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 A World of My Choosing   An Out-of-this-World Story by Gil Gamesh   Chapter
Seventeen   "Hello, Iain.  Hello, James," Anna said.  "Did you bring us
some fish for dinner?"

   Iain and James were both frozen in surprise, eyes and mouths wide open.
Before they saw Anna, they had walked into the kitchen, wearing nothing but
their usual loincloths and moccasins and chattering away as always.  When
they saw her standing there, calmly preparing vegetables for our dinner,
dressed in only a loincloth, bare breasts exposed, they probably could not
believe what they saw.

   "Hi, guys.  Anna asked if you brought us some fish.  Did you?" I asked.
I could see that they had.  They were each holding a stringer with four or
five large fish.

   James came out of his trance first.  "You're...You're...You're Anna!" he
stuttered.  He didn't usually stutter.

   "Of course, I'm Anna," she said.  "Who else did you expect?  You're
James, aren't you?  Hand your fish to David and come here."

   She held out her arms to him.  He hesitated, probably looking at her
beautiful breasts, but he handed his stringer of fish to me and shuffled
over closer to her.  She was taller than he was.  She leaned over and
kissed him on both cheeks in the European manner.  He started to put his
arms around her but he couldn't bring himself to touch her nakedness.

   "It's OK, James," Anna said.  "You can hug me.  And it's OK for you to
look at my breasts.  I thought I'd dress the same way you guys usually do."

   She closed the space between them, wrapped her arms around him, her bare
breasts against his bare chest, and gave him a hug.  His arms slowly came
up and around her.  He pressed his hands against her back, turned his face
to one side, shut his eyes, breathed deeply a couple of times, and stood
there holding her.  His beaming smile was a clear display of his feelings.

   "There, this isn't too bad; is it?" Anna said, after a moment.

   "N...n...n...no." he stammered again.  He let his arms fall and stepped
back, quickly looking at her breasts again.

   "You're a beautiful young man, James," she said.  "Some girl is going to
be very lucky to get you."

   "I hope so," he said without stammering.

   "You must be Iain," she said, looking at him.  "Would you like to hug me
too or would you rather shake my hand?"

   He was speechless.  He handed me his stringer of fish without looking at
me and hesitantly walked closer to her with his hand out.  He was about as
tall as Anna.  She pushed his hand to one side, wrapped her arms around
him, and hugged him too.  He didn't know what to do with his hands either
but finally he put his arms around her and let his hands rest on her back.
His bare chest was a few inches away from her bare breasts.  He didn't wait
for her to kiss him.  He kissed her on both cheeks, just like she had
kissed James.  She pulled him closer until her breasts were flattened
against his chest.  He glanced at me, smiled, and pulled her against him.
Anna let him hold her for a moment and then pulled away.

   "You're a beautiful young man too, Iain," she said.  "David tells me you
and Caitlyn are lovers.  She's a fortunate young girl."

   Anna had awakened a little after four o'clock.  I had laid there on top
of her for almost an hour, trying to keep from putting all my weight on
her. At first, I kept my head above hers and looked at her peaceful
beautiful face as she slept.  Finally I put my cheek next to hers and shut
my eyes.  I was content to be close to her, breathing deeply, drawing in
the scent of her.  She smelled like she had just stepped out of the shower.

   My tumescent penis was still in her and my testicles were nestled
against her softness.  I knew my penis had a mind of its own but, when it
softened after I came, I had tried to will it to remain soft and it did.  I
didn't want to take it out of her vagina.  Words can't describe the feeling
of that part of her body surrounding that part of mine.

   She still had her legs hooked over mine and her arms wrapped lightly
around my chest.  Even asleep, her grip on me tightened when I tried to
move.  I suppose she didn't want me to get away but I didn't want to
escape. I was more content than I had been since I came to this new world.

   When she awakened, the first thing I asked her was where she had been.
She told me she had been reassigned to the hospital at USAB.  When I didn't
return from my mission and everyone assumed I was captured or dead, she had
asked to be returned to duty as an operating room nurse.  She had her
choice of three stateside hospitals but the one she wanted was at USAB.  I
knew she was talking about an Army hospital in the Middle East.  With the
Sunni and Shi'a sects now doing their best to kill each other and not our
troops, the hospital was at less than capacity and had started treating
children who were victims of the war.  Her ability to speak Farsi and her
experience in the operating room were enough to get her assigned there.

   She started asking me questions too.  I knew Iain and James could be
back at any time and I wanted to surprise them with Anna.  I asked her to
hold all her questions, to let me fill her in on the basics now, and to be
patient until I had a day or two to tell her everything.  I remembered how
good a hot shower had felt when I arrived so I asked if she would like to
shower with me.

   I suppose she was capable of washing herself but I wanted to do it.  She
returned the favor by scrubbing me.  My penis lifted in salute to her and I
tried to ignore it.  She pretended she didn't notice it either.

   As we were standing in the downdraft of warm air after showering, I told
her where we were and how we had been transported here.  At first she
didn't believe me.  When I led her down the hallway to the front door and
on to the terrace outdoors, the view convinced her that I was telling her
the truth.  We stood there, both naked, with my arm around her shoulders,
hers around my waist, while the beauty of the mountain and the sea and the
sky of our new world persuaded her that my story was true.

   I told her the basics about Iain and James.  When she asked where they
were, I told her that they had gone for some fish for us and would be back
shortly.  I told her about Iain's origins and how he had chosen to come
here because his parents didn't want him to have Caitlyn and he was hoping
that she could come to him, just as I had been hoping for her to come to
me. I told her a little about James, that he was almost killed in a gas
explosion in his foster father's home and he had awakened here.  I didn't
say anything about what the reverend had done to him.  I did tell her that
he had been abused as a child and had never had the love of parents and how
much I wanted to help him.

   I described the ceremony in which we the three of us had sworn to be
brothers in a family.  She smiled when I told her I wanted her to join that
family with me.

   I explained that we had a huge but limited supply of clothing, that the
temperature of our living quarters was comfortable without clothing, and
that we were usually naked when we were indoors.  Iain and James and I were
accustomed to being nude around each other but she could wear what she
wanted.  I asked if she wanted to stay naked when they returned and she
wanted to wear a loincloth, the same thing they would be wearing when they
returned.  I led her to the clothing storeroom and showed her the Robin
Hood outfits we would be wearing outdoors when the weather got cooler.

   "Perhaps I should let them get used to me gradually," she said.  "I
don't want to scare the poor boys to death."

   "You won't but you might cause something to happen in certain parts of
their bodies," I said.  "They're both so full of testosterone they can get
a hard-on in seconds."

   "What have you three boys been doing about that?" she asked.

   "Oh, nothing much," I said.  "Just the usual.  And a wrestling match or
two."

   I made a circle with my index finger touching my thumb and moved my hand
up and down.  She grinned so widely that her dimples appeared.  I had
almost forgotten how beautiful she was when she smiled like that.

   "You did say wrestling; didn't you?" she asked.  "Does that make you
have an orgasm?"

   "It does if you combine it with a blow-job or two," I said.

   She looked at me seriously and then slowly smiled.  "Now that's an
interesting way to wrestle.  Will you tell me all about it?  Will it be OK
with Iain and James if you do?"

   I nodded.  "They know I'm going to tell you.  Are you surprised?"

   "No, not really.  I'm just glad there's still a little boy left in you."

   "There is.  James and Iain have been teaching me to let him loose."

   "Maybe I'll just join you and we'll all have a wrestling match," she
said, grinning at me.  "Would that be OK with you?"

   "Yeah, I don't own you, Anna," I said, earnestly.  "They can be a lot of
fun to play with, especially if we all end up having an orgasm or two...or
three...or four."

   "Well, let's put on loincloths," she said.  "If something comes up under
theirs, you can send them to the bathroom to do the usual."

   I quickly showed her through all the different rooms except the one at
the far end of the hallway.  In Aimee's room, the monitor was blank and I
remembered that I had to say `apples' to bring her back.  I told Anna I
wanted to introduce her to Aimee and gave her an abbreviated version of
what I had taken months to learn about her.  Then I said, "Apples."

   "Hello, Anna," Aimee said when she appeared.  "Now I know why David told
me I am the second most beautiful woman he has ever seen."

   She was standing there, dressed the same as we were in a loincloth with
her beautiful breasts bare.  I remembered that she could monitor any of the
rooms and she had probably been watching and listening to everything we
said.  I didn't care.

   "Hello, Aimee.  Have you been taking good care of David for me?" Anna
asked

   "Yes, Anna, but he is easy to care for.  He and I are old friends now. I
am glad you have come to be with him.  He has been very unhappy because he
thought he had lost you.  Now that you are here, perhaps he will be content
to stay."

   "As long as I have Anna, I'll be content anywhere," I said.

   "Anna, has David told you that I need to take measurements of you so
that I can give you access to everything here?" Aimee asked.

   She turned to look at me.  "David, do you have something you need to do.
I want to get Anna's measurements and then I want to talk to her, girl
talk, and you do not need to stay with us."

   Anna smiled at me and nodded.  I knew when I wasn't needed or wanted.  I
was certain I didn't need to hear them talking girl talk.

   "Give Anna the same clearance as Iain and James," I said.  "I guess I
could start dinner.  I'm getting to be quite a good cook, especially if you
like rabbit or fish and lots of vegetables."

