Oh man, this one is gonna be a tough pill to swallow; where do I even begin? This story takes place back in the early 80s, & the main character is a young lad, maybe 5 or 6, named Tony. Tony was a good kid; he was innocent, adventurous, curious about the world, a world full of novelty. Tony lived next door to another family, & they had 2 sons, one named Matthew, the other named Paul, & even though Paul was a bit older than Tony, they were friends, & hung out all the time. They’d walk around the neighborhood, exploring everything, as young dudes do, just looking for something to do. One day, Paul took Tony to a factory, a factory where they cut wood into various sizes, as needed for whatever the builders were building. Paul & Tony knew of the place, & although Tony had never been, Paul had frequently come to this place for some reason that Tony didn’t know. Nonetheless, there the were, in this factory, & there were glass panels, much like the ones in this picture, except they weren’t broken, & there were stacks of wood everywhere, as this was a working factory, & not derelict. There they were, Tony & Paul, just walking around, & although they knew they weren’t supposed to be there, they were there, & it seemed that none of the factory workers were around, which left the whole floor open for Paul & Tony to explore. Kids love to explore, ya know?
Novelty often dies quick though, & soon the two found themselves in a place where idle hands got the best of them. They looked around, around & around, & then the glass windows caught Paul’s mischievous eyes, & so he asked Tony, “Wanna break some windows?” Tony, being young & naive, was drawn to the notion of “being bad,” as it were, & so Tony replied, “Sure,” & so Paul, being the dominant of the two, as he was 4 or 5 years older than Tony, was up to bat first. There was a 55 gallon drum near the stacks of wood filled with, what looked like Lapis Lazuli rocks, even though it probably wasn’t. Lapis, being a gemstone, is considered valuable by some, & what purpose it might’ve served in this wood factory, we may never know. It was most likely just some generic blue rocks. Regardless, as I said earlier, Paul was up first, so he grabbed a rock, & flung it, smashing a panel of the glass. Tony, being only 5 or 6, was exhilarated by the breaking glass, & so he grabbed a rock as well, & flung it, breaking out another glass panel. Oh man, what a rush, & both started laughing hysterically at what they had just done, so much laughing in fact, that Tony pissed himself a bit from laughing so hard, as many young men do. Remember when we used to laugh like that? Good times.
SMASH, SMASH, SMASH, as the two got caught up in the moment, & began throwing rocks at every window they could find…SMASH, SMASH SMASH SMASH, oh what fun, such great fun, laughing like madmen & breaking windows in this factory, but just then, a man showed up. Maybe a worker, or the bossman himself, but whoever he was, he came charging at Paul & Tony, cursing the whole way, & so, Paul & Tony ran to hide. Tony, being so small, hid between some pressboard pre-fabricated sheets of wood, & Paul, well Paul didn’t hide very well, & within a few moments, he was dragged out by this man, who yelled & cursed, saying he was going to call the cops, & tell our parents, & all that jazz. Tony, however, stayed quiet, so very quiet, like a frightened mouse, just staying quiet, quiet & still, scared to death this angry grown man would find him. The man still had Paul by the scruff of his shirt, & was asking Paul who else was there with him. Paul didn’t squeal though, as he was wriggling & writhing, trying to free himself from the firm grip of this pissed-off grown up, but he wasn’t strong enough, & this grown man wasn’t letting go, as he was convinced Paul wasn’t alone, & thus, kept searching for his accomplice, which was Tony the quiet little mouse, standing so still, so quiet, so very quiet, who was petrified of what his parents would do to him if he was found.
Tony, you see, came from an abusive household. His real dad was dead, & so his single mom latched on to a new fellow, a husky Marine, who was nicknamed “The Bear.” The Bear wasn’t fond of Tony, & used to hit him when his mother wasn’t around, calling him weak, calling him a faggot, things like that, oh poor Tony, & Tony was more scared of “The Bear,” than he was of the man who was dragging Paul around, searching for the other rock-thrower, who was Tony, obviously. Tony stayed frozen, as the man started shouting, “Come out boy, I know you’re in here,” but Tony didn’t come out, because he was staying so still, so quiet, Tony, the frightened little mouse. The man kept shouting, ” Come out boy, I know you’re there, come out now, or I’ll call the cops to come get you,” but Tony still stayed stone frozen, hidden so well between those pressboard pre-fabricated sheets of wood, so still, so very very still. After several minutes went by, several minutes of the man shouting for Tony to come out, the man finally gave up his search, most likely assuming that Paul’s accomplice had gotten away, & so he left, dragging poor Paul with him. Tony still stayed quiet, so very quiet, until he was sure that the proverbial coast was clear. He didn’t want to just stay hidden though, because if that man had really called the cops, they’d be on the way, & so he made his move, escaping this factory, with now-broken windows. He snuck his way through the factory to the exit, & ran across the tracks that were between the wood factory & The Bear’s house, like the barrier in Pet Sematary, trying to get home before Paul & the man got to Paul’s house first. “The barrier, was not meant to be crossed.” Keep this quote in mind, as you read further.
Since Paul & Tony were neighbors, Tony knew that Paul would be in big trouble, & the man would take him home, to deliver Paul to his parents demanding some kind of retribution for those windows Paul & Tony broke. Over the tracks, & through the woods, Tony ran, & once he got to a vantage point where he could see his house, it was too late, because there was Paul, & the man, & Paul’s parents, & the police. Tony was scared shitless, to say the least, & he knew that if Paul squealed, Tony would not only be in trouble via the police, but even more frightening, “The Bear” would be seeing red, angry that the bastard kid of his new wife had done this, bringing shame to the family, & would most likely beat the shit out of of young Tony. Nonetheless, Tony walked to his house, as if nothing had happened, & sure enough, there was his mother, & The Bear, & they were pissed, because apparently the cops & the factory man had grilled Paul hard about who else was there in the factory, breaking windows with him, smash smash smashing those glass panels at the factory, & had already asked Tony’s parents where he was, & if he was there in the factory with Paul breaking those windows. Poor Tony, he was so scared, so fucking petrified, because either way, he’d be in trouble if he confessed. He’d be in juvenile detention trouble, but even worse, if The Bear knew he did this, he knew a beating was coming, & it would be a hard beating, because not only did The Bear hate this bastard kid of his new bride, he would be enraged that this kid had shamed the family, & so when his mother & The Bear asked him if he was there, he simply said, “No, no I wasn’t there.”
They asked young Tony again, & this time, it was with a really stringent tone…”Damnit boy, WERE YOU THERE???” Again, Tony said “No,” & even though they didn’t believe him, they told the cops that Tony said “No,” & if he said he wasn’t there, he wasn’t there. “Where were you then?’ they asked Tony, & Tony replied, ” I was in the woods, just walking through the woods,” which was a weak alibi, but it was enough apparently to get the cops to turn their attention back towards Paul, & thus, Tony had told his first lie & gotten away with it, despite his parents knowing damn well he most likely was there, but like I said, Tony’s lie was enough to dismiss the police, & so, it was good enough for The Bear & Tony’s mother, as the bastard had avoided the public shame that might of occurred had he told the truth, the truth that he was in fact, there, & that he’d smashed as many windows as Paul the neighbor, who was now in trouble with not only his parents, but the police as well. What a good little liar Tony was, for his lie had escaped the possibility of going to juvenile hall, the place that all kids fear. Everything seemed so much bigger at that tender age of 5 or 6, & the thought of going to juvenile hall, was exceptionally scary to a naive little kid, but it didn’t matter, because he’d gotten away with it. Paul did not go to juvenile hall, of course, & he didn’t even really get into any trouble, as his parents offered to replace the windows, which was good enough for everyone involved & that was that…for now.
A few months later, Paul & Tony were back together, hanging out, & all that needlessly novel anxiety from the window smashing, had been washed away, but there was more to come, oh yes, much more to come. One day, Paul had taken Tony, along with two other boys, one named Cliff, & the other named Mark, to an enclave of sorts in the middle of the woods. Cliff & Mark were Tony’s age, & Paul, being 4 or 5 years older, as I previously mentioned, was the obvious ring leader, as he was older & bigger than everyone else. Tony liked Paul, he looked up to him, but all of that was about to change, & change quickly. Seemingly, out of nowhere, Paul suddenly pulled out a knife, a buck knife, like the kind you skin a deer with, & told Cliff & Mark to take their clothes off, like I said, out of nowhere he said this,, & he meant it…”take your clothes off, NOW,” & he waved the knife in a criss-cross slashing motion in front of Cliff & Mark’s face, which scared the shit out of everyone who was there, so Cliff started to cry, as did Mark, but Mark complied, being the first to take his clothes off. Paul put the knife up to Cliff’s neck, & said, “Take your clothes off or I’ll fucking kill you.” Poor Cliff, was hysterically whining & moaning by now, but he broke fairly quickly, & began to undress. This entire time, Tony was just watching, horrified by what was happening. Paul was his friend, he thought, he was cool, but why was he doing this to Cliff & Mark?
Tony wanted to run, run home, as fast as he could, & although Paul had not told Tony to do anything, or even acknowledged him still standing behind him, Tony wanted to run run run away, as fast as he could, but Paul had this knife, & had threatened to kill Cliff & Mark, so again, the little mouse Tony, stayed dead quiet, trying as hard as he could not to be noticed, not to cry, not to show Paul how scared he actually was. Stay still little mouse, stay quiet, & when this is over, you don’t have to hang out with Paul anymore, just stay still. By now, Cliff & Mark were both sobbing, crying tears of terror, snot coming from Cliff’s nose, as he was now naked, but with his shoes & socks still on, & that’s when Paul said, “Suck his dick faggot,” to Cliff, “Suck his dick or I’ll cut you with this knife.” Cliff was kind of a chubby kid, chubby & weak, & he was the first to go, as Paul once again demanded that Cliff suck Mark’s dick. Cliff then got on his knees, as I mentioned, & with only his shoes & socks on, he began to suck Mark’s dick. Both of them cried the whole time, & Tony, who was in total shock as to what was happening, still stood quiet, quiet as a mouse, watching this horrific scene play out. Cliff sucked Mark’s dick, tears rolling down his face, for a few minutes, & keep in mind, these boys were only 5 or 6. Paul just laughed, putting the knife close to Cliff’s mouth & Mark’s penis, saying, “Keep going, or I’ll cut your dick off.” Tony had a chance, a chance to run, but that knife, that knife scared the fuck out of him, & so he stayed where he was, watching what was happening, doing all he could to keep the tears back, because if he started to cry, Paul could turn on him.
After Cliff sucked Mark’s dick for a few minutes, it was then Mark’s turn, & with a torrent of tears, he complied, getting down on his knees, putting Cliff’s penis in his mouth, then sucking it. How did they know how to do this at such a young age though? I know, I know, yours truly knows this a long & difficult article to read, but for the sake of young Tony, it has to be told, so back to the story. Mark sucked Cliff’s dick for a few minutes, while Paul, with those demonic soulless black eyes, just laughed & laughed, such sinister laughing it was, waving the knife at their faces & at Cliff’s exposed penis, which was in Mark’s mouth, & what was once Tony’s best friend, had become his nightmare, & at that very moment, Tony’s innocence, the sweet innocence of his youth, died , dying right their in that enclave in the woods, & Tony would never be the same. He just wanted to get out of there, to go home, where The Bear was, who at that moment, seemed much less frightening than what he was witnessing, but he couldn’t run, for that knife, that knife that Paul had, kept Tony paralyzed like a deer in headlights. He was so scared, that he couldn’t even look away, so he just watched, hoping that Paul wouldn’t turn on him too. A voice in Tony’s head was telling him to run, to not be afraid, but Tony was a small kid, smaller than the other boys at school, small & weak, & that knife, that God-damned buck knife, had him thinking about Paul actually killing one of us, so Tony stayed quiet…the quiet little mouse, watching two young kids blow each other so they wouldn’t get murdered by Paul, Paul the knife-weilding older kid, the ringleader, the one Tony had looked up to before, like an older brother, but now, now he never wanted see Paul again, & just wanted to go home, to the Bear’s home.
Just when Cliff was done, or rather, when he stopped, Paul finally turned around, & looked at Tony, with those black eyes, & said, “Where have you been? What about you?” Tony finally broke, & started to cry; he couldn’t help it, & the tears began to flow, & Paul laughed, so Tony thought he was joking at first, but then Paul stopped laughing, & again said, with a deadly serious tone, “I said, what about you?” as he put the knife up to Tony’s throat. Tony was so scared, & he just said, “No,” which made Paul angry, & he pressed the knife into Tony’s neck. Cliff, who had stopped crying, intervened & still with tears in his eyes, & snot coming out of his nose, said, “If we do it, he’ll stop.” Tony was frozen, cold frozen with a fear he’d never felt, & he again said, “No,” but Paul was getting really mad, & said, “If you try to run, I’ll kill you.” & again, he put the knife back up to Tony’s throat, pressing it harder into his soft skin. Tony didn’t move, he was as frozen as a statue, as Cliff started to pull Tony’s shorts down, & with the knife at his throat, & tears steaming down his face, Cliff started sucking Tony’s little 5-6 year old penis. Tony screamed, & again said, ” No,” & just kept saying, “No…no no no,” as Cliff sucked & sucked. After what seemed like an eternity, Paul took the knife away from Tony’s throat, & as soon as he did, Tony pushed Cliff away, & quickly pulled his shorts up, tears still flowing. Paul told Tony, “If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you, & your family.” Tony screamed, turned towards his house, the house where The Bear was, & then started running.
He thought Paul might be chasing him, so he ran, never looking back, as all he wanted to do was get home, home to his mother. He just ran, & ran, & ran, until finally he got home, & ran inside, going to his room, & closed the door, & began to cry again. He just couldn’t process, process this awful thing that he saw, & then what was done to him, so he kept it to himself, never telling anyone, but young Tony would never be the same, never be the same ever again. There was a rage inside him now, a hatred, an abysmal anger that would stick with him for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of it, but you’ll have to wait until next time, dear readers. To be continued…so sayeth FisH™…🎏
EaT~aLL~YouR~FisH™ 