    In the Summertime...

    This is my first story.. so please be gentle with me. I
    welcome all correspondence regarding this story, and would
    love to hear any criticism that you may wish to share! I
    think I have some interesting twists ahead for and it may
    not always be all that intense regarding diapers (rest
    assured though this is a diaper story. This just also has a
    really really deep plot too.)

    BTW I own this. It's my story. You may not distribute it
    with out my permission. You may do nothing but read it. You
    are also granted license to enjoy it. but that's up to you.

    Prolog: Pieces

    	I kinda slowly faded into consciousness, as odd
    mechanical sounds grew more distinct and separated
    themselves from the sound *blip* of my own blood rushing
    through my head. My vision blurred into a smeary quasi focus
    that suddenly seemed to snap back in synch with the sounds
    around me. I suppose I tried to stir, but a firm hand pushed
    my back down to the surface I was laying on. *blip* I knew I
    was disoriented, but there was little I could do to sort
    things out amidst the haze that occupied my mind. "Easy
    fella, easy. Lie back and let us help" a voice floated down
    to me. My eyes searched the immediate surroundings looking
    for the owner of the voice. Perhaps it was the owner of the
    hand? *blip* Perhaps not. As my head cleared I noticed in an
    offhand sort of way that I was in no small amount of pain. I
    remembered to moan or groan or make some verbal
    communication that I was hurt as it was suddenly very
    important that I communicate my distress. *blip* "cut his
    trousers" a much different (and most defiantly feminine)
    voice rang out. *blip* and then nothing.
    	Light! And voices again. This time the voices were
    gentle, without the tinges of stress I noticed in my
    previous sojourn into consciousness. The woods and the lake!
    The memory flitted by as if to tease me with its vagueness.
    I tried to pull that string that would weave the impression
    into memory, but found myself clutching nothing but empty
    air. And the voices again. Near, distinct, comforting. I
    managed to regain enough motor control to turn my head a bit
    and focused a few feet away at the bed next to mine. Greg!
    The flood gate of memory rocked at the assault, but yielded
    no more than before. I knew than that Greg and I had been in
    the woods near the lake. Happy for this small accomplishment
    of mental calisthenics I called out "you look like shit man"
    it came out dry and throaty and without my normal inflection
    .. Greg half heatedly called back to me that I fared no
    better. Rapidly I was feeling more awake and less hazy. I
    noticed a nurse bent over Greg tending to his legs. "you wa
    hurd, bit by dem bad bug.." The nurse informed me in a light
    island accent. "da doctors localized most of da poisons
    bafore it did ya too much bads."
    	The floodgates broke then, and I only wish to
    unremember now. HA! If only that were possible. An odd sound
    got my attention as I ran by a fallen log. Leaves and dirt
    flew around my feet as I hastily scrambled to stop. We were
    on our way fishing, running full out with the unrestrained
    exuberance that is inspired by the combination of youth and
    the great outdoors. What was at the fallen log? My curiosity
    piqued as I bounded for the log. There was a opossum (dead-
    like almost any opossums one sees in the daytime.) Dead
    opossums are not at all unusual in the south.but this
    particular dead marsupial had the oddest sound emanating
    from it. I tentatively prodded the corpse with the end of my
    fishing pole. The husk exploded into a black mass of buzzing
    things straight out of a Lovecraftian nightmare. Greg had
    apparently noticed that I had stopped and came to see what
    had caught my eye. The swarming things enveloped us both as
    I felt simultaneous stings all about me at. Even as sudden
    burning pain tried to take my strength and force me to my
    knees, a calculating part of me shuddered at the
    unnaturalness of the insect like beings.
    	".know the nature of the toxins. The lab results will
    be back in the morning. We're just so glad your both okay"
    Greg's mom said, drawing my attention back to the present
    and to the end of the room, where the visitor chairs were
    occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Gregerson.
    	"all done champ" The nurse said as she covered Greg up.
    "And now don't you fret none cause it surely be your turn"
    said our nurse as she turned to face me (Rosala I read on
    her name badge). I tried to scoot up a bit in the bed to a
    more comfortable position. "don you be pullin out dat IV I
    worked so hard to get into ya" (I have always had trouble
    with IV's and most related procedures, I don't make the
    easiest blood donor.) She took my temperature and vitals
    quickly and with well-practiced efficiency. "all dat jus
    fine. Jus fine indeed. Can you do me some exercise? Can you
    make a fis for me?" "good.. good. Can you make dat fis
    tighter like you gonna punch someone's ear?" I squeezed,
    doing my best to make a tight fist with my left hand. "Now
    wiggle you finger about: "good good" " She pulled down the
    sheet and I felt cool air my lower body. "now wiggle you toe
    too" She observed my toes. "all right. That's very good" Her
    hands worked their way to the bottom of the gown I was
    wearing and pushed it up to the middle of my chest. My ears
    were treated to the sound of ripping tapes. That's an odd
    sound I puzzled.. the feeling of cold air brought my
    attention to full bear on my genitals. Rosala's strong hands
    rolled me slightly to on side as she slid the sodden diaper
    out from under me. Diaper?!? Was that what she had been
    doing to Greg too? I started to freak a bit in my own mind.
    But before I could muster any retort Rosalie was wiping me
    down. I found it comforting and was so engrossed in the
    process that I was hardly bothered when she slipped a new
    diaper under me and liberally applied talc to my groin. Her
    hands worked quickly as she pulled the diaper up into my
    crotch. One hand spread the side down flat on my thigh while
    the other hand worked the tapes. Right side then left and
    she was done. "der now yall changed and dry.. now I wan you
    to get some rest sport, Dr. Anaerdas will be down here in da
    mornin to talk with you: so you jus rest and take it slow
    until then. You boys call me if der is anything you need"
    	Greg's folks thanked the kindly woman as she left
    pushing a cart with her instruments and diaper changing
    supplies. The last thing I remember that day is the sound of
    the door shutting behind her.

    In the Morning:

    	My next memories, at least the ones that were more
    coherent than fleeting impressions was of waking up the next
    morning as a duty nurse pulled the IV out of my arm. I felt
    dazed and odd, but almost at full mental capacity. The nurse
    smiled and greeted me with a good morning that I
    reciprocated with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I've
    never been much of a morning person, and today was no
    exception. "How are you feeling, any numbness or
    tenderness?" She asked as she gently moved my arms, my
    exposed leg, and pressed lightly on my chest.
    	"None. I feel a bit trashed, though."
    	"You've been pretty sick so I think some `trashiness'
    is to be expected" She said trashy in such a solemn way that
    I couldn't help but smile despite myself. "Well Dr. Anaerdas
    is making rounds now, he should be in to see you very soon."
    	I was busy looking around the room catching my bearings
    and I noticed that Greg still seemed to be out like a light.
    Greg's parents didn't appear to be around, perhaps they had
    been shooed away by the nurse, or maybe they were eating
    breakfast? Nurse Frankie pulled the sheet down to below my
    feet. "I need to see what your mobility is like, but I don't
    want you hurting yourself either. Don't over exert.. Can you
    lift your left leg? Good. Now your right. Great. Can you sit
    up for me? That's good, okay lie back down." She pulled the
    tapes at either side of my apparently soggy diaper, the
    cracking sound they made as they came free from the plastic
    front of my diaper being alien and familiar at the same
    time. Frankie rolled up the diaper and tossed it away. She
    used a large wipe to clean me up and the air felt kind of
    nice as I lay naked on the bed. "Okay I want you to try and
    lift up both your legs real high for me." I complied,
    allowing her to slip a fresh diaper underneath me. Four
    tapes later and I felt like a toddler. Perhaps she sensed my
    embarrassment, or maybe she just some how knew. "It's okay,
    it's a hospital, and you're not the first person I've
    diapered"
    	"And hopefully not the last!" Greg who must have woken
    up in the last ten minutes joked at the nurse. Greg had a
    way of making the best of just about any situation no matter
    how bad. "Just hold your horses there. I'll be with you in a
    minute" She retorted with mock sternness. Greg, Frankie, and
    myself all laughed a little at this exchange. Frankie really
    put me at ease; she was professional with out being distant
    or stuffy. She even managed to evade my 15-year-old dislike
    of authority figures. Even considering the fact that I like
    her, I felt reluctant to ask her exactly what it was that
    brought us here, my memories of hideous insects seemed like
    a nightmare. Was I perhaps afraid to know?
    	A quick repeat of exercises and a diaper change for
    Greg and Frankie left us to ourselves. "What's goin on man?
    Why are we here?" I asked of my friend.
    	"Don't know. Last thing I remember we were headed out
    to do some fishing. And um. then "
    	"..And then the bugs came?" I finished up for him.
    	"Yeah. Weird bugs, I remember being stung and trying to
    slap them away, but there were too many. Their stings didn't
    hurt. At least I don't think they did at first. But
    something hurt, hurt bad. But I don't remember"
    	"Same here. But I do remember pain. Lots and lots of
    pain. Quick and then gone and then nothing more.. I thought
    maybe it was a dream, but I guess not"
    	I looked at my arms, where I remember being stung.
    Oddly though I could find no welts or evidence of being bit
    or stung or whatever the insects did. "Greg, how long have
    we been here?"
    	"Mom and Dad brought us here last night.. I think."
    	"Do you have any marks on you? I don't even see any
    welts on your arms" (not that my eyesight was all that good)
    "now that you mention it. No. That's weird, and I don't itch
    anywhere either."
    	The door opened and in walked a short, bald, Indian
    looking man. Either a doctor or a 7-11 employee. I thought
    even as I chided myself for the slight prejudice.
    	"I'm Dr. Anaerdas" he said in a flawless if not
    somewhat southerly accentuated English. Obviously American
    by birth or immigrated as a very small child. After shaking
    our hands and asking how we felt we both went through the
    arm and leg bending Olympics that every one seemed so intent
    on having us perform. "Do you boys feel up to some tests?"
    	"I feel fine, a little weak and woozy, but fine all the
    same," I replied.
    	"Well I know you boys have many questions, but I am
    afraid I am at a loss for answers. You were both admitted
    two afternoons ago after being found by.. Greg's brother.
    Freddie. You were both found in a semi comatose state in the
    woods, brought by ambulance to the hospital. When we removed
    your clothing we found several dead insects. I'm no
    etymologist, but these were unlike anything I have ever
    seen. A colleague collected some of the insects to send away
    for further study. Both of you were covered in sting like
    contusions. We administered several general antitoxins. The
    antitoxins did not appear to go to work, and your conditions
    worsened. When we thought things had taken a dire turn, your
    respiration was shallow, heart rate weak, and a rising
    fevers. Then both of you got better almost immediately. The
    welts went away within minutes, had we not had videotape of
    the incident it would be difficult to believe. Initial blood
    tests revealed unknown insect venom, but within hours even
    your prior blood samples showed no signs of toxins. Blood
    removed from the body does not metabolize toxins under what
    we understand to be `normal' circumstances. The antitoxins
    had no discernable effect either, later blood samples did
    not reveal any side effects that would indicate the anti
    toxin had interacted with anything. Normally they would
    react with the natural impurities in your blood. But your
    blood is the healthiest we've ever seen. Physically you show
    almost no signs that anything had happened. Some muscle
    capacity appears to be diminished. Both of you had
    convulsions and muscle spasms approximately 6 hours after
    admission and roughly eight hours after we believe the
    incident occurred. The seizure was over in less than two
    minutes. Both of you slept for about 24 hours with sporadic
    bouts of consciousness. During those 24 hours every test we
    have run has indicated nothing out of the ordinary."
    	Pausing to gauge our reactions and to see if we had
    questions he soon continued. "What we did learn of the toxin
    from or brief glimpse at it seemed to point toward a
    muscular inhibitor of some kind. This could explain the
    convulsions, seizure and weakness in the muscles. We want to
    run some tests to see what more we can find, and if nothing
    worsens in your condition in the next two days we will see
    about letting you boys go home."
    	"Gregg, your parents will be back shortly, they have
    already been filled in, we sent them to the cafeteria for
    some breakfast. We will be taking you boys for some
    neurological testing in about an hour. You'll be busy for
    much of the day, so I would take this opportunity to get
    some rest."

