch period and decided to get a quick bit on the way home. I was sitting at a table outside a small sandwich shop when this little kid just walked up to me and said he'd go anywhere and let me do anything with him for a little money and food." Furman paused a moment to glance at the adults, but, mostly, to rub the boy's head and give him some reassurance.
"My initial reaction was shock. I'd never had that happen before and just couldn't imagine it. My next thought was that this was just some kid being used as bait to get me somewhere so his friends could attack and rob me."
"What made you change your mind?"
"The look in his eyes. I think it was a combination of fear, which was over-ridden by hunger, which was over-ridden by desperation. I looked around us and didn't see anyone else that I thought might be an accomplice, so I pretty well dismissed the robbery motive. I think it was the pleading look he had in his eyes; he was pleading for help. So I told him I would give him some money. When he asked what I wanted him to do, I told him to sit down and talk to me while we shared my sandwich." Elijah looked up at Furman and smiled, remembering. Furman had to smile as he remembered what Elijah did.
"He sat at the table and shared my sandwich, but he didn't talk much. I think having his mouth stuffed full of my submarine sandwich had something to do with it. When he left me, I gave him ten bucks. I went back two days later, and there he was again. I guessed that he'd been waiting for me. When I saw him, I also saw a couple of bad bruises on him. His uncle had beaten him for not bringing home enough money. I found out later that the only money he was bringing home was what I gave him. I made it a point to go by the sandwich shop every day. Every day we shared a sandwich, we talked and I gave him money. Of course, after a while it got a little expensive and I was tapping into my savings."
There was movement behind Furman. Daniel looked up only long enough to see Grandpa Smith approach in his wheel chair. Grandpa motioned for Daniel to remain silent. Grandpa parked his chair and listened.
"I guess this went on for about three weeks; then, nothing. One afternoon he wasn't there. The next afternoon he wasn't there. The shop owner told me he hadn't seen him. Five days I didn't see him. I was worried but had no idea how to check on him. I didn't know his full name, his uncle's name, or where he lived. He was just gone. A few days later I received a message at school to call the sandwich shop owner. He'd seen Elijah, or Russell, as we knew him back then.
"As soon as I could find someone to cover my classes, I headed to the sandwich shop. He was standing outside, but he didn't look the same. Normally, when I approached he'd run up to me and smile; not this time. I asked him what kind of sandwich he wanted and he wouldn't answer, just shrugged his shoulders. I knew something was wrong, but all I could do was wait and hope he would tell me.
"The thing that pretty much pushed me towards making him talk was when I tried to put an arm around the back of his shoulders and he ducked away. The look in his eyes just said 'pain' and I knew something was wrong. I didn't give him any choice and made him sit next to me. I looked down his shirt. I don't know which feeling was strongest, the urge to wretch and just pure anger. He wouldn't tell me anything so I took him by the arm and we went into the restroom. There, I pulled his shirt up and then pulled his shorts down. He'd been beaten, badly. When I turned him around to look at me he burst into tears and I just held him." Furman again paused and ran his fingers through Elijah's hair. He whispered something to the boy that only the two of them could hear.
"Did you call the police or other authorities?"
"I told him that's what I was going to do and he begged me not to. I told him it was child abuse to beat a child that way. That's when he told me it wasn't illegal to beat a slave. I felt like a ten ton brick wall had just collapsed on me. Those days that he missed being at the sandwich shop, his uncle had taken him to juvenile court and had him enslaved. The uncle said the boy was a runaway and incorrigible. Enslavement was the only chance he had to straighten the boy out."
"Mr. Furman," Daniel spoke, recognizing the sensitivity of the situation. "How did you get the boy and, what I'm most curious about, if you didn't like slavery, why is he still a slave? You know, a lot of this doesn't make sense at the moment."
Furman sat at the table not looking at any of the men. He looked down at the boy who was now holding on to the man tighter than ever. Furman's hesitation suggested that something was wrong. Fear had crept back into Elijah's expression.
"When I found out what his uncle did, I got mad. I was never happy about the circumstances anyway, but recognized there was little I could do to change things. Elijah kept coming to the sandwich shop and, by then, I had arranged for the owner to give Elijah something to eat whenever he was around. Quite honestly, I thought about walking off and never seeing him again, but I couldn't. It seemed to me that I was about the only person around that cared what happened to the boy.