   "I'd like some grilled fish," Anna said.  "Can you prepare it like that?

   I nodded.  In the months since I arrived, I had tried cooking them in
every way possible.  Grilling was my favorite.

   <><><>

   After dinner, I remembered that no one had been to the garden today to
do the picking.  I thought of sending Iain and James to do it but I thought
that the four of us would all enjoy it.

   My feet were tough enough so I didn't need moccasins for a short walk
but I knew Anna probably wouldn't want to walk barefooted over rough
ground. I led her to the clothing storeroom again and helped her find her
fit in moccasins.  The four of us went down the mountain a short distance
to where I'd found an area without trees and had hacked out the garden
among the rocks.

   I let Anna pick the tomatoes while I held the bag.  I had managed to
raise about twenty tomato plants and we got two or three ripe ones from
each plant.  A vine-ripened tomato was the one vegetable I could never get
tired of.  The pole beans had started maturing and I assigned Iain and
James to pick them from the bamboo teepees.  With all the other vegetables,
we each had a load to carry back.

   We were about to head back home when I decided to do something.  I felt
there was no more perfect place to do it than in the center of our garden
so I asked Iain and James to wait while I did it.  I put down the bag of
tomatoes and then stood in front of Anna.

   I held both her hands in mine, looked to see that my witnesses were
watching, and then got down on my knees.

   "Anna, I love you.  Will you marry me?" I asked, looking up at her.

   She grinned and her dimples appeared on both cheeks.  I knew I had my
answer.

   "Of course I will, David," she answered.  "I love you too but who will
do the ceremony?  Who will be our witnesses?"

   "Aimee will do the ceremony.  That's one of her functions.  Iain and
James will be our witnesses.  I'll let you set the date.  Now say it again
and make me the happiest man in the world."

   "Yes, I'll marry you, David.  I love you too."

   I looked at Iain and James.  They were both smiling as widely as humanly
possible.

   "Good, now I'm the happiest man in this world.  Let's go home."

   Anna held my hand but she didn't have anything to say while we were
walking back home.  I saw her eyelids almost close and then jerk open and I
knew she was having a hard time staying awake.  I was amazed that the
journey had not been harder on her and I knew how sleep could restore her.

   "Would you guys please put the vegetables in the cooler?" I asked.  "I
think it's time Anna and I went to bed."

   They both grinned at that.  I suppose they both thought I was going to
have sex with her.  I thought there might be a good lesson for them if I
told them of my plans.  I wasn't about to tell them that I had already had
a quickie with her.

   "I'm going to take her to bed and hold here while she sleeps," I said.
That's all.  I'm not going to make love to her, not while she's so sleepy
she can hardly keep her eyes open.  I can wait until she's wide awake and
can enjoy what we do.  If you love someone, you'll always be considerate of
her when you make love.  Sometimes you can show your love by waiting for
sex."

   <><><>

   "David, are you sure you don't want to make love to me before we go to
sleep?" Anna asked.

   "Yes, Anna, I'm sure.  I want to make love with you, not to you." I
said. "I'd rather wait until you're rested and wide awake and can join in
the fun."

   "That's good," she yawned.  "I don't know why I'm so sleepy.  I would
hate to fall asleep while you're doing it."

   "It's just the effects of your journey, Anna.  You'll feel much better
in a few days.  It took me two or three days to feel normal."

   We were in bed together, door closed, lights on very dim.  This time I
made sure that there was a blanket between my front and her rear.  She had
protested, saying she wanted to feel me against her, but she had yielded to
me.  I was spooned up to her as closely as possible, my nose in her hair,
my right hand holding her breast, her hand holding my hand pressed against
her, and my dick separated from her butt by one thin blanket.  It was
engorged but somehow I managed to make it obey and not become erect.

   "David, you looked so different this afternoon.  You're tanned all over
and you look like you've lost a little weight.  The first time I saw you
naked, at your magic valley, I thought you were the sexiest man alive.  But
this afternoon, you were so beautiful, so handsome, so much a sexy male,
and I was so glad I had found you again.  I wanted you so much.  It was so
good to feel you come in me."

   "Even if I was all sweaty and dirty and had wood chips all over me?"

   "That just made me want you more."

   "I'm glad.  I wanted you too."

   "David, on your stomach and around your dick and balls, you look like
you've been shaving.  Have you?"

   "No, Anna, I haven't shaved since I've been here, not on my face or
anywhere else.  We don't have any shaving equipment.  We do have some stuff
that we can use anywhere on our bodies to remove hair.  Iain and James
rubbed it around my genitals yesterday.  They said they wanted to get me
ready for you.  We had a lot of fun.  They love to play around."

