The Bridge To Home Part 1: The First Travels free porn video

Introduction: this story came from a discussion I had with a colleague a while back. We were discussing refugee children and how they think. Much of that conversation is included within this story. Another influence was the UK's children's charity video "one second a day" which can be found on youtube. I hope you enjoy it. As well, this will be a multiple section story: answers to questions will be answered in time. Hope everybody likes... The bridge to home part I: the first travels By steelhead2 The dawn was breaking in the east: it was going to be a nice day. Through the ever increasing daylight, a lone car drove down a dusty, pothole infected road. Inside the car was a single female occupant. She stopped at a deserted intersection, briskly turned left and continued on her way. She drove past several old foundations (a few bore scorch marks and fire damage, while others had collapsed in on themselves, leaving only large holes) a few crumbling houses, and several rotted vehicles. She remembered back to a better time: when all of this area was green and alive with healthy, prosperous people. All of that was over now: she had far better, and shortly, she would never have to return here again. She had made this trip twice a month for the last long while, and that thought of never returning made her very happy. She continued driving. She noted with disgust the roof of the old school (her old school) had collapsed in on itself-only a brick shell remained. She briefly remembered playing in the big field next door to the school, her old friends... she shook her head and got back to the task at hand. She finally arrived at an old house. It was still standing, but not by much. The windows were broken, and covered with rotting, mold covered plywood. She held back a tear as she parked the car...it wasn't really a simple car, mind you, it was a large, diesel powered jeep. She had 'rented' it from a local police friend who was overseeing things in the area. It had cost her plenty, but it would soon be worth it. She slowed down, checked to make sure she was alone, and parked the vehicle. She quickly went up to the front door, and pushed it in. It took her eyes a few minutes to adjust to the lower level of light inside the building. Then she saw him-a thin, mal nourished male teenager. "So, are you ready to go?" she asked him, as she tried to sound cheery. The boy looked at the ground, and then he answered her with, "I...I think so. You sure we go today?" "Good! And yes, I'm sure. I have all your papers right here," she explained as she held up a folder full of papers. "You are all mine now, I guess. Everyone else is gone. And I'm not setting foot here again! But soon you'll be in a much better place: a place where you can play and go to school and so much will happen-and unlike here, it will all be good!" she added. She helped the boy pack his few things up-he had next to nothing to begin with, so it didn't take long. "We'll leave your cooking pot and extra food with the rescue group here: the others will definitely need all of that stuff. Your bedding can simply be left behind. Did you pack your clothes like I told you?" she explained as they worked. "Yes, auntie: everything packed up last night. Breen bags good strong!" explained the boy. "Good: now go and get them and we can pack you up! The sooner we're out of here, the better I'll like it!" commented the woman. As the youth gathered his things, she walked through the house. She had lived here in her youth as well-but that occurred well before the great upheaval. She went into what had once been the kitchen-a kitchen that once had been grand. Her mother had cooked meals fit for a king in that kitchen. Now only a broken cabinet, a gas fired cooking pot, and the few cracked dishes the boy used remained. They had come for the appliances a few years before (they contained valuable steel) and with little electricity to be had, they didn't work anyway. As everyone else had left or was conscripted or died, she had taken care of the boy for the last several months, following the death of her own aunt and the conscription of her last cousin: she journeyed here a few times a month, bringing him bottled water and canned food and cooking fuel and, in essence, his survival. But now everything was about to change for both of them. She hurried and salvaged several photo albums, family papers, and mementos she had collected and put away for safe keeping. She had removed the best, and most irreplaceable, items long ago. Now the last few things were all that was left. The boy reappeared after dragging two bags (green garbage bags) to the front door. They then rounded up with remaining food and supplies and packed everything up in her jeep. "Auntie, I wanna stop at sacred ground. I wanna see daddy one last time," asked the boy. "Yes, sweetie, yes we can. Besides, I want to make one last stop there myself. We have time," she replied. As she pulled the jeep out of the driveway, he looked back at the house-the only home he had ever known. While auntie had told him that the new place he was going was nicer and better in every way, he didn't believe it. In fact, he wept as they left. They stopped at a cemetery. Most of the stones had been damaged or broken or defaced during the continuing great upheaval: only a few still stood. They ventured in and looked at the stones belonging to their family. She took a few photos, and they both examined the stones. "If I could, I'd take all of you too," she said under her breath. She held the boy tight as he cried: big tears ran down her cheeks as well. After a while, they turned and left. After stopping at the rescue centre, where the dropped off the food and cooking appliances, they drove out of the area. Much later, they dropped off the jeep with its owner. They were now a ways out, but not yet out of harms' way: the first border was still two days travel away. "We'll stay were I've stayed on these trips. Come on, sweetie," she explained. They went to an old building, found a room, and made a place to sleep on the floor. They could hear aircraft flying overhead: they were underneath a major flight path. "Tomorrow we'll cross the first border. A few days later, we'll cross threshold, and then we'll go to my house," she said. Then she held the boy close, and whispered to him, "You'll go to school and have a mostly normal life then. It will be hard at first, but everything will be done so that you can catch up. And I swear I'll never leave you, not even for a second!" After barricading the door, the two of them fell into a fitful, restless sleep. At dawn the next morning, they walked, carrying all their goods, several kilometres and waited for rail transport. The ramshackle hut that was used for a train station, she bought tickets. "I'll need to see yours papers, please. And do you have papers for the boy? I'll need to see them as well." said the uniformed station attendant. "Everything is right here, sir. I'm sure everything is in the correct order," she explained. The man flipped through the documents, pausing every few seconds to read them. "Yep, you're both ready. So, he's your nephew?" said the man to no one in particular. He printed up tickets for both of them, checked their things, and directed both of them to the track. The old locomotive huffed and belched thick black smoke into the air. The main use of the railway here was to move soldiers and equipment- everything else came a distant second. But today an old diesel locomotive, pulling five ancient, damaged passenger cars, stopped at the station. Armed men checked documents and tickets, and then stood back and allowed those lucky enough to have papers to board. The train chugged off, and the two of them sat on the floor, on top of their pile of goods. She looked around: the rail car was full: she said nothing. But she did lift the boys' face to meet her gaze and smiled at him. She rubbed his cheek and made silent promises to the boy. At one stop, they were all ushered off. A meal of thin soup and rye bread was served to all. As it was getting dark, the train would not move until morning. Again, the two of them tried to sleep. After two days of this, the train finally arrived. While they were still in a martial law area, the front, and therefore the fighting, was now far back in the distance. The train station was much larger. "We'll go find something to eat, and then we'll go to the place where we will stay for the next few days," she gently explained. They went to a small restaurant located beside the train depot. Here the soup was thick and contained many vegetables. Then they went to her hotel. "The place where we are going is called a hotel, sweetie. People rent rooms there for a time. It will be our home for the next few days. Just keep quiet and we'll have no trouble, understand?" he nodded his agreement. Back at the hotel, she matched her charge into the bathroom. After having him strip naked, she took his clothes and stuffed them into a plastic bag. The only toilet was a plastic bucket that sat in one corner of the cold room. "Now into the tub with you, sweetie!" she ordered. He wondered about this-back home he had no plumbing, and a bath was rare indeed. As he entered the tub, she said, "Now close your eyes-this liquid will burn if you get it in your eyes." She worked the thick, smelly shampoo into his hair. Then she rubbed it all over his dirty, smelly, filthy body. "Smells bad, auntie." He commented. "Yes, it does: but it will stop you from scratching-it kills bugs and such. And I'm not taking back any lice with me!" she explained. After a through delousing, she washed the boy using the conventional soap and shampoo she had brought with her. The only water connection was an old hose that provided a thin trickle of water: she used a bucket to collect that water while she bathed the boy. His hair was long and tangled, almost in dreadlocks, but his auntie used conditioner and thick, strong shampoo to clean and remove the tangles from his hair. It took a long time, but eventually she rinsed him off, bucket of cold water over bucket of cold water, and finished up. He had him step out of the bath, and she gently dried him off. She then stripped and started to wash herself. "Should...should I wash you, auntie? Like you just washed me?" he asked. "No, that will not be necessary," she replied. He then sat, naked, on the bathroom floor. "Auntie is very pretty" he thought to himself. Soon, his aunt finished bathing, dried herself, and took the boy into the main bedroom. "Now I have some clothes for you, sweetie," she explained. He got out a big bag and produced clothing. Soon the boy was wearing a new white T-shirt and soft grey sweat suit. The final addition was a pair of plastic flip flops. "You'll get more clothes over the next few days. And once we get out of here, I am going to get you a whole new wardrobe!" auntie exclaimed. The boy had never felt a bed as soft and as nice as the one he slept in that night. But he could not sleep: he did not know what was coming, nor did he understand what was happening. In short, he was afraid. He knew the woman who had rescued him-he had known her for a long time. She had brought him food and vitamins and cooking supplies-so she must care deeply about him. She was somehow related to his grandmother, and his mother, but grana had died a long time ago. Momma had gone off, promising to come back for him, but she never did. Where was she? He continued thinking: what would his new home look like? Was there much fighting there? He hated the fighting-his father and his uncles had all been made to fight-and he knew that most of them had been killed. In fact, one soldier-soldiers often entered his old home and slept on the floor there. A few were nice, and gave him extra food or chewing gum or little gifts. But most were violent and took his cooking fuel, food, and supplies for themselves. A few beat him, and some others-but only a very, very few-had touched him. They had 'used him' as they like to say. He hated that more than anything. He tried to get those memories out of head. He cried out, and he woke auntie up. She hugged him and stroked his hair. "There, there. It's just a bad dream, that's all," she cooed. She tried to settle him in-but he could not get back to sleep. He simply lay there, consumed with his thoughts. The next morning, they woke up. Auntie gave him another new outfit-this time he was given a soft white tunic and matching trousers. "We have to go and see some people today sweetie. I need to register you, and then we can get you papers so I can take you with me," she tried to explain. At that, he was frightened. "REGISTER?" he gasped. He remembered that word from before. They came to do that, and they gave out cards-cards needed to buy food and send letters and move around. They asked a high price for the cards-money or goods or foodstuffs or even touching. At least the first group of soldiers did. The soldiers that came next didn't (or at least not often) ask for those things. But they were just there. Would they allow him to leave? Could auntie do such a thing? The last soldier he had talked too told him that soon, he too would have to go and fight. Would they allow him to not fight? The boy started to sweat profusely and he turned white with fear. Every muscle in his body tensed up. "No, baby no!" chided auntie. "Everything has been arranged already. But there are things we need to do first," she quickly added. She took hold of his hand and they left. Their first stop was a strange place. A smiling man looked over some papers and told him to go