"I confronted the uncle. He just laughed and told me if I wanted to see the boy, I'd have to pay. He didn't care if I had sex with him, although he stated it a bit more crudely, beat him, or talked with him, so long as I paid. So, I paid. This went on for several weeks and I knew that sooner or later I'd run out of money. Some people had tried to buy the boy, but the uncle said he had a gold mine going and wasn't about to sell. Then, one day, the uncle's attitude changed. I never knew why. All I knew was that he needed money, and fast. I mortgaged my house and borrowed some from friends and bought him. So, that's how I became his master."
The men looked at one another. No one questioned the truthfulness of the story. Every one could look at the man and the boy and know they cared for one another very much.
"Again, Mr. Furman," Daniel addressed the man, "you haven't explained why the boy is still a slave. Why didn't you free him?"
"I didn't want him as a slave. There was, and is, something special between us. Elijah is the son I never had. The problem was that we couldn't stay in Pensacola; too many people knew that I had bought him. We moved to St. Augustine, where I took a job teaching. The area is small and family oriented. No one knew us or anything about our pasts. I enrolled him in school using the name Elijah Furman and listed him as my son. If they knew he was a slave, he wouldn't be allowed to attend. It's a secret we've lived with all this time. We hadn't thought about it for quite a while; no reason to until those deputies showed up. I still don't know how they found us."
"I can explain how they found you," Amos volunteered. "You pay taxes. Your social security number is in the slave data base as the master. All they had to do was check your tax records and knock on the door."
"That still doesn't explain why you haven't set him free and applied to adopt him."
Again, Furman was quiet. He looked at the boy and took a deep breath before answering.
"It took most of my resources to buy him. I've been saving the money up to go through the court procedures to free him, but not until he's of age. If I free him, the state will take him from me. They won't approve me to adopt. My personal records, even my school records, identify me as being gay. In this state, that's almost like a death sentence in itself. We thought it would be better to do like we've been doing, and wait till he was of age to make the choices."
A silence fell over all the men; now they understood. The men also understood why Furman was so reluctant to reveal the truth.
"Elijah," Daniel spoke softly, but firmly, "I'd like for you to come stand in front of me, please." Elijah looked up at Furman, who motioned for the boy to go. Elijah stood in front of Daniel. "Elijah, I'm going to ask some questions and I want you to look me straight in the eye and answer. Okay?" Elijah nodded. Before asking Elijah anything, Daniel again looked at Furman.
"Mr. Furman, do you have any idea what could happen to this boy if anyone had discovered he was really a slave? The punishment he would be subjected to for being disrespectful to masters, lying, and anything else they could dream up would be horrific on the boy."
"Don't you think his prior life was already horrific? We left Pensacola for a reason. I'd go on the run again, if need be, to protect him. What I would really like is to be able to move to another country where slavery is illegal. We would do that if we had to."
Daniel could feel Elijah becoming tense again, and didn't say any more regarding what could have happened. The focus needed to be on the future, Elijah's future.
"Elijah?" Daniel turned his attention to the boy. "What do your friends at school call you? Eli or Elijah?"
"Eli."
"May I call you Eli?" The boy nodded. "Eli, Mr. Furman says that before you lived with him, you were on the streets and a prostitute. Is that right?" The boy looked down and mumbled that it was true. "Eli, you don't need to be embarrassed here. Just tell us the truth, okay? While you were on the streets, did men take you places?"
"Yes, sir. Mostly men, sometimes just boys, would pay me to go with them. The boys wanted me to suck them and sometimes I got fucked. There was a couple times I got tied down and a bunch o' boys fucked me and took all my money. My uncle beat me that night. Do you wanna know all the different things they done to me?"
"No, Eli, I don't, and I don't think you should have to relive all those bad times, either. While you've been with Mr. Furman, have you had sex with him?"
Daniel noticed the reaction from Furman. The reaction was not anger at having been caught. The man was offended and wanted to say something; he remained quiet.
"No, sir, he won't let me. I tried, several times. I wanted him to know how much I loved him, but he always said he didn't want me to show like that. He said a hug was all he needed and to know I was doin' good."
"Can you tell us about some of the fun things Mr. Furman lets you do?" Eli turned and looked at Furman.
"It's okay, Eli," Furman assured the boy, "just tell them the truth. We have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. Maybe you can add some of the not so fun things, too."
"Well, the not so fun stuff is like I have to make my bed every day and clean my room each week. I help do yard work, but that's really not so bad 'cause he helps me. He makes me study every night too. When I first was with him I'd missed a lotta school. Dad tutored me so I could take a test and be in the same grade as other kids my age."
