Message-ID: <23755asstr$956088636@assm.asstr-mirror.org> X-Original-Message-ID: <20000418150640.52792.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Barbara B" <babs42ne@hotmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Subject: {ASSM} The Secret Lair Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 16:10:36 -0400 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org> Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2000/23755> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: gill-bates, dennyw This is a new story, property of me, Barbara B. Please do not post it anywhere, even a free site, without first contacting me. I'm easy to reach. Babs42ne@hotmail.com The Secret Lair By Barbara B. I LOVE the library. I always say "the library" when I mean "any library" because to me they are like one entity - all linked to one another - one vast storehouse of knowledge. I remember the day I discovered the library. I was in the 6th grade and we had to do some "research." As I look back, it was a small library with not a lot of books, but to me it was like stumbling into a little part of heaven. There near the civic center was this small building where you could go after school, any night and all day Saturday. You could learn about ANYTHING you wanted to know at the library. There were books on every subject. Sometimes I would just walk among the stacks looking at the titles; sometimes I would touch a volume or two; sometimes I would take a book out to browse. Occasionally I would explore the reference section that always seemed so special - a place where the books were so precious you couldn't even take them home. Mostly, though, I would find a tome on some topic of interest, take it to one of the big tables and become engrossed. Needless to say, I certainly spent some valuable hours at the library during puberty learning a great deal about my body and, I must admit, spending more than a fleeting glance at the anatomy and physiology of the boys I was finding so interesting!! ***** So it's no surprise that with a little extra time to kill I find myself wandering into the library on this very cool, almost cold, winter day. There was frost on the windows and the lawns and the cars this morning, but I didn't discover that until I was going out the door. With so much sunlight coming in the windows, I must have unconsciously been hoping it was Spring, so I didn't really dress appropriately for the weather. I put on a lightweight, long, cream-colored, slit-up-both-sides skirt, a black, mock turtleneck top, black, knee-high socks and low-heeled shoes. Catching a reflection of myself in the mirror, I decided to add some pearls. <<Nice touch>> I thought as I opened the door only to be met with a blast of very cold air. Oops. Because I didn't feel like changing, I just threw on a heavy coat hoping that it would be sufficient and headed to my car. ***** Finishing my errands early and not wanting to return to the house where the never-ending household chores await me, I turn the corner and pull into the parking lot of our local library. It's a beautiful place - actually a converted fire station. So the rooms are, well, roomy. My favorite room is the one with the two picture windows and the big fireplace that is always lit during cold weather. I know it will be cozy and am not disappointed as I enter. I look around. <<Oh, boy, I'm the only one here so far>> I think to myself, fantasizing that perhaps I will have a whole luxurious morning to myself in this space I adore. I select a couple magazines - one the latest Astronomy and one People - and move to one of the big tables. Before I open the magazines I can't resist looking around at this special place which always makes my soul feel like it's coming home. I wonder if perhaps I was a librarian in a former life. Then, as I always do when I sit down in the library, I think about the destruction of the library at Alexandria - that irreplaceable treasure that burned almost 2000 years ago. What a valuable wealth of knowledge was lost in one inferno? And I think about the Codices of the Mayans - only four of which survive to this day - that were thrown into heaps to be burned by the Catholic priests as pagan vulgarities. The history and wisdom of a whole culture obliterated in that holocaust. Such horrid thoughts could sadden me if I let them. But the days when I actually ached in grief over those events are gone, as now I just remember them reverently when I'm here. ***** It's warm and cozy in this room. I'm glad now that I dressed lightly. After the brisk walk into the building my face is surely a bit red from hurrying in the cold. I have thrown my coat over an adjacent chair and feel I've dressed perfectly for this space. I begin flipping through the People magazine. <<All the beautiful persons,>> I think, <<but how awfully hard it must be to live your life in a fishbowl, everyone wanting to know your every move.