and stand with his back to the wall. The man then adjusted a strange looking machine. "Now look straight ahead, please." He instructed. The bot then saw a bright flash. "All finished. I'll have your photos in a minute." offered the man. He went in back, and returned a few minutes later with a small paper envelope. "Thank you," offered auntie. The next stop was even stranger. A man and a woman, both of whom wore long white coats, took him into a small room. The man made him open his mouth and say 'ahh' and looked in his eyes with a small bright light. He used a different light to look in the boys' ears and up his nose. He examined the boys' feet, legs, and pushed his fingers into the boy's stomach and sides. "Does this hurt?" the man kept asking. A thick rubber band was placed on the boys' upper arm. It tightened and then it let go. He touched the boys' wrist while looking at his watch. The man then took a small metal disc, which was attached by two rubber lines to his ears, and placed the disc on the boys' chest, back, and stomach. The man and woman both seemed pleased, and after they had led the boy back to his auntie they said, "He's in good shape physically, all things considered." The woman the handed auntie two small pieces of paper. "He'll need a chest X-ray and a bit of blood work as well. The instructions are all on the sheet. You can do all that tomorrow morning. But as of now, we find nothing wrong with him, save for the fact that he's malnourished and very thin," she explained. Auntie took the papers, took the boy by the hand, and they moved off to the next place. The next stop was another room. In here a woman in uniform tried to take him, and he would not go. "No go! No!" he cried out. "Look kid, I'm not going to hurt you! We just need to take your fingerprints, and then I need to do some paperwork for you. That's all." The uniformed woman explained. Auntie helped him move and sit at the woman's desk. She rubbed black ink on his fingers, and then rolled each fingertip on a sheet of paper. After allowing him to clean his hands, the uniformed woman then sat down at a desk with the two of them. "So, what's your name?" she asked the boy. He had to think for a minute-what was his name? Auntie called him several names-which one was correct? Finally, auntie spoke up and said, "His name is Mark. He uses the same last name as I do." The woman then looked at the two of them with a quizzical look: "You mean he's a boy? I thought he was a girl! I mean, with the long hair and small build. I'll just take a second and correct my mistake!" The uniformed woman then ripped up the first paper, and quickly started work on another. The uniformed woman asked a lot of questions, but auntie always had an answer. To the boy's surprise, she never yelled or threw things or hit him, the way most uniformed people did. Maybe a few of them were different. Finally, the uniformed woman gave auntie papers to sign. He watched as she signed the forms. Maybe someday he'd learn to read and write too. 'Would it be hard?' he thought to himself. "Well, Mrs. Armean, everything seems to be in order. Once I have the last few documents, I'll prepare the travel document and entrance passport for Mark here. And then the two of you can leave here." explained the uniformed woman. Auntie responded with, "Yes, that will be nice!" The next morning, the two of them returned to the clinic. Mark was made to go wee-wee in a cup, and then to make poo in a cup. Then a small amount of blood was taken. He was frightened by the needle, but auntie held him and comforted him, and besides, the needle didn't really hurt. Then he was made to stand in another machine, which made a loud clicking noise. Then the two of them left. A few days later, the two of them got on a large boat. Mark kept holding auntie's hand in a very tight fashion. However, the voyage was uneventful, and after a few days at sea, they arrived at another port. They got off the ship, went through an office, and then moved out of the port. "And now we wait. Frank and Jim will be here shortly. Then we'll go home," explained auntie. "Frank? Jim? Who are they?" asked Mark. "Oh, I guess I need to explain a few things. We'll go and sit over here on the bench. I'll explain everything to you," replied auntie in a soft voice. They went and sat, and auntie said to him, "Frank is my husband. He's the man I married. Jim is my son-he's a boy like you. They both know you're coming, and both will, over time learn to love you very much. And I hope you'll learn to love them both back with all your little heart!" She smiled at him, but he was worried. He did not know either man, and men were scary! Soon two men appeared. A large man approached auntie and said to her: "I'm glad you're back-this time for good!" He then kissed her on the cheek. He then looked the boy over, and after clearing a shocked look from his face, said, "So you must be Mark. You can call me Uncle Frank for now." He turned and pointed to the other man, who was smaller and looked much younger. But he was still bigger then Mark. "This is Jim, my son. He's your cousin. Say hello to Jim, Mark. Go on-you can do it!" said Frank. Mark was cowering behind auntie, and then timidly stepped forward, waved his hand in the air, and whispered, "Hello, Jim." Frank then led all of them out to a waiting car. Mark was scared, excited, and wonderstruck all at the same time. The road was large and intact-with many vehicles and trucks. He had never seen so many vehicles at once! Every one of them was clean and many were painted in bright colours. But he saw the large dark green trucks that he remembered from before: they were here as well and he would need to be careful. As well, all the buildings were large, clean, and intact-if they were here, why was there no damage? What was happening? They left the main road and drove down a street. There were lots of houses, and all of them looked very nice. Each one had a green lawn, and several had flowers planted in front. Frank turned the car and then pulled up at one house. "This is your new home!" exclaimed Auntie. All four of them got out of the car, but Mark found he could not walk. Could this place now be his home as well? It was so nice and well kept. Again auntie too his hand and led him up the stone walk way and into the house. The house felt solid and strong-there was no damage anywhere! Some of the floors had soft carpets, while others featured hardwood floors. The two men went into another room, but auntie took Mark and showed him another room. She touched something on the wall, and a light came on! It was strange, with many fixtures and shining white bowls mounted on the floor. "This room, sweetie, is called the bathroom. When you have to go wee-wee or make a poo, it goes in here. This is called a toilet, just in case you didn't know