Crystal
- 3 years ago
- 29
- 0
Her name was Crystal Hoffman. The two of you were inseparable throughout Middle and three years of High School. You were her confidant, her favorite companion, and above all the one she talked to when no one else would do. So close to one another that you were the first one she showed her budding breasts too, the first person she revealed her period to, the first ever to see her naked. She was the first to touch you in a way only your girlfriends would, the first to see you naked, and of course the first to know you had sex that night after Jamie Wybyrn and you spent the night out by the lake on spring break.
You were so close that those around you thought you must have been dating, but that wasn’t true. You were just friends, good friends, but she was like your sister, not your lover. Sure, she had an incredible body, with breasts you wanted to fondle endlessly, but that couldn’t happen and she felt the same. So by senior year you both had other people in your lives and after graduation you hadn’t seen her again. That was ten years ago, before college, before the internship that took your life, before the climb up the ladder. You didn’t know what happened to her and frankly it never crossed your mind as you lived your life. That is until you came home that night to find the message from your mom that your dad had passed.
You transferred positions quickly and moved back home to help your mother, but slowly as things calmed down and life returned to a simple monotony, you started to wonder what happened to her. You mother told you she never left the area, but as to where in the sprawling rural town she had gone, she couldn’t say. Another year passed and with it, your mother got worse until finally passing around January 30th leaving you alone. Despite these personal setbacks, your local job was going well, and you had decided to start getting in shape by rollerblading in the local park. It was there while adjusting your new skates, you saw her.
Dressed in runners shorts and a gray cotton tank top which clung loosely to her body, she quickly flitted past you so quickly you almost didn’t notice two things, the running stroller she was pushing, or the taught belly indicating she was rather pregnant with number two.
Catch up to her and say high, after all you were good friends.
Don’t say anything, she obviously has a family now.
Go the other way.Since we were both still mostly clean, Crystal pulled me into the bathroom to hunt for deodorant. I was reminded that I was not supposed to talk to girls about sweating and that included under the arms. She was very stern about it. Once she found what she wanted, she told me that it was ok to talk to her about questions on etiquette around girl's hygiene, periods, and stuff. There is a whole lot that girls can talk over in front of boys, but boys can't ask girls about. "Just so you know...
*** This tale is an ADULT experience. It contains strong sexual content that is not at all suitable for minors. *** This story can be read separately, or be regarded as a continuation of ‘Phoenix Rising’. Be aware that there are spoilers here for ‘Phoenix Rising’ and that you may wish, therefore, to read that story before you tuck into this one… As you wish, it’s your experience not mine… *** CHAPTERS. CRYSTAL A job with prospects. CRACKED CRYSTAL A service with no prospects. LEAD CRYSTAL The...
FetishBroken Crystalby AbeCrystal left her job at King Softy about nine. It was a pretty good job, serving soft ice cream, hamburgers, and shakes. In the winter, the owner closed the place and went to Florida. It was late summer, still light , still warm. Crystal was a brown-eyed, dark roots blonde, pretty sexy looking, she thought. She wore her thrift store shoes, short white shorts, and her King Softy tee-shirt, which nicely showed off her boobs. Her fancy Frederick's bra was, she thought, a...
shelf and retrieved the video I was interested in. Her skirt barely hid her pronounced buttocks, and the slight smell of sexual excitement was in the air. seemingly, we were the only ones in the store at that time. "This video is hot, hot, hot," she said as she turned and bumped into me suddenly. Slightly flushed, I could tell her temperature was rising as we headed toward the checkout stand. I could hear the heavy "Swish" of her wetness as she walked toward the counter. "My husband and I...
The Dark Crystal (revised and updated) by Olivia Evans "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Arthur C. Clarke The Dark Crystal? is a key major component of the standard survival kit of a starship. Intended to be used by shipwrecked survivors to make modifications to their bodies in order to survive in otherwise hostile and deadly. Depending on the environment some changes are merely cosmetic and minor, others involve complete restructuring down...
CRYSTAL HAD BEEN frantic trying to find Sierra, as the infuriating girl would not pick up or switch on her cell. It was clear from what clothes she’d packed, and the way she left the drawers and wardrobes open and hangers scattered on the floor of her bedroom, that she was gone and not just overnight. Ordinarily, a mother would assume she was staying with friends, but knowing how Sierra reacted yesterday to her Mom’s confession about the lies she told about her father that, wherever Walker...