The men looked at one another. All of them had heard Eli refer to Furman as 'Dad'. The way the boy did it was natural, not something added in for show.
"Do you have to get As all the time?" Amos asked.
"No sir, but I have ta get mostly A's and B's. Dad says he'd rather I get A's and B's and take time to do other stuff like play ball. He says it makes me better rounded, whatever that is."
"What kind of fun stuff do you do? What do you like for him to do for you?" Daniel asked.
"Well, we play basketball. We have a hoop at the end of the driveway in the backyard. On weekends, we go for a bike ride and always stop at IHOP for breakfast. Sometimes one of my friends will go with us. Oh yeah, and we like ta go to the beach. There's one that's Viliano, or something like that, where we can take the car down on the beach. They built this rock thing going out into the ocean so we don't get great big waves. It's real good for usin' my boogie board. I like the other beach, too, 'cause there's always other kids there to play with." Suddenly, Eli got a look of panic and turned to look at Furman.
"It's alright, Eli, go ahead and tell them. There's nothing wrong or bad about going there."
"The other beach itn' as close. When we go we usually stay in a hotel place. It's what I call the naked beach 'cause most of the people there are naked. Dad said it was okay 'cause it wasn't illegal for kids my age to go naked. I do it at home sometimes, too, but he won't let me go out anymore naked."
"Do you like going nude, Eli?" Daniel asked, smiling at the boy.
"Yes, sir. I don't like havin' ta wear clothes all the time. I don't know, it's just nicer, I guess. It feels good. Sometimes when I do it at home, I get ta lay on the sofa and lay across Dad's lap. When I do that, he rubs my back, and it just feels good."
"I'll let you in on a secret, Eli," Daniel wanted to let the boy know he wasn't doing anything wrong. "The boys down at New Horizons, they don't like to wear clothes either. None of them have any tan lines." Daniel paused to let Eli absorb what he had said. Eli looked at Daniel, and smiled. "You say your Dad rubs your back, is that what you like best?"
"No, sir. Wellll kinda, I guess. What I really like best is when I can cuddle up with him and he holds me. I like that, too." Daniel looked at Amos and the governor. Both men smiled and just nodded. Daniel turned to Terry.
"Terry can you see TJ in the room?" Terry leaned out to look for TJ. "Can you signal him to join us?"
TJ and Evan came out of the rooms to join Daniel. When they came out of the room, they spotted Grandpa Smith and went straight to him. They exchanged greetings and hugs. Eli and Furman watched; everyone else waited.
"Mr. Dan'l, you lookin' for us?"
"TJ, this Eli and Mr. Furman. Do you think you and Evan could take Eli to the cafeteria for a drink and a snack for a few minutes?"
"Sure thing, Mr. D."
Daniel had to smile, it was rare for the boys to refer to him as Mr. D. Daniel always thought it was a sign of their security and trust with him and enjoyed it. When the boys had left, Amos spoke to Furman.
"Mr. Furman, I'm Amos Crawford. I'm the director of DCF. Suppose you and I walk down to the waiting area and see if we can get a half-decent cup of coffee out of the machine in there."
The men sat at the table and watched the boys leave in one direction while Amos and Furman left in another. Grandpa rolled his wheelchair closer to the table to join the conversation. He didn't say anything; he just looked at Daniel.
"What?" Daniel said back to Grandpa.
"Don't say 'what' to me," Grandpa said emphatically. "You heard those two just as well as me. Those two love one another, and I don't mean like lovebirds. That man has gone through a lot to protect that boy. Now, what are you going to do about it?" Daniel had to laugh.
"Carl, did you or Terry see or hear anything that might contradict what Eli told us?"
"Nothing, Daniel. The boy was just upset at being taken away from Furman. I can tell you that Furman was ready to fight or whatever he thought he had to do to protect that boy. If we hadn't had a couple of deputies around us, I wouldn't have been surprised if he tried to attack us and take the boy. You heard him say they'd run if they had to, and I believe him." Carl paused a moment, then added, "I don't think it's right for them to have to live like this. The boy deserves stability and security."
"I agree, and I believe him, too," the governor added. "I just wish he hadn't told us he was gay. You know what the law says about gays and adoption. The law is that gays are forbidden to adopt. That's one law I would really like to change. As much as I would like to, I can't ignore what I've already been told."