>> And I have a flashing thought about my life. I wonder if today I will be doing something that, if I were famous, would make the headlines of some tabloid. Hmmmm. ***** I'm about to open the Astronomy magazine when an older man comes in. He doesn't even seem to notice me as he takes his book and settles into one of the oversized chairs that frame the fireplace. I watch him as he puts on his reading glasses, opens the volume he's brought, and soon is deep into the story. <<Wonder what he's reading?>> I ask myself. He's dressed casually in a white polo shirt that sets off his tan and the muscles in his arms, a man who was obviously handsome in his youth and doesn't look all that bad now. <<He probably likes tropical settings,>> I decide or how else could he have gotten that tan in the winter. He's very tall and slim. <<Probably was an athlete, and smart with a good sense of humor>> I deduce. He has most of his very curly hair, which is now entirely gray, and except for a very slight, almost imperceptible limp, he's in great shape. About 62 years old is my guess. And as I often do when I study someone, I wonder about the women he's made love to, the ahhh's and ohhh's he's heard, the pussies he's tasted, the mouths he's explored, the breasts he's fondled and suckled. I wonder if his dick still gets hard when he's holding his beloved. And I wonder when he falls asleep at night if he dreams about the ladies who over the years have brought him pleasure as he returned the favor. I wonder how many fond memories he's made. ***** I start flipping the pages of Astronomy mag. I find an interesting article about the satellite flyby of the Near Earth Object Asteroid Eros, which is set to occur on, of all days, February 14. Ah, now which governmental agency planned that one!? I take a second to wonder if some poet is writing about that juxtaposition, condensing the language of love with the physics of the universe. I am about to turn to the breathtaking photos that the Hubble Telescope has recently taken of some new nebulae, when another man comes into the room. This one is younger, closer to my age. He too seems absorbed in his tasks and oblivious of me as he selects a table across the room. He spreads his work out as he removes his coat and settles into a chair. <<Nice physique>> I think. <<Just enough muscle.>> ***** He turns and looks right at me. I feel a bit embarrassed because I've been staring, and I glance away. When I look again his eyes are scrutinizing his papers and he once more seems not to notice me. I try to make my observations less obvious. His hair is thick and wavy and, although once surely dark brown, it is now beginning to gray. He's wearing a blue, open neck shirt that hints at the strength beneath the cloth. There's an intensity about him as he goes about his tasks, seriously moving his papers and occasionally scribbling notes onto a pad. Then he looks up again and his eyes lock onto mine. I want to look away but I seem to be captured. His eyes remind me of Kenny and for a moment I'm in the 6th grade again and witty, well-built, debonair Kenny is sitting across from me in the library, his dark brown eyes -- wise beyond their years -- gazing into mine, a sly grin on his face. This stranger breaks the spell as he flashes me a smile and then returns his focus to his work. My eyes blink and my head jerks and I notice that the gentleman in the comfy chair appears to be looking away with a small smirk on his face. Or perhaps it's just my imagination and he really is totally absorbed in the story he's reading. ***** I return to my magazine. <<Wow. Look at that new, butterfly-shaped nebula - what's it called? Ah, Papillon, >> and I am enthralled at its beauty. I am searching the article trying to find out if the photo came from a deep field exploration, when I notice that my "friend" across the room is making a fair amount of noise rustling his papers. I had almost forgotten him, my attention drawn to the loveliness of this newly-discovered stellar nursery. When I look his way he glances toward the stacks then returns his eyes to his papers. I am just about to turn my attention to my magazine when he looks up and once again his eyes rivet me. I want to look away but his stare burns through my eyes, past my heart making it skip a beat and directly to my cunt which begins to tingle. I can feel my pussy lips getting hot, no doubt turning bright pink as the blood rushes to parts of my body other than my brain. All of this in only a second - or was it longer? And then his focus is on his papers again. I open my mouth and use the abundance of saliva there to lick my lips, making them wet too, my every orifice seemingly getting ready for.... <<What?>> I think <<You're in THE LIBRARY, for heaven's sake>> I scold myself. <<Is nothing sacred?>> But before I can answer I notice the man in the comfy chair is smiling, and I know this time that he is not smiling because of something he's reading. ***** <<This is not working,>> I say to myself. I usually do not have trouble losing myself in some interesting topic, but today is an exception. I seem to keep allowing myself to be distracted. Wondering if a book would be better than a magazine, I get up and head for the stacks. Wandering there among the volumes, I cannot help but go up and down a few aisles running my fingers compassionately over a binding or two. Books on horses. I pause as realize there are more books than I had realized about these beautiful animals. Out of the corner of my eye I see a shadow slide by the end of the stack. <<Was that the stranger from across the room? No, couldn't be. He was too industrious to be meandering here.>> I wander down a walkway and pause at a section on the history of the ancient Incas, pulling out a volume on Pizarro. I return the book to the shelf and continue on my way, suspecting, but not certain, that I did see my "friend" strolling along the next aisle. I proceed passing the section on Women's Studies which interestingly enough seems to be right next to the section on Abnormal Psychology. <<Hmmmm. Wonder who decided on that arrangement,>> I ponder. Seeing another shadow, I have a quick thought that perhaps the stranger and I are doing some kind of "barnyard dance" around the stacks. I continue on my way coming upon a case containing erotica. ***** I pull out a volume entitled A Compilation from the Lab by Maximum Overdrive. <<Must be a nom de plume>> I say to myself, hopeful that no mother would inflict that jarring moniker on her helpless son. Opening to a promising page, I note the story title "The Secret Lair." <<Hmmm. Great beginning,>> I judge, <<Terrific image.>> I begin reading. "She was the kind of woman you might not notice at first. Not startlingly beautiful, but then again not plain either. There was a sparkle - no it was more like a fire - in her eyes as her beauty seemed truly to come from within, erupting from her eyes onto her face, the more you viewed her. And when she smiled - a broad smile with straight, white teeth and full lips - she could touch your soul, somehow transforming herself before you, her elegance charming you into believing she was more attractive than you had originally thought. She moved like a woman who was comfortable in her skin and on this rainy, Fall day she has decided to explore the library." <<The library,>> I think. <<How coincidental.>> I skim over the page to get to a more juicy part and continue reading, "...she had one leg up, her skirt dropping back a bit to show her leg..." Becoming more engrossed in the passage I fail to notice how I'm mirroring the action that I'm reading, raising my leg up onto the lower ladder adjacent to the book case, my skirt draping over my leg. "...the words on the page seemed to pull her into the story, something like Alice in Wonderland falling down that hole into a warm abyss.... Reading along she could feel her breasts become more full, and she stood a little taller, arching her back slightly to give him a better view." Unconsciously my posture becomes more erect, as I thrust out my breasts. "She felt herself getting warmer, the kind of warmth that comes when someone is near you...." And I find myself almost panting, the book hypnotizing me as I read paragraph after paragraph - making me hotter and hotter. ***** Suddenly I feel what I believe is a hand on my leg -- a bit higher than is comfortable, just above the knee. The unexpected contact startles me sending an electric thrill through my body and I wonder, <<Is this in the story or is this really happening?>> I turn my head slowly to gaze over my shoulder. The stranger is there stooping slightly behind me and, like Kenny from so many years ago, he is even more handsome up close, his dark eyes like magnets pulling me to him. He has the hint of a smile across his face - the face of a man who knows what he wants and how to get it. As I stand transfixed he rises up slowly and moves around to face me, never breaking the gaze, his hand still on my thigh. When he is upright, he begins to move his hand again, slowly, up and down my upper leg, looking straight at me, mesmerizing me. The rhythm of his hand is like a metronome and with each stroke he gets closer and closer to my pussy. My leg still upon the ladder, I automatically open my legs wider giving him more access. Just before he would have touched me where I am aching to be touched, he moves his other arm around my waist, pulling me powerfully to him. While his tongue thrusts into my mouth, his fingers plunge into my cunt. I try to cry out in sweet agony, but my voice is muffled by his mouth. I break away to catch my breath only to hear him whisper in my ear, "Shhhh. You're in the library, remember," and I nod my head and obey that rule learned so long ago, whimpering softly as his mouth explores my neck and his hand caresses my pussy. ***** I hold my pose, still, nearly silent while his hands investigate my body. He pulls my pussy juices up over my belly and then returns for more, his fingers with gentle strokes making me wetter and wetter. Meanwhile his other hand is under my shirt, carefully removing my breasts from beneath my bra - as if we had all the time in the world - making sure to fondle my every erogenous zone. I want to moan and cry out as his expert hands and luscious tongue bring me to a peak but I suppress my natural instincts and in so doing I discover something new about myself. I learn that having to have control becomes a release in itself. My mind willing my body to surrender in silence becomes as fresh as light snow on a frosty morn. And I stand like a statue while the sculptor runs his hands over his cherished possession. ***** As the stranger lowers his head to lick my breast, I notice standing behind him at the end of the stack is the older, tall gentleman, his eyes soft and longing. He has an open book in his hand but he's not looking at it. His gaze is upon us. For a fleeting moment I have a thought that perhaps I have misjudged him. Perhaps he's not been a participant at all as I originally believed, but rather an observer. Not a partaker but a voyeur. But when I look again, deeper, I see the nostalgia in his heart. ***** As my new lover stands up he blocks my view, and I feel his passion in his muscles as he takes me into his arms for a hug that portends yet more craving. Then, ever so carefully, he is urging me to my knees while he unzips his pants. His cock is not yet hard which surprises me, but as he places it in my wet mouth it suddenly springs to life. I suck softly and move my hand to his groin, cautiously using my finger and thumb to make a circle around his sack, urging his round, firm balls into their priceless container. As I pull gently on his ball sack, I begin to suck a little more vigorously, alternating between rubbing my tongue back and forth along the sensitive underside of his dick and taking the whole rod into my mouth. His precum tastes delicious. I find this stranger's cock against the back of my throat invigorates me, making my panties soaking wet. I remove his dick ready to take first one, then the other, heavy ball into my mouth, when he reaches for me pulling me up to him. ***** "The door - at the end of the corridor on your left," he instructs as he zips his pants and moves past me leaving me shaking but wanting more. Only then do I realize that the tall gentleman is still at his post, like a sentinel, his eyes holding mine with a tenderness borne of many years of experience. I stand motionless, the remnants of the commands for restraint still lingering in my body. We watch one another. Slowly I raise up my shirt, exposing my breasts. I put both hands on them and begin an unhurried massage wanting to keep my body aroused. With a mixture of compassion and lust, he observes my movements, and then he walks slowly toward me. I know I should move away, follow the new stranger in my life, but I don't seem able to do that. And when the tall gentleman takes me into his arms I feel like I'm coming home, where I should be, so right. He rubs his hands gently over my breasts before he assists me in putting them into my bra and he kisses me softly, whispering in my ear, "You should be going now. He's waiting for you." And I think I see a tiny tear in the corner of his eye as he too moves past, and I am left standing alone. ***** The walk down the hall to the last door takes no time at all. "Janitor's Closet"? I read the sign with some surprise and for an instant I seriously contemplate turning around and returning from whence I came. Eventually, curiosity gets the better of me and cautiously I put my hand on the knob and ease the door open. Peeking inside I see that he's there, his shirt completely unbuttoned revealing a muscular chest with short, dark curly hair along his belly. He has the belt on his pants unbuckled and he looks ready for action. He moves to me, takes my hand and leads me into the room, closing the door behind us. His movements are smooth as he goes about the task of removing my clothing, first slipping my shirt over my head, then with one hand undoing my bra and whisking it away. My skirt comes off quickly along with my panties and I am naked except for my pearls and black socks. He turns me around and holding me from behind he fondles my breasts, much like I was doing a moment before with the tall stranger before me, and he nuzzles my sensitive neck. I am about to close my eyes when I notice the doorknob turning and the door opens slowly. ***** The tall stranger pauses for an instant drinking in the sight in front of him before he moves swiftly into the small room. There are no words exchanged between the two men but there is a shared camaraderie, a shared mission, a shared ownership. I have a quick, doubting revelation wondering if that perhaps was not a tear I saw in the tall stranger's eye. Could it have been a twinkle as he knew what was to come? Are they partners? Was this planned? Was the tall stranger a real soldier acting as a guard? My mind wants to reflect on these questions, but my body is being doubly stimulated and I cannot think clearly. I have known what it is to be in the arms of a powerful man, but this is my first experience into the enthralling arena of two men. If I had thought I could reach heights with one lover, I had not a clue how high I would climb with two. They are as different as grits and pommes de terre au beurre, and yet as each of those foods has a unique appeal, so the characteristics of each of these men is part of their intrigue. One tall, blond and slim with a prudent intensity that stirs my spirit. The other dark, sturdy and passionate almost without bounds. They complement each other and I am to learn that their movements occur in sync with one other. Their actions almost seeming rehearsed, like a dance that's been practiced and fine-tuned. ***** While the stranger continues to nuzzle my neck and kneed my breasts making them fuller and fuller, the tall gentleman drops to his knees. As the stranger half sits on the basin behind me the tall gentleman pushes me up onto the stranger's lap, spreading my legs far apart. I can feel the stranger's hot breath now, against my neck and my ear. And I can feel his cock getting hard beneath my butt as he continues to fondle my breasts. But mostly what I feel are the tall gentleman's expert tongue and lips and I know I wasn't wrong about the pussies he's eaten. He takes long, complete licks somehow knowing that there's a whole lot more in this tender spot than the tiny clit. His licks are wet and his tongue is everywhere, exploring every millimeter of my hot, pink, wet pussy. His tongue is within me and his mouth lips are sucking my pussy lips, making me feel like he's savoring every flavor. When he does finally begin to suck my clit, my legs begin to shake uncontrollably and my toes curl under tightly as I begin to cum. "Oh, shit!" I hiss through clenched teeth, trying to keep my voice down but wishing I could scream, my legs gripping the tall man's head. ***** He rises up and leans over to bury his tongue in my mouth. As I answer his lust with a small thrust of my tongue to him, he sucks hard pulling my tongue and seemingly me too into his mouth. As we exchange tongues, I am carried away by the smell of my sex on his face, the feel one of his hands on my wet pussy and grasp he's taken of my breast pushing the other man's hand away. ***** Feeling dazed, I realize that I have been transported to my feet and am being turned around. I notice that the stranger is still on his perch but his pants are around his knees, his big hard dick standing at attention between us. He pulls me tightly to him making little, exciting love bites on my collarbone, pushing my pearls aside, and then beginning to suck my breast. For all his strength and power he does not hurt me. He suckles gently seeming to know that the way to this woman's cunt is not through pain but through compassion, pressure, and stimulation. Meanwhile the tall gentleman's hands are all over my backside, almost like a masseuse, firmly rubbing my delicate skin. I look down and watch the stranger as he nurses, his eyes closed, his mouth imitating a baby and I recall my own children there so long ago and am grateful to this stranger for touching me to my core, the feelings of lust mixing with the feelings and memories of love. ***** I feel the tall gentleman take hold of my hips and begin to move me backwards, my breast stretching out before me as the stranger resists giving up his nipple. We break apart and they urge me to bend over so I can complete the task on the stranger's dick that I had begun out in the stacks. I eagerly return to my task taking his now very stiff cock deep within my mouth and begin to suck. I am losing myself becoming more and more aroused when I feel a hard cock enter me from behind. The tall stranger begins a rhythmic thrusting, in and out, in and out, and I begin to move now in time with his motions, moving my mouth over the hard rod before me. My senses are more acute than they have ever been and I am aware of the almost overpowering smells of sex mixed with Lysol and soap. I can hear every little sound: the crunch of a piece of dirt beneath a foot, the slight rustle of a bottle on a shelf that is bumped, the ticking of a small clock in the corner. ***** Sensing that I am near my zenith, they begin to slow and the stranger pushes me away as the tall gentleman exits me. I want to cry out to continue not wanting to stop now, as they move swiftly to change places. Then the tall gentleman is the one guiding his enthusiastic cock into my mouth. I can taste my juices mixing with the delicious taste of his precum and I am hungrier than ever. Then I feel the stranger enter me from behind. His dick feels different, fuller and harder even than it had in my mouth, but perhaps that's because of all the work the tall gentleman had done to get me ready. They both trust hard and I am losing myself in the moment and again I cannot cry out as my body convulses, a cock deep in my throat and another in my pussy. ***** The tall gentleman pulls me up to him and begins to kiss my neck and shoulder while caressing my breasts and belly. Only then do I notice that the stranger is fingering my ass, gently at first, with only one finger, moving his digit in and out, further and further within me. My anus is extremely sensitive and whenever anything is inserted in it my heart beats wildly and I breathe so hard my breath comes in gulps. So when the stranger inserts two fingers in me, I gasp. Then three and my whole body feels weak. He moves his fingers in and out, loosening me. When he removes them, I come back into my body to notice that the tall gentleman has a condom on and I am being turned around again. ***** This time I am being hoisted up onto the tall gentleman's lap, his hard cock slipping into my ass. I am a little surprised at how easily he enters me, but then I remember the preparation the stranger has made. It feels incredibly exciting to have him there and for the first time in this little room I hear a male voice, his, letting out a soft moan. Then the stranger amazes me as he spreads my legs wide apart and enters my pussy, making me gasp even louder. We all pause - joined together in a way I couldn't even have imagined. We stop to appreciate the specialness of this moment. It's like we are all one and we all realize that at the same time and we stop to drink in this knowledge. I have felt the oneness that comes sometimes with especially good sex with a wonderful partner, but this is the first time that I have experienced the oneness of three. It truly is unique in my life. The stranger kisses me tenderly on the lips and then we separate. I turn my head to find the tall gentleman's mouth ready to be acknowledged as well, our tongues playing little flickers with each other. And then I note how these two remarkable men acknowledge the moment - with a tiny buss that makes me want more than ever for this moment to last forever. ***** Then the arousal of my body begins to take over. I realize my heart is racing, my pussy not only primed more than ever to receive cum, but my ass as well, wanting to be taken. How they manage it I do not understand. I all know is that now I have two hard, powerful cocks thrusting deep within me and I cannot get enough breath. I can feel their balls hitting against each other and against my bottom. I can feel sensations I didn't know were possible as first one moves in and out and then the other. Then they both begin to thrust, hard, deep within me, together. My body tenses like it has never tensed before and I cannot contain myself as I open my mouth to scream. Then I feel a hand over my mouth, muffling my cry, as every inch of my skin feels like electricity and I come with an intensity I did not think possible. Tears begin to stream down my face and at first the stranger looks alarmed. But I manage a feeble smile and nod and he smiles back and then begins thrusting earnestly again, bring himself to a grand climax. I feel the kindly gent withdraw from my ass. The stranger moves to the sink and guides me to the perch on his lap as the tall gentleman tears off his condom and enters my pussy. The kindly gent rolls his head back relishing the silkiest softest love canal he's ever entered. He wishes he could stay there forever. But lust overtakes him as he too fills me full of cum - lots of it. ***** They are quick in their redressing - while I stand naked, my pussy continuing to pulsate. I can feel my pulse beating there as the blood continues to rush to my cunt - having never been fucked as well before. My nipples are still hard. Then I feel the kind, tall gentleman take me into his arms. He turns me around and hugs me tightly planting a kiss on my lips. I feel the arms of the stranger now too as he takes his turn, holding me close, nuzzling and gently kissing my neck. As the stranger turns to go, he accidentally sticks his foot into a bucket of soapy water getting his sock and shoe soaking wet. He looks upset. But then he cocks his head to one side and a crooked, silly grin spreads over his face erupting into a broad smile. We all laugh - quietly, of course, because we're in the library - holding our sides, our tummies jiggling, my hand over my mouth. And our eyes meet for one last, giggling connection as the two vagabonds go through the door. I can hear the squish, squish, squish as the stranger's foot leaves a trail of cleaning supplies down the hall. ***** I am grateful for their departure which gives me a few moments of solitude to collect myself. I dress slowly, carefully. When I close my eyes I can almost feel their hands on me again. I breathe in deeply taking in their smells and mine. Finally, I put my hand on the door to leave. Something makes me turn. I gaze around the tiny room, wanting to have an imprint of its every detail on my brain, wanting to remember every moment spent in this secret lair. I too exit and stroll casually down -- Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | alt.sex.stories.moderated ----- send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com> | | FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderator: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Archive: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org> Hosted by Alt.Sex.Stories Text Repository | |<http://www.asstr-mirror.org>, an entity supported entirely by donations. | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+