that. And when we-re out, if you need to go, you just ask people to show you where the toilet is. Understand?" she asked. When Mark did not reply, auntie had him stand straight: she then pulled his pants down and had him sit on the toilet. "Now go!" she urged. Mark just sat there-he was a little frightened. Before, he had done this sort of thing in a bucket if he was lucky, in the back field, or, all too often, in his pants. Now, he was sitting on a cold plastic seat with a pool of water right below him. Auntie was urging him to produce; in fact, when he tried to get up, she gently but strongly made him stay sitting. Mark finally grunted, and he could feel his bowels moving. "Now there's a good boy! Just keep going-I want you all emptied out! Grunt again!" encouraged auntie. Mark started whimpering: he could hear something hitting the water below his bottom. He started to pee: he could no longer hold it. After several more minutes, auntie hugged him, and said, "GOOD! You are a very good boy, sweetie! You made, and I'm very proud of you! Now stand up and look!" Mark stood up and looked: he had indeed made a large poop-he could see it floating in the water. Auntie had moved behind him, and she had some paper in her hand. "Just bend over a little so I can wipe your bottom. It won't hurt, I promise!" explained auntie. He felt funny, having his bottom wiped and cleaned. Auntie finished up and then she dropped the brown streaked paper into the toilet. "Now we finish up with the flush! This is the fun part!" said auntie. As Mark watched in awe, auntie pushed down a small silver coloured lever on the front face of the toilet. The thing made a loud noise, and then the water in the bowl started to swirl. Then the water level dropped, and it, along with the poo, pee and dirty paper all vanished. As if my magic, the bowl then filled up again with fresh clean water. As she pulled his pants up, auntie warned Mark, saying: "Now you do not drink the water from that bowl-even though it looks clean, it's in fact dirty! As well, you do not drop or put anything but pee, poop, and toilet paper in the bowl-no normal paper, no cloth, no clothing of any kind-nothing! Do you understand all this!?" Mark cringed, and replied with a quiet, "Yes, auntie." "There's my good boy! Now I'll put you on the toilet every so often, until I'm sure you can go on your own. I do not want any messes or accidents in your pants, understand? And if you feel you need to go, get me right away, so I can take you, understand?" said auntie. After washing her hands, she then smiled at the boy, and in a more cheerful voice said, "Come on, and I'll show you the rest of the house." Auntie then showed him around the house. There was a big room with chairs and a very long soft thing where Jim was sitting. Mark learned it was called a 'couch' but auntie called in a 'sofa'. Upstairs was another sitting room, and a very strange room. Auntie went over to a very large white coloured rectangular thing and pulled on a handle. The block had a front door, and inside were a whole manner of strange new things. But the air coming out was cold. "We keep a lot of our food in here, sweetie. This is called the 'refrigerator'. Now for a treat!" explained auntie. She then closed the large bottom door, and opened a smaller top door. Freezing cold air came out as auntie took out a paper box. She then opened a cupboard and took out a plastic bowl. She then scooped out something out of the box and put whatever it was into the bowl. Mark was looking in the cupboards-auntie sure had a lot of dishes, and none of them looked dirty or cracked. He opened a bottom cupboard and saw pots and pans-enough for several houses back where he had come from. Maybe more people ate food here-maybe auntie had to feed many more people. Again each pot was clean and looked new. Auntie then took Mark and sat him at a big wooden table. Then she tied a cloth around his neck-a big piece of cloth covered his front. She put the bowl in front of him and handed him a spoon. She pointed at the bowl and said, "This is called chocolate ice cream, and you can eat it, sweetie. It has a nice sweet taste!" Mark clumsily picked up the spoon and put it into the ice cream. He had never eaten such a thing. He took a small bit and put it in his mouth. It was cold, but auntie was right- it did taste good! Mark then giggled and took a bigger sample. "Auntie this is good! Yummy!" exclaimed Mark. He then began to eat the new discovery. Auntie then sat down and started to talk, saying, "Before all you knew was soup, porridge and canned food. But here we eat a lot more foods. You'll get a few at a time until you've learned to eat everything we eat here. And if I give you something you don't like, you need to tell me." Mark heard her, but he was too busy eating the ice cream! After a while, he finished the bowl. Auntie then wiped his face and hands (the boy had gotten ice cream everywhere) and removed the bib. On the upper level was yet another toilet and bath, a large sitting room, and several smaller rooms. Auntie took him into one room and asked him, "Do you know what room this is?" Mark looked around, and noticed the bed. "Where we sleep?" he asked. "You're almost right, sweetie! This is where you will sleep starting tonight!" Mark was dumfounded: all his life he had slept on the floor-the bed was always for big people, if one was even available. And most of those beds were made of hard plywood. The bed here looked soft. It had a blanket and a thick fabric thing on it. It looked warm. And a room all to his own? Unbelievable! Auntie then showed him the rest of the room-it had a chest of drawers and a very small room with a door off of one wall. Mark was scared-what was the small room for? Was it for punishment? He had survived such places before. Finally auntie said, "I'll show you something and maybe then you'll understand. Come on." With that she took him by the hand and led him into yet another room. It was another room with a bed, but that was the only similarity. This one had big pictures and things on the walls. The new room had a chair and a strange table all its' own: a strange plastic thing sat on top of the table. A large wooden structure sat against one wall: it held books and papers. There was another chest of drawers and-gasp!