    In the Evening

    	A dark green sedan pulled up close to the curb, paused
    for a moment to allow a man to exit from the rear passenger
    door, and then with no delay the car quickly sped away. The
    man paid no attention to the vehicle as it left, and really
    no attention to the hospital either. This man had seen a
    hundred places like this before, just another facility he
    might have thought to himself. Even as he approached the
    doors he was studying his own reflection, his hand moving
    unconsciously to straighten his tie. Visitors, patients, and
    even staff members took no notice this man. He knew he was
    what many considered to be handsome, but that was the trick
    of it all, he looked `handsome' not striking, not
    noticeable, just normal.
    	The man went over the information in his head one last
    time as he navigated the corridors of the hospital. Ticking
    off his mental checklist as he walked. His sources indicated
    when the staff made their rounds, he even knew when the
    parents would be away, having gone home to freshen up and
    take care of their domestic duties before returning to `the
    facility'. His sources were indeed the best, better than
    even money could buy. He neared his destination and without
    slowing, and with no hesitation, he entered the room as if
    he had every right to do so. The man knows how to do things,
    and among what he likes to think of as his `tools' his most
    prized is confidence. He was intimate with the idea that
    most people when faced with confidence will back down rather
    question authoritative action, hell they often times won't
    notice a confident person, some one who may have a stronger
    will.
    	"Good Evening gentlemen, My name is Blane Will, Dr.
    Blane Will." The man said in even and cultured tones.
    	 I looked up as a man walked into the room, the sound
    of the door opening bringing my attention to the figure in
    the doorway. The man introduced himself as a doctor, and I
    knew that I probably hadn't yet met this man, but oddly he
    did seem vaguely familiar. The Sherlock Holmes part of my
    personality lashed out with sarcasm that no we hadn't met
    yet or why else would he introduce himself? Faces tend to
    run together I countered to myself, after all, being poked,
    probed, and generally examined in every way possible by as
    many people as we had that day would make all those people
    nondescript.
    	The doctor looked over our respective charts, making
    little ahem noises as he did so. After looking the charts
    over he pulled a chair down between our beds and sat down
    and leaned slightly forward as if he were a conversant guest
    on a talk show. "You two boys have been through a lot today
    I gather?"
    	We both nodded our agreement.
    	"I bet you fellas are ready to get back home?"
    	Again we both agreed.
    	"Great, then you will both be happy to know that you
    should be leaving here tomorrow afternoon!" He said with a
    great deal of enthusiasm in his voice. Then rather abruptly
    he stood, moved the chair back to its position in the
    corner, waved goodbye and exited the room.
    	No sooner had the door closed than it reopened and a
    heavyset orderly entered the room. He busied himself with
    emptying the wastebasket and made a quick sweep of the floor
    to ensure it was debris free. Silently he finished, saluted
    us with a smile and he too left the room. I started to say
    something to Greg, but instead got lost in thought,
    something was out of place about the last few minutes and
    even as I tried to enlist the help of my own private
    Sherlock I lost the battle to exhaustion and drifted off to
    sleep.
    	 The man avoided eye contact with the approaching
    orderly; it would look out of place, and probably draw
    unneeded attention to himself. The man was confident that
    the orderly would do his job just as he had done his.
    Walking unhurriedly, he moved to the back of the hospital
    and exited to the covered parking deck. He smiled a bit to
    himself, as he fished the car keys from his pocket. The car
    was waiting where it had been arranged, deck 3 space 17. The
    man slipped behind the wheel, started the car and drove off
    into the night, humming along with the radio as they played
    Jefferson Airplanes "Ask Alice." The man even let his lip
    curl in just a touch of a smile.. Yes he thought to himself,
    "one pill makes you taller, and one pill makes you small"
    "but the pills that your mother gives you don't do anything
    at all" His grin widened as he reflected that usually that's
    the case, but not always. No, defiantly not this time.

    In the morning.

    	Dr. Anaerdas wasn't happy at all with the situation.
    But what could he do against politics? The MCTS was pre-
    filled out and laying on his desk along with a note from Dan
    Ferran, the hospital administrator, that he would consider
    it a personal favor if Dr. Anaerdas signed the Medical Care
    Transition Sheet. The case was to be turned over to some
    state doctor. Jim Collins, state senator had made the
    request to Dan, and in no uncertain terms implied that the
    upcoming federal hospital certification would be a lot
    smoother if he could have this one favor. Why cant those
    executive bureaucrats bastards have any spine, Gary Anaerdas
    thoughtbitterly as he signed the paper.
    	Feeling guilty, Anaerdas got up to go find the boys'
    parents and inform them that the case was being turned over
    to a specialist. Anaerdas also felt some jealousy, knowing
    that what was one of the most interesting cases of his
    career had just slipped through his fingers. They hadn't
    even got any of yesterday's test results back! He was sure
    that this Dr. Will was going to provide adequate care for
    the two youths. but to have the rights to publishing his
    findings, the journals, the lectures, and all those things
    that come along with such a rare set of symptomology was
    just more than his pride could handle.
    	In the Afternoon. Greg and I had both changed into our
    normal cloths, sweatpants and tee-shirts. I don't think
    either of us bothered with shoes. Frankie wheeled us down to
    the car and although I could tell something was bothering
    her, she was careful to not let it really show. "Now you
    boys be good, I don't want to have to take care of you guys
    again, you hear?" She said with a stern lilt to her voice.
    	"Yes Ma'am" Gregg and I both replied as Gregg's father
    helped us into the minivan.. Freddie shared the back with
    us, and in moments was waving his hand in front of his nose
    and complaining of the smell that was emanating from one or
    both of us.
    	"Now Freddie, you can't give them a hard time about
    that okay? I thought we discussed that? Didn't we?" Greg's
    mom chided from the front seat. "Although you're right, it
    does smell as if those two are in need of a change."
    	"Bill hon, why don't you drop us all off at Sherry's
    house? You can run to the store and get some diapers and
    supplies and pick us up when you're done." She suggested,
    The Greggersons lived a fair pace from any shopping and
    Greg's aunt Sherry's house was nearer to town.
    	"You sure you wouldn't rather go? I mean I wouldn't
    even know the right kind to buy. " Asked Bill
    	"You can buy diapers just as well as I can, Bill
    Greggerson! And besides I thought Sherry is not your
    favorite person, and I'd hate for you to be burdened with
    spending time with her with out me to act as a buffer. And
    your always saying that I take FOREVER when I shop.Well
    maybe I could use a few things.. and I do need to have my
    nails done."
    	"No. I'll buy `em myself."
    	"Whatever you think is best, dear," Phyllis said in her
    best `I've won and you know it' voice I always admired
    Greg's parents for their banter, it was easy to mistake for
    real jabs at first but once I realized that they just fenced
    with words and underneath it all they were just playing with
    each other. My own parents were much too solemn to engage
    with wordplay with each other, so I guess I really looked
    forward to my sometimes family's verbal sparring matches.
    	In no time we were in Sherry's driveway and getting out
    of the van. Bill and Phyllis both offered arms to us to
    steady ourselves as we got out. Remarkably though, none were
    needed, and I felt a bit stiff having not walked much in the
    last four days, but as I moved I realized I felt great, I
    wanted to break into a run. A glance at Greg and he, too,
    was moving unassisted.
    	Phyllis handed Bill a shopping list she had wrote on
    the last leg of the drive, and with a hug sent him on his
    way. Sherry had opened the door and admitted us to the
    living room. Greg's cousin Rob, who was our age, was sitting
    in front of the TV doing his best against the computer in
    one of my favorite games `Puzzle fighter'. Sherry's youngest
    Jarred, who at four and half years old was a continual hand
    full, ran into the room calling `Aunt Fillus, Aunt Fillus!'
    	"Hey kiddo" Greg called to his younger cousin, who
    barley noticed us as he was tying to relate a story
    involving one of his play time adventures. Sherry waited a
    moment and then reminded the youngster that he had friends
    over to play in the back yard. Releasing his grip on
    Phyllis's leg he ran from the room at the same speed he
    entered.
    	"Thanks for taking us in at the last moment. We didn't
    want to make the boys wait outside a store in case they felt
    bad, and we didn't want to test their stamina in a store
    just yet."
    	"Oh don't think of it. Are you boys feeling okay?
    Neither of you two look bad. Well.. `cept Greg he's always
    looked bad, but you boys don't look sick."
    	"I love you too, Aunt Sherry," Greg quipped. That's the
    thing I love so much about my sometimes extended surrogate
    family! My real family's far too traditional to engage in
    such verbal exchanges.
    	"He doesn't smell good either!" Chimed in Freddie.
    Phyllis shot him a `don't push your luck' look at him,
    causing the annoying thirteen year old to wince.
    	"Oh yes, I see what you mean." Sherry said perhaps
    noticing for the first time our bulging sweatpants. "Phyllis
    that isn't what you sent Bill out for is it?"
    	"As a matter of fact."
    	"Say no more," Sherry turned toward Greg and myself
    "Aunt Sherry to the rescue!"
    	Sherry called out the back door for Jared to come in a
    moment. Looking somewhat confused he asked, "whud I do?"
    	"Nothing honey, mommy just wants a favor, would you go
    get your night bag?"
    	Panic set in over the Four year old's features "But its
    not bedtime.. and my. my friends."
    	"Shhhh. Mommy just needs some things from it, that's
    all."
    	Looking wary as if to be caught in some trap, Jared
    went upstairs. Sherry had gone into the kitchen and returned
    with two large disposables. "You remember Ellen Mctide?"
    Phyliss nodded "Well she moved to Phoenix about six months
    ago, and well her mom still lives up the street and she's
    not getting around these days like she used to. I try and
    help her out by doing some of her shopping when I get a
    chance. I was fixin' to drop off some groceries at her place
    when you called."
    	Jared returned with a navy duffel bag which he handed
    off to his mom and immediately ran from the room back
    outside before she might decide to use the bags contents on
    him.
    	Sherry opened the bag and produced from its depths
    diaper wipes, oil, powder and a vinyl changing mat. She laid
    the mat out on the floor and looked at Greg. "Well, boy,
    soggy diapers don't change themselves you know, so come on
    and get them pants off." Greg looked at his mom for help.
    	"Now Greg your Aunt Sherry has probably changed your
    diapers almost as many times as I have. So go on and do as
    she says."
    	Greg complied, partially, but Sherry, undaunted,
    pressed on. "I can't get your ankles apart with 'em around
    you calves like that, go ahead and take them off, you can
    put em back on when we're done," She said enjoying the beet
    red color Greg's face became.
    	Greg laid down, pantless, on the mat. Sherry pulled off
    his diaper, rolled it up, and set it aside. Wipes, Powder
    and oil were followed by a new diaper. Meanwhile Phyllis had
    handed me my diaper to hold. Its was thicker than those from
    the hospital, it had elastic at the waist and a second set
    of elastic running down the inside of the diaper like a
    trough.
    	"Todd, son, it doesn't do you any good if you just
    stand there and gawk at it," Sherry said to me, bringing me
    back from my wool gathering. I handed her the diaper and
    started to remove my sweats. As I pulled them off I noticed
    that I had some signs of leakage, which Sherry apparently
    noticed too. "Looks like you're really a wetter."
    	I lay down, aware that I was a red as Greg had been a
    few moments ago. My diaper was pulled off, rolled up, and
    set beside the other dirty one. I was wiped, powdered and
    oiled. Sherry pushed on my butt indicating I should lift up,
    which I did allowing her to slide the diaper up under me.
    Instead of taping it up, she reached into Jared's `night
    bag' and pulled out a rectangular thing that looked like a
    diaper without wings. "It's a doubler, for added
    absorbency." She slipped put into my diaper, pulled it all
    up and taped it securely. While she was finishing up I
    noticed that Rob's interest in his game had subsided and he
    had watched us, or at the very least me, get diapered. I
    think I turned a shade redder.
    	"What, you want one, too, boy? It hasn't been all that
    many years since you were having your little problem" She
    said to Rob who had suddenly rediscovered the Playstation.
    	"Aw, come on," said Sherry to Greg and me. "It wasn't
    that bad, got to be better than wearing a wet saggy one. And
    besides.. I can say with confidence that both you boys will
    make some nice girl very happy someday."
    	"Sherry!"
    	"Oh relax, Phyliss. They are boys, and that kind of
    thing makes does make them fell better. You know.. just
    trying to help," to which both women laughed a bit.
    	Sherry ordered a Pizza while Greg, Rob, and I played
    with the Playstation. Freddie was in the family room
    watching TV, he not being the video game type.
    	The pizza arrived, and it wasn't until later that I
    realized that I had been sitting in the floor with no pants
    on when the driver came to the door. I still wonder what he
    must have thought. Jared's friends had gone home, and since
    it was a late dinner Sherry got Jared ready for bed almost
    immediately after eating.
    	Bill got back in short order, proclaiming that the
    shopping was completed. So we piled in the van and headed
    for home.

