Message-ID: <48450asstr$1089486604@assm.asstr-mirror.org> X-Mail-Format-Warning: No previous line for continuation: Wed Aug 14 16:30:23 2002Return-Path: <lzalezac@yahoo.com> X-Original-To: ckought69@hotmail.com Delivered-To: ckought69@hotmail.com X-Original-Message-ID: <20040710153922.37000.qmail@web60408.mail.yahoo.com> From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com> X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 08:39:22 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {ASSM} JC:Ed Biggers IV-06 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi) Lines: 670 Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 15:10:04 -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/Year2004/48450> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: newsman, dennyw ===== Lazlo Zalezac http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com <1st attachment, "biggers4-06.txt" begin> JC: Ed Biggers Part 4: Adjournment Chapter 6 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004 The Halloween festivities were scheduled to start in two hours and the haunted house was ready for business. For now, it was closed as the people who would work in it took the time to relax before the busy evening. The kids, on the way home from school, gathered outside the haunted house speculating about what they might see this year. Some of the younger kids looked at it with fear as the older kids egged them with horror stories and rumors of what would be inside. Watching them, Ed couldn't help but smile. A simple reminder that everyone needed to be in costume later sent the kids running home. With nothing to do, Ed walked over to the bar to visit Shirley and help her with any preparations that she might have for the evening. Entering the bar, he found Shirley sitting with the rest of her family. Shirley was holding the younger of their two kids in her lap and was kissing it on the top of her head. Edward was bouncing their son, John, on his leg giving him a ride. Both of the kids were beaming from the attention being given them. Mary, sitting with her back to the door, was describing her job in the haunted house. She was stationed in a dark booth in the part reserved for the older kids and adults. This part of the haunted house included air jets that when aimed at someone's back felt like a cold hand touching their back. Her job was to trigger the jets and show a holographic ghost behind the intended victim. Shirley noticed Ed come in the bar and winked at him as he snuck up behind Mary. When he blew a puff of air on her back, a very startled Mary almost flew out of the chair. She let loose a scream and turned to look at Ed. With false anger, she tapped him on the arm and shouted, "You nasty man! You scared the daylights out of me." Laughing at the success of his little joke, Ed said, "I came over here to see if Shirley needed any help for tonight." Waving a hand in a gesture of dismissal, Shirley said, "The nursery is all set up. We've got a dozen cribs and two dozen sleeping mats for the young ones. It is amazing how many young children there are in town now." Sidney Fitzpatrick pet his seeing eye dog, Timmy, and said, "It might be that people have remembered how to love each other in this town." Shaking his head in wonder at the kinds of things going on in town, Edward said, "I saw a couple, in their sixties, making out in the park the other day. The man had his hand inside her shirt as they were lying on the ground listening to music. They looked like a couple of teenagers." Giggling, Mary said, "That was Manuel and his wife. I saw her giving him a blowjob a little later behind the concession stand." Putting his hands over his ears as though to block out all sound, Sidney said, "Now that is something this little monkey wishes he could have seen." The gesture of putting his hands over his ears puzzled Ed and he asked, "What's with the hands over the ears?" "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Two out of three isn't bad," explained Mary as she reached over and fondled Sidney's crotch. She winked at Ed and said, "You should see what he does when I start talking dirty to him." Ed laughed at the mental image that conjured. He could see Sidney trying to fill his mouth with her breast while she talked dirty to him. Sitting back in the chair, Ed looked at the family gathered there. They were six very happy people that were satisfied with their lives. The idea made him wonder why there weren't more people that had achieved that same level of happiness and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Hayes followed by Ling and Kelly carrying the babies came into the bar. When Ling spotted Ed, she said, "There you are. We were looking all over for you." Looking sheepish, Ed replied, "Just finished with the haunted house test runs and came over here to help." Going over to the bar, Dr. Hayes set his medical bag on the counter. He and Kelly were going to watch over the nursery so that parents and the older children could enjoy the festivities. They had done that the previous year and everyone in town had appreciated knowing that a doctor and a nurse were watching over their kids. Looking over at Ed, he asked, "You promise there won't be any heart attacks because of that scary house you built?" "I promise," answered Ed laughing at the doctor. He asked that question last year, but ended up going through the haunted house at least four times last Halloween. Arms tired from holding her, Kelly set Beth on the floor. Free of her mother, Beth walked around the table wobbling very little. She paused to check her brother, resting comfortable in Ling's arms, before going over to the slightly older John riding on Edward's leg. When John saw Beth, he immediately hid his head against his father's chest. After a few seconds, he turned to peak at Beth who stared at him in confusion. Ed watched the interaction between Beth and John with interest. This was the first time that she had been in a situation where she was meeting another kid her age and it was clear that she didn't know how to proceed. Finally after watching John for a minute, she said, "Hello." John buried his head further into his father's chest. Watching the reaction of Beth, Kelly said, "He's shy." "What's shy?" "He's afraid to meet you," answered Kelly with a little smile. "Strange." After staring at Beth for a minute, Shirley turned to Kelly and said, "Her verbal skills are very highly developed." Even though the statement was targeted at Kelly, Ed said, "I was reading a book on infant development the other day. In some areas, she appears to have the cognitive development of a two-year-old. Physically, she's a year old and her motor skills reflect that." Getting bored with John, Beth wandered around the bar checking out the sights. Finding the pile of toys, she squealed with delight. Sitting on the floor, she started building things with some small wooden blocks. Seeing what was going on, Kelly smiled and said, "She loves wooden blocks." Mary asked, "How about dolls?" Dr. Hayes said, "She has several dolls and only plays with one of them. The problem is the fathers. They play with blocks." "Hey, I like playing with the blocks," replied Ed as he looked over at Beth as she built another arch. Because all of the blocks were square, the closest she could get was a lintel. Watching her, he got an idea to get some blocks made that would allow her to construct a real arch. With a little pride, he said, "The other day she built a hollow pyramid." Shirley looked over at Ed like he was speaking Greek, or perhaps more accurately Egyptian. With a question in her voice, she said, "I take it that is significant." Surprised, Ed looked up and said, "I bet there are ten year old kids that couldn't do that. It is actually a very sophisticated structure that uses balancing forces to keep it from collapsing." Laughing at the passion of Ed, Kelly said, "Ed is disappointed because Beth is more interested in Physics than Geology." With a smile, Ed replied, "Wait until I take her out rock hunting, then we'll see her change her mind." Dr. Hayes interjected, "Just wait until Leroy starts taking her to watch the animals. You and John won't stand a chance." John climbed off his father's lap and went over to where Beth was playing with the blocks. He watched her building some structure, but after a minute knocked it down as he said, "Mine." All of the adults turned their attention to the interaction between the two children. Beth frowned at the abrupt actions of John and asked, "Really?" "Mine." Shirley started to get up to talk with John, but Kelly put a hand on her arm. Surprised, the mother looked over at Kelly and said, "I have to teach him to share." "There are more ways for that to happen than direct intervention by the parent." Beth said, "They are nice." "Mine." "Is that the only word you know?" asked Beth confused by the singular response to every thing she said. "No." Beth stood with her hands on her hips, mimicking the same position her mother used when she was upset about something. Disturbed, she grabbed John by the hand and led him to the table where her parents were seated. For a minute she looked from Kelly to Ed with concentrated deliberation. Finally, she pulled him over to Ed. Taking John's hand she reached out and touched it to the medallion. Her action took both of her parents by surprise. John stood there for a moment and then said, "Let's play." The two kids returned to the pile of toys. Within minutes, they were playing with the blocks on the floor. Beth would point to a block and John would fetch it for her. They played quietly as Beth worked to recreate the structure that she had been building earlier. Watching them, a fascinated Shirley asked, "What just happened?" Frowning as he tried to understand what had happened, Ed replied, "I'm not sure, but I think she took the matter to the Two-Sided One." Looking over at Little John, Mary was quiet and said, "I would rather not question it." Two women and a man came into the bar with another child. Setting the child down, they watched as he walked over to where Beth and John were playing. The two children greeted him and incorporated him into their activities. Their arrival caused Ed to check the time and say, "It's time to get over to the haunted house. The kids will be coming soon and we have to do the makeup on our volunteers." Mary and Sidney went over to the haunted house with Ed. Mary helped wrap Sidney in the strips of bandages so that he could be a proper mummy. The seeing eye dog sat in the corner watching the proceedings with interest. While Mary did that, Ed was busy with Ling putting makeup on the volunteers from the retirement home. Mrs. Hayes was already in her witches costume and was talking with the children that had stopped by to see how much longer it would be before the haunted house opened. It wasn't long before everyone was ready for the haunted house to open. It operated on a schedule with first graders allowed in for the first half an hour. The second graders were allowed in the next half-hour. Each hour, making the rooms darker, adding special effects and more interactions with the volunteers increased the scariness of the exhibit. By the time the high school students would go through it, the haunted house would be very scary. Mrs. Hayes started letting the kids into the house, allowing a group of five with their parents to enter at a time. All of the kids were in costumes. The first room was poorly lit and as the door closed behind the kids, the people waiting in line could hear them scream as the floor shook. Later in the evening, the room would go completely dark. After a moment, a door opened leading them to a witch's glade where a volunteer dressed like a witch was stirring a bubbling caldron of apple cider. The bubbling was caused by small pieces of dry ice in the brew. As she filled small cups with the cider, the witch cackled, "This witches brew shall make some of you tall and others small. Go through the door to the right to grow and to the left to shrink!" Most of the kids waited for their parents to tell them that it was okay to drink the potion. It didn't take long for them to finish the little cups of drink. Surprisingly, all of the kids threw their empty paper cups into the caldron labeled trash. Later in the evening, the display would be darkened and the witch would appear to cast a spell on one of the people turning them into a toad. The next room was designed with the proportions all wrong so that kids on one side of the room looked like giants and those on the other looked like midgets. At first, the kids looked in horror believing they had actually shrunk or grown, but then realized that a trick had been played on them. The kids screamed in pleasure as they raced around the room, going from large to small and back again. This room would be turned into an elf camp for the bigger kids. Of course, the elves would play practical jokes on the teenagers. An old man dressed like Dracula entered the room at the far end and directed the group into a darker room. This room was decorated with coffins and covered mirrors. Some of the kids moved closer to their parents as they wondered if this was truly a vampire. As he led them past a wooden coffin filled with rubber bats and plastic spiders, Dracula said, "One and one alone may you take. More than that and I'll suck your blood." Under the watchful eye of Dracula, each kid took a toy out of the caldron. When one of the kids, trying to be brave, took two toys, Dracula smiled and said, "Now I feed upon a child!" As Dracula slowly approached, the kid immediately dropped the second toy back into the coffin. After he returned to his mother's side, another door opened and the group moved out of the room. They entered an Egyptian tomb complete with mummy. As he started to step from a sarcophagus, Sidney shouted, "Who dares risk the curse of the mummy?" The movement of the mummy was enough to scare the young kids from the room. In a mad dash, they all raced to the exit. At the exit, a good fairy dressed in a long flowing gown with very delicate wings greeted them. She gave them all little bags of candied corn in a large trick or treat bag. After that, she waved her wand over them all and said, "You are protected from bad dreams!" The kids immediately dispersed to go trick-or-treating with dreams of filling their bags with sweets. Most of the items to go into the bags would be little toys, skeletons, rings, stickers, and other items that young kids would enjoy. Many of the storeowners had agreed that the last thing anyone wanted was a lot of kids hyped up on sugar running around town, a sentiment that was shared by the parents. At five, the costume contest for children that weren't in school yet was held. The variety and complexity of costumes was surprising, but most amazing was the fact that none of the costumes were store bought. As Halloween had become more of a community event, entire families worked to costume their children. There were kids dressed up like battleships, rockets, clocks, vampires, princesses, and fantasy characters of all kinds. The Sheriff found Ed watching the progress of kids through the haunted house. As he approached, the Sheriff said, "I heard the kids talking. They say it is the best haunted house yet." Smiling, Ed said, "Wait until the teenagers go through it." Laughing at the memory of the white-faced teenagers exiting the house last year, the Sheriff asked, "It's scarier than last year?" "Lots. So how many people do we expect to get this year?" The Sheriff looked around and said, "About ten thousand." "That's a lot. The population of the town is only a thousand." "Yes. This is turning into one of the biggest events in the whole area. People are driving miles to come here." Frowning, Ed asked, "I should have asked earlier if you needed help with security." Shaking his head at the idea that Ed should have made arrangements for security after all of the other stuff he had done, the Sheriff replied, "You see all the men wearing gunfighter costumes with the badges. They are volunteers from town to help watch over things. We have over a hundred of them walking around here." "That's good." The Sheriff looked over Ed wearing his Druid robes and asked, "So are you going to be wearing that outfit all of the time?" "Yes, I'm afraid so." Nodding, the Sheriff looked out over the crowd with eyes that searched for problems. Turning back to Ed, he said, "I was watching the news the other night. I saw there was a Druid advising the President. Later, I saw the Director of the CIA giving testimony in the Senate and a Druid was sitting behind him. I see that you guys are everywhere." "That's the idea. John wanted the world to see us so that the students of the Druid College would have a chance to help change the world into a better place to live." Smiling, the Sheriff decided it was time to drop the bombshell on Ed. He said, "That reminds me why I came over here to talk to you. A little after sunset, you and Father Donnelley are to be interviewed about this block party for the ten o'clock news." "Father Donnelley and me?" asked Ed surprised at the choice of people to be interviewed. He asked, "What about the Mayor and Shirley? They are far better people to be interviewed about tonight's activities." "It was their idea to have you two represent the town." Sighing, Ed replied, "I guess I had better go talk to him before the vultures arrive." The Sheriff laughed at Ed's characterization of the press. It was well known that the Carter Clan kept their distance from the press. Neither man liked to boast about their actions. He watched as Ed turned over responsibility for watching the haunted house over to Edward. After wandering up the street, Ed found Father Donnelley hard at work running the cakewalk. Ten young kids were walking around the circle hoping to land on the square where they would win a cupcake. Since the event was free, most of the kids played until they won. After watching for a few minutes, Ed walked over to the priest and said, "Hello Father Donnelley." Turning to face Ed, a frown formed on the face of the priest. With an unenthusiastic tone of voice, he answered, "Oh, it's you." "The town leaders decided that you and I should be interviewed at sunset by a couple of reporters for the ten o'clock news," replied Ed ignoring the lack of friendliness on the part of the priest. "Whose bright idea was that?" "The Mayor and Shirley according to the Sheriff." The priest frowned and replied, "They aren't going to be happy until we fight or become friends." When the priest punched the button on the tape recorder, one of the children let out a cry of delight and ran to collect her cupcake. Ed watched while the priest went through the spiel to bring the next set of kids onto the cakewalk and then punched the button to start the walk. Ed said, "Ever see so many happy kids?" "No, I haven't." "Regardless of any theological differences that we may have, at least we can agree that these are healthy happy kids." "Amen to that," replied the priest. Ed watched as the priest went through the routine of selecting another winner and then started another group through the cakewalk. He waited until the music was playing, before he said, "Did you put up a collection plate this year?" "No," replied the Father Donnelley. Every year Ed made the same suggestion to him, but he didn't do it. "I noticed the other day that the church needs painting," remarked Ed. "I will take care of my church, thank you very much," replied the priest irritated that this pagan was telling him how to run his parish. Ed turned away to leave and then said, "Yes. It is important to have a strong church in this area and you have done a good job of it." The priest whipped around and, in anger, asked, "What does that mean?" "Attendance at your church is at an all time high and it is due to you." "And?" "It is important for people to worship a God that stands for good. The Catholic God stands for good." Ed walked away as the priest stared at his back. There were times when he didn't understand these people at all. After the Christmas pageant last year, he had discovered that John Carter had donated the money for it. This year, the money had shown up and he still hadn't decided what to do with it. Linda was one of his parishioners and he couldn't refuse the money outright. Half of their staff attended church on a regular basis. He turned back to the cakewalk and stopped the music. Another kid ran off to collect his cupcake. The priest gestured to one of the other people to take over for him. He went off in search of Ed to continue the conversation. It took some time, but he found Ed talking to a young couple that had just been engaged. Rather than announce his presence, he waited to hear what was being discussed. The young man asked, "Would you be our best man?" Shifting uncomfortably, Ed answered, "I think you need to talk to Father Donnelley about that first before you ask me." The young woman replied, "I don't think he likes you." Smiling at her perceptiveness, Ed replied, "He and I serve different Gods. It isn't that he dislikes me as a person, but he does not trust that I serve the good. He is an honorable man that serves his God and his Church. You are of his faith and I would not dare to allow myself to come between you and him." The young man looked puzzled and asked, "But aren't you in competition over souls?" "Not at all," replied Ed. Seeing that his answer had not satisfied the young man, he explained, "There is great evil in this world that seeks to harm innocents. Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Pagans are joined in the fight. We would not weaken an ally in this fight by trying to steal good people away from their faiths." The young woman asked, "So what do you suggest we do?" "Talk to Father Donnelley and get his permission for me to enter his church to participate in that most holy of ceremonies. If he gives his permission, I shall be there. If he doesn't, then find someone who is more acceptable to your faith." As the couple discussed the matter, Ed stood up and left. On his way, he ran into Father Donnelley. Surprised, he asked, "Is it time for us to give the interview already?" "No, it is not. I just took a break," replied the priest deciding that this wasn't the time to confront Ed. He had been surprised at how insistent Ed had been with the couple that they get his permission. Ed detected the slight lie that constituted more of a lie of omission than an outright lie. Rather than call the priest on it, he said, "Enjoy your break. I guess they want us to meet in front of the house of horrors." "Sure," replied the priest. He left to return to the church for a few minutes to seek holy guidance. He had been doing that all too often lately. The issue of group marriages had nearly caused him to excommunicate everyone that participated in them, but he realized he would have lost more than half of his congregation. He had not come out against them, deciding that it was better to keep them near while he did his best to guide them to heaven. His Bishop had agreed. In fact, his Bishop had warned him against raising it as an issue at all. There were more people crowding the sidewalks, even though the younger kids had already headed home. Ed returned to the haunted house. The kids going through it were in the fifth grade and the horrors had become a little more shocking. From outside, he could hear the kids having a good time inside even though there were occasional screams as they were surprised. He relieved Edward so that he could enjoy some of the festivities. Of course, he had forgotten to tell Edward that he needed to be relieved at sunset to give the interview to the press. Shrugging his shoulders, Ed watched the haunted house. A young child and his mother came out of the house at one of the emergency exits. Ed greeted the little boy and asked, "What's that matter?" "It was too scary," replied the kid as he snuffled and wiped a tear from one of his eyes. "Oh," replied Ed. He winked in the direction of the mother and asked, "Would you like to know how we made it so scary?" "Gosh, I don't know." "If you understand, then you'll know that you don't have to be afraid of it," suggested Ed. "Okay," answered the kid as he wiped his nose with the sleeve of his costume. Ed took the boy and his mother behind the haunted house and showed how they made the floor move. Then he showed the boy the elderly people as they were taking their breaks. The sight of all these old women, dressed like witches, sitting around drinking tea and talking about their grandchildren made the little boy giggle. As he went through the whole background of each room, the little boy relaxed. When they were done, Ed suggested, "Now that you know how it is done, do you want to go through it again?" "Sure." Ed watched as the mother took the little boy back into the line. When they came out the other end, Ed greeted him with a high five. The mother took away a happy little boy, a sight that pleased Ed more than he could put into words. He returned to his patrol making sure that nothing bad happened. Well before sunset, he spotted the camera crew as they headed over to the haunted house. The crew went along the street taking background shots. Finally, the reporter stood in front of the haunted house as she introduced the story. Watching them at work, Ed wondered how they could enjoy that kind of work. Here they were amidst people having a great time and they held themselves back from joining in the fun. As it approached sunset, the news crew set up at the exit to show the kids coming out. It was here that they were going to perform the interviews with Father Donnelley and him. Edward came over and looked at the activity for a moment before he said, "Time for the great show." Sighing, Ed answered, "I guess so." He waited for Father Donnelley to show up before he went over to the reporter. The shock on her face when she saw his robe was almost worth the trip. The two men stood side by side looking uncomfortable at being in front of the camera. The reporter, a rather attractive woman, gave an introduction to both of the men. Once she had finished her bit, she shoved a microphone in front of Ed's face as she asked, "Halloween is a Pagan holiday, so are you sponsoring this as part of being a pagan?" Ed replied, "My fondest memories of childhood are of trick-or- treating. Father Donnelley and I are in this to help create happy memories that will last these children the rest of their lives. Later tonight, we shall celebrate the religious aspect of this holiday, each in our own way." The reporter turned to the priest and asked, "The Catholic Church used to burn witches. How do you feel about having pagans in town?" Taken aback by the question, Father Donnelley glanced at Ed for a second before answering, "The pagans in town have been active supporters of all kinds of community events. Dr. Biggers has put on the haunted house. Dr. Carter has supported many other activities in town. They have helped to make this town a nicer place to live by providing honest and wholesome activities to provide a sense of community. I have no problem with that." Dissatisfied with the answers she was getting, the reporter asked, "How many pagans are there in this town?" Smiling, Ed answered, "There are three, although John is currently living at the Druid College where he serves as President of the College." Feeling like she was going to score, she asked, "So how many pagans would you like to see living in town in the future?" "That is not up to us to decide." She turned to the priest and asked, "So how many of your parishioners have they tried to convert away from Christianity?" "None," replied the priest in all honesty. He added, "They recommend that people start coming to church more frequently." Ed took the microphone away from the reporter and said, "Tonight is Halloween and in our little town it is a holiday for children. The kids are going from store to store knowing the treats they get are safe. Entire families are enjoying themselves. We have a haunted house, a cakewalk, magicians, mimes, and others entertaining kids of all ages, from infant to ninety." As he handed the microphone to Father Donnelley, Ed said, "I'm sure that Father Donnelley would like to say a few words about the activities here." The priest took the microphone and said, "This evening is a special occasion. Once a year, kids get to dress up as superheroes and give voice to their imaginations. Our town wishes you and yours a Happy Halloween." He handed the microphone back to the reporter. When he was sure that the camera was off, he turned to Ed and said, "Thanks." "For what?" asked Ed puzzled at the words of the priest. "For not letting this blow up into a Christian versus Pagan argument." "I would never allow that to happen. Such an argument would harm many." <1st attachment end> ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ Notice: This post has been modified from its original format. The post was sent as an email attachment and has been converted by ASSTR ASSM moderation software. ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ -- 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> Moderators: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |ASSM Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org> Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org> | |Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d; look for subject {ASSD}| +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+