Creating Crystal I Jennifer and I met when we were both in college. She was in the pre-med program specializing in Psychology and I was studying finance. We just seemed to be made for each other. We had the same likes and dislikes in everything from friends and food to ideology and lifestyles. We both enjoyed the outdoors and were kind of fitness nuts. We were married shortly after I graduated and had landed a job in investment banking. Jennifer still had three more years of school...
"The Dark Crystal" by Olivia Evans Chapter one: "Oh, God that feels so good..." the beautiful young woman moaned as she felt the surprisingly hot, thick shaft slowly enter her. She opened her eyes in the dimly lit room to look at her partner, trying to imagine the face of the current video star on the blank, mask like face of the android which had just so exquisitely penetrated her. The Surrogate Sex Partner...
Gertrude Müller never gave much credence to rumors that floated around. The teens in Darmfurt were so encumbered by a lack of hardship and trouble, that their exaggerations far exceeded the bounds of believability. Like they said on the news, there’d been some kind of incendiary device at the school which blew up a few cars. That was plenty enough to be concerned about, she didn’t see any reason why they’d go on to say there were some super soldiers fighting a monster. More than that, what...
The Blue Crystal ___________________ This is my first story, so please be gentle. This is the story of a blue crystal that grants 2 wishes that can be undone if you do not like the results. Sounds perfect, right? Not so fast... ___________________ I loved my former girlfriend. Well, I guess I still do, but she just isn't my girlfriend anymore. Now, we're just really good friends, and I guess I am okay with that, all things considered. On a scale of 1-10 Missy would have been...
Can dreams come true? (The dream crystal) A man has dreams of being female, which become more and more realistic, with the help of the dream crystal. (If this seems a bit rough, it is because some of dreams are based on actual dreams I have had; p.s. it is only "autobiographical" in that sense.) --------------- I can't remember the exact details, but I am running in a forest and playing. Gradually I become aware that I am wearing a dress. A blue and white, frilly dress, with...
The next morning, in his office, Jack was still nervous about the coming confrontation with Lansing. Besides that, he was worried because last night he didn’t dream about that ancient city. First, I worry about the dreams, now I’m worried because I didn’t dream, he thought. “Construct, how could I have one of those dreams before I found the crystal?” “Lord, as I told you, I know nothing of your dreams except what you have told me. Perhaps when the earthquake exposed the crystal, its power...
CRACKING CRYSTAL! Chapter 1 – Arrogance Rewarded. By Anne Gray She was an arrogant, supercilious, stuck up, snarky bitch and it was timeto take her down a peg or two; it would be my pleasure to do it. Only in her mid twenties, and a dream to look at, she had an attitude thatnot even a mother could love. She stared down her nose at people like theywere something she had found on the sole of one of the high-heeled strappysandals she favoured. Her answer to everything was the platinum no limit...
Oddly, it was Woody who took charge now. He was thinking about dancing, which was his strong suit. And, now that she was willing to talk, he felt better about being more aggressive. He took her to the sweeping driveway, where two cabs were parked under the awning at the front entrance of the conference center. Both drivers were napping, their windows down in the evening heat. Woody woke the younger one up. "Any place in town that has more than one dancing style?" he asked. "Yeah," said...
-- Crystal -- I awoke depressed. Another day to get through. I rolled out of Kegan’s arms and moved over so I could flop back onto my back. I thought about Vaughn and Harmony. It has been nearly three months since my portal book said he had connected to a portal on another planet. He has tried to send me there, but for some reason, the portal on the other side refuses to let him send me. ‘I didn’t meet protocols’, were the replies that Vaughn got. He even connected to the portal on...
Chapter 03 - Throw Eevee off My boxers nearly slipped, and the Eevee clamped her jaws down on my breastbone, making me wince and drop the crystal to better grab her by the back of her head. Some rock isn’t going to help me here. To stop her, I had to use force. “That’s enough!” I forcibly barked, grabbing her with both hands and hissing through my teeth as I forced her off of me, her claws and teeth leaving red marks on my chest as she landed a few feet away from me. I quickly stood, trying...