   I told her as much as I could remember of their conversation while they
were using the depilatory on me.  She didn't say anything but she laughed
softly a couple of times.

   "Well, do you think I could use it on my legs tomorrow?" she asked when
I finished with the tale.  "I can't remember when I did shave them last."

   "Sure.  You can use it anywhere, like I said.  Iain and James even put
it on my balls.  It has to be rubbed in thoroughly and then you have to lie
out in the sun for a while to activate it.  Then the hair just washes off.
It's better than shaving any day.  Shaving leaves stubble.  This stuff
leaves you as smooth as a baby's butt.  Would you let them do you
tomorrow?"

   "You mean let them rub it around my pussy?  Do you think I should?  I
was sort of hoping you'd be the first one to get at me."

   "Yeah, well, I've already got at you this afternoon.  I wanted to have
kids with you but just not quite so soon."

   "Don't worry about that, David.  I've got another birth-control implant
in my arm.  It's supposed to be effective for three months and I've only
had it about a month."

   She yawned and then squirmed back against me.

   "Are you going to remove it again?"

   "Yes, I'll remove it after I get settled here.  Aimee and I talked about
contraception.  She says she can give me a pill with almost no side
effects, not like this damned implant.  I'll worry about that later."

   She yawned again, longer and harder this time.

   "You know I want to have children with you," I said.  "It will be your
decision when that happens."

   "I don't want to worry about that tonight, either.  Can you get Iain and
James to help me use the hair-removal stuff tomorrow?  They're both
beautiful boys and I'd like to play with them.  Would it bother you if they
did me sort of like they did you?  I don't want them to fuck me, just play
with me."

   "It won't bother me, Anna.  They can be a lot of fun to play with.  I'd
like to play with you too."

   She yawned again.

   "Are you ready to go to sleep?" I asked.

   She didn't answer right away and I thought she was already asleep.

   "Are you going to let them make love to me too?" she asked, almost
mumbling.

   "No, Anna.  That will be your decision, not mine."

   "They're both so cute but they're just boys, David," she said, mumbling
again."

   "Yeah, horny boys who would love to fuck you."

   "David, shut up.  Don't tempt me."

   I shut up.  I held her while she went to sleep.  I was thinking about
what we should do about sex when twenty young males and females were here.
I didn't have the slightest idea how to handle the problems that would
arise.  I had some things in mind that I had considered but I wasn't sure
they would work.

   <><><>

   The next morning, I awakened as usual about six o'clock.  I was spooned
up against Anna with my arm over her and my penis nestled against the crack
of her ass.  The blanket that I had insisted on having between us had
somehow disappeared.  I had a rampant piss-hard and I needed to piss but I
didn't want to move and maybe wake her up.  After another minute or so, I
eased out of bed and tiptoed toward the closed door.  Closed?  My sleepy
mind finally realized that I had, for the first time, closed the door to
the sleeping chamber that Iain and James had graciously yielded to Anna and
me.

   While I was pissing, I did my usual morning mental check to see what we
had to do during the day.  I decided to let Anna sleep as long as she
needed.  We had plenty of fish for the next few days since the boys had
brought us back so many.  We needed to reset the rabbit traps again.  The
garden had been picked last night.  Eggs were getting harder to find but we
had quite a few in the kitchen cooler and in the freezer.  I had lots of
projects that I wanted to do to make our home more comfortable and livable
but they could wait.  That left only one thing to do: morning workouts.

   I left the toilet and crossed the hallway to the bedchamber where Iain
and James had said they would be sleeping.  The door was open so I walked
in.  They were still sleeping - together.  They were both facing me and
Iain was spooned up to James with his arm over James' chest.  James was
holding Iain's hand and had it pressed against his chest.

   They each had on a big chemise, the kind that Iain liked to sleep in. 
James' chemise had ridden up in front revealing a morning woody with an
uncovered red head.  Iain's chemise was pulled up around his waist and his
morning erection was pressed between James' thighs, just below his butt. 
And I smelled the unmistakable and raunchy scent of sex, probably dried
semen.

   They were beautiful young boys, innocent at least while sleeping.  I
wondered what they had done the night before but I wasn't worried.  Iain
had given me his word that he wouldn't do anything with James that would
harm him.  I leaned over and shook James and then Iain.

   "Wake up, sleepy heads," I said.  "Let's do our workout before breakfast
this morning."

   Iain propped his head up with his hand and looked at me.

   "Where's Anna?" he asked.

   "She's still sleeping," I said.  "After you have a good morning piss,
let's go do our workouts and then I'll fix us all a big breakfast."

   James grinned up at me.  "You wore her out last night; didn't you?"

   "No, James, I didn't.  She could hardly keep her eyes open.  I told you
I wasn't going to and I didn't.  I love her and I don't want to make love
with her when she's exhausted.  I can wait."

