Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 A World of My Choosing   An Out-of-this-World Story by Gil Gamesh   Chapter
Thirty-Three   After breakfast a few days later, I called for a conference
in the teaching chamber.  When we were all assembled, I looked around at
the eight others: four guys: Iain, James, Toby, and Pyotr; four girls:
Anna, Caitlyn, Jean-Nicole, and Petra.  I couldn't overlook the fact that
there was also one dog.  As usual, Lucky was going from one to another,
tail swishing, nose nuzzling, for his morning petting.

   Anna and I were standing in front of the others on each side of Aimee's
screen.  The rest were all seated in the first row of seats, Petra and
Pyotr between James and Toby, Iain between Caitlyn and Jean-Nicole.  All of
us, including Aimee, were wearing only loincloths.

   I explained, largely for the benefit of Pyotr and Petra that we held
occasional meetings or conferences where everybody could speak freely, that
I usually talked first about my plans, that I generally asked the group to
decide on something next, and that we talked about anything they wished
last.

   First I told everyone that I wanted to make a quick exploration on the
mainland and then gather oysters on the way back.  I said that I wanted
James and Toby to go with me, that we might encounter dangerous animals,
and that I felt they were skilled enough with both bows and spears to
defend themselves.  I told them Iain had agreed to remain and he was to be
their leader while I was gone.  I said I wanted to leave the next day well
before daylight and be at the isthmus just after daybreak.  The moon would
give us enough light to go down the familiar trail.

   Next I told the group that sometime after we returned I wanted all of us
to make an exploratory excursion around the base of the mountain, probably
a three day trip, and that I hoped all of us would go.  I said we would
have to live off the land and what we carried and asked them to begin to
plan what they wanted to carry in food and clothing, including a blanket. I
hoped we could sleep in twos or threes, fully clothed, under blankets, and
be warm enough.

   I was unsure how to handle the next topic.  I had been asked by some of
the others when we were going to have another sex play party.  I wasn't
sure what we should do with Petra and Pyotr and whether they should or
would want to participate.

   I explained, again largely for the twins, that we occasionally did
something as a group.  I called it a sex play party or sex without
seriousness, or maybe giggling and groping and goosing with some sucking
and fucking thrown in for good measure.  That got a smile out of more than
one guilty party.  Then I asked for input on whether Petra and Pyotr should
participate.

   James immediately held up his hand.  "I thought you weren't going to
tell anybody else what they could or couldn't do when it came to sex."

   I thought for a moment.  "Suppose for a moment that Petra and Pyotr are
only six years old.  Hold up your hand if you think they should
participate."

   No hands were raised.

   "Suppose they are eighteen years old.  Should they join in if they want
to?  Hold up your hands."

   Nine hands went up.

   "At six, we all agree that little children should be protected from sex.
At eighteen, we all agree that they are adults and should choose for
themselves.  Where do we draw the line?  I don't know what kids are like
when they're as young as Petra and Pyotr, especially girls.  Am I supposed
to protect her from sex, maybe with two horny fourteen-year-old boys?  Like
a father?  What if Anna and I act like parents to them?  When do parents
let their little girls and boys have sex?"

   Toby raised his hand.  I nodded.  "David, you don't have to protect her
from me.  I'm not going to take advantage of her."

   James' hand went up again.  "Me either," he added.  "We'll listen to you
and Anna.  We may be horny all the time but we won't try anything with her
if you don't want us to.  I think we're pretty decent kids considering our
backgrounds."

   "I think so too, James," I said.  "We don't need to decide anything
right now but we do need to think about how we treat two kids who are just
beginning to develop."

   I watched Petra's and Pyotr's faces as we talked.  Petra was very
serious, even frowning a little, holding Pyotr's hand.  Pyotr's eyebrows
were lowered, his eyes squinted, and his lips pressed together.  I looked
at him and waited to see if he was going to speak up.  He raised his hand
and I nodded.

   "What gives you the right to decide what we can and can't do?" he asked.
"You're not our father."

   He surprised me.  He was very assertive and maybe a little angry.

   "No, I'm not, Pyotr," I said, calmly but emphatically.  "Has James told
you what happened when we killed the bear, the one whose skin is in the
hallway?  One of my most important roles here is to protect you and all the
others as best I can, from bears and big birds and wild pigs.  If there is
danger, I will always be your primary protector and throw myself at huge
bears, even at the risk of my own life."

   "Yeah, he told us," Petra said.  Pyotr nodded.

   "I started a vegetable garden before even Iain arrived.  I knew others
were going to be coming and we had to provide food for ourselves.  The
others help now but I'm always there to do the hardest work in our gardens.
That's another important role that I willingly do, leading everyone in
providing food for our bellies."

   "Yeah, Toby and James say you all work at it and you tell them what to
do but you do the hardest work," Pyotr said.

   "Petra, Pyotr, I know I'm not your father but a good father will always
protect and provide for his family," I said, in what I hoped was a gentle
fatherly tone of voice.  "I do my best to keep you safe and to fill your
belly.  I also do my best to give you something all children need: the love
of a father.  Anna tries to give you the love of a mother.  Even though I'm
not your father, I try to act like one to you.  Does that give me the
right?

   "David, I already respect you and I do what you say," Pyotr said.  "I'm
glad you're our leader.  I know you and Anna are sort of like parents to me
and Petra.  I like that too because we've never really had parents who
loved us but I want you all to know something about us.  We made an oath
with each other about something and we are going to live with that oath."

   "What is your oath?" I asked.

   "We swore that when we started having sex, we were going to do it with
each other first," he said and then paused.  "Aimee said Petra could have
contraceptives even if she's only thirteen and Anna approved.  She's
already taking them and it's supposed to be safe now.  Is it OK if we do it
at the play party?"

   I turned and looked at Aimee.  She knew what I was asking without me
saying it.

   "David, the contraceptive I have can safely be given to young girls even
before their first menses.  It does not interfere with their normal
development and has almost no side effects.  Anna and I talked about
whether or not to prescribe it for Petra.  She is already having normal
menses so that means her body is ready to be a mother.  We decided that it
would be wise to give her the contraceptive.  She has been taking it for
more than the required time to be safe from pregnancy."

   I looked at Anna.

   "David, Petra told me and Aimee that she was playing at sex with Pyotr.
We both felt it was better to be safe than sorry."

   I decided to do something drastic, something that I hoped would impress
upon Petra what sex with a male might lead to.  Perhaps I just wanted to
show off.

   "Petra, would you come up here?" I asked.

   She looked at Pyotr but then she got up and slowly walked up in front of
me.

   "Please remove my loincloth," I said.

   She hesitated but she reached to the side and pulled one end of the bow
knot.  My loincloth fell to my feet.

   "Would you please put your hands on my penis, both hands?" I asked.

   She looked down at my genitals.  My penis was full but soft, as it
always is in the warm indoors.  My testicles hung down low, both of them
fully showing in my scrotum.  Maybe she wondered why I was asking her to do
it but she put one hand on my penis.  I waited and my penis responded
appropriately.  Shortly, I had a hard-on and she had more than a handful.

   "Both hands," I said.

   She slid one hand down toward the base and my foreskin slid the rest of
the way off the head.  She wrapped her other hand around my penis near the
head.  She had more than two handfuls.

   "Put one hand under my testicles," I whispered.

   She put her hand under my testicles and sort of lifted them.  I let her
hold my penis in one hand and my testicles in the other for a while before
I asked her.

   "Feel how hot and heavy my testicles are.  They're pouring out a river
of testosterone and millions of sperm every day.  I need to fuck somebody
to get relief.  Would you let me fuck you, Petra?"

   She looked away from what was in her hands to my face.  I stared down
into her eyes with as much seriousness as I could muster.

   "I want to fuck you, Petra," I whispered.  "How about it?"

   She started crying, ran back to Pyotr, and threw herself at him.

   "That was cruel, David," Anna said.  "She's still a child.  She's not a
woman yet."

   "Well, she thinks she wants to have sex," I said.  "She can probably
handle Pyotr's dick.  She might even be OK letting James or Toby do it.  I
don't think she's ready for Iain's dick and mine is a little larger than
his.  If she wants to be fucked, where is she going to draw the line?  She
had better think long and hard before she lets the first dick in her little
pussy.  Can she handle the responsibility?"

   I picked up my loincloth and retied it around my waist.  It probably
looked funny pushed out like that.  I looked around at all the others and
then returned my gaze to Petra and Pyotr.  She still had her head hidden in
Pyotr's shoulder.  He had both arms protectively around her.

   "Petra, I know how much responsibility Anna has undertaken to keep me
sexually satisfied.  Caitlyn's probably learned how hard it is to be
responsible for pleasing Iain.  I don't know about Jean-Nicole but I
suspect she's learning the same thing.  Men aren't playthings.  Men are
animals.  We've been bred by evolution to fuck women, to keep the human
race going.  We're not always nice and gentle and sweet when we do it. 
When we're fucking we become like beasts and we shove our dicks in a
woman's pussy as hard as we can and then deposit a load of semen right on
her cervix.  It's instinctual.  You need to think long and hard about when
you're ready to assume that responsibility.  It won't kill either of you to
wait a while before you and Pyotr fulfill your vow.  Maybe one of the other
ladies here will give him a little relief."

   I was looking at Pyotr while I said that.  He was holding Petra close
with her face hidden in his neck and shoulder.  He nodded at me.  Petra
lifted her head and stared at me defiantly.  She stood up, offered Pyotr
her hand, and both of them came up to the front.

   "I don't want anybody else to give Pyotr a little relief," she said, her
head held high, strong, emphatically, all seriousness.  "We made a vow to
each other and we both feel like it was something sacred.  You don't
understand us.  All of our lives, nobody else has loved us so we love each
other.  Pyotr's my other half.  I'm his.  Having sex with each other is
just another way of showing our love for each other."

   "She's right, David," Pyotr said.  "I don't want anybody else for my
first time.  Petra and I have always loved each other and it's important to
me to do it with her the first time I have sex.  I know boys don't usually
have sex with their sister.  When we get older, we want to find ourselves
someone else to marry and to give us children.  Maybe she'll want to marry
James or Toby and that's OK with me.  I know I'll find me somebody in the
others who will come here but please don't stop us from keeping our vow."

   Nobody had anything else to say.  I decided I had to yield to their vow.

   "OK.  We'll have our next play party sometime after James and Toby and I
come back.  I think we should all respect Pyotr's and Petra's vow.  They
can fulfill it whenever they wish."

   <><><>

   Wolves Den: a perfect name for our second outpost.

   We had already chosen the site for the first outpost I wanted us to
construct.  It was going to be near a little stream at the base of the
mountain on the south side of the isthmus.  It would be under Aimee's
protective shield and would be little more than a shelter from the weather,
maybe made out of bamboo, maybe a log cabin.  It would be a place where we
could spend the night after a day of foraging for oysters and other
shellfish on the north side of the isthmus or catching fish somewhere on
the rocky coast or trying to kill a little porker on the narrow strip of
land.

   The second outpost would be out from under Aimee's umbrella somewhere on
the far side of the isthmus.  I wanted it to be more solidly built, out of
logs or stone.  We had researched Aimee's treasury of knowledge and learned
how to notch and secure the logs together and I knew we could build a log
cabin, given time and a lot of work.  We had also learned how to make
cement by burning sea shells or limestone and mixing the result with sand
or aggregate.  We could easily find enough oyster shells washed up on the
north side of the isthmus and enough sand on the south side.  If we could
find a spot with suitable stones, preferably almost flat ones, we could
build a stone building.  I knew there were layered deposits of limestone on
the mountain and I expected to find the same deposits on the mainland.

   That was one reason James and Toby and I set off down the mountain
before daylight the next morning.  We were going to make an overnight
excursion to the mainland to search for a site for a second outpost.  The
other reason was that we intended to carry back a load of oysters and maybe
a little pig when we returned home.

   We were all packing as many weapons as we could carry.  All three of us
carried a spear and a bow - mine was the Brute - and a quiver full of
arrows.  I carried the Boys strapped around my waist with the scabbard on
my right hip.  I also carried a machete on my left hip.  We had a spear in
our right hands as usual.  I had a sword strapped to my back on the left
side so I could reach over my left shoulder with my right hand, pull the
sword out, and then use both hands to put all my strength into a downward
strike.

   In addition to spears and bows, James and Toby also carried knives
strapped to their right hips and throwing axes to their left.  On our last
trip, we had left two mattocks on the isthmus.  They were perfect for
prying oysters off rocks.  This time, we carried a dozen big gourds with
bamboo stoppers to where we were going to harvest oysters and then cached
them in the rocks until we returned from the mainland.

   We joked and played and sang on our way down the mountain as usual. 
Before we crossed the isthmus, I reviewed with James and Toby what they
were to do in case we encountered any dangerous animals or birds and the
one word commands for what I wanted them to do.  If we faced anything
dangerous and I said spears, they knew to position themselves slightly
behind me and to each side holding their spears with both hands.  If I said
bows they knew to take the same positions and quickly notch and draw an
arrow ready to shoot.

   The mainland was heavily forested with occasional small streams and
outcroppings of sedimentary rocks.  We wandered around looking first to the
north and then to the south of the isthmus and finally found what I was
looking for: an outcropping of layered sedimentary rocks about ten meters
high with two faces which were almost vertical.  There were enough rocks in
the outcropping to make dozens of buildings.  Each layer was almost level
and reasonably thin, most no more than hand-width thick.  I knew we could
easily break them loose.  The outcropping was surrounded by a gently
sloping pile of earth and we could rig up a slide to move the rocks
downhill.  At the bottom of the rise, there was a level area suitable for a
building.  The few small pines in the area would make good roof rafters. 
We wandered farther looking for a steam and soon found one in easy walking
distance of the second outpost site.

   We returned to the outcropping, looked closer at the rocks, and used our
hands to make a few fall.  I was studying the rock wall when I heard James
and Toby scrambling behind me.  I turned and saw two frightened young boys
hurrying toward me.  When they saw me looking, they both pointed to
something behind them.

   I felt the cool response flood over me and looked where they were
pointing.  At first I didn't see anything but then something moved and I
saw what had frightened them: large dogs or maybe wolves.  I said "Spears"
and Toby and James quickly assumed their positions behind me with their
spears extended in both hands.  I eased my spear down, pulled the Brute off
my back, notched an arrow, and waited.  The layered rock wall was behind us
and I knew nothing could attack us from that direction.  The danger lay in
front of us.

   I counted four animals which I believed were wolves from their size and
coloration.  The largest one's faded coat made him look older and I guessed
he was the alpha male.  Two smaller ones had brighter coats and I guessed
them to be his offspring.  The smallest one was hanging back and I assumed
it might be the bitch.  They were all pacing around and acting menacing but
not coming any closer.  I waited, hoping that they would leave us alone.

   "Don't be afraid," I whispered.  "If they don't attack us, we don't need
to do anything.  If they do attack, just do what I told you.  We can defend
ourselves."

   "I'm scared," Toby whispered.

   "Shit, me too," James whispered.

   "Me too," I said.  "If they attack, the big one is going to eat an
arrow. You just hold your spear and thrust like I've taught you.  You can
do it.  These guys don't scare me half as much as that big bear did and its
skin is on our floor now."

   I was scared too, not so much for myself as for the two young boys I had
brought with me.  In my heightened state of awareness I felt sure I could
defend myself against the wolves but I didn't want James and Toby to be
injured or killed.  I loved them like sons but I knew I had to rely on them
now and the training I had been giving them for months.  We had to begin to
explore the rest of our new world in spite of the dangers and I felt they
would be quite capable of defending themselves against most threats.

   We stood there waiting.  I could see the biggest wolf slowly getting
closer and snarling and acting more menacing.  Two of the others were
pacing slightly behind him and threatening.  The other one was pacing at
the rear and hardly threatening.  If they charged, they had to come up the
slight rise to where we were and I knew that put them at a disadvantage.  I
aimed at the biggest one and waited.  He kept sideling closer and I
expected him to attack at any moment.

   Suddenly he charged up the rise toward us and the other two charged a
split second later.  I let an arrow fly and saw it disappear somewhere in
the largest one.  His charge quickly turned into convulsions and he flopped
around in pain about five meters from us.

   I dropped the Brute, pulled my sword, and waited for one of the others.
One bounded toward me, open mouth and huge teeth.  In my cool state, I
waited until he was almost upon me, quickly stepped to one side, and, as he
leaped through where I had been standing, I swung my sword down on the
center of his back.  I felt the sword bite deeply into him and I knew I had
killed him.

   I turned back, looking for the other wolf.  Toby was down but he was
quickly scrambling to his feet.  The wolf was thrashing around with Toby's
spear in the front of its chest and James' spear in the side of its chest
pinning it down.  Toby pulled his spear out, shoved it downward into the
wolf a few times, and it stopped moving.

   I looked back for the fourth wolf.  It was still pacing back and forth
and I thought for a moment about letting it go.  Then I thought of
something else.

   "Bows!" I yelled, then picked up the Brute and notched an arrow.

   James and Toby quickly moved into position beside me with drawn bows and
an arrow ready to fly.  I watched them take a few deep breaths, steady
themselves, and draw their bows tighter.

   "Kill it," I whispered, without loosing my arrow.

   Two arrows flew toward the last wolf and both struck.  The wolf started
thrashing around, trying to get at whatever was causing it pain.  I relaxed
my bow and returned the arrow to the quiver.

   "Go finish it," I said.  Toby and James ran down the rise, whooping loud
enough to scare anything, and put the wolf out of its misery with their
axes.  Then they retrieved their arrows and wiped them clean in the wolf's
fur.

   I walked slowly down the rise, held out my arms, and they came to me. 
We wrapped our arms around each other and stood there, hearts pounding,
breaths rasping in and out, but smiling at each other.

   "Damn, I almost shit my pants when that sucker knocked me down," Toby
said.

   "Yeah, but we killed it, Toby," James said.  "Me and you, we killed it."

   "Yeah, and then David let us kill the last one," Toby said.

   "You both did exactly what I've been training you to do," I said.  "I'm
proud of you.  We can defend ourselves.  This world is ours.  We're going
to claim it."

   "I just wish we didn't have to kill things though," Toby said.

   "Toby, I killed lots of men in our old world.  They all were trying to
kill me.  It's the same way here.  If an animal threatens us, we've got to
kill it."

   "Yeah, and we've got to kill some that don't threaten us, like deer, so
we can have food," James said.

   I looked at Toby and saw muddy paw prints on his chest and claw marks in
his clothing down his chest and stomach.

   "Toby, did the wolf hurt you?" I asked.

   "I don't think so," he said.  He pulled his clothing up with one hand
and down with the other.  There were multiple red stripes on his skin from
his chest down to his genitals from the wolf's claws.

   "Damn, he almost ripped your dick off," James said, grinning.

   Toby reached down, pulled his penis out of his tights, and stroked it a
couple of times.

   "Oh, shit, he broke it," he said and grinned.  "It won't stand up."

   "Wait `til we get back," James said, grinning just as big.  "Maybe
Jean-Nicole can fix it."

   "Yeah, she can kiss it and make it well," Toby said.

   We walked back to the biggest wolf and stood there looking at it.  I
wondered where my arrow had entered it but I couldn't see any signs of
blood.  I bent over and used two hands to pry its jaws open.  Blood poured
from its throat.

   "Damn, David, you made him eat one," James said.

   "I'd like to have my arrow back," I said.  "Do you think it went all the
way through him?"

   Toby used his spear to push the wolf's bushy tail out of the way, then
squatted down and looked closely at the wolf's rear end.

   "Nothing back here `cept an asshole and a couple of big balls," he said.
"Unless he shit it out, I think it's still in him."

   We walked over to the one that I had struck with my sword.  We could
easily see what had happened to him.  I had cut its spine in two and the
two halves of its body were almost separated.  I was pleased that my first
effort with the sword had done what I intended.

   We looked at the other one which had attacked, the one James and Toby
had killed.  It could have been sleeping except that it was lying in a big
puddle of bright red blood.  I bent over, wiped two fingers in the blood,
straightened up, and walked over to Toby.  He didn't protest when I painted
two slanting stripes down each cheek.

   "Now you do James," I said.

   James grinned as wide as possible when Toby painted two stripes down his
cheeks.  I didn't protest when they both painted blood stripes down my
cheeks.  Nobody said anything.  What was there to say?  We had met the
beasts and we had killed them.

   Last we went to the other wolf that James and Toby had killed.  It was a
female.  I almost felt sorry for it.

   "David, I wish we could take something back to show the others what we
killed," James said.  "Could we skin them like we did the bear and maybe
make something to wear?"

   "Wet skins are always heavy to carry," I said.  "Remember how heavy the
bear skin was.  I don't think we can carry gourds full of oysters and maybe
a little pig and four wolf skins.  We need food more than we need skins. 
How about just the tails?"

   "Yeah, chop them off," James said.

   "No, I think I'll do something else," I said.

   I squatted down, used Little Boy to cut around the tail and them cut
down the skin from near the asshole almost to the end.  I carefully cut the
skin loose near the body, caught the loose ends with thumbs and fingers,
and pulled.  That dragged the wolf along the ground until both James and
Toby put one foot on it.  I pulled again and stripped the furry skin off
the bony flesh.

   I skinned the Alpha male's tail next and then let Toby and James skin
the last two.  I watched as Toby used Little Boy to cut around and down on
the wolf's tail.  Then I put my foot on the wolf and the two of them
stripped the tail off.  James did the last one.  I had brought string to
tie the oyster gourds to a bamboo pole and I cut two short sections, tied
the tails together two and two, and hung two around Toby's neck and the
others around James' neck.  From the way they smiled, I knew they were
pleased.

   I knew I had an unpleasant task yet to do but I wanted my arrow back. 
With James and Toby holding the front and back paws extended, I used Little
Boy to cut the Alpha male open from throat all the way down, with a zigzag
to miss the penis.  I used my spear point to poke around in the entrails
until I felt something solid and then pried my arrow up until I could pull
it out.  I wiped it off in the wolf's fur and put it back in the quiver.  I
had spent too much time making Iain wood arrows and I wasn't about to leave
it in the wolf.  I also wanted to set an example for James and Toby by
retrieving my arrow.

   We dragged the carcasses well away from the rock formation and then
started looking for a place to spend the night.  Toby called that he had
found a perfect place.  It was a cave-like indentation in the rocks, about
two meters off the ground and about the same depth, easily wide enough for
us to stretch out.  The afternoon sun was nearing the horizon and I knew we
would soon be in the cold and dark.  I wanted a fire.  We built two.

   With James and Toby bringing dead wood, I first built a small fire on
the ground near the opening.  Then I built a larger fire back in the
cave-like area where we were going to sleep.  I knew that if we could warm
the rocks they would radiate heat and keep up warmer during the night.

   We went to the stream long enough to wash our hands but nobody wanted to
wash the stripes of wolf blood off their face.  Next, we had a good piss
and then returned to the fires to eat our evening meal.  Later we raked the
fire out of the sleeping cave, covered the floor with leafy branches, and
tried to get comfortable for the night.  Of course, we stood around the
small fire and had a good wank before we turned in.  Our excuse was that we
would sleep better.  We put on a double layer of clothes topped with a
hooded rain cape.  I slept on my left side as usual, facing out of the
cave. James spooned up to my butt and Toby spooned up to his.  We had one
blanket under us and two over us and we were soon warm and comfortable.  I
briefly roused once, piled more wood on the fire, pissed again, and crawled
back up in the little cave.

   The next day, we returned to the isthmus, made another fire, stripped
naked, and harvested oysters, with frequent breaks to warm our frozen limbs
and parts.  We all got dressed again before we started shucking.  James and
Toby quickly proved that they could shuck too and we filled twelve gourds
with big oysters and their juice.  They also proved that they could do what
I was doing: slurp a raw oyster out of the shell, chew it a little,
swallow, and then smile widely and burp and pat their stomachs.  Hunger and
youth make for good appetites.

   We arrived home just before dark, quietly walked in, and surprised
everybody.  James and Toby still had the wolves' tails around their necks.
We still had the blood stripes on our cheeks.  We had twelve big gourds
full of oysters hanging from a bamboo pole carried by the two of them.  I
carried everybody's weapons.  We stood there for a moment grinning and
listening to the barrage of questions.

   <><><>

   The day after we returned, Aimee said that the weather was probably
going to be clear and windless and about 30 degrees on the David scale, a
warm late-fall day.  We decided to take Petra and Pyotr for their first
long look at our new world and to have a picnic at the top of the mountain.
Our newest arrivals looked in wonder at the sea which surrounded us, the
green and brown and gray of the mountain, and the peaceful cloudless blue
sky with a few small sea birds gliding.

   Pyotr lay belly down on the translucent dome with his eyes sheltered
from light by his hands but he finally gave up trying to see what was under
the dome.  I told him I thought whatever was under the dome somehow
converted sunlight into electricity for us.  Like all of us, he simply
shook his head in wonder.

   We found a sunny sheltered spot and had lunch: raw oysters for an
appetizer, slices of cold roast pork, crusty sour-dough bread, mixed
vegetables blanched to a tender-crisp stage and dipped in Italian aioli
mayonnaise, and fruit for dessert.  I was surprised when everybody had at
least one oyster.  Nobody asked for a sweet dessert and I knew we never
would have one again unless somebody sent us sugar and I hoped they
wouldn't.  With Jean-Nicole's delight in being master chef, more than one
of us acting as sou-chefs, and Aimee's endless supply of good recipes, I
thought we ate like kings.

   After lunch, I explained again how Aimee's canopy protected the entire
mountain and prevented the intrusion of any dangerous birds and animals.  I
told them about the large raptor birds which liked to ride the updraft from
the mountain, how they were prevented by the canopy from dropping down on
us, and how I had almost been the prey of one when I went out on the
isthmus.  When I described the one I had killed, I watched Pyotr and
Petra's faces, wide eyes and open mouths.  I made sure they understood that
Aimee protected them from dangerous birds and mammals and that I was also
ready to protect them from danger.

   As usual, we explored the top of the mountain.  We didn't explore as a
large group but in smaller groups which changed depending on what someone
found.  On the peak, there were no big trees, just little stunted pines. 
It was covered with huge grey boulders and what little vegetation there was
survived in the crevices between them.  I thought the prevailing Westerly
wind at the top of the mountain had sculpted the vegetation into shapes
like those little Japanese things.

   I tried to judge the time by the position of the sun and about mid-
afternoon, we started the easy trek back down the mountain to home.  Before
we got there, I saw gray clouds beginning to move in from the west and I
knew rain was imminent.  Before we got home, it began to fall, a cold mist
at first which gradually changed into steady rain.  We were all drenched
when we got home.

   The second care package from our old home arrived while we were gone. 
We stood and stared at it for a moment and then we all stripped in the
hallway, warmed up in the shower, and crowded into the air dryer.  Then we
ran to our bedchambers for our loincloths, returned and started unpacking
all our goodies.

   The second shipment was almost the same as the first, largely dried and
compressed items such as flour, cornmeal, rice, and milk, but it included
some items which surprised us.

   Again the center hallway contained a rectangle of boxes wrapped in
plastic about two meters high, three wide, and five long.  In the center,
we found small bags of whole potatoes: Yukon gold, red, russet, and sweet
potatoes.  I knew that they were intended for planting and had to be cut up
into small sizes each containing an eye and then cured before planting. 
There were small bags of onion sets, nickel-sized onions ready to go in the
ground: Peruvian sweet, Vidalia sweet, Italian red, and giant yellow
onions.
Iain almost lost his composure when he uncovered the boxes containing a
flute, a violin, a trumpet...and his tallum.  It looked like a weird

keyboard with four unfolding legs.

   And last there was a box of play equipment: four soccer balls, four
volley balls, four balls which might be beach balls, all deflated, along
with two hand pumps to inflate them.

   We all worked for a while stowing the food items away in an unused bed
chamber, leaving the musical instruments and play things for last.  James
and Toby and Pyotr immediately started inflating all the balls.  Iain set
up his tallum in the hallway but then found out it had to be charged. 
Aimee told him there were charging stations in the restricted room at the
end of the hall so he and I carried it there and found a place to plug it
in.  He said it required about four hours to recharge so we left it and
went back in the hallway.

   James and Toby and Pyotr had inflated all the balls and were throwing
one back and forth while the ladies stood and watched.  As soon as we
walked back to where they were, James suggested something.

   "Let's play dodge-ball," he said.  "The hallway is perfect for playing.
We used to play it at church.  It's a lot of fun."

   I had never played dodge-ball.  "How do you play?"

   "Well, we played two versions.  In one we all stand in a big circle with
one person in the middle and throw the ball at him or her.  The one who
hits him gets to name the next person in the middle.  The other way, we
have two throwers about thirty feet apart and everybody else is in the
middle.  The throwers can throw at anybody.  When they hit somebody, they
become a thrower and the old thrower gets in the middle."

   I looked around at everybody.  They were all smiling and nodding.  I
wanted to play too but I wanted to eat first.

   "Jean-Nicole, have we got enough leftovers for this crowd?"

   Have you ever played dodge-ball?  How about dodge-ball with both girls
and guys?  And everybody naked?  After dinner that night, that's what we
did: naked, mixed-sex dodge-ball in the center hallway.
We started the first game, second version, with all of us wearing
loincloths as usual.  Then James and Toby threw theirs to one side and
gradually everybody followed their example.  After Toby threw the ball too
hard at a naked female's derriere, the girls unilaterally changed the

rules: guys had to throw underhanded; only girls could throw overhanded.

   How can a bunch of guys keep from getting hard-ons looking at four
beautiful naked females who are contorting themselves in all sorts of
provocative ways while trying to dodge the ball?  We didn't.  Have you ever
played naked, mixed-sex, dodge-ball with a hard-on?  It was a lot of fun
even when James tried to hit the thrown ball with his bat.

   Afterwards, we all washed the sweat away with a shower, filled the big
tub in the bathing chamber with warm water, soaked until we had
prune-fingers, talked about everything, and finally got out and crowded
under the warm air dryer again.  As usual, we all groped each other in the
pretense of wiping the water off somebody.  Everybody was grinning when we
finally stepped out of the drying circle.

   "I don't know about you guys but I'm going to bed," Jean-Nicole said,
and then looked at James and Toby and continued: "By myself.

   I took Anna's hand and went to our bed chamber.  Quietly the others
paired up and followed.  Anna and I spooned up together and went to sleep.
I was content.

   <><><>

   As usual, I was the first one up the next day.  I let my morning woody
lead me to the toilet for a good piss and then went to the bathing chamber
to wash my face.  Anna staggered in and washed her face.  We both returned
to our bed chamber for loincloths and Anna brushed her hair while I
watched, then insisted on brushing mine.

   While Anna was brushing my hair, I asked Aimee for the morning weather
report.  I always had jobs to do outdoors but none of them were urgent. 
She reported that it was still raining but warm for a late-fall day,
perhaps as the result of a warm southern front.  I still wanted to see for
myself so Anna and I went to the front door and stood there looking at the
light rain falling and the gloomy skies.

   We were in the kitchen, talking, getting ready to prepare breakfast,
when James, Toby, Petra, and Pyotr, the four Mouseketeers, Jean-Nicole's
name for them, walked in still naked, accompanied by Lucky.  I knew
something was up.  They usually donned their loincloths before coming in
the kitchen.

   "We're all going to take Lucky for his morning pee," James announced.

   "And have one ourselves," Toby whispered.

   "Yeah, I gotta pee," Pyotr whispered.

   "Me too," Petra said.

   "It's raining," I said.

   "We know," James said.  "Aimee gave us the morning weather report. 
We're going anyway."

   "And we're going to dance in the rain," Petra said, and twirled around.

   I dropped my loincloth and looked at Anna.  She dropped hers.

   I pointed at James and Toby.  "Go wake up Jean-Nicole.  Tell her she's
got to pee outdoors in the rain and then dance."

   I pointed at Petra and Pyotr.  "Tell Iain and Caitlyn to get their lazy
asses out of bed.  We're all going to outside to pee in the rain and then
dance."

   All of ran outdoors onto the big terrace and peed.  The girls didn't
squat.  They spread their legs and did it standing.  The boys held their
dicks and tried for distance.  We were all grinning at each other, bodies
wet, hair wet and stringy, a little cold, but, from the expression on our
faces, wonderfully happy and enjoying life.

   Petra and Pyotr started the dancing, not with each other but separately
in wild gyrations.  James and Toby tried to outdo them.  The rest of us
watched for a moment and then joined in.  Dancing?  Maybe it was but I
wanted music.

   "Music, Aimee!" I yelled.  "Play some music for us to dance!"

   She played a waltz.  Iain sad it was the Blue Danube by Strauss.  I
didn't care.  We waltzed, sometimes alone, in pairs, in threes, and once,
in nines.  That didn't work but nobody cared.

   Thunder growled and we all ran for the indoors.  We crowded under warm
showers, jam-packed under a downdraft of warm air, and ran for the kitchen
for breakfast.

   Nobody offered to put on a loincloth.  We prepared and ate breakfast
naked, except for little white sea-shell necklaces.  Anna and I prepared
hash-brown potatoes.  Jean-Nicole and Caitlyn made a big frittata with eggs
and onions.  Iain sliced the last of the pork roast.  James and Toby
toasted bread.  Petra and Pyotr set the table.

   Afterwards we cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and drifted back
to two adjacent tables.

   "Well, what shall we do now?" I asked.

   "I know," Pyotr said.

   I looked at him and nodded.

   "Let's have a play party," he said.

   "An all-day play party, Petra said

   "An all-day sex play party," Toby said.

   "Yeah, let's have a fucking all-day sex play party!" James said.

   From the way the four Mouseketeers were grinning, I knew they had
already discussed what they wanted to do.

   I looked at all the others, and they were all smiling.  I took that as
agreement that they wanted to play too.  However, I still felt protective
toward the twins.  I didn't know what I should do.  I went to Anna, hugged
her against my naked body, and whispered to her.

   "What am I going to do?" I asked.  "You know me.  You know I always want
to do what's right for everybody but I don't know what's right this time.
What if she's got a tough hymen?  Maybe it might be painful to her even if
it's Pyotr's dick?"

   "David, they want to have sex with each other," she whispered back. 
"Let's all just play again.  If Petra wants a Pyotr in her pussy, let her
have it.  Let Jean-Nicole demonstrate what she did her first time.  If it
hurts, she can decide what she wants to do."

   I pulled back and looked at her.  I grinned at her pun.  I also
appreciated her womanly wisdom.

   "So you approve if pretty little Petra wants to let Pyotr penetrate her
pouting little pussy with his prodigious pecker?"

   "Yes, damn it!  How can you be so eloquent when you're so dense
sometimes?"

   "OK," I said to the crowd.  "Who wants to drag a couple of mattresses to
the lounge?  Maybe three."

   "I think we need at least four, David," Anna said.  "It got a little
crowded last time."
   TO BE CONTINUED: