AfterShock © 2003/2004
by dotB

Chapter Ten

After tucking Ely into bed with Karl, Linda hurriedly headed back up to the wheelhouse but paused in the galley briefly. In a moment, she grinned at Keri as she brought up a coffee for each of them.

"Thanks." Keri smiled softly. "And thanks for putting Ely to bed."

"No problem." Linda grinned. "I really wish I could see what happens when they wake up though."

"Oh, why?"

"Well, she's in bed with the horniest man that I've ever met." Linda laughed. "You ought to know what's bound to happen if she's willing."

"Hah, I understand." Keri laughed as well. "I think she can handle him. She did for five years solid."

"Oh I'm sure she can, but it would still be interesting to see the fireworks."

"Well, it'll be a while, she's bushed and I imagine he's pretty tired too." Keri paused then she looked appraisingly at Linda and giggled.

"Now what's so funny?"

"I was just thinking that both you and I have had about the same amount of sleep and we're going to be getting tired about the same time."

"So." Linda grinned at her. "By then we'll be tied up to a dock or at least moored in sheltered water. Karl told me where to head for now. It will be almost daylight by the time we get there."

"That wasn't what I was thinking about." Keri grinned. "And you know it."

"Oh, are you asking me to sleep with you?" Linda laughed softly as she moved close behind Keri.

"Yes, please." Keri whispered.

A shiver passed through her body as Linda leaned over her shoulder and kissed her gently on the side of the cheek then rested her hands on Keri's hips.

"I'll be gentle." Linda whispered.

"Oh God, not now! Please." Keri whimpered. "I get too impatient and I'm already frustrated."

Linda laughed softly, then ignored Keri's pleas as she let her hands slip up to hold both of Keri's soft breasts with her hands. The thin cloth of her blouse did little to lessen the feeling as Linda's fingers teased Keri's tight nipples until they became extremely aroused and hard. One hand remained there, cupping and yet fondling as the other hand slid slowly downward. Coming to Keri's waist band, Linda distracted her by nibbling gently on her ear lobe. As Keri gasped, Linda's hand slid inside her jeans. She cupped Keri's crotch softly.

"Now you know what Karl felt like when you teased him." She whispered. "How do you like the shoe on your foot?"

"At least I offered him a blow job." Keri sighed.

"Oh, I'm not offering, I'm promising." Linda whispered.

"Oh, shit. You've got to stop. Someone has to steer this boat." Keri moaned softly.

"I'll stop in a moment." Linda said softly. "The boat is on course and we aren't moving away from the wheel."

Then her fingers moved insistently. She took possession as well as control. In seconds Keri was moaning, then gasping, finally she squealed and her body seemed to vibrate for an instant before she sighed and relaxed. Linda steadied her against the big ship's wheel, slowly withdrawing her hands, finally leaving them resting on Keri's hips again as she kissed her cheek one last time. Sensing in a few moments that Keri was relaxed but recovered and again able to stand alone, she moved away and sat in the seat off to one side by the chart table.

"You're still a bitch." Keri giggled. "But a wonderful bitch."

"Thank you." Linda grinned. "Next time, it's your turn and I expect that blow job too."

"That's a promise." Keri giggled. "At least I'm not so damn frustrated now."

"That was the idea, just don't go to sleep on me." Linda grinned.

"Oh I won't, and thank you."

"Fine. Now, have a look at this chart." Linda said, changing the subject and the tone of her voice. "This is where we're going."

She pointed to a bay that was prominently marked. "I've been there and when we get close, I'll take over the controls but no playing around then. We're going to have to moor there for the day. I think Karl wants to only travel in the dark until we get home."

Keri was surprised at the sudden change, but took it in stride. It was like either Ely or Karl when they were in command of the boat. Linda was letting her know that she considered herself in charge, which was only right.

"We aren't that far from there now, are we?"

"No." Linda glanced at the GPS reading. "At the rate we're moving, it should be inside an hour or so. Do you think we can handle mooring by ourselves?"

"Well, I know how to drop the anchor, if you can run the throttle and the engine to set it." Keri answered. "I've worked on this boat a lot with Karl and I've sailed with him a fair bit. Anchoring isn't hard, but I think I know that place too, isn't there a huge concrete dock there? Why not tie up to it"

"I've been thinking about that, I don't know if we want to be tied to a dock." Linda answered slowly. "Even if the island is supposed to be uninhabited, I'd hate to take a chance and make it easy for someone to come aboard."

"Oh, I never thought of that." Keri sighed. "Everything is so different now. There aren't any cops to run to if you have problems."

"Right." Linda answered. "We're not even supposed to be here, so we couldn't call the cops if we wanted to, even if they were available. It's damn scary."

In less than an hour, they were in sight of the island and Linda took the wheel. Thankfully it was growing light enough that they could make out most of their surroundings and the entrance to the harbour they sought was quite clear. Close to the island and once they were in its full shelter, the bluffs of the land took the force out of the wind and the waves dropped progressively as the 'Skolka' crept toward the entrance to the small bay. Linda slowed to a creeping pace, not trusting anything. Her eyes alternately watched the depth sounder and checked their progress as they slowly crept past the huge concrete breakwater that doubled as a dock.

Once they were inside the bay, the water was almost calm, having only a small chop. Linda decided to moor well out in the center of the bay and moved to drop anchor there.

Keri threw on a rain slicker and as Linda brought the boat to a halt, she dropped the anchor, then when Linda began to reverse, she waited for several feet of anchor line to slip overboard before throwing a loop on the kingpost and snagging the line to a halt. The momentum of the boat set the anchor as Keri signalled to stop engines. Dropping a stern anchor was just as simple, then it was only a matter of adjusting the length of the anchor leads before they were both satisfied with their moorings. In only a few minutes, they were riding safe and sound in the small bay. Here the wind was broken and all they had to contend with was the steadily falling rain.

When Keri came into the wheelhouse, Linda was leaning on the wheel, looking out over the foredeck and softly crying.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked as she slipped off her rain gear.

"Oh God, we made it." Linda whimpered softly. "I was so scared I was going to do something wrong like hit a rock or do something stupid."

"Well, you sure did a good job of hiding your fear." Keri chuckled sympathetically as she moved to Linda's side and hugged her gently. "All we have to do now is wait for someone to wake up and we can go get some sleep."

"Fuck what a relief!" Linda sighed and then chuckled herself. "Do you remember how to set the boiler to standby? Karl did show me but. . . ."

"Sure, you set all the controls to point to that little 'ST' mark on the dial." Keri giggled. "I'm going to shoot that fucking man. You did a wonderful job of getting us here but he left you to run the fucking boat and how much training time have you had, I mean in really running it?"

"Hmm, oh maybe eight hours or so, why?"

"Oh man." Keri laughed softly. "I've run the damn thing for about a hundred hours, and there is no fucking way that I'd want to take over for that fucking trip. We just came forty odd miles through a freaking gale and you have eight fucking hours of running time on this boat? I swear, I'm gonna nut him!"

"Honey, you can beat on him, scream at him, anything like that, but you go to touch his nuts and you'll have to come through me." Linda giggled. "I figure those nuts drive his cock and even if I like women, I think I like his cock as much, if not more."

"Fuck. You're probably right." Keri began to giggle too. "But you have to admit, it probably wasn't the best judgement call Karl ever made."

"Well, I did have a boat before, and Karl did have a good chance to see how I work under pressure." Linda grinned. "And as usual, he was right, I could do it, even if I wasn't sure of myself."

"Hmm, whatever, I'm still gonna ask him if he'd do that again." Keri smiled.

"Okay, I really don't care now. Say, I've been here before and the last time I was here, I dropped a crab trap overboard and got about six good crabs. Does Karl have any crab traps aboard?"

"Now you're thinking lady. I could use a crab dinner." Keri grinned. "He keeps two or three folding traps in a deck locker, and I think he has some chicken bits in the freezer for bait too."

So they set out to try to catch some crabs. When Keri went below to check out the freezer, she found Trudy and Mary-Beth just starting coffee and breakfast in the galley.

"Good Morning Keri" Trudy smiled. "Coffee will be a few minutes, then I'll see about breakfast."

"You're up early." Keri grinned, "Did we do something to wake you."

"Yeah, you made the boat quit rocking so much." Mary-Beth giggled. "Did you know Daddy snores, a whole bunch?"

"Yeah, he does, doesn't he?" Keri grinned. "Did you sleep okay otherwise?"

"Unh huh, but I went and slept with Mommy after a while. Daddy snored and David poked me in the tummy with his elbow too. Whatcha doin'?"

"Oh I'm going to get some old chicken bits out of the freezer. Linda says there are lots of crabs here, so we're going to set crab traps." Keri grinned at her as she went into the workroom to get at the freezer.

"Can I help? I like eating crab too and Unca-Daddy Karl showed me how to bait the traps."

"Well, it's raining really hard right now, maybe you can help me when we pull them up later, how's that?" Keri spoke, bellied down over the freezer looking into its depth.

"I guess. I think my raincoat is in one of our bags but I don't know which one, so I guess I'd get wet, huh?"

"Yep, I'm afraid so. Hah, here we are, even labelled crab-bait." Keri crowed as she found the package she was looking for.

"Eww, those are all the yucky bits from when Unca-Daddy Karl kills the chickens." Mary-Beth made a face. "You mean he keeps that for crab bait?"

"The crabs love em kid." Keri laughed. "And I love eating crabs."

"I like crabs too, cooked and on my plate," Mary-Beth giggled. "They're sure stupid though, to eat the yucky parts of the chicken."

"Well, I won't argue with that. Now come on. We need to get this upstairs before Linda gets impatient with me."

"It's not upstairs, Keri, it's above-decks." Mary-Beth pronounced. "Unca-Daddy Karl said so."

"Yes missy Smarty Britches." Keri grinned, pushing the little girl ahead of her to the galley. "Mama Trudy, has this little girl had a shower yet this morning?"

"Why no, we didn't want to waken anyone."

"Well, the winds gone down and although the rain is cool, it's not cold. I just got the brainwave, if she and I took out clothes off when we went to bait and set the crab traps, we could wash in the rain."

"Oh my, what an idea, but it sounds like fun. What do you think, Mary-Beth?"

"Okay, but if I freeze, can I come back inside right away?"

"I think that's a smart decision and you know what? I think I'll come too." Trudy laughed.

So giggling and laughing, all of them stripped in the wheelhouse and ran out in the rain. When Linda, who was standing on the stern deck, saw them coming she broke into laughter but after a moment's hesitation, she stripped off her clothes as well, right where she was. It was such a simple thing, but right then it was just what they needed, a little bit of pure fun to relax from the tension they had all been under.

It was cool enough though, that they didn't stay out for long and the warmth of the boat soon had Linda and Keri yawning after they had gone back inside. Luckily by then both George and David had awakened and since there were four people to keep watch, Keri and Linda slipped off for a rest.

Karl awakened slowly, hardly realizing where he was. He could hear rain beating on the hull above his head but there didn't seem to be any waves rocking the boat, it felt quite calm. He also realized he was nude, holding and being held by a soft woman's body. He opened his eyes to stare into hazel eyes and a smiling face.

"Hi." Ely said quietly.

Karl couldn't help a start of surprise. He stared at her momentarily before he responded.

"Well hello." He muttered.

He had awakened with an erection and he was lying on his side, facing her. He could feel her soft lower belly pressing against his hardness. She tightened the muscles of her stomach, making her flesh move softly against him.

"Do you remember the first night we spent together in this bunk?" She whispered.

"If I remember, you seduced me." He smiled.

"Guess what? I'm doing it again." She laughed softly.

"And?" He slid his hands to her bottom and pulled her tightly against him, relishing the sensation of her softly yielding flesh.

"We've got a good two hours until it gets dark again." She whispered . "And I want to have something to eat, but before that, I want a nice long gentle loving."

"Upper or lower." He grinned.

"Surprise me."

So he did and she was delighted as well as delightful.

Almost an hour later they went out and met everyone else in the galley, where Trudy was acting as the chief cook. George saw them the instant they appeared in the passageway from the captains cabin.

"Well hello." He grinned at Karl. "At last! I was wondering if you two had run off but Linda assured me you were just catching up on old times."

Trudy grinned, wrapped her arms around Karl and hugged him tightly, then to his surprise she kissed him quite thoroughly. After that each of the other women wanted a turn. Karl was being hugged and kissed by each of them until finally he asked quietly. "Is anyone up top on watch, just in case something goes wrong?"

"Your son and my daughter are on the job." Trudy smiled at him, pressing him back into a seat and setting a plate full of crab meat and several slices of freshly baked bread in front of him.

"Linda and I decided that we needed to feed you well now that you've got three women to keep happy." Keri volunteered.

"We know about the old wife's tale that you feed man oysters to make him horny and while we couldn't find any oysters, this bay seems to be crawling with rock crabs." Linda added, laughing in delight.

"So since crab is sea food we substituted one for the other." Keri grinned. "We hope maybe it'll put a little extra lead in your pencil."

"He's never needed that before." Ely chuckled.

"There was usually only one of us making love to him before. We made sure we took turns, remember?" Keri interjected laughingly.

Everyone laughed and Karl joined them after a moment, even though he was quite surprised at their mirth.

Karl waited until they were quiet, then asked. "Are you sure David and Mary-Beth are responsible enough to be the only ones on watch?"

"They will do just fine." George pronounced. "Each one will keep the other alert and they are feeling very grown up. It has always been my contention that the more responsibility you give children, the less problems you have with them when they are grown."

"If that was true, Dad, Ely and I should have given you a lot less trouble." Keri giggled.

"You never gave me any amount of trouble." George looked at her attentively.

"Oh come on, Dad. "Ely crowed. "For one thing, you had a fit when I came back with Karl and bragged that he was my lover."

"I felt that you were much too young. Hell you were barely of legal age. In fact, I'm not sure you were of the legal age of consent. In point of fact, I don't know what the legal age of consent with an adult was at that time because I consciously made the decision that I did not wish to know. You seemed happy and that was the important matter."

"Just for your information, she was well past the age of consent so at the moment she made her decision. She was entitled to do it." Trudy laughed softly. "But if I remember, you weren't all that worried about it even then, except that the next week when I came for my weekly visit, you asked me to move in with you."

"I asked you to marry me." George said vehemently. "And you turned me down flat."

"Like hell you did." Trudy laughed again. "You just waited until I wasn't expecting it and pulled me into your bed. Then you set out to convince me that I'd be turning down a wonderful opportunity. You didn't propose until later, years later, and you only did it then because I was pregnant."

"Well, you did turn me down at that point however." He frowned. "Have you any idea what that does to a man's ego? He finally scrapes up the nerve to commit himself to a life with another and suddenly she expresses a wish to remain free to pursue extramarital affairs."

"That's not true at all, you old fart." Trudy laughed. "What you did was offer me a perpetual contract that basically was identical to what I would get from proving a common law relationship. Besides, since I was pregnant, you knew I wasn't going anywhere."

"Ah, were you? I thought it was a year before Mary-Beth was born." He sighed. "And she's growing up so fast."

"Well Dad, you always said children grew too fast." Keri said quietly. "At least that's what you always told Ely and me."

"Well, look at yourselves. When I bought the island you were six, Karl joined us there when you were about sixteen. Trudy was making weekly visits then and moved to the island permanently when you went off to school, you'd have been twenty or so. Now -- you're what, thirty? It only seems like a few months or perhaps a year to me. Time passes so quickly." He sighed as he looked at Keri with a melancholy gaze. "Just as I remember Ely advising me that she had seduced Karl upon her return from assisting him with his boat, I also remember you not long later, casually announcing that you were Karl's lover as well."

"Does it bother you that both Ely and I happen to love the same man, Dad?" She asked quietly.

He paused and frowned. "No, that doesn't matter, as long as everyone is going to stay happy. I just don't understand any of it really. I mean, I can understand it from Karl's perspective. I literally had two wives when I was younger, your Mother was one and Ely's the other, but I doubt if I really satisfied them. I never have understood one woman being willing to share her lover with another woman."

"Only one of her lovers at a time Dad. That's what's wonderful about four, if two are busy, there are two left." Keri grinned. "Linda and I talked it out. We're all going to talk Karl into letting us live in his old cabin. If anyone from outside comes around, it will look like Linda and I are lesbian lovers while Karl and Ely are living together."

"Well, as I see it, that means that Trudy is going to have to look after the whole house." George said quietly. "Somehow, that doesn't seem right to me. It was built with more than three residents in mind and certainly it's too much work for one woman to maintain."

He paused and then he smiled at Linda. "I don't suppose you'd consider coming over for a couple of days a week to help out would you?"

Linda broke into delighted laughter, she bent and kissed his cheek, then turned to Trudy. "I've heard of his reputation with house keepers." She giggled. "What do you think?"

"That depends." Trudy chuckled. "Karl, how is your arthritis these days? Could you use another nurse for a couple of days a week?"

"Huh?" Karl stared at her and then at Linda. "I'm not sure I understand. My arthritis isn't all that bad."

"Oh you ass." Trudy threw her hands in the air as she turned to Ely. "Is he always this obtuse?"

"Not usually." She laughed softly. "Usually he's unbelievably quick, he must be still slepy."

Trudy walked over to Karl and surprised him as she slid into his lap.

"My dear man." She grinned at him. "George wants to share in your good fortune. You have three women and he has only one. If he has Linda do 'housekeeping' for two days a week, I might have to sleep on the couch. To be honest, I hate to sleep alone, do I need to be plainer than that?"

He stared at her grinning face, then decided that everyone was teasing and that she and Linda were calling George's bluff with a touch of pure deviltry.

"Well, my back has bothered me on occasion, but not much lately." He said quietly, bringing a hand up to pat her round bottom. "I suppose we could give it a trial. Do you have a preventive treatment in mind?"

"A really good massage and then lots of exercise, with emphasis on pelvic thrusts." She grinned.

"He doesn't need practice at those." Linda laughed as she slid into George's lap. "How about you, George, how are you at pelvic thrusts?"

"Well, Trudy has been trying to improve my technique for years."He laughed, then to Karl's surprise, he audaciously slid his hand up inside her blouse. "But, she tells me that I'm still much better with my hands."

"Well, that hand does pretty well." She chuckled. "Are you ambidextrous?"

Linda sat up instantly, her eyes registering her surprise. No one else could really see what George had done, but everyone could guess. She pushed his hand away but laughed.

"George, the children might come down." Trudy said quietly. "Karl, that goes for you as well. We'll discuss your treatment later."

"Well, I need to check the engine and boiler anyway before we start out on another trip." Karl said quietly as she rose from his lap.

"All right." She smiled

He shifted to the side from his seat and stood as well, but was surprised to find her following him as he went down the passage and turned to go to the engine room. He glanced at her face quizzically.

"I've never seen your engine." She grinned. "Would you show it to me?"

"Oh he keeps his 'engine' in really good shape and he makes sure it gets lubed regularly." Ely said quite loudly from where she stood in the galley at the other end of the passage.

Keri popped her head around the corner as well. "Watch out, Trudy, it can get hot in there and darn dirty too." She giggled just as Karl opened the door into the engine room and stepped in.

Trudy paused to look back before following him and grinned widely. "That's okay. I like it hot and dirty." She said quietly, then she followed, closing the door behind her.

"Okay woman, now what?" Karl grinned. "I think you and Linda were trying to bluff the old man and your bluff just got called."

"I know, we were teasing." She managed to say while laughing quite hard. "The old bastard must have seen me wink at Linda."

"Yeah," He grinned back. "Now, why don't you stick around and really help me check things, maybe George will get the wrong idea after all."

"Well of course." She smiled. "We couldn't let the tease just die could we?"

So Trudy helped him as he checked and oiled around his boiler and engine. They took their time and were quite thorough so it took almost half an hour. When they finished and reentered the galley, George was speaking

". . . but what if Karl and Linda are together, are you and Ely going to . . . ?" He asked.

"I like Ely a lot and she likes me too, but whether we ever make love, well, since you bring it up, it doesn't worry me." She frowned at him "It's just none of your business Dad, but for your information, I do think she'd make a wonderful lover."

She stood up and pushed past Linda to go up the ladder to the wheelhouse. As she disappeared, Linda sighed deeply.

"George, I don't know you very well." She said quietly. "But I think she just did a very good job of telling you that you've got your nose where it doesn't belong."

She followed Keri and George just stared. He glanced at first Karl and then at Trudy.

"Well, which one of you is going to chew on me next?" He growled.

Karl looked at Trudy and she looked at him and then she smiled as she sat down at George's side.

"George, even they don't know if this is going to work. Your being negative isn't going to help any though, and what else are they going to do?"

George just rolled his eyes and looked at Karl.

"George, I don't know what's going on." Karl said quietly. "I love them all, each in her own special way, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of what we have for as long as it lasts, whether that happens to be one day or a hundred years. Now, it's getting dark and I want to be back at home. Well, at least near the island by dawn tomorrow to catch the high tide going into the gorge. If we cruise all night long, we can just about make it."

It was his turn to head up the steps and to the wheelhouse.

Ely looked at him as he came up and winked.

"I thought I'd send the kids down to settle things before any of us went down. What do you think?"

He grinned. "That sounds great to me. But first, David, could you turn up the burner on the boiler for me"

Ely opened her mouth to say something and then realised that there were four adults who knew what to do watching David. She just smiled and winked at Karl as David fired up the burner.

"Now, what's next, Mary-Beth, how about you show me." Karl grinned at the tousled headed little girl at his bald son's side.

"Double check the water level in the boiler on this gauge," She pointed then reached for a control. "And then run the feed pump on manual control for just a bit. Just long enough to make sure it works."

"And next David?"

"Check the reading on all the lubricator indicators to make sure they're full. Then you have to make sure you don't pump too much water into the boiler, so we shut the feed pump back to automatic."

"And you have to check the stack temperature, dummy." Mary-Beth chided. "You gotta be sure the burner fired."

"That was next, Aunty Mar-Beth." David grinned at her, not in the least upset, but taking the opportunity to tease her.

So for the next few minutes, Karl used the kids as examples as he gave the three women a review of the operation of a steam boat. Once he was satisfied that the boiler was coming up to pressure properly, he had both kids climb on his lap and tell him about their day.

Shortly after the kids went below decks and the boiler was at operating pressure, Karl and the three women got the boat underway. They lifted anchors and slowly pulled out of the shelter of the bay that had hidden them all day. Karl laid out a course on the chart for all of them to keep an eye on, then settled back to enjoy the trip. During the day the wind had slowly dropped as well as shifted directions so that now it was coming from the west. Since they'd changed the direction they were travelling as well, it was again almost directly in their face, but now it wasn't much more than a stiff breeze. However, along with the impending darkness and the steady rainfall, it was as much as Karl wanted for cover.

Keri volunteered to take the wheel, and Ely offered to coach her on the GPS and the radar, since Keri felt she didn't know those well. Which left Karl and Linda free to do as they wanted for a while. Karl decided to listen on the radio, first to catch the weather and then to try to catch up on the news, after that he wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

Linda spent a few moments with him at the radio since she told him that she had some difficulty with it during the day. Even George hadn't been able to figure it out. It turned out to be quite a simple problem, someone had left the earphones partially plugged in which cut the speaker out of the circuit. Karl fiddled for a few seconds then noticed the earphones. When he had pulled the connecting plug completely out of the socket, the speaker blared:

" . . . moderating westerly winds with little rainfall throughout the evening and a possibility of further moderation tonight but a strong possibility of rising winds and heavy rainfall again in the early morning. The low pressure system that has brought on a general small craft warning throughout the whole of the forecast area and extremely heavy rainfall is now lessening. Weather radar shows one further small trough which should pass through the general area early in the morning hours but there is a possibility of a general clearing trend toward daylight. However, there will be further unsettled weather conditions for several days. . . ."

"That doesn't sound like the storm we've been expecting." George spoke up from at his side, startling Karl.

"Oh, shit, you surprised me." Karl laughed uneasily. "You're right though. It sounds to me like the storm center might have gone past us."

"What have we been slopping around in for two days then? " Keri laughed. "A summer breeze?"

"Well, it could have been a lot worse." Karl said quietly. "I just hope it holds out for a few more hours. I want clouds and rain for cover for most of the way home."

"I don't understand." Linda frowned. "I mean we could travel a lot easier if the weather was nicer."

"Ah, but if it were nice weather, more people would be outside and those who were outside could see much further." George spoke. "In a heavy storm like this, even regular radar is not as reliable. The only things which might track us in a storm are the military satellites. At least the only thing at the present time that is, I understand the new 'HF' Radar will not be affected at all, however since they are still contemplating where to construct the first West Coast installation, we are safe from that."

"As I understand it, even the satellites seem to be somewhat affected by heavy rain." Karl said quietly. "The thing is, there isn't much we can do to avoid those. I'm more worried about being seen, either by eye or by radar, and we present a damn small radar profile for regular radar under any circumstance. The 'Skolka' is made of wood and wood isn't a great radar reflector, as well as that, heavy rain can reflect a hell of a lot of radar waves and distort things rather badly. I'm hoping that the combination will reduce our chances of being noticed. So, if you want a nice uneventful trip, hope for heavy wind and rains until we get home."

"Oh." Linda said quietly. "Well, why are you worried about the military satellites?"

"Well, if they happen to be using infrared scanning cameras to keep an eye on the area, and if they do work through heavy cloud cover, we'd stand out like a sore thumb. I mean to them we'd seem to be on fire, just from the heat of the boiler. We'd be damn distinctive from space and they'd probably send someone to investigate. " Karl said quietly. "Which means that they worry me, first of all because we shouldn't be travelling at all, but mostly I'm worried because we are smuggling, dear."

"Yes. You are. You're smuggling me and mine." George added, laughing softly. "But like you, I'm more worried about being seen from ground level than from the air. So I don't mind the rain at all, I just hope the wind doesn't come up as strong as it was last night. Early on, it was really more than I have ever been out in before."

Ely laughed softly. "Dad, you're a wuss, this trip wasn't bad and you're in a damn good boat. I'm astounded at how well she takes to heavy water."

"Well, it was built for fishing the west coast of the island." Karl smiled. "Out there twenty or thirty-foot waves are quite common. I've just made sure when I rebuilt her that I kept the center of gravity as low as I could, other than that, the hull is still like it was when she was originally built."

"She has served us well." George smiled. "What time do you expect to get home?"

"I was hoping to get near the vicinity of the island about five in the morning. It should be just coming on toward daylight. If it's raining hard, I'll hang back a bit, we need light to go through the cut."

"Yeah." Ely said quietly. "And either a high or a low tide because of the current in the cut."

"That works too." Karl smiled. "High tide tomorrow is at six thirty or there about."

"I don't understand." Linda said quietly. "What is this cut everyone talks about?"

"Ah." George chuckled. "That my dear Linda, is a story in itself. You see, I am a writer and when I am in the throes of creation, I have no wish to be disturbed. We are heading for an island that I bought many years ago in order to insure that I could have privacy. For years, it had sat untenanted, because there was really no way to land on its shores in most weather. Most of its outer shorelines are actually steep cliffs, surrounded by deep water. There is one narrow passage into a bay that almost bisects the island, but it was thought to be unnavigable."

"Picture in your mind a narrow passage, perhaps one hundred feet wide in the most part, but narrowing to approximately fifty feet in several place. On each side are sheer rock faces, towering up to one or two hundred feet above you, some with overhangs that almost meet. Now as you know, nature abhors a straight line, so visualise several sharp bends and a few straighter sections for a total distance of several hundred feet in length. Imagine too, if you would, that at the end of this passage is a deep and quiet bay, several acres in extent. As the tide rises and falls during the day, the tidal waters from this bay must pass through the cut. At its greatest flow rate, you can imagine the turbulence in the restrictive passage."

"As well as all this, the entrance to the bay is through a passage in the sheer cliffs that is for all practical purposes, hidden from view from almost any angle, especially if one is at or near sea level. I first viewed the island from a small plane, but after purchasing it, I and anyone that I wished to have visit the island made the passage by way of helicopter. I felt certain that I was almost guaranteed privacy, which is why I had purchased the island in the first place. "

He paused and sighed deeply, stretching to ease one of his legs.

"However the amenities on the island were lacking to the point of deprivation. I had a small cabin built, but all lighting was done by kerosene lamps, all cooking was done on either a wood or a kerosene stove, and all the water had to be carried several hundred feet from a spring that fed a small pond. I and my family were forced to use an outside facility as a bathroom, an outhouse if you will. At best, we were camping out in the wilderness, when conditions were at their worst, as in weather like this, it seemed as though we were imprisoned."

"Since there was no telephone, I became involved with amateur radio for communication purposes. However the radio required a generator to provide power and that required fuel which was extremely expensive to transport. Having the generator also meant that we then had the ability to use small electric appliances, which meant that the generator ran more often, burning more fuel, and on and on, ad infinitum. It reached the point of intolerance because of minor usages. Imagine if you would, a household with myself, two young teenage daughters, and a nurse; electric power meant not only communication gear but also radios, record players, hair dryers, hot plates, etcetera. All of which increased the fuel consumption to gargantuan levels."

"The fuel situation alone grew extremely troublesome, in fact in an attempt to make fuel delivery by water possible, I hired a husband and wife team of divers who were also underwater demolition and blasting experts. In approximately two weeks time, working at extremely low tides, they managed to remove the worst of the barriers from the cut and make it much less dangerous than it had been and I hoped that I would be able to establish a method of delivery for bulkier items. However even though I purchased a perfectly good powered barge, I only had one man who actually managed to have enough intestinal fortitude to bring the thing through the passage. Even he was so upset by the trip that he beached it immediately upon entering the bay, and insisted that he be flown back to the mainland by helicopter, steadfastly refusing to even attempt a return trip."

"As well as all the problems with supplies, I was constantly being disturbed by either of my daughters or my nurse who would ask me to solve some difficulty or to do some little chore and my writing was suffering. In many ways our situation was becoming totally untenable. Financially and physically, our residence on the island was rapidly becoming more and more difficult. A solution of some sort had to be found and relatively soon."

Mary Beth came up from below and without breaking off his speech, George smiled at her and held out his arms. Mary Beth was dressed in her pajamas and ready for bed, but at his invitation, she crawled into his lap and snuggled against his chest as he carried on.

"It was through the amateur radio that I first became acquainted with Karl. A friend, who like I, lived in a somewhat remote situation had met Karl and had persuaded him to build a small hydro electric facility to provide power for his cabin. He waxed enthusiastically about Karl's many abilities and I managed to ascertain that this paragon of ability was unemployed but in the process of rebuilding a fishing boat into a live-aboard vessel of some sort. So I assumed he was in need of reliable funding in a small way as well as needing a relatively cheap moorage for his vessel. I deduced that indeed I might be able to succour this paragon of many skills in some small way, while at the same time obtaining the services of a handyman for my own convenience."

Linda had been watching George intently, but now she glanced up at Karl whose face was twisted into a wide grin. George didn't even notice her lack of attention as he carried on with his story.

"It was with some difficulty that I traced the whereabouts of this paragon of the arts of jack of all trades but at last I discovered the marina where he was working on his vessel. Now I was expecting to find a small man, who was something of a less than well educated individual, however I was met by a large gruff individual with a massive beard and . . ."

"George, that's bullshit." Karl laughed. "You asked my friend for my radio call sign and you called me on the radio."

"Oh Karl, why settle for the prosaic simplicity of the truth, when a fine story can be constructed around the basic root of the situation." George looked up at him and grinned.

"Oh, go ahead, tell your story." Karl laughed. "It gets better every time anyway. But Linda, if you want to hear the true story, ask me about it, when George isn't around to prevaricate."

"Ah, but Linda, his version will bore you to tears." George smiled at Linda. "Now as I was saying, I convinced his highness to come to the island and he remained with us for a few days while he assessed the situation with the basic idea that he would build me a hydro electric plant only. That was because when I first spoke to him, he was quite satisfied to remain where he was for the purpose of rebuilding his vessel. Even the hydro electric plant was somewhat of a question in his mind, as I was unsure of exactly how much water I actually had available for use toward that purpose."

"On his second day with us, he not only assessed the amount of water available, but since it was summer and carrying water was such a bothersome chore, he convinced me that I should arrange for running water to be available at the cabin as well. Then he convinced me to do a rather thorough job of wiring the cabin, giving me an estimate of it's cost and also managed to convince me that due to the fact that we had some rather fierce wind storms that it would be cheaper in the long run to have an underground service wire from the generator to the house. I was left in total awe of the speed and efficiency with which he conducted his appraisal."

"On top of that, during his short stay, he managed a Svengali manoeuver that left me in awe of his personality as well. He not only deflowered both of my virgin daughters, but he managed to convince my nurse that he was the greatest man she had ever met and that she was almost sorry she was stuck with me as her lover. I had to ask her to marry me to keep her with me."

"Oh you lying old fart." Ely broke in, laughingly. "You flew me over to help Karl fix his boat and I seduced him. Then we steamed it over to the island and took everyone by surprise when we showed up unannounced. Keri never slept with him for weeks and weeks after that and Trudy wasn't even there on a permanent basis yet. She only flew over once a week and since you hadn't gotten her pregnant yet, you hadn't asked her to marry you either."

George looked pained. "Oh, but the story sounds so much better my way, however perhaps I will have to check with you for details when I write it all down for posterity."

"You damn well better, I want the job of editor on that one." Ely grinned. "I don't want to be made out to be something I'm not."

"Well there is that consideration." George continued with another of his quiet smiles. "At any rate, the girls fell in love with him. As well each of them was quite ecstatic at the prospect of running water and the possibility of an indoor toilet, even if that meant that we would need to expand the cabin as well as building a septic tank and field. So it was then a matter of arranging for a time when he could begin work and he absolutely refused to be tied down to a proper schedule. He insisted that he had some work which must be done on his vessel before he could even consider my job. Meanwhile, both girls insisted that he had to be the one to do the job, that I was not to hire someone else now that he had explained the possibilities. So I was stuck with him as a workman and with the probability that I would spend at least another year in deprivation."

He paused and grinned at Karl.

"That was the day I decided I wanted you to stay on the island for as long as I could convince you to stay." He said quietly.

"Thanks George." Karl smiled. "I've certainly enjoyed being your guest."

"Ah yes, as to that. . . ." George said quietly and smiled up at Ely. "Ely, would you go downstairs and in my briefcase, there's a manila envelope with Karl's name on it, could you go get it please?"

"Sure Dad. " She grinned and slipped away.

George turned so he faced Karl more fully.

"You've done so much over the years. I don't think we could ever have kept the island as even a part time residence without your abilities. I doubt if there is any way we can ever repay you for your help and your willingness to show us how to adapt things to our comfort. All we have ever been able to give you is a place to moor your boat, an area to build a cabin and a minute modicum of amenities. I've never been able to get you to accept a dollar for your time and effort."

"Well, I do have a pension and most of the improvements were a benefit to me as much as to you." Karl grinned. "Besides, my expenses never were all that large."

Ely came back and stood at George's side, holding a large legal sized envelope.

"Well, from all of us, here's something we want you to have." George said, taking the envelope from Ely and handing it to Karl.

"Read it aloud, Karl." Keri said quietly.

Karl concentrated on the letter, reading it slowly and clearly.

Besides that sheet there was another document inside the envelope, a legal copy of George's ownership and registered title.

Karl stared at George who beamed back at him.

"Thank you, George." Karl said, his voice loaded with emotion.

"Now, you don't need to ask permission if you want to dig a hole or build a shed for some purpose of your own." George grinned.

"Did I ever?" Karl asked quietly.

"No, but now I won't have to feel I should have been asked when you do it anyway." George laughed. "It may not save anything else but my frustration. I have always felt that I was allowing you free rein, now I don't even have to consider it."

"I always thought I consulted you before I did anything irrevocable." Karl grinned.

"Oh you always have, quite faithfully, and that has been quite a problem to me at times." George chuckled. "I would be busy, gainfully employed at my work, writing away and in you would pop, asking me if it was all right for you to dig a new hole for your outhouse or some such minuscule problem. Then you would sit around and waste hours of my precious time while you told me all about the little things you'd like to do."

"Dad." Keri protested. "You were the one who would ask Karl to sit down and have a coffee while you'd keep him from getting done whatever he was planning to do."

"Well, once or twice perhaps." George laughed. "But then he started coming over late in the evening, when I was extremely sleepy, knowing that I would chase him out so I could go to sleep."

"That was pure defence." Karl grinned. "I knew you went to bed early so I found you didn't waste as much my time."

"Humph." George snorted having no ready answer, then he glanced down at Mary Beth who had fallen asleep in his lap.

"Could I ask one of you to lend me assistance with my little girl?" He asked quietly. "It seems that she finds her father's tales to be boring. This one appears to have put her to sleep."

Ely beat Karl to his side by a pace and picked the sleeping child up gently.

"I've got to check and see that David is ready for bed anyway." She smiled at Karl. "I'll take her."

"Perhaps Karl will assist me in descending to the galley then." George said pulling himself to his feet using the hand rail from the steps to help. "I believe that I too will try to enter the land of slumber so that I can awaken tomorrow in time to see our passage through Karl's cut. I still find that trip invigorating even if I can be of little aid in its passage."

"Do you want me to wake you up then?" Karl stepped to his side and grinned. "Or are you going to depend on that internal alarm you brag about."

"Linda, I would ask you to please check that I am awake in time to partake in our homecoming passage." George smiled past Karl's shoulder at Linda. "That way Karl will have one less onerous duty to remember."

"Certainly George." She answered with a grin, then helped Karl assist George, who slowly made his way down the ladder.

Once he was below, he was able to move much more easily and refused any further assistance, so both Linda and Karl went back up to the wheelhouse.

"Is he always like that?" Linda asked.

"You mean a know-it-all, wise-ass, pontificating, son-of-a-bitch. " Keri laughed. "Always! This was mild. When he gets to telling a story, he can get carried away. Sometime's it's just something fierce. However, you have to admit it is entertaining to hear him talk."

"Oh. I agree, but I'm not sure about your decription." Karl chuckled. "I'd say he was quite a bit more than any of the names you used, but I still think he's one hell of a guy."

"So do I, but then I'm prejudiced." Keri laughed softly. "At least he made the last hour pass quickly."

"Are you putting down my man again?" Trudy grinned as her head appeared at the top of the steps from the galley.

"Not really, Trudy-Mom." Keri grinned back, then mimicked George's tone. "I just do not make any excuses for his verbosity or his propensity for erudition, particularly when he is in the process of doing nothing other than broadcasting the faeces of the male bovine animal."

Everyone laughed and Keri looked slightly crestfallen.

"Damn." She said quietly. "I was hoping someone would ask me what I meant for at least one word."

"All us kids seem to be edjumacated." Linda laughed. "Even when we're in total awe of a person's loquaciousness, or perhaps the better word would be magniloquence. But you have to admit his verbiage was neither rambling nor vague, he told a good story."

Keri raised her eyebrows as she grinned.

"Okay, I guess my family isn't the only one that swallowed a dictionary." She grinned. "You should do that to Dad sometime, he prides himself on his eloquence and his vocabulary."

"Oh no." Linda laughed softly. "Never beard a lion in his own den. It not only offends the lion, but your only comeback might be a burp . . . from the lion."

"Enough, you two." Karl said quietly. "I think George is bound to sound like George, he always has and I doubt if anything you two do is about to change him. Right now we need to work out some system of watches so no one gets too tired tonight. Who else slept today, besides Ely and me?"

"Did you two sleep?" Linda grinned. "We thought maybe you were busy most of the time."

"Snoop." Karl smiled. "But for your information, we slept all day. I only woke up a few hours ago."

"Okay, Karen and I each got about five or six hours of sleep, didn't we kid." Linda countered.

"Unh huh. I slept like a log." Keri smiled softly.

"Well, I've been awake for hours, but George is reading a book in the one cabin and both kids are settled in the other for the night." Trudy said softly. "I won't be able to settle down for an hour or two. So I was wondering, would anyone like coffee, or a sandwich, or anything? Karl, how about you, I know you like coffee almost anytime."

"If you happen to be making it, sure." He acknowledged. "And if there's a slice of that bread left, I'd love some sort of sandwich. I don't think I've really eaten much in the last few hours and I'm hungry as a horse."

In just a few moments, it was decided that Keri and Linda would take the first shift at handling the boat and Karl would take a break, going below with Trudy, who would make sure he and Ely were well fed.

Karl had hardly gotten settled with a coffee and a sandwich, when Ely came into the galley. Karl stared at her in surprise. She was wearing a light-blue cashmere sweater and a blue jean skirt and they set off the colour of her skin wonderfully. She was wearing a bit of make-up and she had taken off her wig. She was absolutely stunning.

"Wow." He said quietly, grinning foolishly.

Surprisingly Ely flushed.

"Now that looks more like the Ely I remember." Trudy grinned. "I've just made Karl another coffee and a sandwich. Before I take coffee to the girls up top, would you like something?"

"Just a coffee, please." Ely smiled at her. "And thanks for the compliment."

"I would say Karl's compliment was more eloquent." Trudy laughed softly.

"But in his case, it's hormones talking." Ely responded with a grin as she sat opposite him. "He's always liked to see my titty's in cashmere, even when they weren't as big as they are now."

"Ah ha." Trudy laughed even louder. "That explains the number of cashmere sweaters you packed. I was wondering about that."

Karl had never seen Ely blush like she did then, so he grinned and winked at Trudy who winked back.

"If you want, you could borrow one." Ely snapped back with a grin. "I don't know about Dad, but I think Karl would like to see you in cashmere."

"Actually, I draw enough gazes from both of them now but thank you." It was Trudy's turn to blush.

"I admit it." Karl grinned. " After all, you are a very pretty woman."

"Yeah, and she's got great tits." Ely chuckled. "And since you're a tit man, . . ."

"Now just a minute." Karl protested. "I've never pretended not to look and Trudy is well worth looking at. She does have great tits, but the rest of her is pretty damn nice too."

"Thank you, Karl." Trudy smiled.

Karl noticed she now stood straighter and her shoulders were thrown back making her breasts stand out even more than usual. He managed a surreptitious wink at Ely, who winked back broadly.

"Perhaps I will borrow one of your cashmeres one day." Trudy grinned openly.

"Well." Ely grinned back. "You could try this one. It would suit you."

"It is a pretty colour." Trudy smiled, then looked surprised as Ely quickly slipped it off and handed it to her.

Ely now sat bare breasted and Karl winked at her, then grinned at Trudy as she held the sweater in her hand and turned to him with a quizzical look. To his surprise Trudy giggled and blushed.

"This isn't a sweater. It's so long that I could use it as a dress" She said quietly, offering the sweater back to Ely.

"Go ahead, try it on." Ely smiled.

"No, not today." Trudy smiled. "But I do promise to borrow one of your sweaters one day, alright?"

"Okay Trudy-Mom." Ely laughed softly.

Trudy leaned forward as she passed the sweater back and kissed Ely on the cheek. "It is so nice to see you happy." She grinned, then she turned to Karl. "Thank you, my friend."

"Well, whatever I did, you're welcome." Karl smiled.

"Well to start with, you damned idiot, you picked us out of a hell of a mess and you're taking us away from all the crapola that was coming down the pike." She mock-frowned at him. "Now, I promised your crew a coffee and I'll leave you two alone."

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