-another small door. Auntie then opened the door, and said, "Look inside, and what do you see?" Mark looked inside, and discovered the little room held clothes-lots of clothes! "These small rooms are called 'closets' and are used to store clothes and possessions. In time you'll get enough stuff to use your own closet like this. This is Jim's room, by the way. After a while, I hope your room will look like this!" Mark shook his head: how could one person, and a young one at that, own so much stuff? These people had everything! Auntie then moved on, and showed the boy the spare room, and her own bedroom. The bed in there was huge! And auntie had two chests of drawers, a large mirror, and a rack of shoes all her own. After dinner (Auntie fed Mark a thick, hearty soup and fresh bread. The others all ate something strange-it came out of a box-but it smelled good. Auntie, however, refused to give the boy any.)They all went and sat in one of the bigger rooms. The thing hanging on the wall was called a 'television' and it showed pictures that moved. Not only that, by pushing buttons on a tiny plastic box you could see a different set of moving pictures! Mark was mesmerised by this new device. He could hear voices and sounds and he realized the sounds went along with the pictures. But often the words sounded different. He could understand several, but others he just couldn't understand. He finally decided to just sit and watch. After a while, Mark noticed he was getting sleepy. The program on the television had changed as well. Two people, a man and a woman, were sitting at a large desk. They were reading off of papers. Then Mark heard something very familiar: "NATO troops today attacked the town of Garman again. High command hopes they can retake the town from the separatist forces despite heavy fighting." Garman was just a short way away from where he once lived! The picture changed, and he recognized the green uniforms and armed men. His eyes opened very wide and he started to tremble. Fortunately auntie noticed the boys' fear, and said, "You're a long ways away from there now, sweetie. You will never have to go there again." A short while later, auntie took Mark and put him on the toilet again, she then led him into the bedroom she had shown him earlier. She closed the door and help Mark undress. She laid a large towel on the bed, and she had him lay on top of the towel. "As we do not want you having an accident and messing this new bed, you'll wear diapers at night until you have full control. She then rolled the boy on his side and applied a thick coating of something slickly and creamy on his bottom. She rubbed that until it had been absorbed. Then auntie opened a second container and applied grease to the boy's bottom. Then she rolled Mark back onto his back, and she diapered him, securing the diaper with big safety pins. Next came a pair of thick underpants, and finally auntie put a pair of pants made of rubber over the diapers. She closed a series of snaps on the sides of the rubber pants, securing then in place. "You don't ever take these off at night-do you understand? And if you wake up dirty, make noise-I'll hear you on the monitor and I'll come and change you. I promise I will not mind, OK?" she explained. Then she dressed him in soft white clothes-matching bottoms and top. "Now for another treat!" exclaimed auntie. She left the room for a minute, returning with a stuffed bear. "This is teddy, and he will be your friend," she commented. She then helped Mark to his feet, and she led him out of the room. "Now you go and kiss Uncle Frank and Cousin Jim good night. We are family, and you will do that every night from now on!" She instructed. Mark complied, but he was scared. Jim giggled as he entered the room. Mark was waddling due to his diaper. He felt strange as he kissed Jim and then uncle frank. Then it was off to bed. Auntie tucked him in and made sure he had teddy with him. She put out a strange machine-she called it a monitor -and turned it on. Then she turned out the light, leaving as she closed the door. The bed was soft and very comfortable, but Mark could not sleep. He wondered about everything he had seen. This place was very different. "How will I learn so much? I don't even understand food here. All I know is thin porridge, soup, and cans. And why can't I understand everything they say? I always understand auntie, but sometimes others sound different. Why is that? " he thought to himself. But after a while, drowsiness set in, and soon, the boy was sound asleep. He awoke the next morning to a very strong smell. In horror, he realized he had dirtied himself during the night. Just then auntie came in, pulled back his covers, and sniffed. "Boy, do I think someone made a big one. Now just relax and let me clean and change you, OK?" Mark sobbed as auntie rolled him on his side and pulled his pajama bottoms off. She then placed a folded towel underneath him. After pulling his top up, she removed his dirty diapers. She then left for a minute, taking the smelly, stained diapers with her. She returned a few minutes later with a basin filled with warm soapy water and a wash cloth. She then proceeded to wash Mark's bottom, crotch, and the insides of his thighs. She then used a corner of the towel to pat his rear dry, and then she put fresh clean diapers on him. "I'll put proper underpants on you when you get dressed for the day. Now Uncle Frank and Jim are both gone for the day. We'll go out for the day-as I need to get you quite a few things." explained Auntie. Auntie then helped Mark up and out of bed, and took him to the kitchen. She made him hot cereal, and she put something else on a small plate. "These are breakfast sausage, and they were left over from earlier this morning. I think you can eat them too." commented Auntie. Mark had seen sausage before-the soldiers would sometimes give him one- but those were big and thick and very fatty. The little sausage tasted good-like meat and not fat. And there was a lot of the thick oatmeal. Auntie had even put sugar on it! Mark ate his breakfast in good time. Auntie sat with him as he ate .After finishing, auntie took his bowl and the plate and the spoon he had used and put them in a big machine. Next, she took mark back to his room. She returned a few minutes later with some more new clothes. She removed his pyjamas and his diapers, and then she dressed him. This time she put on him a pair of yellow pants, a white T-shirt, and finally she put a cream coloured sweatshirt on him. The final item for him was his sandals from the day before. She then took him and put him on the toilet. She seemed happy, even if he only made wee-wee. Then the two of them left for the day. They went to a place auntie called the 'mall'. It had a lot of shops inside, some big, some small. "First and foremost, sweetie, you need shoes!" said auntie. Mark had seen shoes, but he had never worn them. They were rare, and only certain people could afford them. Mostly he just wore crude sandals or went barefoot. But he had already noticed that here everyone wore shoes. They went into a store that was full of nothing but shoes. A woman measured his feet, and then helped pick out shoes. One pair was made of canvas and leather, and were called 'sneakers'. He remembered that Jim had worn similar shoes the day before. "Now I think you need something