"Ding."The alarm was never very loud, nor did it last very long. It didn't even have a particular sound. But it was effective. Karen never slept through it. In fact, she never heard of anyone sleeping through it.She sat up and opened her eyes. Her field of view landed on the window of her bedroom, but the status updates were what captured her first attention. The right-hand side of her peripheral vision listed the day's events. It was Tuesday, February 11th, 2042, 7:01 AM. She had a full day of...
Fantasy & Sci-FiSerenaded by the gentle sounds of the woodlands, Amanda sleepily made her way to the kitchen of their luxurious cabin. Pausing, she gazed through the skylight. The stars seemed so much brighter than she was used to. It had taken a week for her to finally start to relax. Breathing seemed easier there. The air was clean and clear and not laden with the tension under which they had been living. There was a gradual lessening of that ever-present dread niggling at the back of her mind, wondering if...
"How are your joints feeling?" asked Woody, as he and Crystal walked out the doors of the conference center. "Fine," she said, looking around. "Oh," he said. "Good. I just thought you might need to stretch... or something." Crystal turned to him, her gaze level. "Just because I acted like a fool last night doesn't mean I'm a fool." "You didn't act like a fool last night," he objected. "You acted like a woman, who needed something. I thought I gave it to you." "Don't...
This is a work of pure fiction. Fantasy is an incrediblething, reality is not. OUR FUN WITH LITTLE CRYSTAL My wife and I picked up this young girl near a school last summer. She wasplaying on the swings without a care in the world, so full of innocence andnaivety. I never knew her age, only that her name was Crystal Murray. She wasjust beginning to develop soft titties that would become huge one day and hershape showed she was about to grow into a very sexy piece of ass. She had longstraight...
“Well, it was going to happen sooner or later,” said Jack. “Yes, Lord. The only way you could have possibly prevented this was by taking control of each and every person that Solana and Lansing controlled. Their chief concubine was important, but unless you controlled them all, they would begin slipping from your control and begin acting independently. That is probably what they were able to detect.” Jack sighed. He had taken both Maria Solana and Caroline Hudson to delay the Order’s...
A beautiful teenager with naturally huge tits, young Pinkie becomes a prisoner of her new found lust when she joins a biker gang and volunteers her bountiful breasts to become subjected to their bizarre bondage and perverted torture games. Once exposed to the exciting and glamorous world of nude dancing, Pinkie repels her inhibitions and thrusts herself into a non-stop quest for extreme sexual experiences including gang-banging, cat-fighting and severe bondage rituals. As new-born...
It was well after midnight when Jack felt himself stir awake. Sharley had done a magnificent job of wearing him out, and the bed was in the same wrecked condition they had left it that afternoon. She was now sleeping deeply, her nightie a thing of the past, and had collapsed finally in utter orgasmic bliss. Jack had slept soundly for a few hours but had woken shortly before two. “I seem to be sleeping less,” he commented. “Yes, Lord, that is to be expected. Your mental powers are continuing...
The numbness begins to fade and you slowly become aware of you cheek, resting on a scratchy surface. You body feels hot and warm but your feet and legs feel cold. You hear what sounds like waves lapping at a shore. You open your eyes and are blinded by the sun in your face. "Ah..." you squint as your eyes struggle to adjust. You sit up slowly, looking around you in confusion. You're on the shore of a great body of water. The sky is light blue with a few small clouds lazily moving by in the...
After Kathleen’s solo adventure with Kyle, she seemed to become less and less interested in swinging with other couples. Our nights out at parties and nightclubs became rarer, and her insistence that I find a playmate of my own grew stronger. Without realizing it, our shared swinging hobby gradually transitioned into more of a parallel pastime.“I just think it’s easier this way,” she explained to me one night. “It’s too hard to find a couple where all four people are completely compatible and...
Wife LoversAdventures of a Merchant: Dance with a Demon by Arcie Emm See Prior Adventures of a Merchant: 1. The Start 2. A Pause in Corels 3. Choices Notes: - Thank you to Hope Eternal Reigns whose editing so often causes me to embarrassedly exclaim, Doh! - The use of ~ around dialog designates it as something ...in a den in the City of Glanlies... A tale untold is like jewelry unsold, precious and shining gloriously, only for its owner. With my writing contract not extended...
It was very late in the office in the Finacial District, and Annie, an experienced manager, was in a closed conference room on a video call. She was not working though, but connecting with her also busy husband undressing for him from her upscale office clothes. They worked in different countries, both stayed late, and this was one of the ways to entertain one another. Several days ago, he was telling her a story, and she was wildly pleasuring herself to it. Today, Annie was feeling like making...
Wife LoversIntroduction: Beginning in the U.S.A. but will get more intense African Intense Experimental Adventures This is Fictional and Please do not steal our idea. Id like some feed back please. katejeffdeanadventures at yahoo dot ca My wife Kate, our friend Dean or me are writers. We have read some of the stories on here and we see how many pick on Grammar and Spelling. We are using Open Office to write with. It does have spell check. But just the same worried that it may not pick all spelling...
*I want to try something I haven't before. I want to try to interact with comments. At certain parts of the story I plan to have the main character doing something like online chats or something of that nature. She would interact with the comments you say as if you were talking to her. Some of the things you say could influence certain changes to the main character as well. For instance, "Damn those are some big tits. But they could be bigger." May make the main character decide to augment her...
FetishAdventures of a Merchant: Choices by Arcie Emm See Prior Adventures of a Merchant: 1. The Start 2. A Pause in Corels ...being continued... Greetings once more friends. At the end of my last tale I mentioned that it was time for me to spend some time in the now and I took my own advice. After a stay in Corels to visit family, I continued on to Elladoo Post for my first visit in a number of year. As it always does, the visit served to remind me of who I am, for people who knew you...
Adventures being Tied and Edged by Guys. Adventure #1, Scott in Atlanta. Authors note: I am a straight guy with a lifelong love of bondage. I have had a special love for edging ever since I saw my big sister’s ?Joy of Sex? with the picture the guy tied spread eagle while the girl sat on him and teased his cock. I have tied and been tied by women many times, and enjoyed it thoroughly. However, when they took the dom role, I never felt like they were enjoying it. A few years ago, after...
Hello everyone! Myself Abhay, I have been a silent member of this forum since a very long time and it has helped me make many sexual adventures in my life. So I would like to share with you guys one of the adventures with my maid and the things that followed. This is an incident when I was still studying. I had returned home from Mumbai during my 2nd year of college for the Diwali holidays. I am 6’1 tall, decent build man with wheatish complexion. We live in Ahmedabad. I am the only child in my...
Sorry for bad English, not my native language Brief summary of the first part. Kadri felt at 11-year old, that her passion is exhibitionism. She was cautious at first, but then more and more daring in her exhibitionism adventures. She was naked at the beach of the lake in front of almost hundred people, then took shower with boys. Her football coach noticed Kadri’s habits and proposed her to take shower with him. Then Kadri got first sex experience at 12. After that she also tried winter...
Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 14:04:11 -0700 From: William Steps Subject: Adventures in Astral Projecting Part I ADVENTURES IN ASTRAL PROJECTION Episode one; Accidental Revelation I had been experimenting with astral projection since I was eighteen years old, back in 1999. I had no success whatsoever at first, but the more I practiced the more I had some results. I pursued it as more of a hobby, but after a few years I was able to correctly see things in...
March 29, 1992, Chicago, Illinois “You could have knocked me over with a feather,” I said to my wives as we sat in the sauna just before lunchtime on Sunday. They had finally come downstairs about 11:15am and asked me to join them in the sauna. I had been sitting in my study typing furiously into my journal trying to sort out everything Abbie had told me. “If you think about it, it really does make sense,” Kara said. “You taught her how to love and how to be loved.” “I know, but it still...
Introduction: A sexually precocious boy is either being scared or blown by his insane sitter. Chapter 1 I was, to put it mildly, sexually precocious. By the time I was 13 years old, I was jerking off three or more times a day, and trying (desperately) to peak into the clothes of every female I got near. I sort of had a girl friend, Stacy, who was a year older than me. Our parents had been trading baby sitting since we were little, so we had been thrown together every week or so for years. We...
Sam could not deny a sense of deep friendship as he saw the towering Cerberus standing there by the entrance. Even though it was a Mark IV, made obsolete quite a while ago with the Union military now using the Mark IX, it still was an impressive combat system. The fact that Charles was truly sentient made the Cerberus much more dangerous than any known main battle system in Sam’s opinion. Sam has just stepped out of a TMT booth and onto Treasure Island Plaza, right before the sky-reaching...
On the Monday morning following our exciting Saturday afternoon with Steve, Traci and I had to return to the mundane world of work. Traci was employed as a receptionist for a large investment firm. She spent her day answering the telephone, greeting clients and getting coffee or water for everyone but herself. She wasn't thrilled about her job, but she realized that her situation was the result of her own choices. While majoring in modern dance had been fun and fulfilling, it hadn't been a...
CuckoldAfter my experience with Dan and Lisa, I wasn’t actively looking for another “hotwife” couple. Shortly after I severed ties with the two of them, however, I received a message on our swinging website. I had reached out to Phil and Danielle shortly before meeting Dan and Lisa. I was not only intrigued by the photos they included in their profile, but also with their sincere and articulate description of themselves.Danielle was just my type of woman: blonde and petite, and with an exquisite...
Wife LoversADVENTURES AT AN ARTISTS' COLONY CH. 4SisyphusI thought about the sexual adventure I was having with Angel, how wild, imaginative and honest it was. Role playing lets us be more uninhibited and explore places we might not otherwise go. I thought about how we played off of each other and got so fully into each other’s games. There was definitely chemistry between us and I found myself wanting to know her better and to take what started as play to another level. So that night when it was my turn...
Straight SexIf you like arousing stories that have plot and character development too, you don't want to miss it. It takes some time at the start of the story to develop the characters and plot, but the payoff later is a story that's emotionally satisfying as well as very arousing. There's also humor, romance, and deeper themes. The plot naturally appeals to men, but many women and couples have enjoyed it too. This story is about me (sameer)…it takes place in bangalore in an upmarket society wher I...
It’s been a while since you (readers) have heard last from me (hubby came home for the Christmas vacation but has left again), so I guess it’s ok again to share my adventures to you all readers , as I had read most of your comments to hear more, well here it is …the adventure continues… Aaron used to pay me a visit once or two times a week after that first encounter (first adventure), I was excited and satisfied every time we would have sex in every corner of the...
Hello all, I am Akash. I am back with the continuation of the adventures with Shalini and Geet. First of all, I would like to thank you all for your overwhelming response to my first story. Those who don’t know me, let me tell you about my self. As I told you my name is Akash obviously name changed. I have a chiseled body with 6 inches of dick. The two main characters of the story are Shalini and Geet. Shalini is my sister in law and Geet is Shalini’s roommate in Ahmedabad. I have already told...
Dear Friends, This is the real story of a young beautiful married couple who is bold, beautiful and adventurous and very much sex obsessed. Like other all new open minded 21st generation couples, they are just entered the world of sex and were enjoying their youth, fresh body which was virgin before their marriage. This story narrates how their new marriage life started and moved to an un-imaginable corner which turned their meaning of sex and its pleasure. The whole reason of happening this...
ADVENTURES AT AN ARTISTS’ COLONY Sisyphus Chapter One When I arrived at Hickory Run, an artists’colony in New York State, my intent was to have a two week writing retreat with no distractions so I could finish my novel. The setting was perfect, a small log cabin tucked in a grove of trees with a view of Indian Lake. Each cabin, however, had two separate apartments. For a hundred dollars more a week I could have had a cabin without an adjoining space, but, as it was, I could barely afford this...
Straight SexADVENTURES AT AN ARTISTS’ COLONY CH. 4 Sisyphus I thought about the sexual adventure I was having with Angel, how wild, imaginative and honest it was. Role playing lets us be more uninhibited and explore places we might not otherwise go. I thought about how we played off of each other and got so fully into each other’s games. There was definitely chemistry between us and I found myself wanting to know her better and to take what started as play to another level. So that night when it was my...
Adventures of a sex goddess CH 1 Strange things can happen when you combine a frightfully imaginative imagination with a horny teenage boy. Contains some interesting content. Heavy sexual content. I would say be careful, but if you have come to this website, you no longer have any innocence to what this sexual adventure is. In the dark, forbidding shadows and the bright, energetic sun, there was a being of the caliber of a god. It was ageless, created by nothing, and could do anything that...
I eased into the warm and bubbling water and sat on the ledge along the perimeter of the enormous hot tub. I leaned my head back and stared up at the Jamaican sky filled with more stars than I had ever seen before in my life. It was quiet except for the sound of the water and the quiet murmurs of the few guests that surrounded me.It was the end of a very long day. We had crawled out of bed in the early hours of the morning before sunrise. We had spent most of the day in airports, cars, and...
Wife LoversI had lived in the Old West Trailer park just outside of Las Vegas for 4 years. I had a string of bad luck at poker and craps. I had lost my house, my wife and my dog over a short period. Being 23 years old and broke sucks big time. I now play poker tournaments on the Internet and have won enough to pay for a trailer and beer. I have open my second beer since I started writing this story. I am not sure how it happen but I am glad it did. It all started about a month ago.I was hanging my wash on...
Adventures of Tami: Tami's Chastisement Starring L & Tami by Tami, L's Gurl As always these stories are based on the truth. Only a little bit of "dramatic flair". L has always been a tad bit insecure and jealous of any woman that she thinks is eyeballing me. One day I think I mentioned that if she could lock up my dick I would gladly let her, just to prove there are no other women in my life. Not that I would ever think of leaving L, my life is too fantastic as...
Adventures of a Novice Janet L. Stickney [email protected] That first time I tried on my sisters clothes I was just 8 years old. She was 12, so the fit was bad, but I was in heaven! I tried using my Mothers makeup while dressed in Julie's clothes, unaware that I looked a lot more like a clown and a lot less like a real girl. Yet what I saw in the mirror excited something deep inside of me that I had no name for, I just knew that I had to dress up so I could look like a girl. My...
I needed a vacation and a tropical island was the best remedy for the mid-winter blues. Any island would do, as long as it had warm, sandy beaches. So I booked a trip to Jamaica and before I knew it, I was on a plane headed south away from the snow and the cold. My boyfriend Mike came with me and we left that day hoping for another great adventure. I arrived pale, tired but excited about a week of nothing at an all-inclusive resort. All I had to do was eat, drink and get a tan. Mornings were...
"Adventures With Aunt Madge V" Ruth added a bit more of the foundation makeup then stood back to make sure my face was now a flawless, uniform shade like a painters canvas ready for color! She then excitedly went to the makeup tray on the nearby counter and began gathering more items. The lady doing my pedicure checked to make sure my nails were dry then removed the toe spreaders and rolled the cuffs of my jeans back down then moved off to straighten up her work area. The...
Note: This is the last installment of "Aunt Madge" for this story, as you will notice after reading it that there isn't much more to be told here. It's pretty much complete. I did change Tim's name from Marissa to Melissa in an effort to have a little change. But in this or any other genre there's only so much you can do to a story really, change a scenario here a story line there and move the concept around a bit but in reality there is unfortunately a lot of sameness. I appreciate the...
Adventures with Delicious DeeDeePart 3Our kiss/introduction continues pulling each other tightly against one another, my hand moves down your back over your short skirt to feel the warm skin of your ass, pulling your hips even tighter against me so that you can feel my erection through our clothing. The closeness of it, and feeling it even through the barriers of our clothing increases you desire...your need to have it, feel it, to have it cum for you. As my hand slides slowly over your skin,...
Adventures with Delicious DeeDeePart 2You return to your car, placing the wooden box the receptionist on the passenger seat desperate to know what was inside, but also assuming it was a test as the box had no lock only a catch....you could just peek inside no-one would know, I would not know. You resist the temptation are start the short journey to the cabin, following the receptionist’s directions. Then your mind wonders about her, and the knowledge you did not think she should have, such as...
"Adventures With Aunt Madge" "Feeling feminine yet sweetie?" Aunt Madge said as she spoke in a slightly exaggerated melodic, feminine tone which I am sure was intentional to make me squirm even more as I stood there and watched her open the pink box on the bed then return with an old fashioned white satin corset which she quickly unhooked then wrapped around my waist! I couldn't think, my thoughts and my mind were in a whirl! I felt weak as I teetered on the high stiletto heels I...
"Adventures With Aunt Madge II" By Anonymus Writer For the remainder of my vacation I did exactly as I was told by Aunt Madge. Then finally, satisfied that the duration of my "punishment" in both intensity and duration was sufficient she relented, gave me back my tennis shoes, my T-shirts and jeans then allowed me to finish the last four days of my time with her as her nephew Tim instead of her "niece" "Marissa." Had she cured me? No. But she had at the...