In the following story, all of the characters are totally fictive and the setting is real. For whomever it would be illegal, immoral or prohibited for any other reason whatsoever to read a story about love between two young men is kindly requested to refrain from continuing. A free picture album illustrating this story (pdf) is available upon request at maringiustinian@gmail.com. Please remember to help Nifty stay online by sending your contribution. This being said, I hope you enjoy the tale.
ONCE UPON A MOUNTAIN
by Marin Giustinian
Val d'Azun, Pyrenees Mountains, France, 2018.
Introduction
Young Don McKenzie was on a five day hike along the French-Spanish border in the Pyrenees.
Carol de Montmaur, was camping up there too, in a secluded hollow by a lake.
Their story
Late on his second day out, Don lost the trail he was following, normally leading to the next refuge. At the foot of a semi-circular cliff of granite, a small lake glimmered in the waning afternoon light. On the edge, he spotted a tent with a campfire pit, and a tall young man standing completely nude, ankle deep in the water near the shore.
When the young man saw his impromptu guest coming down towards him, he dashed into his tent, pulled on a pair of cutoffs and came back out, greeting the lad with a hearty "Bonjour!"
"Bonjour," replied Don, a bit intimidated.
The young man smiled, stating, "Je m'appelle Carol, et toi?"
Don was obviously intimidated. He shrugged, inquiring with a sheepish smile, "Sorry, but do you speak English?"
"You're lucky! I speak English and my name's Carol de Montmaur, and yours?"
"Glad to meet you! I'm Don McKenzie. I think I'm lost," he replied.
"Really? Where are you headed?"
"A refuge called Larrabit, for the night, but in fact, I'm headed nowhere in particular."
"Larrabit? Do you have a map?"
"Just a second..." stuttered Don, taking off his backpack. He pulled a wrinkled map out of the back pocket and handed it to Carol.
Carol spread the map out on the grass, and kneeled. He then pointed, "Here's exactly where you are now. Just put 'now' and 'here' together and you have now/here or no/where... nowhere in particular, so you've arrived!... Ha! Now let's find the Larrabit refuge..."
"Now, here, nowhere," echoed Don, softly laughing, already charmed by Carol.
"My friend, your refuge is a long rough walk from here. You'll never get there before nightfall. It's safer for you to stop overnight and continue tomorrow. Do you have a tent?"
"Just a tarp in case..."
"Look, there's room for two in my tent. Be my guest, if you want."
"Wow! Thanks! That's really kind of you!
"Do you have enough to eat? If not, we'll see what we can combine for dinner!"
Don pulled a sack of apples out of his backpack, plus some tins and a box of crackers, saying, "Add this to the menu!"
"That's way enough!... Let me put your sack inside."
"No, I can do it. It's really heavy!"
"As you like... Do you like herb tea?" shouted Carol as Don laid his sack in the opening of the tent.
"I don't know! Never had any..."
"I gathered these herbs this morning at dawn. Take a whiff!"
"Smells luscious."
"I'll light the fire. While I spread out a cover for us to sit, could you take the kettle over to the lake and fill it with water?"
"No problem!"
Don felt immediately at ease with Carol's warm welcome. While they were waiting for the kettle to hum, Don commented, "Carol, you speak great English, even with an American accent..."
"My father was a diplomat. I lived five years in Washington, DC That's where I went to high school."
"Okay, I understand."
"And you? Are you English?"
"No, I'm Scottish, from Edinburgh. With my parents, I'm on holidays over here. They rented a self-catering in Arrens-Marsous... I needed some time on my own. My father's a psychiatrist and analyst. He said a good hike would do me good. And you, where are you from?"
Carol explained, preparing the tea, "I'm from Pau, not too far north of here. I've just graduated from the Protestant Institute of Theology in Montpellier. I studied there with the idea of perhaps becoming an ordained minister in September. I too needed some time for myself before making up my mind."
"Really? A clergyman?"
"That's right... But I still have to be sure of myself, so I came up here like a hermit, just to follow the example of the prophets in the Bible. You know, when they needed to come closer to God, they went into the desert to pray."
Don didn't really understand, so he just uttered, "Interesting... "
They exchanged some small talk, sipping the tea. When they had finished, Carol said, stepping out of his cutoffs, "Listen, Don, I was going to take my daily dip in the lake to wash up some. It's been a real hot day and I'm sure you did a lot of sweating on the trail too. You're welcome to join me if you want to cool off, and clean up some."