"Adopt maybe," Grandpa interjected, "but what about being his legal guardian for now? When the boy turns eighteen, they can do the adoption and, so long as the boy consents, they can legally be what everyone now believes they are."
While the men sat at the table discussing Eli's case, they didn't notice a small group of women approaching them. Daniel looked up to see Danny's granny and three other women of roughly the same age. All appeared old enough to qualify as 'grandmotherly'.
"Mr. Thompson, my friends and I would like to speak with you. It's about those boys you've brought in here."
Initially, Daniel was a little surprised by how forceful Granny was being, but quickly recovered.
"Governor, this is Granny. This is the lady that takes care of little Danny for us whenever the Cherubs come here to serve lunch. I'm afraid I don't know the other ladies' names, but I do recognize their faces from previous visits." The governor exchanged pleasantries with the ladies, and the ladies quickly returned to what was on their minds.
"You know, when you've been around this place as long as some of us have, you develop communication sources. We heard about these boys and what's happened to them and, quite frankly, it made us mad.
"The staff told us that some orderlies are being assigned to help care for the boys and that TJ and Evan will be here to help. The girls and I talked about it and we decided that nobody can take care of these boys and show them the kind of care and attention they need except for a granny. The hospital has already approved it, subject to your approval. We're asking you to let us return to your boys some of the affection that they've given to us."
"Granny, I'm not sure what to say . . ."
"Good, you don't have to say anything. We knew you would understand. Now, let's go talk to the boys."
Before Daniel could finish his statement, Granny jumped on the part she thought was positive and didn't stop. Daniel sat in his chair, both surprised and amused.
"Daniel, they can't do any harm and will probably be good for the boys. Right now, I think you have them whether you want them or not," the governor observed, smiling, as they rose to follow the ladies.
"Boys . . .boys, let me have your attention. Are all the boys in here?"
Two of the boys nodded. Another added, "Except TJ and Evan."
"That's alright. This isn't about TJ and Evan. Now, you boys don't know us, but you will. We all live here in the senior center and everybody calls all of us 'granny', so you can too. Now, we know about the treatments you boys are about to undergo and the doctors have told us that you'll be confined to your beds for a few days. Of course, what that means is somebody needs to help take care of you. That's us.
"The hospital, and Mr. Thompson, have agreed to let us take care of you boys. While you're confined to bed, we'll help feed you, give you baths and anything else you need."
"Baths?" One of the boys said, sounding a little shocked.
"Yes, young man, baths. You don't think we're going to let you just lie around here and not be clean, do you? Listen, we all have had sons and grandsons. We've given more baths to boys than any of you could ever imagine. Not only that, but we're expert at wipin' noses and the other end, too." The room was unusually quiet; the boys were in a mild state of shock. "For really personal matters, TJ and Evan will be here to help you. That's assuming, of course, that you can get that dirty old pervert they call grandpa to let go of 'em.
"There's something else we're real good at, too. You'll find we are about the kindest, most understanding and loving old ladies you'll ever know. We know you boys have been through some rough times, and we just want to make this as easy as possible for you. We're real good at holding you, giving out a little hug or a kiss, listening to you and even sharing a few tears. You know, a good cry sometimes can help a lot."
As Granny spoke to the boys, all four ladies moved through the room. They touched a head here and there, maybe ran some fingers through a boy's hair. More than one arm was wrapped around a boy's shoulder for a quick hug. Granny stood next to Richard, who lay in his bed.
"Son, what's your name?"
"Richard, ma'am."
"Well Richard, I hope that lump I see under those sheets is just your arm. We wouldn't want to embarrass anyone now, would we?" As granny spoke, she ran her fingers along the lump under the sheet. Richard quickly moved his arm. Granny gave him a light pat on the side of his hip. "Girls, I think this young man might just be naked under this sheet."
Richard grasped the sheet and looked around at his friends, and to Daniel, in a panic, seeking help. The other boys broke out into fits of laughter. Daniel and the other men also laughed.
"Daniel, what are you laughing at? I understand you are undergoing the same treatments. You know, we've taken care of just about as many grown men as we have growing boys. You're not exempt from all this."
Daniel stopped laughing and just looked at Granny. He was like a deer caught in the headlights. The boys looked at Daniel and laughed harder.
"Daniel." Grandpa had managed to roll up next to Daniel, "I think you just may have met your match. I never knew the old bitty had it in her." Daniel turned to see an amused Grandpa.
End Ch Ninety-Seven To Be Continued
Comments welcome: contact Dwight Wilson at adm2780@yahoo.com