   "Boy, I don't know whether I could," he said.  "She's really something,
David.  She's big and beautiful, I mean, really beautiful.  She's just
right for you."

   "Thank you.  I think so, too," I said.

   "Do you want us to put on a loincloth?" Iain asked.  "Will it be OK with
her if we're naked?"

   "No to loincloths and yes to she'll be OK.  Let's just work out naked,
like we usually do," I answered.  "We're all going to have to get used to
being naked around each other.  When we have ten guys and ten girls here,
we're not going to have much privacy.  We're going to have to be careful
with our supply of clothing.  We may never get any more and I'm not ready
to wear animal skins yet."

   When we walked out the door to the terrace, I went to the highest level,
where the view was best.  Iain and James followed me and climbed the
stairs, chattering away as usual.  When we reached the top, I stopped, just
looking at the beauty of our world.  Iain and James stood silently, for
once, beside me.  I put my arm over their shoulders and we stood there
enjoying our new world.

   The sun had just climbed above the horizon to the east and was peeking
through a few low clouds.  The sea was barely stirred up in small waves and
the rising sun sparkled on the tops of the waves like a million shining
jewels.  A slight breeze was blowing from the west and the tree leaves
shimmered and seemed to dance.  All the birds were trying to outdo each
other with raucous calls as usual.  The temperature was perfect, the
humidity low, and I reveled in standing there naked with the sun and breeze
on my body.  Our world was absolute perfection.  I was content to be here
for the first time since I came.

   "I want to ask you two a question," I said.  "You can just say it's none
of my business and I'll drop it."

   "OK," Iain said.

   "What did you two do in bed together last night, before you went to
sleep?"

   James started to say something but Iain cut him off.  "Wait, James, I
want to answer him."

   "OK," James said.  "I don't mind."

   "We had a good wank before we went to sleep, David, just like we do most
nights.  We swapped hands or maybe it was dicks and James did me for a
while and I did him.  James sucked my dick a little and I returned the
favor.  Most of the time, we did ourselves.  We talked about Anna and how
beautiful she is and how much we'd both like to be with her in bed.  That's
all we did."

   "Thank you."

   "Don't worry about James, David," Iain said.  "I'm not going to fuck him
and he's not going to fuck me.  I like him.  I don't want to hurt him."

   "I hope you understand why I don't want that to happen.  I know how
teen-age boys fool around.  I've been there and done that myself.  It's
just that I want him to forget what happened to him in his past life.  I
want him to understand what sex with a woman is like.  There's going to be
a girl for him here someday and I want him to know what it's like to love
her and to have her love him and to have children with her.  I want him to
have something he's never had: a family which he creates."

   "I agree, David," Iain said.  "James is my friend and I want this world
to be better to him that our old one was."

   "If you want me to know what sex with a woman is like, how about letting
me do it with Anna?" James asked with a grin.

   "OK, just as soon as I get tired of her."

   "Oh, shit, that will never happen."

   "James, don't ask me to let you do it.  I don't own Anna.  It's her body
and it's her decision about sharing it with someone else.  If she chooses
to share it with you and Iain, I'm not going to object."

   "Yeah, you'll just kill us," James said.

   "Don't even talk like that, James," I said.  "This is a new world. 
We've got to build it by loving each other, not killing each other.  I
don't know how but I'm going to try to keep sexual jealousy from being part
of it.  I want you and Iain to help me build a loving family."

   "We will, David," James said.

   "David, do you think Anna would like to greet the sun with us some
morning?" Iain asked.  "Maybe we could greet the moon instead.  It's going
to be full in two nights.  I could get Aimee to play some music for us and
then I'd like to sing something."

   "I don't intend to start speaking for her," I said.  "But this is one
time I will.  Anna and I would both love to greet the full moon with you."

   We did our morning exercise routines on the lower terrace as usual. 
Iain and James were learning how to do their exercise routines and I didn't
remind them unless they asked.  I was almost finished, doing my bent-leg
sit-ups when Anna came out the door - naked.  Iain and James were both on
their knees, bare asses toward the door, each holding one of my feet down.
I didn't stop my sit-ups and I didn't tell them who was behind them.  They
were yakking away as usual while I grunted and slowly did my usual fifty.

   She held a finger up to her lips and walked up just behind the boys. 
From where she was looking, I knew she was seeing two teen boy butts with
two sets of testicles hanging down between their legs.

   "Good morning, Anna," I said, when she was just a few feet behind them.
"Did you sleep well?"

   Iain and James both reacted the same way.  They scrambled around, stood
up, and covered their genitals with their hands.  And they were both
looking wide-eyed at Anna in all her naked beauty.

   "I slept like a log," she said.