Seeing Carol stark naked again and carefree, Don exclaimed, "Why not!" and stripped too.
They waded into the water.
"God! It's freezing!" screamed Don as he slipped on a slick rock and fell, grabbing Carol, making them both splash into the cold water. Don managed to stand back up, shivering. He yelled, "You can wash if you want. I'm going ashore! I'm blue!"
Carol doused some more water on him and stepped out onto the shore where Don stood shivering.
"Don't you feel like you're ten years old again, with your cock and balls all shrivelled up?" joked Carol dashing to the tent to fetch a big bath towel.
"I was bigger at the age of ten than now!" laughed Don.
Carol tossed Don a towel. As they were drying themselves Carol commented, "You've got a great body, Don. Do you work out often?"
"I've been wrestling ever since I was thirteen," replied Don, shivering.
"Let's warm up on that flat rock over there. It's nice and warm. Heat you up in a hurry!" said Carol, jogging off.
They reclined on their backs, side by side. Several minutes passed in silence until Don sighed and then stated, "There! I'm warmer..." "Do you like it here?"
"It's paradise!"
Another moment passed.
"How old are you now?" nonchalantly inquired Carol.
Don turned his face toward Carol and replied, "I've just turned seventeen."
"So you're still in high school, I guess."
"No, that's over..."
"Already graduated?"
"No, I got kicked out."
Carol thought it best to not react and simply said, "So now you're free as a bird and out for anything, anywhere... Nowhere in particular! Right?"
"Putting it that way, I guess so... And you? Could you explain more about praying and doing like the prophets, becoming a minister, and all that? I'd be interested to hear your story... if you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all."
Their feet were touching. Tiny droplets in their hair and pubic curls glistened.
Carol propped himself up on his elbow and looked at Don. As he listened, Don was fascinated by Carol's honey-hued eyes as well as the warmth of his voice.
"I've always liked going to church. My family belongs to a long line of fervent Protestants. We are very few left in France. In fact, to escape the war of religions here, during the eighteenth century, my ancestors immigrated to South Carolina and when the civil war broke out over there, they returned. Ever since I was a teen, I thought about being a minister. And you, do you belong to a church?"
"No... I guess I'm more of a heathen. Spirits of nature appeal to me more than religion. Of course, I had to take religion in school, and I've even read the Gospels, but I took after my parents. No church."
"Each person has the right to follow his own pathway to God."
"Absolutely! And you? How old are you now?"
"I'll be twenty-three in September," he replied, laying back down, joining his hands under his head. His eyes were closed and his pits were exposed to the sun. His uncut cock had plumped back up a bit.
"You've got a great body yourself. Are you into sports?"
"Not really. In high school, I did some wrestling like you. Now, I just run a lot. That's about it."
"So you wrestle too," exclaimed Don, suddenly perking up.
"I haven't wrestled in a long time..."
There was a lull in the conversation. Don giggled as a dragonfly landed on his knee, then flew off. Carol smiled as he noticed Don's elegantly slim cock rise a bit, the glans peeking out, glowing in the sun. His lithe hairless thighs were as pale as alabaster.
"So no more high school, no more wrestling... Tell me, what do you plan on doing later on in life?"
"I just don't know...The problem is that I don't even know what I want to do tomorrow, so can you imagine thinking about the rest of my life?" declared Don, laughing, absentmindedly fondling his balls.
"Time will decide!" declared Carol stretching. Then he jumped up with a broad smile on his face and took a stance, "Want to wrestle?"
Surprised, Don looked up at Carol, towering over him. He beamed as he tackled, "Always!"
Carol dodged, then they grabbed and grasped each other as they laughed. Don's lithe, quicksilver moves, his very audacious holds, gave him an immediate advantage, in spite of his smaller size, over Carol's slower reflexes. They struggled, body to body, trying to topple each other, slipping out of grip over and over. Carol was tiring fast. At one point, Don tripped him. He fell on his back. Don dove on top, pinning him for good. Their very erect cocks pressed together. Carol surrendered.
"Easy there! You won!"
Don didn't move, still laying on top of Carol, neither did Carol, underneath. Then Don slithered lower and took Carol's erect cock in his mouth. Carol gasped. Don licked, savouring the leaking slit, the smooth skin beneath the foreskin. Carol writhed; his cock throbbed. He thrusted, losing his self-control. He grasped Don by the nape of his neck and bucked. Don hummed, then gagged, burying his nose in Carol's bush. Crazed by the pungent scent of Carol's sweat and the sharp taste of his freely flowing precum, Don sucked harder and deeper. The muscles of Don's throat pushed Carol over the edge as he threw his head back, arched and howled. Don swallowed every gush of the sweet semen he craved, never losing a drop.
Carol's flaccid cock slipped out of Don's mouth. His puffy lips beamed as Carol slowly came back down to earth.
They remained enlaced. After a moment, Carol mumbled, "I'm sorry, Don."
"Sorry? About what?"
"It's just that I can't reciprocate sucking your cock. I still feel that there's something sinful about what we've just done. Even jacking off is a problem for me, and God knows I love it. Please don't get me wrong. I... I didn't stop you, but... but, I'm simply confused, Don...You're the first person who..."
Don suddenly interrupted.
"Say no more, Carol... There's no problem. I loved sucking your cock and drinking your cum, direct from the source, enjoying your soul having fun with mine. It seemed the perfect thing to do sharing this wonderful place with you. And above all, I simply LOVE TO SUCK COCK!"
"You are a very direct person!"
"I'm just a teenage cocksucker who loves to wrestle or a teenage wrestler who loves to suck cock!" joked Don.
"Is that why you were thrown out of school?" seriously inquired Carol.
"Exactly! I started sucking cock early. My older brother loved having his cock sucked when I was just eleven, but a year later, he turned fifteen and started fucking girls. My mouth didn't interest him any more. When I entered boarding school, I took up wrestling for two reasons. First of all, I needed to prove to myself -- and to the other guys -- that in spite of my girlish looks, I wasn't a wimp and, of course, I needed to be physical with my mates and maybe suck them off as well. It worked. With two of the older fellows, we found ways to sneak off and hide. I gave them great blow jobs...and they never sucked back. I didn't need it! I still don't. For my own sex needs, I take care of myself. Like you, I love wanking. It makes me happy! But sucking cock for me is a way to worship the life that flows out of a handsome mate. That's my kind of communion. So, on the last day of school, a month ago, I was sucking the best looking bloke in sixth form and got caught. They said I couldn't return for my last year. Once back home, I told my parents everything -- I mean everything, about my sucking off my brother up to being expelled. My Mum said it was all my brother's fault. I told her I was grateful to him for showing me who I am deep down inside! My father just gave me a hug and said he understood. He even told me to take a year off, forget school, and find myself... and so here I am... and I found you."
Don's words deeply upset Carol; they confused him even more. He was at a loss as to what he could reply to Don's clearly sincere and perfectly honest stand. Don was neither proud nor ashamed of his needs. He couldn't be blamed for his "communion" with the source of life. And yet...
"Why don't you say something, Carol? Are you offended? Do you want me to go away? I'm not afraid of sleeping by myself under my tarp, you know."
"No,... I don't want you to leave. I've just got to let my mind settle some..."
"Listen, Carol! You've studied Jesus and all. There's just one thing I need to know: How would Christ the Lord react to my love of sucking cock?"
Carol received the question like a blow in the stomach. He tried to utter something but nothing came out. He simply cupped Don's cheek in his hand and drew him closer. Don was hypnotised. Then with the tenderest smile ever, Carol softly kissed Don's delicate lips. The kiss lingered. Their moist mouths slowly opened. Don shivered. He was overwhelmed, deeply shaken. It was the first real, meaningful kiss in his life. Never had anyone ever kissed him like that and with that one single kiss, his soul was touched.
"Jesus feels that for me?" Don stuttered.
Carol said nothing. His mouth begged for more. So did Don's. Something deep was in the making. Their cocks leaked as their hearts raced. Carol's tongue danced in Don's mouth. Don trembled, then he clawed Carol's shoulders as the offering of his most intimate semen gushed forth. Carol's plexus, public bush, and crotch were soaked with cum.
"My God! I'm so sorry! It just happened. I couldn't help it. Your kisses are so powerful... So loving! Please forgive me."
"Don, I'm honoured," softly declared Carol, dipping his fingers in Don's semen.
"I've got cheese, bread, and wine for dinner."
"And my apples!"
Don was busy kindling the little campfire while Carol spread the meal on an oilcloth. They sat cross-legged chatting and eating. A glass of wine led to another slice of bread which needed a little more cheese and so on into the twilight. Their conversation was light, mostly about belief, universal love, and the quest of God. Carol talked about his questions concerning becoming a clergyman. He said he feared being stuck with the same job, the same life, the lack of fantasy and adventure... As he listened, Don interrupted and asked, "Do you mind if I work on my bonnet while we talk? Crocheting relaxes me."
"No problem, Don."
"Just for curiosity's sake, Carol... Do you know how to use your hands to make things yourself?"
"I told you, I'm great at jerking off, if that counts!"
"No, seriously!"
"Well, I cut and carve walking staffs out of hazel, like the one propped up by the tent."
"Great! That's really nice!"
Having changed the subject, they continued chatting about more down to earth things, sipping wine, enjoying each other's presence. Even if Don was a bit tipsy, he began to understand that Carol was the older mate he had always hoped for, without realising it.
The fire was dwindling. Don put away the bonnet he was working on and softly said, "It'll be a really sad time when I have to go... This is all so perfect!"
Carol also was feeling his wine as he stated, "So why go?"
"You've got a point there, Carol," replied Don, then he hesitated an instant and continued, "I think I've been waiting for a friend like you all my life, and now that you're here, I just..."
"You just?"
"I just don't want to impose myself on you."
"Don, you are welcome to stay as long as you want. Future is a day by day thing. Who knows what the Lord has in store for us? Listen... We've finished the wine, the fire's almost out. I can light a burner in the tent and we can finish the night inside?"
"Fine with me!"
Don unrolled his sleeping bag and spread it out beside Carol's.
They took off their shorts, then snuggled up side by side, looking at the gentle blaze warming the tent. Between them, something sacred was happening. There was more than just lust in the air. Two souls were bonding. One could almost hear both hearts throbbing together.
Don whispered, laying his hand on Carol's knee, "Let's turn in."
"I was about to say the same thing!"
"Do we zip our sleeping bags together or do you prefer us sleeping apart?" inquired Don, his hand still on Carol's knee.
Immediately, Carol replied, "Together... It's warmer that way," nudging Don's shoulder.
Carol put the brazier outside, they pissed in the pale moonlight, and crawled back in, shivering.
"Quick, let's cuddle to warm up the bed!" exclaimed Carol.
Don giggled and whispered as Carol took him in his arms, "Now plus here, nowhere..."
An unmistakable scent of randy youth floated, suspended in silence of the night. They shared caresses, then kisses, breathing in unison. Carol surrendered as Don's fingers slipped into the moist cleft of his tense buttocks. His cock leaked as he writhed, pushing, insisting.
Carol whispered "I'm having the dream again..."
"What did you say?"
"Don, I had two wet dreams up here this summer... always the same. I dreamt that the Holy Ghost descended on me in the form of male angel... and..."
Carol's voice failed.
"And?" murmured Don in Carol's ear.
"And the angel fucked my asshole, making me shoot off harder than I'd ever shot off before, and God knows I've jacked off pints of cum in the past ten years!"
Don giggled, massaging even harder the moist velvet of Carol's buttocks.
"So when I shot off with the angel's cock in my hole, I woke up feeling lonely, terribly lonely, but somehow fulfilled. I even whittled a wooden angel-cock, oiled it slick, and pushed it in me, just to feel for real what the angel did."
"And?"
"At first it hurt, but later the sensation was unbelievable. I fucked myself with it and when I shot off, I orgasmed over and over, until I was breathless!" exclaimed Carol, humping Don's soft thigh.
"And afterwards?"
Carol's expression changed as he replied, "Sad and empty."
Don's finger touched Carol's twitching anus.
"Are you an angel, Don?"
"Maybe..." he uttered, as his finger entered Carol.
Carol moaned, "Oh! Mon Dieu, don't stop!"
Instinctively, Don pushed his finger deeper, moving it around inside.
Carol hissed, "Oh oui! YES!"
Don dove down and lodged the tip of his tongue into Carol's welcoming anus. Carol wallowed, whimpering, panting. He suddenly cast the cover off and clawed his buttocks apart, pleading, "Take me, Don. Do it now! Please! Coat your cock with sunscreen. It's in the basket over there."
Don slathered his cock until it was slick from slit to balls. Driven by instinct, he knelt between Carol's legs and caressed the eye of Carol's hole with his glans. Suddenly, Carol grabbed Don's buttocks and pulled. Don fell forward and gasped. His slim cock slid all the way in. Carol hissed and then pushed. Don pushed back. Wide-eyed, ecstatic, their pelvises danced in perfect rhythm together. Don whimpered; Carol sighed. Don thrusted; Carol groaned, grunted, grinding his hips, sweating, spurring Don to fuck him deeper, harder, longer. Don accelerated, then froze, trembling. He jerked twice, arched, then howled as his cum gushed over and over, some dribbling out of Carol's anal grip. Carol convulsed, then shuddered, as his own semen spewed on and on. Gasping for air, Don collapsed on him, totally spent. Then silence. Neither moved. Don's deflated cock slipped out. Carol kissed him. Nothing more was said. All was understood.