    In the evening

    	We got back to the Greggerson's home and helped bring
    in the shopping, the majority of which went up to the room
    Greg and I were sharing. Bill had bought two packages of
    diapers (one bag Attends, and one Tranquility ATN), two
    packages of diaper wipes, powder and oil. I wondered at why
    he bought two of each, and then realized the second set was
    for a `diaper bag' that thankfully turned out to be a fairly
    innocent looking book bag. He produced a waterproof sheet
    for each of two twin beds in Greg's room. The last bag held
    10 pair of plastic pants (5 of which were snap ons) which he
    said the lady at the medical supply store recommended as
    they would help cut down on the diaper crinkle.
    	Mrs. Greggerson put a waterproof sheet on each of the
    beds. It was getting a little late so neither Greg nor
    myself offered any resistance to the idea of going to bed a
    bit earlier than we would normally be accustomed to during
    the summer. Phyllis changed each of us once again; only this
    time we were each had pair of plastic pants added to the
    mix. After seeing us each in our beds, Phyllis paused a
    moment to wish us a good night before turning out the lights
    and shutting the door.
    	As I lay awake pondering the many things that flitted
    through my mind, I noticed how odd the sensation of the
    plastic pants rubbing against the waterproof sheet was. I
    almost instinctively pushed my hips down into the bed
    enjoying the feeling as I pulled the blanket closer around
    me. It was odd, I didn't really like the idea of wearing
    diapers, but at the same time I didn't mind them too much
    either. I rolled onto my stomach and got an instant
    erection. The feeling was wonderful! The whole of my diaper
    shifting with the slightest movement against the cloth
    covered rubber sheet. Within moments I had orgasmed and
    spent I drifted off to sleep.

    In the morning.

    	Morning arrived and I awoke to the sounds of Greg
    stirring, he was in process of putting on a t-shirt and
    looking for some shorts. Gravity was tugging his diaper down
    and I laughed a little at the way it sagged, he looked like
    a toddler in a diaper commercial. I rolled out of bed myself
    noting the lack of morning wood, I guess when your bladder
    just empties on its own accord there is no need to get an
    erection to keep from wetting the bed. Just thinking about
    it though brought nature to work and I popped a boner,
    causing me to franticly look for shorts and a t-shirt as
    well.
    	Greg and I both descend the grand curving staircase to
    the main floor of his large house. Breakfast was being set
    on the table and I was famished! Phyllis offered us a diaper
    change before eating but we were both more focused on food
    than anything. Bacon, Eggs, Grits and Biscuits a staple
    breakfast in the south and it never tasted better. I think
    we both ate twice as much as we usually did and by the time
    we both finished eating Phyllis had the dishes done and the
    kitchen put back in order,
    	"You boys go up and get your showers, we don't want to
    be late to see your new doctor," Phyllis told us.
    	Upstairs I showered in the guest bathroom, and Greg
    used his parent's bathroom. Thankfully their plumbing was
    engineered to allow for plenty of hot water for two showers
    simultaneously. We met back in his room each clad in a
    towel. Mrs. Gregerson astutely arrived and proceeded to get
    us both diapered. She put us both into the overnight diapers
    to afford us some better protection should we be long
    between diaper changes. She produced plastic pants and
    snapped them onto us, which now in the daylight I could see
    were of differing pastel colors. Mine were an orangey yellow
    and Greg's were a light purple. I stood up and Phyllis
    handed me a pair of Jeans and a shirt to wear. As I pulled
    the jeans over my diapers I realized exactly how high the
    diapers rode up on my body. Although my pants weren't too
    puffed out, I was a bit concerned by the fact that if I even
    stretched a little there was a good chance that my shirt
    would rise up far enough to expose my diapers and plastic
    pants to the world.
    	Phyllis looked into our diaper bag and made sure it was
    stocked with all the necessities. Satisfied with its
    contents she shooed us from the room. She called to Freddie
    that it was time to go and we all headed to the garage.
    	We dropped Freddie off at Greg's Aunt Sherry's house,
    and continued on to our appointment. We almost drove past
    the clinic but Greg spotted the sign that read `Deerlick
    Medical' with enough time to point it out to his mom. The
    sign was small and nondescript, almost covered completely by
    hedges, and if I didn't know any better I would have assumed
    that they didn't want people to see it. We pulled into the
    parking lot of a small nondescript building. It was a
    rectangular squat structure comprised mainly of dark gray
    brick. The windows were tinted dark and had an almost
    mirror-like gleam to them. We parked the van near the door
    and walked to the entrance which glided open as we
    approached.
    	We stepped into the lobby and the doors closed behind
    us with a slight hiss. I almost walked into the second set
    of sliding doors, but just barley was able to stop myself
    when I realized they had yet to open. Something went whirr
    in the background and the fluorescent panels on either side
    of second entrance popped to life. A small ding sounding
    much like an elevator arrival tone sounded as the main doors
    finally released us into the clinic proper. A young woman
    wearing a pleasant looking tweed suit and carrying what
    appeared to be a PDA of some kind smiled to us as we crossed
    the threshold.
    	"My name is Amy, you must be Phyllis Gregerson," The
    woman said extending her arm toward Greg's mom who shook the
    offered hand. Amy turned to us and shook our hands saying
    "And you two young men must be Greg and Todd." We agreed
    that we were indeed ourselves. Amy led us to a small room
    that looked very much like the `ideal' American family room.
    It boasted two large couches, some wing back chairs, and a
    large screen television. The walls were papered tastefully
    in a blue floral print, the carpet real plush and not office
    carpet matched the color scheme of the room perfectly. Amy
    invited us to make ourselves comfortable. I sat in a chair
    that afforded me a view of the door (I've also felt funny
    sitting with my back to an open door...just a touch of
    personal paranoia to brighten your day!) Greg sat on the
    sofa next to his mom and Amy took a seat perpendicular to
    us.
    	She produced two large manila folders seemingly out of
    nowhere and handed them to Greg's mom and asked her to
    review them for correctness. She opened the one folder and
    scanned the pages and handed it to me asking me to double
    check and see if I saw any mistakes. The first few pages
    were standard medical documents detailing previous major
    illnesses and surgeries (I had to have my tonsils removed
    when I was nine,) Allergies, Height, Weight, and Blood type
    (which I didn't know for sure.. but it sounded right). The
    next few pages were documents that allowed for my temporary
    guardianship by the Gregersons'. A legal detail that I'm
    sure must be taken care of before non-emergency treatment
    can take place. My father's signature was on the last page,
    the clinic must have faxed it to him I thought,, boy do they
    cover their ass. I handed the packet back to Phyllis who
    signed her acceptance of guardianship. Phyllis finished the
    double-checking the information on Greg. Satisfied, she
    handed both packets back to Amy.
    	Amy smiled as she explained that Greg and I should
    follow her then, and that Dr. Will will see us now. She
    chuckled good-naturedly at her pun and then invited Mrs.
    Gregerson to make herself at home pointing out a small
    refrigerator in the corner and a coffee pot on a nearby
    counter.
    	We were taken down a hallway and through a couple of
    doors to a large examining room. There were two examining
    tables opposite each other along with a set of scales, blood
    pressure meter and a lot of things I didn't recognize. Amy
    took two clipboards off a hook near the door and set one at
    the end of each table. "Okay lets see here, Greg why don't
    you go ahead and step onto the scales for me," Amy asked.
    	"Lets see here... 6 foot, 160 lbs." Amy said as she
    wrote the figures down. "All right Todd, if you would please
    step onto the scales."
    	I complied. Amy looked at the reading on its small
    digital display and read it aloud as she wrote "6 foot half
    an inch, 174 pounds. Great."
    	"Now if you'll both remove your shirts and have a seat
    on the tables for me," she asked as she pulled over a small
    machine on casters.
    	Like before she did Greg first, Attaching a small cuff
    to Greg's wrist and a small pad to his chest. "Breath deeply
    for me a couple of times. Okay.. great." She then pulled out
    small object that reminded me of a hot glue gun. She put an
    empty tube on the back end. "I need to draw a little blood,
    quick sting and then its over." She held the gun up to
    Greg's arm and silently the tube filled with crimson liquid.
    She popped the cylinder off, labeled it and set it in a
    pouch attached to Greg's paperwork. She removed the tip from
    the gun and produced a new one, freeing it from its sterile
    wrappings before attaching to with a snap to the gun front.
    	Turning to me she repeated the process, I appreciated
    the fact that she didn't even seem to notice my diaper
    showing and she had not commented on Greg's either. Perhaps
    she was used to seeing it professionally, or maybe she had
    been briefed beforehand?
    	We were asked to put our shirts back on, and we were
    led to another room with two cubicles. Each cubicle had a
    computer in it, and we were asked to sit at a terminal. Amy
    explained that we would each receive instructions through a
    pair of headphones and just to follow them. She said that
    she would be just outside in the antechamber and that she
    would return when we had completed the tests or earlier if
    either of us needed assistance. As she was walking out she
    showed us in each cube a small call button to alert her if
    she was needed.
    	I placed the headphones on and as soon as I touched the
    mouse the computer sprang to life. A rich deep voice
    explained that I was going to be taking a couple of tests,
    mainly puzzles and number games. I'd taken an IQ test in
    school once, and this was pretty damn close. I finished up
    the first test and thought I was done, when the voice
    returned in the headset asking me to leave my hand on the
    mouse and click when ever I saw a red dot appear on the
    screen. It displayed a red dot and I clicked. The voice said
    that was good, that I should do just like that for the
    remainder of this test. Dots appeared on the screen, some
    blue, some green, some yellow, and some red. I clicked each
    time a red one showed up, and it seemed that the longer this
    went on the faster the dots appeared and disappeared.
    	Suddenly the screen went still and the voice said I was
    now on the last test. My instructions for this round were to
    mimic the announcers' words. The announcer would read a
    passage from a book and I was to repeat it. The instructions
    stated that they would begin introducing background noise as
    the test progressed and I was to see how long I was able to
    separate the voice from the other noises.
    	Like the test before this one went smoothly and wasn't
    all that difficult. I had a little trouble at the end when
    they had traffic sounds and two other voices reading
    dissimilar passages. When instructed I removed the
    headphones and set them on the desk. True to her word, no
    sooner had I done this Amy came into the room, smiled and
    thanked me for my cooperation. I looked at the cube Greg had
    been in, but he must have finished before me as he was no
    longer there. Amy saw my glance and she explained that he
    did finish about ten minutes ago and that she had taken him
    to see Dr. Will. We returned to the examining room, where
    Amy asked if I was in need of changing after sitting for
    nearly two hours.
    	Two hours?! I thought to myself it felt more like
    twenty minutes. But sure enough I was wet, I'm surprised I
    didn't notice, I must have been really wrapped up in those
    tests. "I am a bit wet" I think I blushed a bit as I told
    her because she said, "don't worry about it, drop your pants
    and jump up on the table and I'll take care of you right
    away." I kicked my shoes off and unbuttoned my jeans and
    pulled them off. Amy took my pants and set them aside for a
    moment.
    	I lay back on the table and Amy's hands pushed my shirt
    up to my armpits. She unsnapped my plastic pants and then
    pulled the tapes on my diaper, they made an angry ripping
    sound of protest as they came away from the plastic backing.
    Cool air poured over my genitals as she wiped me clean. She
    placed a new diaper up under me and taped it on, as she was
    fixing the last tape she explained that she went and got the
    diapers from Mrs. Gregerson figuring we would need them by
    now. She replaced my plastic pants and handed me my blue
    jeans.
    	We went to yet another room and I was instructed to sit
    for a few minutes while the doctor finished up with Greg. I
    waited all of maybe five minutes when Greg came out of the
    adjoining room and took my place in the chair while I went
    in to see the doc. "Todd, nice to see you again." Dr. Blain
    Will said as I stepped into his office. He asked how I felt,
    if I was feeling stiff or sore, how my appetite was. He
    thanked me for having patience with all the tests today and
    assured me that they were to help make sure that we were
    indeed fine now." Yeah fine, I'm wearing a diaper and he
    says I'm fine I thought acidly to myself. "I know you must
    have a lot of questions, and I will do my best to answer
    them, but I'd like us to do that together with Greg and his
    mother so I can cover the same ground with all of you at
    once" And with that he showed me the door, he asked Greg to
    follow us and he led us back toward the waiting room. As we
    walked the sounds of our footsteps were mingled with the
    soft rustle of our diapers, if Dr. Will noticed he chose not
    to comment. We turned the corner and came upon the waiting
    room where Mrs. Gregerson was patiently reading a magazine.
    	"Mrs. Gregerson, I'm Blain Will, I'm a
    neurotoxicologist and I was asked by the people at City to
    assume the care of your son and Todd.. Today we ran a series
    of tests both physical and mental to determine if there are
    any side effects from the venoms the boys were exposed to.
    I'm pleased to report each has a clean bill of health. Our
    own blood tests concur with those from City that indeed
    there is no residual toxin left in the boys systems. We are
    still trying to figure out the extent and cause of the
    bladder dysfunctions, and we won't know anything until the
    tissue samples from City are fully analyzed and the results
    disclosed to us. We can expect those results back by the end
    of the week. I would like to see these gentlemen again next
    week for a follow-up check and we will discuss our findings
    then. I can tell you in a best case scenario the
    incontinence will continue for at least six months,
    providing the damage was merely muscular, if however there
    was damage to the nerves controlling the bladder it could
    very well be a permanent condition."
    	"Is there anything that the boys should or shouldn't
    do?" Phyllis asked
    	"They probably shouldn't overexert themselves for a few
    days, but we feel they should be able to conduct themselves
    normally. Young people are very resilient, and had an adult
    been through what these two have they may feel it for a week
    or two, but kids bounce back. But if either of you two
    starts to feel tired or out of sorts slow down and take it
    easy, Okay?"
    	"Sure thing," Greg and I answered back.

    In the afternoon.

    	We piled back in the van and drove away, Phyllis called
    Sherry on the phone to let her know we were on our way back.
    Phyllis offered to pick up lunch for all of us. We pulled
    through Zaxbys and got chicken sandwiches.
    	We sat around Sherry's table eating and talking. Jared
    had returned outside, and Freddie had retired to the living
    room to play with Rob's Playstation. Rob was away at
    baseball practice, but Sherry said she was expecting him
    home soon.
    	Sherry and Phyllis chatted about the fact that we were
    looking down the barrel of a six-month minimum in diapers.
    "That's an awful lot of diapers isn't it?" Sherry asked.
    	"Yes, thank god for disposables too. I'd hate to have
    to wash cloth."
    	"Tell me about it. Since it's going to be at least
    until Christmas before they're out of diapers you should
    consider letting me modify their clothes a bit to make
    diapering a bit easier, after all I don't have any projects
    going right now."
    	"That's a great idea! I'll get them some clothes this
    afternoon, if you don't mind watching them while I go
    shopping? What all will I need to buy?"
    	The two mothers started compiling a shopping list. Greg
    and I had decided to go watch some TV, and were told to go
    watch in Robs room so Freddie could play games on the big
    screen. We were watching the Sci-Fi Channel when Rob came
    home. Without looking up Sherry yelled towards the door
    "Rob, go upstairs right now and change out of those filthy
    clothes." Rob entered his room and said hi to us.
    Apologizing as he stepped in front of the TV to get some
    clothes from his dresser. Without modesty Rob stripped off
    his baseball uniform which he kicked to the corner of his
    room. He said he was going grab a shower and started to
    offer us the bathroom before doing so when he realized that
    we probably wouldn't be needing it urgently anyway.
    	Rob returned wearing nothing but boxers. I was a little
    envious of that and thought for a moment that maybe he was
    rubbing it in, but still he didn't seem like the type. He
    retrieved a pair of shorts off of the floor, which he
    slipped on, the cuffs of his boxers hanging below the
    legline of the shorts. He grabbed a tank top that was laying
    across the back of his chair and put it on. Rob asked "How'd
    it go at the doctors?"
    	Greg told him that we were both okay, but would
    probably be in diapers at least six months if not forever.
    	"That's sucks major big time! I feel for you guys."
    	"My mom got us all lunch, you have a sandwich
    downstairs if you're hungry."
    	"Cool, whad'ya get?"
    	"Zaxbys," Greg said, and Rob quickly exited in search
    of the proffered food (I think he must have like Zax's spicy
    chicken as much as I do).
    	Rob returned with Spicy Chicken in hand and in between
    mouthfuls asked, "where's your mom headed?"
    	"Don't really know, your mom volunteered to do some
    sewing. I have no idea what were in for but mom needed to do
    some shopping anyways, so she went to pick up some stuff."
    	Rob stifled a chuckle. "You gonna be over for the next
    few days?"
    	"Yeah."
    	"Cool, Tomorrow we can all go over the shack. I've got
    some bottle rockets and stuff stashed back there."
    	We passed the afternoon watching TV and we played a
    little poker. We had been on a real big poker kick so far
    this summer, raiding Rob's change jar for playing pieces. I
    ended up just ahead by about 35 cents, but then everyone
    else ended up with more than they started with, too.
    	Greg's mom returned and dropped off a couple of bags
    for Sherry. Promising to drop us off by 9 the next morning
    she herded us boys back into the van and took us home. I had
    ended up in the front seat this time instead of Greg. The
    sun felt great coming in through the windshield, contrasting
    with the cool air of the AC. The thrum of the engine lulled
    me into wool gathering and maybe I dozed off. The next thing
    I was aware of was the deceleration of the van as it pulled
    in the Gregerson's driveway.
    	Phyllis had us each grab a bag or two from the back of
    the van to carry inside. I had two grocery bags that I
    delivered to the kitchen. The doorbell rang, disturbing the
    placid sounds of the just arrived in house. It startled me
    but somehow I managed not to drop the groceries.
    	"I'll get it!" Freddie called out as he tossed his
    burden (which consisted of only a gallon of milk) onto the
    kitchen table.
    	"Todd, would you mind putting those in the pantry for
    me please?" Phyllis asked as she passed by carrying our
    diaper bag and one of those super jumbo boxes of Tide.
    	"Sure thing, Mrs. G," I replied.
    	"Thank you Todd, I wish my own kids listened as well as
    you do," she said as she put the diaper bag down and headed
    towards the laundry room.
    	I turned my attention back to the pantry and started to
    put the items away. I only had to look a couple of times for
    the correct place to put things. I knew the Gregerson's
    kitchen almost as well as my own. I smiled at the box of
    Jasmine rice, which probably meant we were going to get red
    beans and rice for dinner soon. Phyllis made the best red
    beans and rice in the whole world, or so I was convinced. I
    was putting the last of the dry goods up when Freddie and
    his friend Derek came into the kitchen.
    	"Mom! Mom!" Freddie yelled until he realized she wasn't
    there.
    	"Where's my mom?" Freddie asked.
    	"She went to the laundry room," I told him.
    	I noticed Derek was looking at me funny, all wide-eyed
    and gawky. It took me a second to realize my fear from this
    morning had come to pass. It must have happened when I was
    putting some stuff on the top shelf. My shirt had ridden up
    and instead of settling back down like a good shirt it had
    came to rest on the top of my plastic pants.
    	"Don't shout like that Freddie, I'm right here,"
    Phyllis interjected as she entered the room.
    	I adjusted my shirt and made a quick exit, heading off
    to find Greg. I never much cared for Derek, I've always
    thought he was a bit of a brat, and I damn sure hated him
    seeing my diapers.
    	"Mom can Derek spend the night tonight?" Freddie asked
    plaintively.
    	Just say no. I pleaded with Phyllis silently in my mind
    as I hurried down the hall. My luck was poor because Phyllis
    agreed that Derek could stay as long as it was okay with his
    folks. Shit! That little prick will be here all night and
    Greg and I will have to tolerate him. Oh well, life sucks
    sometimes.
    	I caught up with Greg as he was coming back down stairs
    carrying two laundry baskets stacked precariously on top of
    each other.
    	"Grab one of these, man, it feels like the top one's
    gonna fall," he asked me as he tried not to drop the loads
    of clothes.
    	I grabbed the top woven plastic basket and did a 180
    and followed Greg back through the kitchen to the laundry
    room. Immediately upon entering, Freddie and Derek, whom had
    both sat down at the kitchen table, shut up in mid-sentence.
    They had been talking too low to overhear, but gauging from
    their sudden silence they had probably been talking about me
    or more to the point my diapers. We took the baskets to the
    laundry room and went back into the kitchen. Maybe it was
    just my paranoia, but the diaper rustle coming from Greg and
    myself had increased to about the rumble of thunder. Greg
    sat down, and when I sat down I noticed how wet my diaper
    had become, my weight forcing some of the fluid out of the
    diaper.
    	Mrs. Gregerson came into the kitchen, almost as if on
    cue. Maybe it's just a `mom' thing, but she seems like she
    has some kind of diaper radar. "Todd, Gregg, you boys doing
    okay? If you need anything I'll be in the den," she said,
    trying her best at discretion.
    	"I do, I'm soaked!" Greg fired out without the
    slightest bit of hesitation.
    	"Well okay then, grab the diaper bag and come on." She
    apparently felt that discretion was a wasted effort in light
    of her son's coarseness.
    	"Where's it at?"
    	"I set it near the table earlier on my way to the
    laundry room," She said scanning the area, which prompted us
    all to look around.
    	"Is this it, Mrs. Gregerson?" Derek said innocently as
    he retrieved the bag from the floor near his chair. The
    little brat knew it was. The bag wasn't even zipped up and
    there were several perfectly folded white disposables near
    the top. Derek's eyes were alive with evil glee; you could
    tell it was taking all his thirteen years worth of self-
    control to not out-and-out smirk. I didn't know which would
    be worse, admitting I needed a diaper change by trudging
    downstairs to the den or sitting there in the company of a
    self-satisfied little fink. What the hell, he knows anyway,
    I thought as I reluctantly followed Greg and Phyllis
    	Phyllis laid out the changing mat while Greg fumbled
    with his belt. His pants got to his ankles when he realized
    his shoes needed to come off, too. He spent an awkward
    moment bent over trying to get his shoes untied. Finally his
    shoes and jeans were off, and he was being changed. Being
    the smart one of the group I took the time to get my shoes
    off first and by the time she was done with Greg my pants
    were off, too.
    	She finished me up quickly, and like Greg, she did not
    replace my plastic pants, instead declaring that they had
    probably seen enough action for one day. She took our jeans
    from the floor and handed them to me, giving me instructions
    to add them to the washer as she had just started a load of
    denim.

    In the evening

    	Dinner came and went, fish sticks. Yippie! Who wanted
    dumb old red beans and rice when you could have compressed
    `almost fish'? I know I shouldn't complain, the hospitality
    of the Gregersons was extremely generous and all, but I had
    hoped something would go my way. The box of rice must have
    been bought for the soul purpose of taunting me. Well, maybe
    not, but you never know.
    	After dinner we found ourselves watching TV in Greg's
    room as Phyllis had commandeered the big screen for the
    purpose of watching some tearjerker `Drama.' Us four boys
    watched `I Still Know What You Did Last Summer', which
    surprised me as being better than the first one. I did get
    some small satisfaction in knowing that Freddie and Derek
    were both scared at several points. That fact, along with my
    natural leanings towards mischief, got my devious mind
    rolling over a way to get back at Derek for being, well
    Derek.
    	After the movie we decided we were going to play Clue.
    While I was setting up the board Greg went downstairs to get
    us a bag of chips and some Cokes. He returned few moments
    later, still pantless (I had at least fetched a pair of
    shorts.) I had dibs on Plum, Greg played Col. Mustard, and
    Freddie quickly laid claim to Mr. Green. Poor Derek was left
    having to choose from Miss White or Mrs. Peacock (Miss
    Scarlet was missing from the set.) I won twice in a row,
    making me feel somewhat better about the day. Phyllis came
    upstairs and told us all to get ready for bed, adding that
    she would change Greg and I while Freddie and Derek brushed
    their teeth. Phyllis took some extra time making sure to
    apply baby oil thoroughly to our diaper areas. She also
    applied a diaper rash cream to both of us explaining that it
    was just preventative at this point. We were freshly changed
    into overnight diapers and pull-on style plastic pants when
    we were ourselves sent to brush our teeth. As the guest
    bathroom upstairs was usually shared by Greg and Freddie it
    had a double vanity, allowing us to both brush at once. It
    looked odd seeing both of us in the mirror and realizing we
    were both standing around in nothing but diapers. Rinse and
    spit. I turned around and started to leave when I saw it. I
    was mortified to see our plastic pants had been hung up on
    the shower rod to dry. Talk about feeling like a toddler.
    Greg noticed I had stopped.
    	"What's up?" he asked.
    	I just pointed.
    	"Isn't that what your supposed to do with them?" He
    asked as if having plastic pants drying in the bathroom were
    the most natural thing in the world.
    	I couldn't think of anything to say so I just headed
    off to our room. Freddie and Derek were there too, watching
    Leno, they were both there in just their underwear. Fate
    would have it that Derek was wearing blue boxer briefs and
    the plastic pants I had put earlier were also blue. I, of
    course chose not to comment on yet another example of life
    rubbing my nose in the irony that exists in all things Todd.
    Greg came in right behind me and told them, "get out, guys,
    Mom said we had to crash."
    	"Like your going to sleep anytime soon," Freddie said.
    	"Not so loud, numb nuts, if she hears you she'll yell
    at all of us."
    	"Ah, come on, man, just let us stay for a while. I
    don't have a TV in my room."
    	"Okay, just don't get us busted."
    	We turned the volume down low and turned the lights
    out. Soon enough, Freddie went back to his room and brought
    back a big quilt and two pillows. I silently smiled at the
    fact that he and Derek must still be spooked from the movie.
    Maybe there is justice after all, and maybe I could help it
    along. I thought. My mind returned to my plans of a prank,
    but try as I might I just couldn't come up with anything
    worth doing and I myself drifted off to sleep.

    	In the wee hours

    	I woke up in a cold sweat and I was sure something was
    wrong. I felt really creepy and I knew I was being watched.
    I scanned the room, surprised at how easy it was to see in
    the pale illumination provided by the moonlight coming in
    through the window. Greg was not in his bed, and I saw no
    sign of Freddie or Derek. I slid off the bed and flinched at
    the sound of my diaper crinkling, I made a mental note to
    remember it's hard to be stealthy while wearing a diaper.
    Movement caught my eye and I spun to see the door to room
    move just a hair and stop, it was almost but not quite
    closed.
    	I crossed the room to the door and reached for the knob
    to pull it open. I hesitated to grasp it because I knew
    there was something bad on the other side; it wasn't just
    fear but rather awareness. It took all my will power to tug
    at the knob. The door tried to will itself shut, yet I
    pulled enough to bring it open in a slow motion arc. I don't
    know weather I smelt it first or saw it, but I was assaulted
    by the sudden urge to vomit. Blood covered the walls and the
    floor even making small puddles in the carpet where the
    concentration was high.
    	I heard a whisper of sound coming from the downstairs,.
    TSK TSK. I was drawn toward the curving staircase. Grabbing
    abjectly on to the banister I recoiled as I realized it had
    little bits of gristle and flesh clinging to its surface. I
    slowly descended unable to stop myself, my fear was mounting
    with each step. The hair on my body was standing on end and
    with each step I felt the thick air moving around me. TSK
    TSK.. The rhythmic sound drawing me forward. I sensed that
    he was down, down there waiting, watching, listening and
    smiling.
    	I saw him silhouetted in the foyer, the gray man. I
    could make out no feature, no hint of definition, just his
    shape. He waited patiently for me to approach and I heard
    him chuckle as I reached the landing.
    	"Hello child," I heard, but I don't think he spoke out
    loud.
    	I was frozen in spot and couldn't move. In an abstract
    way I wanted to. I just couldn't get my muscles to work.
    	"Don't be frightened young one, I'm here to help. Just
    think of me as Mr. Friendly. That's right, Mr. Friendly,
    friend. As your friend, I think you should go to the
    kitchen."
    	My legs moved before I thought about it and I moved
    down the hall going to the kitchen. TSK TSK. the rhythmic
    sounds were louder now. I neared the kitchen and fumbled for
    the light switch, I could see fine but it was just habit.
    The switch clicked up and nothing happened. TSK TSK..
    	I peered into the room; Phyllis was there, broom in
    hand trying in vain to sweep a pile of entrails into a
    dustpan. She passed the broom across them pulling them into
    a neat pile then she stooped over grabbed at the dustpan,
    but of course by the time she was ready to scoop them up
    they had spread back out.
    	"OH DARN!" She said as she set the dustpan down and
    reached again for the broom. She repeated this process a few
    times never seeming to understand the futility of her task.
    I laughed at this, the laugh sounding alien and hollow. I
    felt like I had laughed at a funeral.
    	"Now Todd, this is not a laughing manner. He'll be here
    soon, and we want the house tidy for our guest," Phyllis
    admonished me.
    	"Enough of that, child," Mr. Friendly called from the
    doorway. I had no idea he had followed me to the kitchen.
    	"You have much to learn and little time do so.
    Unfortunately I don't have time to waste coddling you and
    making your education easy."
    	He turned and walked down the flight of steps leading
    to the den. His shuffling footsteps stopped at the bottom of
    the stairs. "Come along, child, don't delay me any longer
    than necessary."
    	The den was cold and ankle deep in water. Mr. Friendly
    had sat down on the couch and with a gesture invited me to
    sit across from him. He was idly playing with some small
    object that caught the light and flashed silver.
    	"Lesson one; all is the mind, it is more `you' than the
    flesh prison you move about in. Lesson two; the body serves
    the mind. When the mind knows truth it is made manifest in
    the realm of flesh. For example, please observe the coin I
    am toying with."
    	He held out the quarter to me in his featureless hands.
    Even up close I could see no lines on his skin, no wrinkles,
    no hair, no fingernails. The quarter sitting idly in his
    smooth palm blurred and melted taking on the shape of a.
    small molten gold colored ball. The ball flattened out and
    became hollow on two ends forming a ring. Mr. Friendly
    leaned forward holding out the object to me.
    	I took the offered ring and became enraptured in its
    details, there was delicate scrollwork covering the inner
    and outer band. The detail was fine and intricate, almost
    animated. It was perhaps the most beautiful thing I had ever
    seen. "As your friend, I'll give you this gift. It's yours
    now, put it on," he urged me with the smallest hint of
    desperation in his voice.
    	I looked at the ring and hesitated. Something felt
    wrong about this whole thing. Shouldn't I be upset about
    something? I pondered. I looked deeper at the ring, seeing
    the scrollwork was in fact a depiction of some sort of vine
    with little thorny outcroppings along its trunk.
    	"It is beautiful, is it not? Very few are ever offered
    the retvelion, and the numbers of your kind have been even
    fewer. It is an honor to even see it, much less be allowed
    the opportunity to command it."
    	With out thinking I slipped the ring over my finger.
    When the ring cleared the second knuckle the etched vines
    started to pulse and writhe across the ring's surface. I
    could feel the thorns digging across my finger as the
    pattern shifted about. The pain was terrible, but I only
    knew that in a detached manner, I couldn't actually feel it.
    	Mr. Friendly nodded and stood up, pausing to brush
    himself off "Very good child, very good. We will talk
    further, yes, you and I will."
    	Mr. Friendly was gone, but he didn't leave or disappear
    or go poof or walk away, he was just not there anymore. I
    stood up and noticed most of the water had gone away and
    only some residual dampness was left on the carpet making it
    squish as stepped. I made my way back upstairs, and I
    thought Phyllis was no longer in the kitchen until I
    stumbled upon half of her. It looked like she had been
    neatly torn in half, her torso partially hidden under the
    table. Odd I thought, I wonder where they put the other half
    of her? She'll be pretty angry if someone has hidden her
    legs. Nothing I can do about it now, I gotta get some sleep!
    	I mounted the stairs and puzzled over how we were going
    to get the bloody footprints out of the carpet. I stifled a
    yawn as I got to the bedroom door. Didn't I leave it open? I
    tried the knob and it refused to turn. Somehow I had gotten
    locked out of the room, probably Derek. I knew he had to be
    jealous of my ring, and thought he would lock me out as
    punishment. Fine be that way. I'll just sleep in Freddie's
    room. His door is locked too? What the hell is going on
    here, don't these people know I'm special? I'll show them.
    I'll just.
    	"Remember what we talked about?" Mr. Friendly asked
    although I couldn't see him. "Remember that the mind need
    only know something is true for it to be so?"
    	"So all I have to do is know that the door is
    unlocked?" I said back to the empty hallway.
    	"As your friend, I think it would be a good thing to
    try."
    	I gripped the knob and turned. The door opened easily
    and I steeped across the room to my bed. I think that as
    soon as my head hit the pillow I was lost in sleep.

    In the morning

    	"Wake up boys, rise and shine" Phyllis called into our
    room. I woke up with a jolt feeling very awake and not at
    all sleepy. I was a little confused and half expecting
    Phyllis to be a zombie as the details of my nightmare
    flittered about my mind, fading as I tried to get a grasp on
    any particular disjointed memory. I've always had terribly
    violent nightmares ever since I was little, and maybe last
    night's horror movie had gotten to me too?
    	"Freddie, what are you and Derek doing sleeping in
    here? Why didn't you boys sleep in your room, wouldn't it
    have been more comfortable than sleeping on the floor?"
    Phyllis continued.
    	"We watched a scary movie on TV last night and we
    didn't want to sleep alone," Freddie admitted.
    	"Okay, well you boys get your showers, and I mean
    quickly, too! We overslept and I don't want to be late for
    work."
    	"I can wait until I get home, Mrs. Gregerson, if that
    will help," offered Derek.
    	"That would be great, Derek, thank you," Phyllis said.
    	Score another point for ass-kissers the world over, I
    thought. Freddie had left to take his shower, and I elected
    to go before Greg did as he didn't seem fully awake yet.
    Derek had yet to actually get out his makeshift bed on the
    floor, perhaps not wanting to be seen in his underwear by
    Phyllis, so he was still in the room after she had left to
    attend to breakfast. I was a bit embarrassed about removing
    my plastic pants in front of him, especially when I saw how
    far my diaper was sagging without them. I undid the four
    tapes and rolled the diaper up taping it back up securely
    before tossing it in the trash.
    	After my shower I returned to my room towel wrapped
    about me. Greg had apparently gotten the shower after
    Freddie was done, and I assume Derek had gotten dressed and
    gone home or was eating breakfast with Freddie. I grabbed a
    diaper from the bag and made an effort to get it on
    correctly, but when I sat up I saw I had done a lousy job
    and the diaper wasn't going to stay on well. Damn it! I
    thought, as I tried to redo the `refastenable tapes'. I only
    managed to rip the front of the diaper up in the process.
    Discarding the ruined diaper I sighed knowing what I had to
    do.
    	I wrapped the towel back around me and went in search
    of Phyllis. She was downstairs at the table getting her
    papers organized for the day. "Um. Mrs. G? Could I get you
    to... ah. help me?" I asked trying not make eye contact with
    Derek or Freddie.
    	Phyllis was dressed for work in a dark blue pinstriped
    suit, and I thought that despite her being about my mom's
    age she was still very pretty. She looked up from her
    papers, smiled knowingly and said, "sure thing. I'll be up
    in a jiffy."
    	True to her word, she entered the room right behind me.
    "Okay champ, let's get you taken care of."
    	As she was diapering me I thought about how it was that
    someone else could do so much of a better job with the
    diaper. Maybe I just needed more practice, or maybe you just
    couldn't diaper yourself with any great success. I lifted up
    so she could slide some plastic pants up under me, she was
    finishing snapping them up when Greg came in.
    	"You're just in time," she told him as he took the
    place on the changing pad that I had just vacated. In mere
    minutes he was likewise diapered. Phyllis left us to return
    to her paperwork. I rummaged about in one of the drawers
    Greg had given up to me when I had come to stay for the
    summer (thankfully he had a large dresser.). I found a pair
    of jersey shorts and a tee shirt to wear, while Greg opted
    for some denim shorts and a tank top. It seemed to me that
    the denim was much more effective at reducing the diaper
    bulge than the cotton jersey of my shorts, but ultimately I
    didn't care enough to change.
    	 We went downstairs and ate a quick breakfast of cold
    cereal. Even running late, Phyllis maintained that you
    shouldn't skip `the most important meal of the day.' I
    finished up about the same time as Greg who took our bowls
    and deposited them in the dishwasher.
    	"You guys ready?" Phyllis asked. We nodded our
    agreement. "All right then, Greg you go get your diaper bag,
    and Freddie, turn out the lights and check the back door and
    let's go."
    	We were in the van and on our way when Greg thought to
    ask, "Why'd we have to bring the diaper bag? Didn't you get
    us some diapers for when we are at Aunt Sherry's?"
    	"Yes, you have diapers at Aunt Sherry's, but what if
    she takes you guys somewhere?"
    	"Ohhhh okay," he said as if she had explained a great
    mystery to him. Takes us somewhere? Great I thought, just
    what I want is to go into public wearing a diaper. Greg
    didn't seem to be bothered about it, but he doesn't ever get
    bothered about much. Maybe that's why we were such good
    friends he was so mellow, and I was so high strung.
    	We were dropped off at Sherry's and ushered inside by
    Jarred who ran out side when the van pulled up. He was
    obviously excited that his older cousins would be spending
    the day at his house. Jared was still in his PJ's and it was
    clear from the bulge that he, too, was wearing a diaper.
    "Jarred Joseph Matthews, get yourself in here right this
    instant, you don't go out side in your pajamas," Sherry
    scolded him.
    	"I'm sorwy. Gweg and Fweddie are hewe all day?" He
    asked his mother.
    	"Yes, and Todd, too." She said looking at us. "Sorry,
    ya'll he just got up and ran downstairs. He's a handful
    sometimes." She stuck a finger down the front of his PJ
    bottoms and asked him "Did you have a dry night?"
    	He looked down at his feet as she retracted her finger
    and just shook his head.
    	"It's okay honey, momma was just curious, go get your
    clothes I laid out for you and we'll get you cleaned up."
    	Jarred ran upstairs, probably used to the routine, and
    returned with some clean clothes. Sherry stripped of his
    bottoms and his diaper. She then cleaned him up with a
    diaper wipe and then handed him a pair of training pants to
    put on along with the rest of his clothes.
    	"Greg, Todd, you guys okay or you need anything while I
    got this stuff out?"
    	"I'm fine, thanks," I said, I was a bit embarrassed at
    being asked this in front of a small child. Greg, with his
    usual lack of well-chosen wording, just said, "nope, I think
    I'm still dry." This elicited a giggle from Jarred.
    	"Gweg, you don't wear diapers, you're too old!" Jarred
    looked at his mom as if to say I know Greg is just trying to
    fool me.
    	"Do too!" Greg said back.
    	"Do not!" Jarred was quick enough to reply.
    	"Do too!" It was like the `duck season' skit from Bugs
    Bunny.
    	"Don't," Jared said back, but this time with a little
    doubt showing in his voice. Maybe he sensed Greg's
    sincerity.
    	"Do too...and I'll show you!" Greg stood up and dropped
    his trousers right there.
    	Jared's eyes went wide and for a moment he was
    speechless. "Todd does too, don't ya?" Greg said poking me
    in the ribs.
    	Sherry was astute enough to come to my rescue "Jarred,
    go eat your breakfast before your cereal gets soggy." Which
    was enough to send the four year old dashing to the kitchen.
    	Rob came downstairs with his bathrobe wrapped around
    him and saw Greg standing by the couch with his shorts
    around his ankles. This caused him to raise his eyebrows but
    all he said was something that might have been a growl or
    good morning I couldn't tell. I guess Rob isn't a morning
    person either, more power to him I thought.
    	Sherry told Greg to go ahead and get his shirt off,
    too, indicating that I too should lose my clothes. She
    explained that she had some things for us to try on. Sherry
    left the room and returned a few minutes later with an
    armload of clothes. "I made some alterations to some stuff
    your mom bought, I thought that it might help you guys out a
    bit with your diaper situation"
    	Sherry gave us each a tee shirt that was really long
    and had a flap with snaps in the crotch. I pulled it over my
    head and snapped it up. "See, that will keep your shirt from
    coming untucked and exposing your diapers."
    	I hated to admit it, but it was a good idea, I also had
    to admit it was a onesie, but I could live with it if it
    spared me from showing my diapers off. Sherry handed me a
    pair of overall shorts, which I stepped into. I've always
    thought overalls were a bit redneckish but these were nice
    enough. Greg was handed a regular pair of jeans. Sherry
    explained "Those jeans have an elastic waist, that will help
    keep `em over your diapers and I put snaps on the inseam so
    you don't have to take them off to get changed. I did the
    same on those shortalls you've got on, Todd."
    	Sherry did a great job keeping the snaps hard to see, I
    thought, and it does make sense functionality-wise. I sat
    down and looked at my crotch to make sure the inseam wasn't
    gapping and that the diaper wasn't showing through.
    Everything looked good. I thanked Sherry and gave her a big
    hug, not normally my style, but it seemed like the thing to
    do.
    	"Thanks. I'm just glad ya'll like them, I'll get some
    more done over the next week or two."
    	Sherry returned our normal attire to us so she could
    put the finishing touches on our new clothes. Rob had joined
    us in the living room and asked if we had any interest in
    going with him to the shack. The shack was an abandoned
    house in the woods where we would hang out and shoot off
    fireworks.
    	Rob told Sherry we were going to the woods for a while.
    	"You boys be back by lunch time, and don't you go
    getting into any trouble. Greg, Todd if you guys don't feel
    well or get tired you come on back okay?"
    	"Yes ma'am" Greg told her as we headed out the door.
    	The trail back to the shack was wide open and inviting.
    We made our way fairly quickly, my mind spinning ahead of my
    legs, eager to become occupied with bottle rockets and
    firecrackers. A glance over my shoulder showed a darkening
    sky as huge weighty clouds seemed to seethe and roll over
    each other like snakes. A storm was coming, but we had an
    hour or two before the squall got to us.
    	 The man sat in his chair tapping an ink pen
    absentmindedly against his forehead, not really looking at
    the output on his computer screen. The reports would
    collaborate with all the others, that much he was sure of,
    but without having any pre-exposure data on the two boys it
    would be a hard case to prove. This was such a great
    opportunity for the study, but the frustration level was
    high, working with kids and their parents was not the same
    as dealing with his own people and the study volunteers. His
    volunteers wouldn't ask questions the way these people
    might. And the short sighted powers that be have not yet
    given him permission to acquire the children.
    	He fished at his cup of coffee and found it to be
    almost empty with only the cold bitter dregs left. Grimacing
    he swallowed anyway and reached for the phone. He had to
    report into the people who were in charge.
    	He picked up the phone and dialed the number he was to
    use that week. Although the phone lines were electronically
    scrambled, one could never be too sure in this day and age.
    Considering who his employer was precautions were in order
    and the phone number changed each week.
    	"Thank you for calling Autoshine, how may I direct your
    call?" A pretty sounding voice said at the other end.
    	"I need a manager, please."
    	"One moment, sir."
    	The phone clicked as the line was transferred and voice
    checks were performed.
    	"This is Ray, what can I do ya for?"
    	"Hello Ray, I just brought my van in last week for
    cleaning."
    	"I take it something is not to your satisfaction?"
    	"No. Everything was just as I expected it to be and the
    price was in line with my expectations."
    	"I just wanted to thank you for your service and was
    wanting to make arrangements to have my Mercedes cleaned."
    	"Very good sir, where can we pick up your Mercedes?"
    	"At the office, could you take a look at the carpet on
    the driver's side? Its particularly dirty."
    	"We'll pick it up tomorrow morning and have it back by
    tomorrow night"
    	"Thank you. Ray."
    	The man hung the phone up, `what a stupid cloak and
    dagger way to communicate'. He felt like he was in a bad spy
    novel. Although the man was high up in his organization he
    knew that only meant he had a long way to fall if he ever
    made a mistake. Not following procedure was a very grave
    mistake in the eyes of his employer and the man had spent
    many years learning to avoid such mistakes.
    	Amy popped her head in the office.
    	"I'll be leaving for the day sir, is there anything
    further you require?"
    	"No Amy I'll be fine, have a good day."
    	Amy started to pull away from the door, but then
    thought better of it. "Did the tests conform to your
    projections?"
    	"Yes, and then some. But we really need to observe them
    overnight, see if you can arrange that after their next
    appointment."
    	"Yes sir." Amy said, unconsciously spinning on her heel
    as she left the office.
    	The man known to the boys as Dr. Will looked back to
    his computer and started typing notes for inclusion in his
    next proper report. "Physical output is positive five to
    fifteen percent above nominal expectations for pserafine
    levels present in blood. Organ growth occurring as expected,
    however adolescent physiology may complicate. Further
    research needed to determine effects of puberty on pserafine
    production levels. To early to speculation on host organ
    tissue regenerative abilities. Unable to gauge psychological
    effects with out controlled lab environment."
    	A double beep indicated to the man that there was
    incoming email. He saved his work, flipped to his email
    program and read with interest the two memos to make their
    way into his inbox. The first was a report from one of his
    colleagues on the study indicating that the black flag had
    been lifted and that all environmental hazards had been
    contained or destroyed. Dr. Will smiled knowing that black
    flag was referencing the escaped insects from the production
    control facility a few miles away.
    	The other memo was also good news as far as Dr. Will
    was concerned. This one was from his newshound program that
    provided him with local news. A man was found dead in his
    upscale home, shot apparently in a drug deal gone sour. The
    article explained that the man was a doctor who had
    apparently been using his access to certain substances as a
    way to make a little extra cash. Preliminary inquiries
    revealed a sketchy past with huge amounts of debt to less
    than reputable sources.
    	 "We should get back," Rob said looking out of the
    broken window at the darkening sky.
    	Not really wanting to go back I peered out the window
    myself in hopes of spotting a blue sky where Rob was seeing
    dark thunderheads. I was enjoying some of the first
    unmitigated freedom offered us since the accident and this
    newfound emancipation from authority was sweet even if it
    was short-lived. Turning around I surveyed the insides of
    the shack, the shadows deepening as sunlight faded outside.
    Gregg was crouched down beside a partially broken interior
    wall taping a group of bottle rockets together. The bottle
    rockets joined in such a fashion were a little device we
    called a cluster bomb. While in retrospect not total
    original our version of the age old classic involved using
    vinyl electrical tape to add some extra compression.
    	"Okay we'll blow this one and then go," Gregg said
    placing the package on the ground near what might have one
    time been the porch. He placed a length of PVC pipe into the
    ground into a circular depression around the `DMZ'. The pipe
    sported a small cut away area at the bottom to allow
    lighting the fuse. The pipe thus positioned into the ground
    Gregg stretched a plastic bag over the top of the pipe and
    secured it with a rubber band. It was all routine for us,
    but it was the highlight of many a day when I was lucky
    enough to spend it with Gregg and his cousin.
    	Lighting the fuse Gregg called out "fire in the hole."
    	A moment later, there was a muffled thud as the bag
    billowed out at the top and then ripped letting out the
    acrid smoke in a small puff. We retrieved the pipe and
    secured it back in the shack with our meager supply of bags,
    rubber bands, vinyl tape and other sundry firework
    modifiers. Rob did, however, make sure to take our stash of
    `Class C's' on the off chance that some one else might find
    and pilfer our entertainment.
    	We started the ¬ mile trek to Sherry's in relative
    silence, each of us being thankful for the moment but
    already plotting ahead to what we might do to top today's
    fun. My stomach reminded me that we had been away all
    morning and that lunchtime was rapidly approaching.
    	Just at the edge of the woods with the house in sight,
    the sky opened up and poured forth its contents in a warm
    but driving summer shower. The dark clouds dissipating as
    they delivered their moist payload to the dry ground below,
    creating one of those oddities of summer where it gets
    lighter the more it rains. In the time it took to cross the
    150 feet to the yard proper we were soaked and our shoes
    were caked with mud.
    	Stopping just long enough for Rob to deposit our
    fireworks in an old bin beside the lawn shed we trudged to
    the backdoor.
    	"Don't ya'll get mud on my clean floor," Sherry cried
    impulsively at the first creek of the screen door.
    Thankfully the eve provided shelter from the diminishing
    down pour as we shed out shoes and stepped into the kitchen.
    	Lunch was being put down on the table and looked to
    consist of some type of sandwich and soup. I noticed the
    absence of a place setting and decided not to comment and
    just be thankful that the table wouldn't be that crowded.
    	"I know you weren't thinking of setting at my table
    wearing those muddy clothes were you?" Sherry admonished,
    stopping the three of us in our tracks.
    	"You boys git out of them clothes and come downstairs
    presentable, and don't forget to wash your hands."

    In the afternoon.

    	Upstairs Rob was kind enough to provide both Gregg and
    myself with a pair of shorts and t-shirt. I'm a little
    stocky by nature and the baggies were a bit tight around my
    diaper drawing my full attention to the fact that they were
    almost as wet as the clothes I had just removed. Still I had
    priorities and being fed was at the top of the list so my
    diaper could wait.
    	We reassembled at the table, where Jarred was busy
    eating his sandwich sans crust and occasionally casting a
    disparaging glance at his soup bowl. The sandwiches were ham
    salad (made with a hint of coca cola to offer sweetness) and
    the soup was a roasted pepper puree served cold, a popular
    summer dish in these parts and one to which I am very
    partial to.
    	Jarred, predictably, didn't want anything to do with
    the pepper soup and after finishing his sandwich raced off
    to the living room to continue playing in front of the TV
    until the outside had sufficiently dried out to allow him
    access to his playmates. I elected to eat Jared's soup not
    wanting the mellow soup to waste. Satiated I picked up on
    the conversation that I had unintentionally tuned out while
    gorging.
    	"Tomorrow since the tickets were free," Sherry
    finished.
    	Greg and Rob both seemed delighted at the prospect,
    whatever it was. I puzzled for a moment trying to pick the
    pieces to the conversation I had not paid attention to.
    	"What's that? I wasn't paying attention," I admitted.
    	"You never pay attention when foods around," Greg shot
    back.
    	"We'll the soup was SO good" I said hoping
    halfheartedly to have scored brownie points.
    	"Thank you, Todd," Sherry said beaming at the earnest
    praise, "I got tickets to Splashers tomorrow. Lucy next door
    came to visit and when she heard what you boys had been
    through she called her husband and he's bringing tickets
    home for all of us."
    	Splashers is a water park and a place I genuinely
    enjoyed both for the water slides and for the scenic view of
    scantily clad members of the fairer sex. I was too busy
    thinking of past experiences to concentrate on what will
    surely be a new a very different one considering this time I
    would be diapered.
    	Freshly diapered Gregg and I sat around the table
    playing cards with Rob. We were playing Skip-Bo and I was
    having to fight the good fight trying to prevent Rob from
    winning.
    	Sherry called Splashers and asked for guest services.
    	"Yes, I have tickets for tomorrow and I will have two
    boys in diapers with me."-- pause-- "No ma'am, I'm sorry I
    didn't make myself clear, they're not toddlers they're
    teenagers"-- pause-- "Ahheem, yes I see,..."-- pause--
    "disposables.. yes"-- pause-- "Okay. At the information
    booth.. Yes I see. Thank you."
    	My mind picked up enough of the conversation to wonder
    just how was it that I going to attract the attention of
    anything in a two-piece bikini when I was diapered? Scratch
    that, I thought.. Attract the favor of anything in a two-
    piece bikini. Attention would be the easy part. Knowing
    there was no way of getting out of going short of dying,
    which may be a bit too extreme for my tastes I figured it
    was but another step toward the ultimate of ironies that
    life seemed to dish out to me, each one more extreme than
    the last. Though even as I write these events a full twenty
    years later I am now grateful that life has never failed to
    disappoint or surprise me, it's just at that time in my life
    I was a bit melodramatic, but then again at that age aren't
    we all?

    In the Evening

    	Phyllis made an appearance long enough to check up on
    us and to bring along a fresh bag of diapers in case we were
    running low as the original game plan only provided us to be
    at Sherry's until supper time and Phyllis did not want us to
    expend our backup supply of diapers. Phyllis admonished us
    to `be good' and was out the door after pausing a moment to
    hug Gregg and Freddie and to tussle my hair, Bill was
    returning tonight and they were going to make the most of
    their time without us kids around.
    	Freddie and Rob sat themselves in front of the TV and
    contented themselves with a movie and Greg and I broke out a
    deck of cards for some more of our impromptu poker playing.
    Sherry was upstairs making sure that Jared washed behind his
    ears. The domestic tranquility of the evening was in such
    contrast to my own home life that despite my best efforts to
    just `be happy' I was forcing myself to examine my somewhat
    starched and sterile home life. In turn, I thought of my
    parents and their own troubles a half world away and could
    not do much to bite down the resentment I felt at them not
    putting me first. They could, if they wanted to, decry
    immunity and return home. My father's pride and my mother's
    vanity being enough to keep them on foreign soil fighting
    trumped up charges. Knowing that if the situation ever
    occurred with Sherry or Bill and Phyllis they would put
    their kids first and return to the US with all haste to be
    by their sides. Sometimes the realization that you never had
    something to begin with can be worse than losing what you
    already have.
    	Gregg informing me that `I think too much' and I should
    just play the cards I was dealt because they were not going
    to change because I was staring at them. My gloomy
    introspection broken I played my hand and silently marveled
    at the wisdom of his words, however unintentional, as they
    related to my situation. Maybe that was his secret to
    getting the best out of life, maybe he just played what he
    was dealt and waited for the next hand. Nah, optimism sucks
    I reminded myself, cheered immeasurably despite my best
    efforts to remain morose.
    	Sherry came downstairs, tote bag in hand with Jarred
    trailing behind, a towel wrapped around his waist. She
    fished a vinyl mat from under the couch and Jarred was
    powdered and diapered. Jarred stood and stepped into a pair
    of plastic pants, which he pulled up, and then Sherry
    inspected tucking the diaper in to the overpants in places.
    He stepped into a pair of PJ bottoms and pulled a matching
    shirt on over his head. Finished he climbed onto the couch
    and began to ask everyone in the room if they were going to
    Splashers tomorrow.
    	Sherry told me to come over to the mat and my shorts
    were removed, as were my plastic pants. Sherry deftly ripped
    the tapes away from the front of my diaper and pulled it out
    from under me, rolling it up into a ball and taping it back
    closed. She grabbed a diaper wipe and went to work making
    sure I was clean. From our diaper bag she produced a bottle
    of baby oil and a tube of diaper rash ointment which she
    applied liberally. From my vantage point on the floor the
    unopened bag of diapers looked huge as Sherry ripped it open
    along a seam at the top. She pulled out a diaper and brought
    its wings open as she unfolded it, her fingers working down
    its length fluffing the leak cuff.
    	"Lift up," she requested, I complied, feeling the air
    move as the diaper slipped under me. Her hands gently pushed
    my knees toward the carpet exposing more of my crotch as she
    brought the diaper up and wrapped the back wings forward,
    taping them to the front panel securely. She reached for my
    plastic pants and gave it a second thought as she noticed
    they had been worn all day. She rummaged through our diaper
    bag, finding no plastic pants she told me to sit tight, and
    she went upstairs. She returned with a handful of items
    including a few pair of plastic pants. She offered no
    explanation as to why she had vinyl pants large enough to
    fit a fifteen-year-old boy, but my mind settled on her
    comments from the other day reminding Rob about his little
    problem. The pants were of the snap-on variety and were
    adorned with farm animals, tractors and cartoon-like bails
    of hay. Thusly diapered she handed me a pair of striped
    pajama bottoms that appeared to be about knee length. I
    looked at them dubiously and Sherry said they were too big
    for Rob when they bought them and she was sure they would
    fit me. I removed my shirt and replaced it with the
    identically striped pajama top. I then pulled the bottoms up
    and over my diaper, the elastic waist of pj's disappearing
    under the shirt. I took my place on the couch making room
    for Gregg who had anticipated his turn and had already
    removed his shorts.
    	The routine repeated and Gregg was given a pair of pair
    of overpants covered in red fire trucks. Gregg's Pj's were
    of the same style as mine only a size smaller. I noticed the
    fire truck print was showing through the seat of his pants
    and self-consciously looked down at my crotch to see if I
    could make out any farm animals, I could. Rob remained
    silent through the whole ordeal, only a touch of color rose
    to his cheeks at having his old problem paraded around the
    room. Gregg was surprisingly silent; I figured he would have
    complemented Rob on the cool fire trucks or some such, but I
    think he was being more careful of his cousin's dignity than
    he would be if it were only his own on the line.
    	Sherry handed me the two spent diapers and asked me to
    thrown them out for here while she put away the diapering
    supplies. I padded into the kitchen cringing at the rustling
    crinkle sounds coming from my pants. The PJs were too thin
    to muffle the diaper sound and the vinyl pants that Sherry
    provided seemed only to add their own sound to the rhythmic
    crinkle that accompanied my walking. Seeing the diapers in
    the trash, I tried to bow my legs a bit as I walked back to
    the living room. The sound wasn't any less, just different
    so I reverted to my normal gait.
    	Jarred was dispatched to bed, and Freddie who was
    sharing the room with him decided to turn in himself. Sherry
    told us three remaining boys to hit the hay as we had to be
    up early in the morning.
    	We went to Rob's room and I noted the futon where Greg
    and I were to sleep had been folded down and made into a
    bed. The futon was perpendicular to Rob's bed and came close
    to blocking access to his closet. Rob undressed and to my
    surprise removed his boxers and threw them into his hamper.
    He opened his chest of drawer and pulled out what looked to
    be jockey shorts until I realized they were way too thick to
    be normal briefs. Rob pulled them up and told us sheepishly
    that he didn't normally wear them anymore, but his
    waterproof sheet had been removed to be used on the futon
    for us and his mom had insisted that he wear them `just in
    case.' I immediately felt bad for him and would have tried
    to offer an awkward apology for putting him out had Gregg
    not piped in that Rob should have just worn a diaper like
    real men do. "Real men wear diapers don't they Todd?" Greg
    asked.
    	I tried frantically to think of the right thing to say,
    not wanting to piss off Rob while I am a guest of his, nor
    wanting to admit to anything as heinous as not being a `real
    man'. I noticed Rob was smiling, probably already thinking
    of a comeback, which put me at ease knowing he wasn't
    offended at Gregg's suggestion.
    	"Sure do, I'm a real man and I'm wearing a diaper so it
    must be true. I can't fault your logic there," I said.
    	"See Rob, it's true, real men wear diapers, Todd said
    so. Not that he's a real man either."
    	"Hey! I'm wearing a diaper, so by your own logic I'm a
    real man," I retorted lamely wishing my wit were a bit
    sharper this late into the evening.
    	"Girls can wear diapers, too, and they're not real
    men." Greg countered "See Todd, real men don't wear barn
    yard animals on their plastic pants. They wear fire trucks
    instead."
    	"Fuck you, dipshit" Rob and I both said to him in
    unison.
    	At that moment, I was truly okay with my plight, even a
    bit proud in a humorous sort of way. I resolved then to try
    not to be bothered by my condition when around Sherry, Rob
    and Jarred. Maybe I needed to be a little more like Gregg
    and just play the best I could with what I had. That was the
    first in a long series of lessons that would impart to me
    that the fellowship of ones peers as being a more effective
    weapon to deal with the obstacles of life than the contents
    of ones bank accounts (my parents favored tactic to solve
    all problems was to steady ones self and throw money at it.)
    I was happy for myself and sad for my folks who had never
    learned the value of friendships. As I drifted off to sleep,
    I was truly right with the world, if only for a few hours
    time.
    	Morning came and I was the first to wake as Sherry
    knocked on the door calling for us to get up. I threw the
    covers aside and rolled out of bed catching a glance of
    myself reflected from Robs dresser mirror. I looked just
    like Jarred had the previous morning on our arrival; only I
    was bigger by about eleven years. I pushed Gregg's shoulder
    telling him to get up. Groggily he came awake and sat up in
    bed.
    	"Morning." He told me.
    	"Morning" I replied.
    	"What time is it?"
    	"A few minutes till eight."
    	"Breakfast will get cold if you boys don't hurry,"
    Sherry called from downstairs.
    	Rob, having been woken by the commotion got out of bed,
    slipped a pair of shorts over his training pants, and padded
    out of the room.
    	I headed downstairs where Jarred and Freddie were
    already seated at the table.
    	"Morning all" I said to the room as I sat down.
    	"Good Morning, Todd," Sherry said as she sat a plate of
    bacon and eggs in front of me.
    	Gregg and Rob came into the room and soon we were all
    discussing our plans for the day.
    	Freddie even seemed to be excited about the outing, his
    normal aloofness having been discarded at the prospect of a
    day at Splashers.
    	During breakfast I felt my diaper flooding and knew it
    had to be close to its saturation point as the liquid was
    real slow to be absorbed. I shivered a bit as the warmth
    spread; Sherry noticed this and told me to get the first
    shower after breakfast. She similarly dispatched Gregg to
    the shower in the master bedroom.
    	I got up from the table and put my dishes in the sink,
    rinsing them off despite the fact that the plate was free
    from debris. Sherry followed me into the living room and
    said she would go ahead and get me out my wet diaper. I
    discarded my shirt as Sherry pulled down my PJ bottoms and
    plastic pants. My diaper was sagging a Sherry had to hold it
    up to keep it from coming down as well. She undid the tapes
    and pulled the diaper free, she quickly rolled it into a
    ball and taped it close. I finished stepping out of my pants
    and headed off naked to find the shower.
    	I stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain
    closed. The hot water felt great and by the time I was
    through I felt clean and refreshed. I toweled off a stepped
    over to the vanity to brush my teeth all the while I was
    busily peering in mirror trying to detect the growth of
    facial hair. My parents had gotten me an electric shaver
    that I sometimes used despite not needing it, I think they
    had purchased the razor for me not out of immediate need but
    because I was at the age where I would soon need one. I saw
    something that might be a bit of fuzz on my lip but I wasn't
    sure, the steam on the mirror grew back too quickly for me
    to tell.
    	Wrapped only in the towel I turned over the bathroom to
    Freddie who was next in line and headed back downstairs.
    Sherry was finishing Gregg's diaper as Jarred sat transfixed
    by morning cartoons. I was next for the pad but rather than
    lay down Sherry took my towel and had me turn away from her
    so she could apply some Desitin to my rear. I was soon
    diapered in a standard enough fashion this time without
    plastic pants.
    	"I laid your clothes out on your bed so you boys finish
    getting ready, we need to leave soon."
    	We marched upstairs as she told Jarred to turn the TV
    off, as he too had to attend to getting dressed. I donned
    the shorts she had set out and appreciated the fact that
    they were a little loose which might help conceal my diaper
    a bit. I pulled on my t-shirt, looked in the mirror and
    determined that I could not tell I had a diaper on. In the
    meantime, Rob had returned from his shower and hastily got
    dressed. The three of us were walking out of the room when
    Rob stopped and ran back to his dresser and hastily
    extracted a pair of swim trunks. At that moment, the
    realization hit me that neither Gregg nor I had a bathing
    suit.
    	We got downstairs to see Sherry tiding up before our
    departure.
    	"Sherry, what are we gonna swim in?" I asked
    	"We'll get you guys a suit at the park," She explained.
    	Sherry grabbed our diaper bag and we made our way to
    her Taurus station wagon. Rob rode shotgun, with Greg,
    Jarred and me in the back seat. Freddie rode in the wagon
    portion of the car with instructions to sit with his back to
    the front of the car,
    	The half hour car trip was over pretty quickly and with
    the passes provided by Sherry's neighbor we even got VIP
    parking near the entrance of the park. We still had about
    fifteen minutes until the park opened for the day and we
    joined the line of people waiting for admittance. We did not
    wait long before the line started moving to pre-admit people
    to the park. We got to the ticket booth and Sherry handed
    the ticket girl our tickets, the young woman handed us some
    food passes and explained that they were part of our VIP
    package. The ticket girl noticed the diaper bag and told
    Sherry that if she had diaper-aged children she would need
    to go to the information booth straight ahead for park
    policy information. The ticket girl looked a bit quizzically
    at Jarred but very quickly looked away not wanting to seem
    unprofessional. As we approached the information booth, I
    saw a bit of the plastic wing material of Gregg's diaper
    sticking out the waistband of his shorts and I had to wonder
    if the ticket girl could have remained professional if she
    would have noticed that.
    	We got to the information center and Sherry placed the
    diaper bag on the counter. The lady who stood behind the
    counter was gorgeous! Her park uniform was a one piece
    swimsuit that was cut to not be overly sexy, but it failed
    miserably in its job. Gina, as her name badge pointed out
    worked for guest services. "I can think of a service or
    two," I thought wryly to myself as I felt a stirring in my
    diaper.
    	Gina, seeing the diaper bag and apparently used to
    giving the diaper spiel many times a day stated "We have the
    following policy in place regarding children in diapers for
    the protection of all our swimmers. Plastic swim diapers are
    required for all diaper-aged children. If you need an extra
    pair or forget to bring them for your children, Splashers
    has plastic swim diapers available, at cost, at the
    merchandise shop or information center. Diapers may be
    changed only at designated, sanitized changing areas. If you
    intend to use your own swim diaper it must be approved to
    comply with park policy."
    	Pausing long enough to breath, she continued, "Will you
    be providing a swim diaper?"
    	"No I'll purchase, thank you," Sherry said.
    	"Our Swim Diapers consist of a nylon swim trunk with
    plastic waterproof pant built in. The swim diaper is
    designed to be worn over either cloth or disposable diapers.
    The stripe going down the front of the diaper detects PH
    changes and will change color when in need of changing. Your
    child will not be allowed to ride any ride until the diaper
    has been changed."
    	Gina held up a small pair of trunks and suggested that
    she felt these would be of the proper size. I knew what was
    coming and I wished to be anywhere else in the world, my
    resolve from the previous night melted away in the presence
    of Gina.
    	Sherry leaned forward to speak to Gina in a somewhat
    softer tone. Jarred had apparently made the connection and
    started insisting vocally that he was a big boy and did not
    need to wear a diaper during the day. Gina having gotten the
    message one way or the other looked slightly embarrassed as
    she quickly made her way to the small stock room on the back
    of the information desk. She returned with two identically
    styled but larger garments, apparently having been given our
    sizes by Sherry. She handed the diapers over and managed to
    tell us "You'll find changing stations located conveniently
    throughout the park, the nearest is located at the main
    locker and shower area. Have a great day at the park,"
    before helping the next customer behind us.
    	We arrived at the locker rooms where Rob and Freddie
    with Jarred in tow went into the men's changing area. "Rob,
    if you guys get done before we do I want you to wait right
    here for us, okay?" Sherry called after him.
    	Sherry led us into the changing area, which could
    accommodate two sets of parents simultaneously. The changing
    area had fold down changing tables on opposite walls and a
    bench seat running in front of each. The room was completed
    with a sink and a disposal unit. Sherry took Gregg's shoes
    and socks from him and lifted his shirt off. Greg dropped
    his shorts and handed them to Sherry. Sherry dropped a
    finger into the front of Gregg's diaper and pulled it out.
    "Geez, Aunt Sherry you could have just asked," he told her.
    "Sorry, hon, it's habit." She gave him the swim diaper and
    had him pull it up. She spun him around and checked to make
    sure the diaper was fully covered and that the internal
    plastic pant was covering all the diaper.
    	During this I had seen fit to remove my shirt, shorts,
    shoes and socks. Sherry asked if I was wet, which of course
    I was. I nodded to her and she had me lay back on a changing
    mat she had placed on the bench.. She folded down the table
    from the wall and put our diaper bag onto it. She pulled out
    a fresh diaper, powder and a pop up tube of wipes.
    	She was undoing the tapes on my diaper when the door
    opened and a woman with a toddler walked in.
    	The woman did a double take and then somewhat awkwardly
    said, "I'm sorry, I'll come back in a minute."
    	"Don't mind us, were almost done anyhow" Sherry
    reassured her.
    	The woman folded down the table and placed her son on
    it, I couldn't help but notice the blue stripe on the front
    of his swim trunks was an angry orange in the crotch. Great
    I thought, bad enough to be in diapers, even worse to draw
    attention to the fact.
    	Sherry had disposed of my diaper and popped the top on
    the diaper wipes. She pulled one free and shook the
    container. "Shoot I'm out of wipes," Sherry said.
    	The other woman handed Sherry her flat pack and told
    her "You can use these if you like" I looked over and for
    once Gregg appeared to be a bit embarrassed too. Sherry set
    the Huggies natural care wipes on the table and proceeded to
    clean and powder my groin. She handed the wipes back to
    woman and thanked her.
    	Sherry unfolded a new diaper and I noticed this one was
    a different kind than we had been wearing. These had a big
    blue center panel with internal leak guards running from
    front to back, the wings of the diaper were fuller as well.
    She slid the diaper under me and I noticed it was slightly
    thicker than the others, the crotch of the diaper really
    bunching between my legs. She handed me my swim trunks and I
    pulled them up and did my best to make sure they were right.
    Sherry still adjusted them slightly to account for the
    higher back of my new disposable.
    	"Thanks again for the wipes," Sherry said out as we
    walked toward the door.
    	"Don't worry about it," the woman said back as she
    finished her son's diaper and pulled on his trunks. I
    noticed the stripe in the front had reverted to its original
    blue coloration. A moment later two women and three boys in
    diapers walked out from the changing station.