special, honey." The saleswoman commented. She led them to another aisle, and pulled a box off the shelf. Inside was a pair of pretty shoes that had no laces. They were a pretty blue colour, and Mark eyed them carefully. "Now, honey these are called 'pumps' and they are very comfortable. You can wear them while your little feet heal. Then you can get a nice pair of heels to wear." commented the saleswoman. "Yes, thank you. We'll look at them and decide which ones we need," offered auntie. Mark then tried on each pair of shoes. His feet were rough and callused, the penalty for years of poverty and want. "Like these ones a lot!" Mark exclaimed as he tried on the pumps. "Well, I guess we can take them. I don't think it makes any difference right now, does it?" said auntie. She paid for the shoes and the nice lady boxed everything up. Mark was then drawn, as if by magic, to a window display. "Those are so pretty, auntie. I want them to wear too!" exclaimed Mark. Auntie looked in the display herself, and said, "Mark, those are panties! Why do you want them?" Mark replied with, "They are pretty, auntie. Look at the pretty flowers and colours and shapes on them!" Auntie then said, in a soft voice, "Those are for a girl, sweetie. But alright-you wear them under your clothes and no one has to know." She then looked up, and added, "I don't know what you've been through, and I need to find out. But that will come later, and besides..." her voice then trailed off. She then took Mark into the store and they picked out several pairs of the pretty panties. Many had flowers and bright coloured shapes printed on them. After picking them out, auntie took them up to the cashier and paid for them. The salesgirl then folded each pair, finally placing them into a fancy pink paper bag. With a smile she handed the bag over to Mark. After shopping all morning, Mark started to feel hungry. They went out to the car and placed the mornings' purchases into the car before returning to the mall. "We'll now go for lunch, sweetie," offered auntie. They went into a place that smelled wonderful to Mark. "Smells good!" he said. "Yes, we'll have lunch here. Now, what would you like to eat? I know something that will work just fine!" Auntie led Mark over to a line, and the two of them waited until they were served. After getting their food, they went and sat down. They ate fried chicken and potatoes. After lunch, they returned to shopping. Mark was drawn to every window display. He pointed out several items of clothing that he liked and wanted. Auntie bought him the things he asked for, with only a few exceptions. Mark seemed to like flowery clothing in soft colours. In one store, he picked out two jumpsuits-one was a soft cream colour with a pattern of soft blue shapes. The other was black with knitted shoulders and arms in a white colour. The boy picked out a few sweat shirts. At times auntie tried to offer, how shall we say, darker and more masculine clothing choices. Mark took a few things, but mostly he wanted nothing to do with such things: they simply reminded him of the past. They often wore dark colours and fitted clothing. They wore big black boots. Mark chose the opposite. He wanted to be pretty and cute, that was all. After a full day of shopping Mark and auntie went home. Mark asked, "Will the men like my picks?" "I think they'll understand, sweetie. We'll wait and see, OK?" Soon enough, Uncle Frank arrived at home. Auntie took him aside as soon as he entered the house, and they talked. After they came out together, Frank said to Mark: "I don't know what you've been through. I don't want to know because I don't think I could grasp any of it. But you can wear, for now at least, anything you choose so long as you are decent and covered. Maybe later, maybe after you've received help, things will change." And with that Frank reached out and hugged the boy. Mark squirmed out of habit. What did Uncle Frank mean by 'for now at least'? Why did he say such as thing? What kind of help was he talking about anyway? What was wrong? The process was repeated when Jim came home from school. His response to Mark was: "From what I've learned-we've talked about the great upheaval and all the fighting-you're lucky just to be alive. You've got a long road ahead of you. It takes time to learn to fit in here and what to do. It's all right-for now-I guess." Two days later, things started out differently for Mark. Uncle Frank was still at home when Mark got up. Auntie hugged Mark, and said in a soft voice. "I'm going out today, to a wedding shower for a friend. You're going to stay here with Uncle Frank today. Jim is off playing soccer, and later on this morning you will go and see him play. There's a nice big park there, and I'm sure you'll enjoy that! And remember, I'll be back later on today: I'll be home in the evening. So you be a good boy and enjoy spending time with Uncle Frank today: I don't want to hear about any fighting or bad behavior when I get home, understand?" She gently squeezed his shoulders, took a big box with her, and went out to her car. She waved good bye as she drove out and down the street. Mark did not know what to do. He started to whine and softly cry. Frank took the boy by the hand and led him into the house. "I have a special present for you. I picked up something for you to wear today. And don't you worry about a thing: I promise to never, ever hurt you." offered Frank. He took Mark's hand again and took him upstairs. They went into the big bedroom Frank shared with auntie. Frank took Mark into the ensuite bathroom, removed his pyjamas and diapers, and put the boy on the toilet. "Now you go: make a nice big poo for daddy!" exclaimed Frank. Frank then got a small bag out of the bathroom cupboard. He removed a large chocolate bon-bon from the bag and he then put the candy into Mark's mouth. "I want you to sit then for a full ten minutes. I don't want you off one second sooner! I want you all emptied out!" ordered Frank. Mark chewed and swallowed the candy-it was very good. He began to grunt and whimper as he made. He could hear something falling into the water in the bowl. He could smell the strong familiar odour. He looked up at Frank to see if he looked mad or cross, but Frank was just smiling down at him. Mark smiled up at Frank, then grunted and burped and felt his anus stretch as he passed a very large stool. He whimpered as the big but soft stool was passed. He also made wee-wee, and a lot of it. "Now there's my good boy! Crap it all out. I want you all emptied out," said Frank as he stood over the boy. He popped another chocolate candy into Mark's mouth-a reward for compliance. After a few minutes with no more sounds from the boy, Frank told him to stand up. "Turn around and bend over a bit so I can clean your bottom, kiddo," instructed Frank. Mark complied, and Frank wiped Mark's bottom clean. "Don't hurt!" whined Mark, but Franks' touch was gentle but firm. After Frank had thrown the stained paper into the toilet, he said to Mark, "Now flush it." The boy complied-he liked that part best of all. Mark went to straighten up, but Frank held him in the bend over position. He quickly put a third candy in Marks' mouth, and fetched a small glass jar from the bathroom counter. He then rubbed cream on Mark's bottom. Once he put a finger, coated with cream, under Mark's nose and told him to sniff. The cream smelled very nice. "I don't want you to get any chaffing: I want your bum to be nice and smooth. You need to start eating as well-no one likes a small scrawny bottom on a boy: people like a nice big full bum with two full cheeks on a boy!" laughed Frank. After he finished with the cream, he allowed Mark to stand up. The two of them then left the bathroom behind. Frank then got out a white plastic bag. Mark recognized those bags from shopping, and he wondered with Frank had for him. Frank fished out, from the bag, a pair of white short pants, a white knitted sweater, an undershirt, small white underpants, and a pair of white sneakers. He offered, "I think these will fit you, kiddo." He placed the clothes on the bed and helped Mark to dress. "Very small panties," said Mark. "Yes, these are called 'bikini pants' and they are worn under small shorts and such," exclaimed Frank. Mark stepped into the leg holes as Frank held them up. Frank then pulled the garment up and into position. The undershirt was cropped and lacy. The little shorts fit well but did not cover much, but they fit Mark well and he thought they made him look very cute.. The final item was the soft cashmere sweater. It was soft and light. Mark looked in the mirror, and he felt very good. Maybe there where a few nice men after all! But the whole situation felt strange to Mark-strange but at the same time very good. Mark wondered about the whole thing. In the meantime Frank had taken the shoes and removed the white laces. He replaced them with soft pink ones. Then he put the shoes on Mark, and tied them closed. Mark looked at himself in the mirror and smiled-he looked very, very cute. Frank then picked up a large hairbrush and approached Mark from behind. "It's been a while since I've had to make pigtails: let's see if I can remember," he said to no one in particular. But he succeeded, and soon Mark's long hair was done in two full pigtails. Frank thought to himself, "He looks like any girl in a cute play outfit. No one will know the truth. And for now, that's my daughter and child. I have to accept that and work with that, if not for his sake for the sake of my wife." He then took mark by the hand and led him back to the living room. "I have two more gifts for you, honey." He said as he took a small box of the nearby mantle. He handed the box to Mark. Mark opened it and found it contained two metal chains. One was very thin and made of gold. The other was thicker and a silver colour. Three small pieces of metal had been threaded onto it. Frank explained, saying: "The thinner chain is called a bracelet and you wear it on your wrist." Frank then showed Mark were it went and how to put it on. Frank continued with, "The other one is called a 'charm bracelet' and you also wear it on the wrist. The small metal charms are used to commemorate events and such. You have a ship, to remember your voyage here, a red stone to show how precious you are to us, and finally a black stone as a way of remembering all the bad stuff you've been through." With that Frank fastened the bracelet around Mark's wrist. The two of them then left the house and went to the car. Frank stopped at dairy queen. After they both got ice cream, he said to Mark: ?We have one problem-your name. I?m sorry but I just can?t call you sweetie or honey, but I?ll try. In the meantime, I?ll call you Margi instead of Mark. It sounds better, and we don?t want any trouble, now do we? I didn?t think so!? mark said, ?Margi! Margi! Margi! I Margi now OK!? Frank smiled-everything seemed to be going very well. They finished their ice cream, returned to the car, and drove off to the park. The park itself was very busy. It took the two of them a while to find Jim and where he was playing. The park had no less than three soccer pitches, and every one of them was in use. Jim was busy playing on the middle field, and both Frank and Mark watches as he scored a goal. Everyone clapped and cheered. When Jim finally came off the field for a break, Mark went over to him and loudly said, ?Good! Good play!? Jim smiled and patted Mark on the head before saying ?hello? to his father. Franked asked, ?Well, it took us a while, but now we are here. How goes your game, son?? Jim shook his head and replied, ?Well, we?re only down by two right now, dad. But I think we can come back!? Jim then giggled and added, ?Or at least I hope we can! Look, I?ll be subbed in again in a few minutes. You two can look around. In any event, I?ll be finished shortly.? With that, Jim went back to the small bench his teammates were sitting at. Mark heard another boy ask Jim, ?Who is that girl with your father?? Jim grunted, laughed, and replied, ?That, my friend is my cousin. You know the one my mom got out of the war zone?? The other boy seemed to think for a minute, and then said, ?Oh, I remember that. But I thought you said your refugee arrival was a boy? Am I right?? Jim shrugged his shoulders and said, as he went back out onto the field, ?Look for yourself-what do you think? I think you heard wrong.? Frank then took Mark and they went over towards the park. Mark had never seen a swing before: but after watching another child, he got the idea after a while. After his swing, he tried the climbing castle. He didn?t go very high, but the structure was still a lot of fun. Then another woman, who had a young girl with her, came over and said, ?Oh, hi Frank. I think our team will win today, don?t you?? She then smiled down at Mark, who was trying to hide behind his uncle. ?And who are you, cutie?? she asked. ?Oh, this is Margi, our new arrival. Say hi to Mrs. Wilson. And this is Alice. Margi, say hi to Alice and her mother,? instructed Frank. ?Hi-hello,? came the timid, soft reply from the boy. Mrs. Wilson seemed to think for a minute, and then said, ?Oh, now I remember. Some days I?d forget my own head if it wasn?t attached.? Mark wondered at that statement-it didn?t make sense to him. The woman then got down and said to mark, in a soft voice, ?You know what? I have a pool at my house. Would you like to come swimming some day?? Her words sounded strange to the boy, but the woman moved her arms to illustrate. Mark whimpered a quick ?no? and hid behind his uncle?s leg. ?She?s afraid, Pam. I think it?s normal for her-she came from the conflict zone. You married a man who served there-so you know what her little life was like for so long. Please understand-she means nothing by it. We hope in time that all the hiding and fear will vanish.? Explained frank in an anguished voice. ?Yes, I get it. You know, Rob still has dreams about his time there. I can?t imagine being a child in such a place. And no, I?m not offended.? said Mrs. Wilson. With that, she picked up her daughter, smiled, and left, returning to the soccer match. Mark froze: this woman, her husband, was one of them?! Could the man send him back? Or do worst things to him? And why did so much that everyone around him was saying sound different? He wanted to turn and run far away. He held on tight to his uncle?s leg. Mark started to sob and moan. ?Err, what?s wrong now? Why are you crying?? asked Frank. Mark looked up at his uncle and said, ?Will he hurt me? Send me back?? Frank looked on, shocked by the boy?s sudden panic. ?Who are you talking about?? asked Frank. ?Soldier! Her soldier!? replied a panicked Mark. ?Oh, now I get it. No, you have nothing to wrong about from him. I know John-he left the army years ago. And I don?t think he?d ever hurt you. And besides, he was one of the good guys!? Mark was still in a panic-to him; this man would be one of them. And all of them had hurt him. Some wore different uniforms but all were dangerous. Frank took the boy by the hand and the two of them went for a walk. Mark heard Frank say to himself, ?I?ll have to make a note not to introduce you to John for a while. And I guess we?ll have to find you a swim suit as well.? After Jim finished his game, the three of them packed up to return home. Frank commented, ?We?ll just go home for a while so Jim can shower and get cleaned up. Then we?ll go for lunch. As you won the game, son, and I?m proud of you, where will we all go for lunch? You get to pick today.? Jim replied with, ?I think?hum, I think we?ll go to big burger. I?m hungry!? Frank laughed, and said, ?Good choice! I?m sure we?ll all find something to eat there, won?t we, Margi?? Mark didn?t know what to think or say. The trip home was quick. Jim went into his room, returning a few minutes later wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Mark looked his body over carefully. Jim was strong and well built, with a thick chest and strong arms. His stomach was flat and looked firm. As he turned to enter the bathroom, Mark saw Jim?s backside-again; he was strongly built and looked perfect. Mark enjoyed looking-he didn?t know why, but he did. After Jim went into the shower, Frank took mark downstairs and put Mark was then put on the toilet. As he sat there, he thought about things. He peed, but he didn?t make. ?You know, I?ve been thinking-if you needed the toilet while we were out this morning, you couldn?t have asked for it. So if we are out, and you need to make wee-wee or poo, you just say to me or Auntie, ?sides? and we?ll take you. Do you understand that?? asked Frank in an earnest voice. ?Got it!? replied Mark. But he wondered: couldn?t Jim take him? Or maybe he couldn?t. Or maybe Mark simply needed to ask. After a few more minutes, Frank helped Mark off the toilet, and then Frank pulled Mark?s shorts back up. They then waited for Jim to appear. When he did, they all left the house again. They drove to a good sized white building. Inside the building Mark noticed a lot of low round plastic tables-each one had three round stools, covered in bright red fabric. Off to one side was a long counter where several people were talking and waiting. Finally the three of them reached the counter. Frank asked Mark, ?So, what will you want to eat? You can look at the board, if you need too, and point out what you want to eat.? But Mark?s eyes had already seen a familiar sight, and it looked very good and smelled wonderful. ?Sausage! Big sausage with bread!? the boy said, sounding perhaps more excited than he should have. ?Ok, one sausage on a bun coming right up. Do you want fries with that? And what will you want to drink?? said Frank. Mark had to think-fries-oh yes; he had eaten them when he was out with Auntie earlier in the week. ?Want fries. Fries and milk, please.? Said mark to his uncle. Frank then turned to Jim and said, ?Do you want the usual today?? Jim replied with, ?As always.? Mark listened intently as Frank ordered them their lunch. ?What is coke? What is a beef patty?? Mark asked himself. The three of them watched as their order was prepared. Then a lady called out, while looking at Frank, ?Sausage on a bun! What do you want on our sausage on a bun?? Frank then took Mark by the hand and walked the boy over to the counter. ?They want to know what toppings you want with your sausage.? He instructed the boy. Mark had to stand on tip toes to see everything on the counter. He recognized, and asked for, onions and pickles. He had seen the thick yellow stuff and the white stuff in the house, used on sandwiches. He pointed to the bottles, one at a time, and the lady put things on his sausage. Then she did Jims? hamburger (Jim had everything on his sandwich) and Franks? Slovakie on a bun. Then came three paper cartons, two of fried potatoes and one of onion rings. The next part confused Mark-a paper carton of something was placed on the tray, and two paper cups filled with a dark brown coloured liquid finished the tray. ?Where is milk?? asked Mark. His uncle answered, ?Oh, it?s right here.? as he pointed to the strange paper carton. Frank took the tray and the three of them went and found seats. The sausage was simply huge, and it had a sweet taste. Frank showed Mark how to open the carton. It did indeed contain milk. Mark tried a sip of the coke, but he found it very sweet and strange. The three of them sat and ate their meal. The three of them went home. Mark was happy to see auntie return, just as she had promised. That made Mark happy: he had seen too many people tell him they?d be back, only to never return again. Auntie smiled at Mark and handed him a small paper bag: she said, ?I?ve heard you?ve been a good boy today. This is a little gift for you.? Mark opened the bag, and inside as a small brown teddy bear. He hugged the bear and then he hugged auntie. He was very happy: there was still much to understand and much to grasp-but he was happy with his new situation. That evening, auntie came into Mark?s room to help him with his diapers. He rubbed cream on his bottom, then the grease, and finally she diapered the boy. She then dressed him in his pajamas. He kissed auntie?s face a few times during this process, and she kissed him back in turn. Once she was finished, she took Mark by the hand and led him out into the big sitting room. Jim was sitting on the couch, and Mark went over, sat on the couch as well, and curled up next to Jim. Mark then dozed off. End part one.