William Redman Carter: Chapter 12

Posted: October 27, 2005 - 07:19:20 pm



Lucy and Ann stood at the window watching the crowd of people practicing Tai Chi

in the back yard. Young, old, and everything in between were moving in perfect

synchronization. Off to the side was a pile of neatly rolled up sleeping bags,

giving mute testimony to the number of people that had slept outside the

previous night. Shaking her head, Ann said, "I've never seen anything like

this."

"I don't see Ed, Eddie, Leroy or his father," said Lucy struggling to remember

names.

"You could have knocked my socks off when the Reverend striped and went down to

the pond," Ann said. If anything convinced her that their nudity was nothing to

be concerned about it, then it was that action by the Reverend Leroy Jones. He

was a national religious figure and if he didn't see anything sinful about it,

then there wasn't anything sinful about it.

"He's got to be eighty years old. I thought it would be disgusting to see him

naked," Lucy said. Of all of the guests, he was the one who had surprised her

the most. Watching him rub William on the head and call him a good boy had been

touching. She could see how William had glowed at the attention.

"Sure are a lot of Druids in this house," Lucy said, her thoughts leading her

from having a major Christian religious figure in the house to the number of

Druids running around. Ed, both Johns, Beth, Susan, and Kelly were all Druids.

They possessed such focus and energy that it was almost impossible to keep up

with them.

"I know what you mean," Ann said. She wondered how her husband would react when

he drove down that evening. If they were lucky, he wouldn't forbid Lucy from

seeing William. The longer she had been around the young man, the more she had

come to like him. She sighed and said, "Your father is coming here this

evening."

"He's going to go ballistic when he sees them running around naked like that,"

Lucy said.

The front door opened and the two women spun around feeling embarrassed at being

caught watching the family exercise. Smiling, the Reverend Leroy Jones said, "It

is quite a sight, isn't it?"

"Yes," Ann answered looking at the elderly gray-haired black man. He moved

slowly, using a cane to support him.

Helping his father over to one of the chairs, Leroy said, "They'll practice

their Kung Fu when they're done with the Tai Chi. You'll definitely want to

watch that."

"Where's Ed and Eddie?" asked Lucy watching the Reverend sit down with a groan.

His knees popped when he sat down.

"They went swimming in the pond while we took our morning walk. Ed won't let

Ling train Eddie until he's a little older," answered Leroy.

This was the first sign of tension in the family and it concerned Ann. She

asked, "Why?"

"Well, back when Betsy was about four or so, she caught a pedophile trying to

abduct a young girl. Even though the man was pretty good sized, she nearly beat

him to death. Ed felt that she was too young to understand that she had to show

appropriate restraint. When Eddie was born, he said that Eddie would only learn

that level of skill when he was old enough to understand the full consequences

of his actions," answered Leroy.

"I'm a Christian man, but I'd have a hard time not doing the same thing as

Betsy," said the elderly man from his chair. The idea of a man abusing a young

girl filled him with disgust. He grunted, "Anyone who doesn't believe in evil is

a fool."

"Oh come on. A four year old girl, almost beating a man to death? I don't

believe it," Ann said.

"You've seen her move. She's faster than lightening. When she was three, she

caught a rattlesnake by the head when it was striking. If being fast wasn't

enough, Ling has been training her since she could walk. Ling is the most

dangerous person in the world, but if Betsy were to get mad, then Ling would

have to take a backseat to her," Leroy said.

Wanting to know more, Lucy asked, "Why is it that everyone says that Ling is the

most dangerous person in the world?"

"They say that because she is the most dangerous person in the world. She's

never been defeated in a martial arts contest. She's fought other Grand Masters

and walked away without having broken a sweat. The only one who is a better shot

is Claire. I remember once when they got into a shooting contest. Neither one of

them missed the bulls-eye until the target was three-quarters of a mile away."

"That just says she's highly skilled," said Ann.

Glancing over at his father, Leroy said, "I don't know how many people she's

killed. I think the only one who might even have an idea is Ling herself. Only a

handful of the people who have attacked anyone in the family has survived when

Ling was around."

Looking over the Lucy and seeing her saucer shaped eyes, the Reverend could

understand the kinds of fears that his son's statement could generate. In a soft

voice, he said, "Don't worry about Ling, Lucy. No one will ever hurt you when

she's around. You're a member of the family now."