   I was flat on my back, knees bent, and hands on my chest.  Iain and
James still had their hands over their genitals.

   "Anna, would you hold my feet down while I finish my sit-ups?  Iain and
James seem to have abandoned me and I'm only on thirty-six.  I usually do
fifty."

   "Is there some reason they have their hands where they do?" she asked.
"Are they that bashful?"

   She knelt and put her hands around my ankles, just as she had learned to
do when we were in Flagstaff.  I watched as Iain slowly let his hands fall
to the side.  James followed his example.  Then I watched Anna's face as
she checked them out, as I knew she would do.

   "Iain, you have a beautiful body," she said.  "The parts you covered up
are just as beautiful as the rest of you.  Don't ever be ashamed of them.
What does Caitlyn think about your penis?"

   That got a smile out of him.  "She likes it but I don't think she's ever
seen anybody else's."

   I saw her eyes shift over to James.  "And you're beautiful too, James.
How old are you?"

   "I'm thirteen," she said.

   "Well, I'm surprised," Anna said.  "You've just started developing.  I
think you're going to be a big man, James, maybe as big as David."

   She didn't specify what was going to be as big but I could tell she was
looking at his penis when she said that.  I could also tell from James grin
how he interpreted her remarks.

   "Hot damn, I hope so," he said.

   "James, did David tell you that in the Army I was an operating-room
nurse?" she asked.

   He shook his head.

   "Well, I was and I've seen lots of guys' penises.  If they were
circumcised, I've always felt like their penises were mutilated.  I'm glad
you and Iain and David aren't.  I think all three of you are beautiful just
left natural."

   "All the guys who come here are going to be like us," Iain said.  "I sat
in on a lot of the meetings and they talked about circumcision once.  It's
not done where I come from and they couldn't understand why anybody would
do it.  They didn't want the custom to be brought here so they decided that
all the guys who come here would be natural."

   That was news to me.  I liked my dick natural and I had always wondered
why parents would circumcise a little baby boy and deprive him of so much
sexual pleasure.  I was glad the group responsible for bringing ten guys
here felt the same.

   As usual, I did the last one of my fifty sit-ups extremely slowly, then
dropped my hands down to the side, and remained sitting.  Anna looked at me
and didn't need to be told that I was finished.  I stood up and asked a
question for which I already knew the answer.

   "Are you guys ready for breakfast?"

   We made Anna sit at a table while the three of us prepared something.  I
thought the occasion was special enough to have nutrition bars for part of
breakfast.  When we took the food to the table, I sat opposite Anna.  James
swiftly claimed the seat next to her and Iain sat beside me.  When we were
through eating, I brought up Anna's wish to have the hair on her legs
removed and asked if they wanted to help.  Both eagerly volunteered.

   "After lunch, I thought you guys might give her the same treatment you
gave me.  The hair on her pubic mound hasn't been trimmed in months.  Maybe
you guys could trim it so it's about an inch long like mine.  Where it
grows out toward her thighs, you could use Nor on that part.  Just leave
her a small patch like you left me."

   "Do you want us to do the hair back between her legs like we did you?"
Iain asked.  "Maybe you'd better do that."

   "Nope, I thought we'd take her to Aimee's chair and then Aimee and I
would watch what you two guys do.  I like what you did for me and I want
you to give Anna the whole treatment."

   James looked at me and grinned.  "One of the movies Aimee showed me had
a girl and a guy who had removed all their pubic hair.  I liked the way
they looked.  Could we do that for her?"

   "Don't look at me," I replied.  "Ask Anna.  It's her body."

   He looked at Anna with a wide begging smile but Anna looked at me.

   "Tu voulais un minou rasé?" she asked and grinned enough to make her
dimples appear.

   "Huh?" James said.

   Iain grinned and looked at me for a translation.  I translated her
French into English.

   "She just asked me if I wanted a shaved pussy," I said.  "Would you and
Iain like to use the depilatory on all her pubic hair?"

   Anna took pity on him.  "Sure, James, you can do it...if you guys will
let me do you the same way.  I think you'd all be cute if you were as
hairless as ten-year old boys."

   I did my best to keep my face straight and waited for Iain and James to
respond.  I didn't know if her `you guys' included me.

   "Hot damn, you can do me," James said, eagerly.  "Come on, Iain.  Let's
let her do us."

   He looked at Iain, waiting for his decision.

   "Uh, uh, David has got to agree too," Anna said.  "In fact, I think I'd
like all three of you to take the hair off your legs and under your arms
and off your pubic area too."

   I thought she'd pushed it a little too far.  I watched Iain and James
and waited for them to say something.  I decided I'd do it if they agreed
too.  But then reality set in and I knew we didn't need to waste our
resources.  Nor wasn't one of our most needed items but I did like to use
it to avoid shaving.