The following morning, Don woke up with Carol gently sucking him.
"Carol, I thought you..."
"I've changed my mind and I'm loving it."
"I need to go out and... you know, relieve pressure!"
"Hurry back!"
Once back in the tent, he crawled into Carol's open arms. After a long loving kiss, Carol kneeled between Don's legs, and swallowed once more Don's perfect, uncut cock, obviously enjoying his newly found talent. He sucked and bobbed, swirling his tongue until Don grunted, rewarding him with an abundant gush of sweet morning cum. Carol relished every drop. A liquid pearl glistened, hanging from Carol's chin when he grabbed Don in a massive love-hug-kiss, rolling to and fro in the tent, laughing.
Don, squirmed and wiggled until he was out of Carol's hold. He spun around on all fours and arched, offering his inviting rear to be taken. Carol grabbed the sunscreen beside the bed, anointed his fingers, and massaged Don's hole, coaxing it to open. Don hummed, almost purring, discovering another new sensation. Carol anointed his cock. Tenderly, yet firmly, he fucked Don's cum-hungry flesh to a second climax, spewing over and over, deep inside him.
They stepped out into the dew spangled grass under a blinding sun. In a sort of reverent silence, they breathed in light of a brand new day. Carol enlaced Don's waist from behind.
"Are you sure you still want to stay, Don?"
"More than ever, Carol!"
"For how long?"
"Forever," he simply replied, leaning his head back on Carol's shoulder.
"That's a long time."
"Not long enough! You know, in Scotland sixteen is the age of legal capacity and I can do as I want and go as I please already -- and I also know that I must live my life with you as a never-ending day of grace!"
Carol turned Don around, gripped his buttocks, and lifted him off the ground, saying, "You are unbelievable!"
"And you? Do you want me to stay?"
"Definitely!"
"But, can you be a minister with me in your life?" Don asked, looking into Carol's smiling eyes.
"I doubt it. A minister has to have a wife, a family. My mother has already chosen a bride for me..."
Don tensed, then pushed himself out of Carol's arms, his mouth agape, stunned.
"Wait! I didn't say I was going to marry her, nor even accept being a minister!" exclaimed Carol, grabbing Don by the shoulders.
"Let go! You're hurting me!"
"Do you remember what I said? Yes or no?"
"I don't know... all I know is that you said we're staying together but now..."
"And now I repeat, WE ARE STAYING TOGETHER... Whatever! Am I clear?"
Don looked steadfast at Carol.
"I not playing a game with you, Don, please listen very carefully to what I have to say. I really don't know if we can become a couple or not. All of this is way too sudden... All I do know is that now it's up to us to create our lives like we create our loving: carefree, with depth and joy. We were both born to live for truth and simplicity."
Don was still tense, trying to really understand.
"So my truth is this: I'll never lock myself up in a manse and be a righteous hypocrite for the rest of my life! I was lost, a prisoner in the maze of theology, religion, and social correctness. You woke me up, Don! You opened my eyes, freed my deepest energies, my heart... and my cock! I want to give our lives the chance to happen the way they can happen the best... because they have to happen that way, come what may. It's the will of the Holy Ghost, Don!"
Carol paused, looked at the tears of joy welling in Don's eyes, and softly said, "I gave my heart to the Lord -- and now the Lord has given me you!"
Don grabbed Carol's hand and together they ran to the lakeside and stopped, facing the immobile mirror of the waters. Then looking at each other, they jumped in together, laughing, splashing rainbows into the rising sun.
It only took fifteen hours and twenty-two minutes, for all that to happen... and it was just as simple as that!
They stayed naked in the morning sun, enjoying breakfast, discussing their dreams of a life together and all the different ways to make them come true.
"I want to call my Dad for him to come and pick us up tomorrow," stated Don.
"Where's that?"
"The parking area at the end of the road coming up from Arrens."
"Why wait for tomorrow? If we pack now, we can be down there by 4:00 PM today, if you want."
"Are you in a hurry to meet my parents?"
"Yes"
"I'm sure they'll love you!"
"I'll need it. I'll call my parents later, when my father's back home. I know that when I tell them I'm in love with you and that I've abandoned my idea of becoming a minister, the earth will open under their feet and the sky will fall on their heads... and then on us. But it has to be!"
"Are you scared?"
"Yes,... and deeply at peace with myself for the first time in my life. Call your father."
Don fished out his phone from his sack.
"Yes, Dad, it's very important for you and Mum to meet Carol. He's the love of my life -- Yes! I'm sure -- Can you come and pick us up this afternoon? -- That's right -- Fine -- Four-thirty -- Yes, I told you I'm sure -- Love you too, Dad, see you this evening."
They broke camp and hiked, almost dancing, down to the parking area.
When they arrived, Robert McKenzie was already there, waiting for them. When he saw the two, he got out of the car and walked up to greet them. Don ran up and hugged him. Still excited he nearly shouted, "Dad, here's Carol! We're in love!"
Don's father simply held out his hand, "I'm glad to meet you, Carol." As Carol shook it, Robert said to his son, "I must admit, you do have excellent taste."
Carol blushed and Don blathered on telling his father how they met and how they immediately found each other. They got in the car. Robert asked Carol to sit up front and tell him some about himself as they drove down to the village.
Conversation was easy. Robert immediately made Carol feel comfortable. Arriving at the house, Robert said, "Helen should be back soon from the pool. Go unpack, change into some clean clothes and when you're ready come down to the garden for drinks. We're having steak tonight... Carol, I hope you're not vegetarian."
"Only when I'm out of money, Sir."
"Good wit, you have there. Now both of you, scoot upstairs."
Once in the room, Carol exclaimed, "Your Dad is one fantastic man!"
"I know he is! Now let's strip and spend an hour indulging in a hot shower... and each other!"
Afterwards, they unpacked and came down. Don's mother, Helen, was there. She immediately adopted Carol, saying, "You're the most charming young man I've ever met. It's a pity that you're not interested in femal..."
"Don't say it, Mum!"
"Ha! Of course! You're right! Sorry... I love you both, you naughty, gorgeous perverts!"
The rest of the story is not that easy going.
The following morning, Carol called his parents. The conversation was, of course, in French and Don couldn't understand what was being said, but he definitely felt the tension and stress. When Carol turned off his phone, he simply closed his eyes and silently slumped in the sofa where they were sitting.
"Didn't go too well did it?"
"Not really. I simply told them that I was going to live with the boy I loved and finally had decided to not be ordained. Then there was a gasp, a short silence, and my father ordered me to return immediately to the house. I told him I'd think about it and call later... That's all."
"That's very bold of you, Carol," remarked Don.
"I don't know if it's bold or not. Being with you made me just realize that my childishly mystical love of Christ was just a substitute from the absence of love from my parents. They are stiff, strict, and to a certain extent, elegantly stupid. In fact, I don't even know how they are deep inside. I think I'm going cry if you don't mind."
Don pulled him over, laying Carol's head in his lap, and let him weep out the pent-up bitterness his soul had endured over the years.
Helen passed by there, heard the mumbling, and peeped in, "Do we need to talk?"
"Not yet, Mum. We'll talk when Dad gets back. We've got some decisions to make ourselves, first..."
"Take your time!"
At eleven o'clock, Robert returned from the supermarket in Argeles. Don and Carol helped him unload the car. As they were putting things away in the kitchen, Robert said, "Helen says we need to have a talk. I'm ready if you are."
"We are."
"Let's go sit outside. Space is necessary for clear thought."
"Okay, I'll speak first, then it's Carol's turn. We want to live together. We thought it would be nice to find an unused sheepfold in the mountains. There are a lot of them now available. Carol carves lovely walking staffs and I crochet good bonnets. We can sell our stuff on summer outdoor markets."
There was a lull.
Robert mumbled, "Interesting..."
Then Carol explained his family situation and his conviction that he was going to be disowned and banished from his family. He was very lucid, calm and realistic, simply insisting on the fact that he put all his trust in the Holy Ghost.
"Do you need to gather any belonging in your parents house in Pau? If so, I can drive you there this afternoon."
"Already!" exclaimed Don.
"Your minds are made up, so why wait? Now it's our duty to help," replied Robert, nodding to Helen.
"And I think I can help a lot with a good lunch for us all!"
They all laughed, stood and hugged in a huddle of four, rubbing their heads together.
"I think it's best that you wait in the car for me to go see if they want to meet you," advised Carol as they arrived at the de Montlaur residence.
Robert and Don waited in the car. Carol didn't come back.
"I can't wait like this, Dad! I'm going in!"
"Trust Carol, Son... He'll be back."
All he had in his hands as he came back out of the house was a suitcase with clothes, a teddy bear and a small statuette of a naked, crucified Christ detached from his long lost cross. He looked pale.
His parents could be seen peeping behind the curtains as they watched their son walk down to the car. Don jumped out and opened the trunk. Carol put his things inside, and slammed it shut. He then looked back an instant before climbing in the back seat with Don. Robert drove away.
With a very veiled voice, Carol explained that his father said for him to make up his mind.
"I told him, that my mind was made. Then he said, if that's it, Adieu. We educated you as a good Christian and you choose to live in sin with a catamite, etc. Get out of our house and never come back!"
"What's a catamite?" snapped back Don.
"A slut, a fag, a queer, a boy-whore," replied Robert.
"I'm no whore. I've never been paid!"
They all laughed.
Back in Arrens, over happy-hour drinks, Robert asked, "Okay fellows, where do we go from here?"
"Scotland, and we become gypsies, like I said, Dad."
"And you, Carol, do you agree?"
"All the way!"
"Excuse me if I insist, but I'm curious. You see, I can understand my son wanting such a lifestyle. He's only seventeen and has always been a nonconformist, a dreamer so to speak. I think that's a part of growing up. But you are very mature for your age. You have a degree, perfect manners, you are very becoming, you are cut out for success in normal life."
"That's the problem, Robert. I am a perfect product of the successful, normal life we're led to live in the western world. I speak several languages, I know my way around. But before meeting Don, I was asleep, dreaming, like everybody else that a normal life is the only life worth living. But who created the norms? Power, greed, competition, the quest of wealth, position, and I could go on for ages, are the true motivations behind the very noble facade of respectability, culture, civilisation, normality versus abnormality. Excuse me, Robert, if I get carried away..."
"Carry on, Carol. I follow you," replied Robert as Don sat silent, soaking in every word Carol was saying.
"If a person chooses to live the normal life and is totally aware of the fact that doing so, he or she is simply conforming to society's model of success and happiness, then why not? We are free to choose whatever! But, you see, meeting your son, being exposed to his totally abnormal honesty, his overwhelming capacity of being natural, his insatiable love of life -- up to the point of thirsting for it's very substance, all of that revealed to me the brute reality of another person to whom I had devoted my life, Jesus of Nazareth. How more off-beat, natural, and abnormal can one be than Him? And yet, I believe He was fundamentally, viscerally healthy. I believe in Him and I believe in Don and me. God will take care of us, if we take care of the planet."
Carol took Don's hand and continued.
" I believe in revealed, lightning-strike love, just like what happened to Paul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. I believe that in our very modest choice of a gypsy life, we become a statement, a declaration! You know better than I that every generation has it's prophets. The generation of your grandparents had it's hippies. Yours has the New Age... Now you have us and we're saying that 'normal' living is killing the planet and us along with it... so..."
There was a moment of silence. Helen smiled, nodded, and poured herself another glass of wine. Robert smiled and took another sip of his whisky.
With a puzzled look on his face, Don asked, "Are we all that, Carol?"
"Yes, Don, all that and probably much more -- as long as the Holy Ghost is our guide. He's led us up to now... and through you, He's showing us our horizon"
"I don't like the name Holy Ghost..." uttered Don, looking down at his feet.
"The other name for the Holy Ghost, Don, is Love. Not just any love, but embodied, active, subversive, free LOVE. That's what happened to us on the mountain. That's what we carry in us now for the world to see."
Robert cleared his throat and then calmly said, "Thank you, Carol. You are two of a kind. It's an honour for me to help you make your declaration. We'll have to iron out a few details. But on the essentials I just want to warn you both. Be careful. Normal people really enjoy crucifying those who put their nose in their own shit."
As they were climbing the stairs to their room, Carol said, "Don, before we leave here, there's something we have to do."
"What's that?"
"We must bury the teddy bear and Jesus, leave them behind."
"You don't need them any more then, do you?" asked Don.
"No, not now..."
"Then we'll keep them! I love teddy bears, and a naked Jesus delivered from his cross... That's you, Carol."
They closed the door, undressed, and slid in bed.
Carol whispered, "Don... I'm thirsty."
"Hmmm... Me too!" giggled Don, diving under the covers.
The next day, Don, Carol, and the McKenzies had a long talk. Robert was very precise. He pointed out the fact that such a lifestyle entails many risks of failure because of administration, money, legal venerability, etc.
Helen insisted on the necessity of health insurance, risks of theft or even aggression. To each and every observation, both Carol and Don, took note.
"Now let's talk about more positive things. I'll use Carol's lexicon of expression. God helps people through other people. That's called compassion, charity, solidarity, and many other good things that one does for his fellow mankind. Often we are serving God without knowing it. Maybe our discussion now and here is a modest, discreet work of God."
Don smiled at Carol and whispered, "Nowhere".
Robert inquired, "What's that all about?"
"I'm sorry, Dad, but when you said now and here, it made me smile because one of the first things I said to Carol when we met was, 'I'm going nowhere in particular...' and he pointed out to me that I had arrived since no -- where and now -- here are... well whatever..."
"Now! Here! That's the song of the heartbeat. No postponing, no regretting, only the present counts and the present is always nowhere since it's everywhere at the same time. Interesting. Now let's get back on the ground."
"Boys, to put things bluntly, Robert wants to talk money with you," stated Helen in a very matter-of-fact way.
"Thanks, dear... As I was saying, it's our way to help you become yourselves by financing the first steps of your adventure. But to do so, I need more facts. Do you want to live here, elsewhere, or in Scotland?"
Carol glanced at Don and then spoke, "Here, Robert. I know how things work here and I'm beginning to have the maturity to handle them. In Scotland, I'd be lost and Don's not yet able to help me with banking, administrative details, discussions with landlords, etc."
"I totally agree, at least for a start," replied Robert, "and do you have a particular place in mind for you to set up house?"
"Yes, I do. It's near Estaing. You have to walk to get there, but the pathway is wide enough for a quad or a small tractor."
"Is there water?"
"There's a springhouse just beside the hut."
"Is the place sound? Does it need a new roof or something like that?"
"It's all in stone and in rather good shape. Just needs a good cleaning up before the winter..."
"Do you know the proprietor?"
"No, but I can find out."
"Can we go there?"
"When?"
"Now"
Don couldn't hold himself any longer. He jumped up chanting, "Let's go! Let's go!"
After the visit, they went to the village town hall and found the name and address of the proprietor. By the end of the afternoon, the deal was sealed. Don and Carol could rent the place for a rather decent sum and were guaranteed they could stay as long as the owner was alive. He didn't want to go into details about what his heirs would do with it.
Once back in Arrens, Robert and the boys sat around the table while Helen prepared dinner. They made a list of what had to be done. They needed to buy a quad, a stock of firewood, tools, winter clothes, lumber to make a bed with a big woollen mattress, shelves, table, etc. They also needed to buy several kerosene lanterns, a solar panel to keep their phones fed, register their residence with the local authorities, and obtain a residence permit for Don, making Carol his legal tutor until he was eighteen, etc.
"Looks like you're going to be busy for a few month, boys. Tomorrow we'll go open a bank account for you two. I'll put €30,000 on it for your initial expenses and a monthly sum for you to get started until your cane and bonnet business takes over. How does that sound to you?"
Carol just sat there, mouth agape, trying to say something, but nothing came out. Don threw himself on his Dad, saying, "That sounds like you're the greatest father on earth!"
Helen shouted out from the kitchen, "Dinner's ready!"
During the following months, of course, Don and Carol had problems galore, but they overcame them with patience, perseverance, and prayer. When the first snow began to fall, everything was in place for them to pass their winter working on their crafts and making constant love to each other.
Each day was a discreet adventure made of simple things, visiting new friends, playing with Scotty, their collie, their visits on the phone with the Mckenzie's while awaiting their return in the summer. Whenever tension rose between them a long walk in the woods cleansed the air. Don began a diary; Carol practiced playing Bach on his guitar. They both put in three hours of work a day, and their stock began growing nicely. Their weekly visit to the village was an event.
Then on Christmas morning, Carol's phone rang. He glanced at the screen. It was his former home phone calling. He hesitated, then answered.
"Allo..."
When Don came back in with a load of wood for the fire, he heard Carol saying, "Oui, Papa... Merci... Ce sera un plaisir... Moi aussi... Au revoir."
Tears were flowing down Carol's cheeks when he lifted his head, smiling at Don.
"My parents have invited us to lunch in the restaurant for New Year's..."
Don dropped the logs. His eyes began to well as he hugged Carol for a long moment. Then he whispered, "Merry Christmas."
"Yes! It is indeed! I love you, Don."
"God knows how I love you too!"
A free picture album illustrating this story (pdf) is available upon request at maringiustinian@gmail.com