Thinking about how her husband might react on seeing the family running around

naked, Ann was silent. About the time she was accepting the family, she'd learn

something that cast more doubt in her mind. She looked at Lucy and worried about

her future. Although Lucy was smart, even a smart girl could get into situations

that were over her head.

It was late afternoon when everyone returned from Leroy's lecture at the

university. The presence of a Nobel Laureate was enough to create excitement on

campus. However, the presence of six Druids was like pouring a gallon of

gasoline on a fire. Huge crowds of people had followed them around.

The attention had left Ann and Lucy dazed. Watching Ling and Claire manage the

crowds had been a life altering experience for Ann. She had discovered that it

was possible to communicate, with a single glance, the message, 'if you don't

back up ten feet then you are going to die.' It was also the first time that she

had realized that Ken routinely carried a gun when they were away from the

house.

Everyone had headed towards the pond with the exception of Lucy, Ann, William,

and Ed. William and Lucy were seated on the loveseat holding hands and looking

into each other's eyes. Ed was relaxing in his chair with his hands laced behind

his head staring up at the ceiling. Seated on the couch, Ann was watching her

daughter fall even more for the young man.

William broke the silence when he said, "If you're going to say it, then you

better do it soon. He'll be here in three minutes."

After glancing over at his son, Ed turned to look at Ann. He said, "When your

husband arrives, I'd like some time with him alone."

"Can I ask why?" asked Ann.

"You can," he answered hoping that she would pick up on his reluctance to answer

and not ask.

"Why?"

Ed looked out the window and didn't answer. His hand snaked up to caress the

medallion around his neck. It was his hope that she would drop it.

William said, "Answer her."

"There is someone who wants him to understand," Ed said.

"Who?"

"William," answered Ed. When William had asked him to perform a small service he

had almost immediately answered no. Before he could answer, his medallion had

burned hot against his chest sending a message of its own to Ed. At that time,

he understood that the Two-Sided One was going to intervene.

"Huh?"

"Your husband needs a glimpse into William's world before he enters William's

world," Ed answered cryptically. He knew that whatever happened would be

extremely personal for Mr. Wilkins, but Ann would want to know.

"What does that mean?"

Looking directly at William, Ed answered, "Before Mr. Wilkins can stand in

judgement of William, he must have all the facts. Beyond that, I won't say

more."

William stood up and went over to the door. He opened it and said, "Come in Mr.

Wilkins."

Mr. Wilkins entered the house carrying a small suitcase. Looking at William, he

said, "Hello, William."

"We were waiting for you to arrive," William said. He closed the door and led

Mr. Wilkins to where everyone was seated.

Mr. Wilkins looked around the room and saw the look on his wife's face. He

looked over at Lucy and frowned when she looked away. It wasn't until he looked

at Ed that he really became concerned. William said, "Mr. Wilkins, I'd like you

to meet one of my fathers, Ed Biggers."

Ed rose from the chair and shook hands with Lucy's father. He said, "It's a

pleasure to meet you. Please call me, Ed."

"Nice to meet you. Please call me Dave."

Ann stood up and asked, "Did you bring our bathing suits?"

Handing the suitcase to her, he answered, "Yes. They're in the suitcase."

Turning to look at Ed, Ann asked, "Will you have enough time for your little

business with my husband while we're changing into our swimsuits?"

"It would be best if they waited until after we go down to the pond," answered

William.

Turning to William, Ed asked, "How do you know that?"

"Because we talk," answered William knowing that his father would understand

what he meant.

"Often?"

"Very often," answered William.

Knowing his son told the truth, Ed shook his head wondering why the Two-Sided

One had not called him to service. He knew that William had to be frustrated. Ed

turned to Ann and said, "Dave and I will talk until after you have gone to

swim."

"Come along, Lucy. Let's change clothes," Ann said. She was nervous about going

down to the pond, particularly without knowing how her husband would react. She

hadn't worked up the nerve to go down there when anyone else was there. The idea

of being so close to so many naked people made her nervous. She had to protect

Lucy.

The image of a fat woman playing with her humongous breasts appeared to William.

A second later, the vision disappeared but not before it had delivered a message

to him. William asked, "Before you go, would you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Touch my Dad's Medallion."

Ed stared at William unable to believe that he had sprung that request on them

without discussing it first. Before he had a chance to react, Ann stepped over

and touched the medallion. After the barest fraction of a second, she released

the Medallion, simultaneously giving forth a squeak as she bent over.

Embarrassed by the reason for her squeak, she fled to the guestroom.

Lucy asked, "What happened?"

"Go ask her," answered William.

Dave had recognized the squeak, having heard it many times when they were in the

throes of passion. He stared at the Medallion wondering what had just happened.

William interrupted his thoughts when he said, "Please have a seat."

Running on autopilot, Dave sat down on the couch still staring at the Medallion.

Confused, he asked, "What just happened?"

"Mr. Wilkins, look at me," William said. He waited until the man turned to face

him. In a patient voice, William said, "The Gods and Goddesses have decided that

I need a friend."

"What's that got to do with what just happened?" asked Dave. Ed wondered the

same thing.

"They've decided to ask you to be that friend," answered William. He looked in

the direction of the guestroom in which his girlfriend and her mother were

changing clothes. Turning back to face Dave, he said, "They wanted to make sure

that she would understand."

"Is that what this is really about?" Ed asked knowing that William's statements

bordered on the truth, but wasn't quite there. The Gods and Goddesses had

decided that William didn't need an enemy. There was an element of truth to the

friend statement, but he couldn't tell where that statement was short of the

truth.

"We will talk later," answered William. Pointing towards the guestroom, he said,

"They are about ready to go to the pond."

Ed watched as William stood and headed towards the back door. He hadn't been

there for more than a few seconds before Lucy and Ann appeared in the living

room wearing very conservative bathing suits. He ushered the pair of nervous

women out of the house. Ed said, "I have to ask you to do something."

"What?"

"Touch my medallion," answered Ed.

Dave didn't want to do it, but he reached out and touched the medallion. His

finger was in contact for almost half a minute. Throughout, his face had a slack

expression as if he wasn't really there. When he dropped his hand, he looked

down at his pants and saw the dampness spreading across the crotch. He said, "My

wife won't question why I came in my pants."

"No, she won't. Not after what she experienced."

"How much time passed?" asked Dave.

"Thirty seconds," answered Ed. As had always been the case when a person touched

his medallion, Ed had no idea what had passed between the Two-Sided One and

Dave.

It was incredible. In thirty seconds, Dave had been given a second childhood. In

it, his parents had been Druids and he had been raised in a loving environment,

one that was similar to that experienced by William. Unwilling to talk about his

experience, Dave said, "Let me get out of these clothes and we'll go down to the

pool."

"Most of us skinny dip," said Ed.

At the backdoor, Ed stripped out of his robe and waited naked for Dave. After

five minutes, he began to get worried. He called out, "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright," Dave answered with an emotional quiver in his voice. Ed could

tell that he was telling the truth and relaxed.

Another five minutes passed before Dave came out of the guestroom. Ed wasn't

surprised to see that he was naked. Ed said, "Ready?"

"Readier than I've ever been," answered Dave looking down at himself. He knew

that he was going to blow his wife's mind showing up without clothes. He had no

idea how his daughter was going to react.

As they made their way down the path, Ed asked, "What took so long?"

"I had to call my parents," answered Dave. His second childhood had explained

much about his first one. Conflicts that had never been resolved were no longer

problems. He had learned how things should have been done. More importantly, he

had learned why things had occurred the way they had. He couldn't blame his

parents for their failings any more.

"Always a good thing to do," Ed said.

"Aren't you curious?" asked Dave wondering how Ed could keep from asking what

had happened.

"Very, but I know enough not to let my curiosity drive me to ask questions," Ed

answered.

Nodding, Dave knew that he wouldn't have answered any questions about what he

had experienced. He was curious about what had happened to Ed when he became a

servant of the Two- Sided One, but he knew that Ed wouldn't answer his

questions.

When they arrived at the pond, Betsy was in a splash war against most of the

Carter Clan. Incredible as it seemed, she was definitely winning. Ed took off

and joined his family by splashing Betsy. Now that she was totally surrounded,

it looked like the tide would turn against her.

The Carter Clan was so occupied with their splash war, that they barely noticed

when Dave arrived naked. The Armstrongs noticed his arrival and state of

undress, but accepted it as a normal accommodation to the lifestyle of the

house. When Ann noticed her husband, she gasped at a sight she had thought so

improbable that it was impossible. After days of worrying about his reaction to

the lifestyle of the family, she was stunned. In a shocked voice, she said, "I

don't believe it."

The comment caused Lucy to turn away from the splash war and look at her mother.

She then sought out what her mother was looking at and saw her father standing

by the pond completely naked. Stunned, she shouted, "Daddy!"

As he waded into the pond, Dave looked at the expression on his wife's face. As

if he were telling her that it would be okay if she baked a cake, he said, "Go

ahead, Ann. I know you want to do it."

"Daddy?" Lucy asked in shock.

"Go ahead if you want to, Lucy. It's okay," Dave said drawing upon some of the

experiences of his second childhood.

Moving slowly towards her father, she wondered how to tell him what she really

wanted. Hesitating, she said, "I'm not really ready for that. I want my

boyfriend to be the first one to see me undressed."

"Ah. I suggest you talk to William and see if he has an idea on how to make that

happen."

"Daddy?" Lucy asked wondering if her father had been replaced by a replica.

Everything was suddenly confusing. She had asked her mother what had happened

when she touched the Medallion, but her mother wouldn't answer her. Then, her

father had showed up naked at the pool.

"Go on and talk to William. I kind of want to chase your mother around the pond

for a few minutes," said Dave with a wink. He watched as Ann was struggling to

make up her mind about removing her bathing suit. Every inch of her exposed skin

glowed with a blush caused by her embarrassment. It reminded him of the first

time she had undressed in front of him.

Staring at her father, Lucy waded towards William. He met her more than halfway

by swimming to her. He looked over at her father and said, "I guess you're kind

of confused."

"Kind of confused? I'm totally confused," she admitted.

Brushing her hair out of her eyes with his hand, he said, "Let's go up to the

patio where we can talk."

"Could you dress first?" She had done her best not to look at any of the men

below the waist. Sitting next to a naked William would be too much for her.

"Of course," answered William. He looked over at Dave and said, "We're going up

to the patio to talk. Do you mind?"

"Go ahead," Dave said over his shoulder.

William waded out of the pool and dried off his body. Since he had come down to

the pond dressed, his clothes were close at hand. He put on his underwear and

pants, but left his shirt off. Once he was covered, he turned and gestured for

Lucy to exit the pool.

Holding out a chair for her to sit on, William waited for her to take a seat.

Moving nervously, she sat down. He moved around the table to take a seat across

from her. In a soft voice, he said, "You have questions."

"You bet I do! That man down there is not my father. Who is it?"

"He's your father," answered William with a grin.

"What happened to him?"

William looked at Lucy in the eye before he answered. "You've heard the

expression about walking a mile in someone's shoes?"

"Yes."

"Your father walked a mile in my shoes," answered William.

"So why did he show up naked at the pond?"

"In addition to learning about me, he learned about himself. He freed himself

from some limitations that have held him back in developing as a human being.

You saw one result of that at the pond. He lost his shame concerning his body."

Lucy considered the answer. In a soft voice, she said, "I told him that I wanted

you to see me naked before I showed my body to others."

"Thank you. I'm honored more than I can express," said William. He reached

across the table and took her hand in both of his. Rubbing the top hand over

hers, he said, "I look forward to that day."

"You don't want me to undress now?" Lucy asked. She didn't know how she wanted

him to answer. On one hand, she wanted him to say yes to validate her

femininity. On the other hand, she didn't want to undress.

"Want? Yes. Expect? No." answered William.

A huge smile burst over her face. Even knowing the answer she wanted, she would

never have thought of such a perfect answer her question. William's answer sent

a thrill through her body. She said, "I guess you know that I'm not ready for

that."

"Ready? I think you're ready, but I don't think this is the time and place. I

think that we'd both prefer some place private and special when you present

yourself to me for the first time."

Relieved, Lucy said, "Thank you."

"You have one more question."

"What happened to my mother when she touched the medallion?"

"She took a walk in your father's shoes. She experienced the last part of his

trip with the Two-Sided One."

"That doesn't tell me anything. What happened to her?" she demanded.

"She had an orgasm," William explained knowing she would ask questions until her

curiosity was satisfied. This was a good occasion to learn what happened when

you pushed too far into the realm of the Gods and Goddesses. It would save him

lots of questions when he returned from the glade.

"Oh."