   "We could all do James first, and then Iain, and then me, and last
David. Come on, guys, it'll grow back," she begged, smiling at them.

   Her smile was one of her most powerful persuaders.  I certainly couldn't
resist it.

   "What if Caitlyn comes and she sees me without any hair down there?"
Iain said.  "I don't know..."

   "You can just do her too, Iain.  We'll let you." James said, still
grinning enthusiastically.  "You can get your tongue in her pussy without
getting hair in your mouth."

   "It's up to you, Iain," I said.  "I'll let the three of you do me but
you've got to agree too."

   "Merde!  OK!  Do me too!" He finally gave in.

   "Good.  That's settled," I said.  "We'll do it right after lunch.  We
need to reset the rabbit snares.  Let's all go.  Do you feel like it,
Anna?"

   "I'd love to go," she said.  "I want to see some more of this place."

   "After we set the rabbit snares, if we have time before lunch, could we
take her to see Lightning?" James asked.

   "Sure, just don't tell her who Lightning is.  Let it be a surprise."

   We all went to our sleeping chamber just long enough to put on
loincloths and moccasins.  Anna wanted to brush her hair and, when she was
through with hers, she brushed mine back and tied it.  When we went out in
the hallway, we saw Iain and James at the door waiting for us.  They hadn't
bothered to brush their hair.  I couldn't remember if they ever had.  Anna
noticed their hair too.  She ran her fingers through James' hair and then
through Iain's.

   "Would you two let me help you with your hair?  I like guys with neat
hair like David's," she asked.  They couldn't resist her either.

   On one part of the trail, there was room for two people to walk side by
side.  Iain and James had gone a little ahead of me and Anna.  I took her
hand in mine and walked a little slower.

   "Anna, I think I've found a world of my choosing," I said.  "Without
you, this world would be hell.  With you, it can be anything we make of it.
I want to create a loving family out of the young men and women who come
here and I want you to help me to make the right decisions."

   "Do we have any choice, David?"

   "Of course, we always have choices.  I could have chosen not to start a
vegetable garden and to keep on eating nutrition bars.  But the garden has
been like therapy for me, to be working in the earth, sweating and dirty,
but doing something to provide food for myself.  I love it."

   James turned around and saw the two of us holding hands.  He grinned,
ran back to us, and inserted himself between us.  He took Anna's hand in
his first and then mine.  I messed up his hair and kissed him on the
forehead.  He looked at Anna and she kissed him on the cheek.  He started
to turn away but she pulled him back and kissed him on the lips.  He
started to say something but no words came out.  The three of us walked on,
holding hands, to where Iain was waiting.

   "You three make a very nice looking family," he said.

   "Yeah, that's exactly what we are, Iain, a family," I said.  "And you're
part of it.  Now come here."

   I held out my other arm and, when he came to me, I put it on his
shoulders.

   "I want you all to help me," I said.  "I want to make everyone who comes
here part of our family.  We're all going to need each other if we want to
survive.  Someday we'll be on our own and we've got to be ready for that
day."

   "He's right," Anna said.  "We've got to love each other and help each
other.  We're the family that's going to create a new human race.  Think
about that."

   "Well, I'm like you, David," Iain said.  "If Caitlyn comes to me, I'll
be the happiest man in the world.  I don't even want to think about what
I'll do if she doesn't.  She's got to come."

   "She'll come, Iain," James said.  "Just believe it; she'll come!"

   I looked at Iain and saw that his eyes were wet with tears.  I wanted to
believe it too.

   "Damn, we're not going to get the rabbit snares reset by standing here
talking," Iain said.  "Come on, James.  Let's get busy."

   They ran off ahead again, James leading the way as usual.  Anna and I
stood there, watching the almost-naked long-legged boys running to the next
rabbit snare.

   "David, could you explain again why we're here?  It's all a muddle in my
mind," Anna asked.

   "Sure.  Some of it is what I've learned from Aimee and Iain and some of
it is just conjecture but I believe I understand it."

   We walked along the path, holding hands again, while I explained how and
why we were sent to this new world.  I could hear Iain and James yelling
somewhere ahead of us.  Perhaps they understood that I wanted to have her
to myself for a while.

   They were nowhere in sight but they had the first rabbit trap reset when
we came upon it.  I bent over and looked at it carefully.  The snare was
set as well as I could have done it.  I straightened up, took Anna's hand
in mine again, and continued with the story.

   The second snare was also reset perfectly.  I stuck my hand through it,
nudged the string a little, and the snare closed around my wrist.  I took
my hand out and reset the trap.  Anna was watching.  I wanted her to see
that Iain and James were learning how to provide for us.

   "Rabbits are everywhere, Anna.  I think someone removed their natural
predators so they've been breeding without restraint.  I think that was the
intention: to provide a source of food for us."

   "Are there any other animals that we might eat, David?"

   "Yeah, there's a small population of deer.  I managed to kill one a few
months ago.  Now it seems like they know the danger and I haven't even seen
one since.  Aimee said there are also wild goats here but I've never seen
one."

   "People milk goats and drink the milk and make cheese out of it.  Do you
think that's why they are here?  Do you think we could domesticate them?"

   "Maybe.  We've got to find them first.  This mountain is a big place,
Anna.  I've explored only a very small part of it.

   "Can you be happy here, David?  This seems like the sort of world you
wanted to live in."

   "I think so, Anna.  I was chosen by somebody to lead this group and, if
they chose me, they knew about you and they were choosing you at the same
time.  I have asked myself why anybody would choose me and..."

   "That's easy to answer, David.  You were chosen because you're a warrior
and a leader and a protector.  They wanted somebody with the ability to
lead a small group of people and to protect them in this world.  You can do
that.  You can do it better than anybody I've ever known."

   "Maybe so.  And I think they chose you because of your nursing skills
and your loving nature.  I can protect them and you can nurture them."

   "So you think they chose us as a team?"

   "Yeah, I think so.  That's about all that's kept me sane for the last
few months: believing that you were going to come to me so we could face
this world together."

   We were almost to the last of the rabbit snares when I finally finished
telling Anna what I had learned about why we were here.  When I was
finished she had only one question for me.

   "David, are you going to make love with me tonight?"

   I thought my smile was answer enough.

   She was as enthralled by Lightning as the rest of us had been.  He ran
around his rock, stopped, stood up, and cocked his head to one side.  Each
time he did it, Anna rewarded him with a little bit of a nutrition bar. 
Then he surprised all of us again.  He stood up in front of Anna, bowed to
her, and then cocked his head waiting for his treat.  After she rewarded
him again, he repeated the performance.  I called a halt because I didn't
want him to get too dependent on us.

   On the way back up the mountain, the path meandered close to one of the
many mountain streams.  The water was icy when I first arrived in the
spring and it was still cold in the summer.  At a spot where the stream
tumbled over rocks, I frequently cooled off after coming back up the
mountain.  Iain and James liked to do the same thing I did.

   I let go of Anna's hand, carefully climbed down the rocks to the stream,
and stuck my head under a little waterfall to cool off.  After a few
seconds under the water, I straightened up and used my hands to squeeze the
water out of my long hair.  James and Iain did the same thing and we waited
for Anna to decide whether she wanted to do it too.  James stood beside me,
hanging on to me with both his hands on my shoulder.  Iain was a little
above us almost out of the stream bed.  He looked down at me and James and
smiled.

   Anna wanted to be a wet-head too.  Iain held out his hand to her and
helped her climb down to the stream.  She didn't keep her head under the
water very long.  I watched in appreciation when she lifted her arms to
press the water out of her hair.  Her breasts lifted up slightly and the
movement made them even more beautiful.  I looked at Iain and James and
they were watching her too, as enthralled as I was.

   When she turned back to where Iain was waiting to help her, he put his
hands on her waist, and kissed her, first on each cheek and last on her
lips.  She didn't resist.  James held out his hand to help her climb out
and then kissed her too, emulating Iain.  I was about to kiss her too when
Iain walked up to me and lifted his face up.  I leaned over and kissed him
on the cheek.  He shook his head.  That wasn't what he wanted.  He reached
up, put his hand behind my neck, pulled my face down to his, and kissed me
the same way he had kissed Anna, first on each cheek and then on the lips.
When James came to me, I kissed him the same way and then looked at Iain.
He smiled, nodded and pointed to Anna.  I kissed Anna on each cheek and
then on her lips, slowly and gently, though not as thoroughly as I wanted
to.  Iain didn't forget James.  He kissed him too even though James tried
to get away.

   I suppose Iain could see the puzzled expression on my face.  He told us
why he had kissed Anna and James and me.

   "Where I come from, it's a custom to kiss someone like that, left cheek,
right cheek, lips, when there is a moment of great happiness or
overwhelming joy.  It's done with good friends or close relatives.  It's
never done lightly.  It's a very meaningful gesture."

   I smiled and looked at Anna and saw she was smiling too.  I understood
and I was glad that Iain felt that way.

   We went the rest of the way back up the mountain with Iain and James
ahead of us, holding hands, and me and Anna behind, holding hands.  I
wasn't sure what I felt after the guys wanted to kiss me that way and I
wondered what Anna thought.  I knew one thing for certain: that I was happy
and content, as much as I had ever been in my life.
   TO BE CONTINUED: