Fear

By Aldric

This story is intended for ADULTS ONLY. It contains depictions of sexual activity involving minors. If you are not of a legal age in your locality to view such material or if such material does not appeal to you, do not read further, and do not save this story.

Comments may be sent to [email protected] . Note that the underscores (between pietar, the, and fearless) are part of the name and must be included.

This story depicts minors in unusual conditions that may include unprotected, unsafe sex or extreme humiliation. Obviously, this does not describe real life and should not be taken as such. In the real world, behaviors as described in the story are not acceptable, tolerated, or legal. The reader should never confuse the difference between fiction and real life. This story is fictional.

Fear

Voice over:

Fear: An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. How does the body respond to fear? Take a good look at one example. A boy in his mid-teams. A normal child by most accounts. Except for the fear he wishes to control.

Hunter Tindale read the note twice. “This year, others will be part of it.” It could only mean one thing. Last year, one of his cousins heard his mother telling his aunts that he suffered from Gymnophobia, which she said was that he was just afraid of being seen naked. The cousin, along with one of his other cousins, decided to help ‘cure’ him of the problem by stripping him naked and leaving him across the road, a mile from his aunt’s house. He spent the entire day hiding before his cousins were forced to go and return his clothes before the adults started a search party. They said they’d do worse if he told.
 
He’d been saved by his sister Jen. Before any more plots could be carried out by his cousins, she fell and broke her arm. His parents decided to head for home and their own doctors once a cast had been applied.
 
He hadn’t wanted to ever come back here again, but each summer the Tindale and Hinkley clans met at the Smith house for two weeks of remembrance and partying. Until last year, it had been fun. The adults enjoyed the company of the other adults and the kids were left to run free.
 
The fear of being seen naked seemed so much a part of his life that he assumed everyone was that way, all the way up until he refused to shower after gym in seventh grade. He wasn’t the only boy who didn’t, in fact, about two-thirds of them also didn’t shower. He was even envious of the boys who did, because they didn’t smell of sweat the rest of the day. Then last summer happened.

He was thirteen now. Three months before he’d turn fourteen. Well past the age where he should be worried about showering after gym. At least that was the opinion of his sister. But what did Jen know? She was just shy of being a teen herself. She said she showered after gym, but he didn’t believe her.

He could show the note to his mother. She might do something. But probably not, she also told him it was time to grow up and leave childish fears behind. His dad was downright ashamed that his son wouldn’t shower with the other boys this year. According to him, eighth grade was too old to be ashamed of his body.

He read the note again. Others would be involved. What did that mean? Maybe he wasn’t the only target. Maybe Stan Smith or Abe Hinkley would also get stripped. They were the same age as him. Or Stacy Smith! He’d like to see that. She was fourteen, and he’d caught glimpses of the top of her tits last year when the top of her bikini wasn’t pulled tight. Was it wrong to want to see a cousin naked? He didn’t know the answer to that, but he knew he’d enjoy it if it happened.

“What’s taking so long?” Jen asked from outside the bathroom door. “I need to pee. I don’t see why you couldn’t change in the bedroom.”

“I’ll be done in a minute.” He removed his shorts and boxers and pulled on his bathing suit. It was the same one he’d had last year, and it was very tight on him. The shirt would stay on, he didn’t plan on going to the stream anyway.

“Finally,” Jen said when he opened the door. She took one quick look at her brother. “That suit is almost too tight on you,” she giggled. “You might as well be naked. Oh, that’s right, you’re afraid of being naked.” She knew he hated to be teased about it. “Besides, according to Wyatt, your dick is too small to show anyway.” She laughed again and slammed the door in his face.

“So are you,” he said through the door. “Otherwise, you’d go naked like we did when we were five and six. Remember?”

She opened the door. “Ha, you don’t know anything. I’ll tell you what. I will go naked, if you do too. I’ll even strip first. Think about it while I pee. Unless you want to come in and watch.” She didn’t close the door this time. As she started to pull down the bottom of her bathing suit, he turned away. He heard her laughing at him.

Suddenly her hands were inside the top of his suit, trying to pull it down. She’d come out of the bathroom without flushing. Perhaps without even pulling up her own suit. He was glad the trunks were tight, it kept her from lowering them more than an inch. With a laugh, she ran down the hall towards the back door, her bottoms twirling around one of her fingers. He couldn’t believe she was really going to step out the backdoor where all the adults were in just her top. The whiteness of her bare butt contrasted with the tan of her legs.

She turned just as she reached the door and laughed again as he turned his head away. She put her bottoms on and left.

Hunter pulled his own suit back up to where it belonged. He remembered what the note had said. “This year, others will be part of it.” Had Jen been the one to leave it on top of his suitcase?

“Hunter, the others are all waiting for you,” Aunt Ginna said when she found him putting his shorts into his suitcase. “Don’t you want to go to the stream?”

“I, uh, might. Later,” he said. He curled the note up in his fist. Ginna Smith was a no-nonsense woman unlike any he’d ever met. Quick to tease, and handy with a spoon when her son Stan needed it used on him. Stan was the only one of his cousins he’d ever seen naked beyond the years when they were little children. It had been two years ago, and his cousin was naked because his mom pulled his suit down to turn his butt a nice shade of red when she heard him use the F word.

“Nonsense, they are all waiting on you. It’s hot as hades outside. If I was a few years younger I’d be heading there myself. Now you get along outside and go with your cousins.” She pulled him by the hand. “Your mother coddles you too much. Stan said you wanted to play naked last year but was afraid to let the adults see you. Being naked is no big deal. If you want to be naked, go for it.” She gave him a push out the backdoor, and he knew he had to leave with the others.

Six cousins plus his sister. Wyatt Hinkley and Stacy Smith were the oldest at fourteen. Abe Hinkley and Stan Smith were his age, give or take a month. Then Shelia and Susan, who were twelve, the same as his sister.

As they got away from the house, Abe turned to him. “Jen said she’d go naked if you did too. I’ll give you ten dollars if you’ll do it.”

“Yeah, come on Hunter,” Shelia and Susan added.

“Hell, if he’ll strip naked, we’ll all go that way,” Wyatt declared. “Just like we used to.”

“Not me,” Stacy stated. “But I will go topless. If Hunter loses the suit.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” he stuttered. “The suit and shirt stay on.” It was a dangerous statement. They could easily team up and strip him. It would only take two of them. He thought that Stacy might stop them if it came to that, but maybe not.

“Scaredy cat,” Jen said. “I’ll go topless for twenty dollars if you want Abe. Naked if you’ll strip too.”

“Bullshit,” her cousin declared. “No way you’d go topless.”

She reached around and untied the two strings. Then she held the top to her chest with the strings dangling down. “I have to let go in order to take the money,” she said. “For ten, I’ll let you have a look. Or we can both leave our suits right here and go naked. Unless you’re chicken.”

The fear showed in his eyes. “I’m not scared. But you have to go first.”

“I don’t think I can trust you to go naked. But I will let you have a look at me for the ten dollars.” To everyone’s surprise, she let go of her top and it fell to the ground. She bent over to pick it up. “You owe me a Hamilton now. Or you show us what you have inside your trunks.” She secured the top around her again.

“I think Stan has a problem,” his sister declared. “I know for a fact he doesn’t have ten dollars. So now, there’s only one way for you to pay for the show.”

Wyatt and Abe moved quickly, securing their cousin’s arms. “Go ahead Jen, he’s all yours.”

Hunter watched with growing interest as his sister untied the string around his cousin’s suit and then yanked it down. “Not much to see in here,” she said with a laugh.

“Hey, I have an idea,” Stacy said. “Let’s see who is bigger, your brother or mine. The smallest one stays naked until we are done at the stream.”

Hunter didn’t give them the chance. He turned and ran as fast as he could. He could hear the laughter behind him. After running a fair distance away, he turned and looked over his shoulder. His cousins and sister were heading the other way, towards the stream. Stan had his suit back up.

He hid, knowing that eventually they were going to get him. They would strip him, leaving him naked somewhere. He couldn’t hide forever. But he was a six-hour car drive from home. He had no hope and nowhere to go except back to his cousin’s house. They would return from the stream, happy and cool. And then they would come for him. He knew it.

He waited an hour before going back to the house. He’d kept watch and the others had not passed him, so they were still at the stream. He managed to sneak in without any of the adults seeing him. They were drinking beers and wine and making a lot of noise. He went to the room he shared with Wyatt and Abe and changed back into his shorts.

There, on the window sill, was the can of pop he’d gotten from the fridge shortly after his family arrived. He’d forgotten all about it. It would be hot now, but he was thirsty, so he finished it. Not sure what to do next, he lay on the mattress under the window. Wyatt and Abe had been here since yesterday and had claimed the two beds along the walls, leaving the mattress as his bed. At least there was a slight breeze coming in through the window. He needed a plan.

He woke suddenly. It was dark. So dark he couldn’t see a thing. But he heard giggling and then felt what had woken him up. A hand. On his dick. He tried to sit up but couldn’t. His hands were tied to the sides, his legs held in place too.

“Oh, he’s awake now,” a girl’s voice said. The pillow was lifted from his head. “I think this one is Hunter.”

He could see now. Three girls he didn’t know were leaning in the window. He looked down and saw he was naked. Well, not completely. He still had his shirt and shorts on, but the shirt had been pulled up to his neck and the shorts were just below his knees. Soft ropes were tied around each ankle and wrist and ran under the mattress, keeping him from moving.

“Your kind of cute,” one of the girls said. “We’re friends of the Smiths. Gloria and I live across the road, and Ginger lives a few houses down. I’m Sam, short for Samantha. You were really sound asleep.”

“Not that we minded,” Ginger said. “Seeing a naked boy is kind of fun. Especially when we touched you. Then your peter got hard. We all enjoyed that.”

“Untie me.” Hunter had found his voice. Only instead of sounding like he wanted it to, it came out more like a plea. The girls all giggled again.

“Sorry, we don’t want to ruin your fun. We could tell that you did this to yourself. All the knots are slip knots. All you had to do was slide a wrist or ankle inside the loop and pull and poof, it would pull down tight.”

“Get my sister. Her name is Jen. She’ll be with my cousins.”

“We asked for them,” Ginger explained. “Stacy’s mom said you all were at the stream. We were about to head there ourselves when we passed the window and saw you.”

“And boy, we sure were happily surprised,” Gloria added. “If you want your sister to see you, that’s your business. I hope she enjoys seeing you like this as much as we did.”

After one more stroke of his dick, the three girls departed. Hunter struggled to get free, but there was no way he could. This didn’t make any sense. If his cousins were all still at the stream, who had tied him up like this? He was sure the girls were wrong. There was no way he would have done it to himself. But now he was stuck.

There was a knock at the bedroom door, and he heard his mother’s voice ask, “Is someone in there?”

“Is everything okay Ruth?” Aunt Ginna asked.

“I thought I heard voices from in here,” his mom said. “But the door is locked.”

“No, the handle just sticks sometimes. Pull the door tightly closed first.”

A moment later the door opened and his mom and aunt came in.

“Hunter, what is the meaning of this?” his mom asked.

He had no idea what to say. He had a boner, and they were both seeing it.

“I think it is obvious,” Aunt Ginna said. “He’s trying to overcome that Gymnophobia you said he has. He clearly tied himself up like this, and he’s waiting for the boys to come back and find him.”

“Hunter, is that true?”

“No mom. Could you untie me, please? I don’t want Wyatt or Abe to see me. Or any of the girls. Really, you know I wouldn’t do this.”

“Oh, Hunter, its okay, I understand,” his mom whispered. “You didn’t want me or your aunt to find you like this. I think this is very brave of you. The others should be back soon. We’ll keep the girls away while you work on getting over your fear of being seen naked.” She stood up. “We should leave him; he wasn’t expecting us to find him.”

“I can see that,” Aunt Ginna concurred. “But I do agree with your mom, this is a very brave thing you are doing.” They left, closing the door to the bedroom behind them.

Time passed, but he had no way to measure it. He could feel a drop of cum run down the side of his dick as it withered back to its soft state. Then he heard more voices. Soon, more heads appeared in the window. This time he knew them. His sister, and his three girl cousins, Stacy, Susan, and Shelia. They all laughed out loud at seeing him naked. His dick began to get hard again.

“My neighbors weren’t lying,” Stacy chuckled. “Your dumb brother tied himself up for us to find.” They made some rude comments about his size and limited amount of hair, but then they heard Aunt Ginna call to Stan.

“Boys, where are the girls?”

“They went across the street to see Sam,” the boy answered.

“Good. Your cousin is in the bedroom, and he’s uh…” she paused.

“Mom, we didn’t do anything to him. He got scared about taking his shirt off and ran home.”

“No, I didn’t say you boys did anything to him. But we think he’s trying to overcome his fear about nudity. Look, he wants for you to find him. He’s in the spare room. I just needed to know the girls weren’t here, because he tied himself up naked. Go and untie him. And be nice to him. He’s got that phobia, so don’t tease him.”

“Sure mom,” he said. He tried to act nonchalant, but once out of sight of the adults he and his two male cousins hurried to the room.

“Holy shit,” Abe said. “He really did it.”

“You girls need to be quiet,” Stan said. “We told mom you were across the street. She didn’t want you to see him.”

“Sam, Gloria, and Ginger already found him and told us what he did,” his sister explained. “This is so unlike him.”

“Yeah, but I like the new him,” Shelia said. “I’ve never seen a thing hard like that on a boy before. Is that silver stuff coming out the tip what I think it is?”

Abe took a close look. “Yeah, he’s leaking cum. I’ll bet he’d really like to jack off right now.”

“Untie me, please,” Hunter begged.

“I’ll let one hand go if you use it to beat off,” Stan said. “Otherwise, we’ll leave you like you are and tell my mom you wanted to stay this way until dinner.”

“Or until we got home,” Stacy suggested. “Tell her he wanted us to see him too. Then we can stare at him for half an hour or so before we show up on the porch.”

“No, please,” Hunter sobbed.

“Hey, go to our room and get my phone,” Jan said. “There are some girls back home that would die to see this.”

“No, please Jen. This is bad enough.” Abe was half way to the door.

“Then deal. Either you show us what jack off means, or I’ll take a picture or two and send it out to Kim and Donna.”

He looked into her eyes and saw the determination there. She would do it. He looked over to Stan. “Okay. One wrist.”

The slip knot on his right wrist was loosened and despite every fear he’d ever had cascading through his brain, he grabbed hold of his dick and began pumping. He didn’t stop until he’d had one of the best cums of his life. No, not one of the best, the very best.

“I guess we should untie him now,” Stan said as he reached for the other wrist.

“No, I liked your other idea better,” Shelia snickered. “Go tell the adults that he wants us to see him too, and then we can see him from inside the room.”

“Why?” Abe asked. “You can see all of him from where you are. What difference does it make?”

“It means we get to see him longer,” his younger sister offered. She grabbed Hunter’s free wrist and tried to pull it back to the slip knot. Her effort was aided by Jen. In minutes, all four extremities were once again secured in place.

“Just go. We’re not going to hurt my brother,” Jen said. “But it is fun to see him squirm. Maybe we can find something to remove his hair.”

“You can’t,” Stan said. My mom and Aunt Ruth found him. They saw him. If you cut his hair, they will know.”

“Well, that sucks,” Susan said. “I would have really liked to see him without those hairs hiding the best parts of him.”

“Come on guys, let’s just go, Stan said. “Sorry Hunter, but you did this to yourself, so I don’t have any regrets for making you jack off or leaving you with the girls.” He and Wyatt and Abe left.

“Okay Hunter, I know you didn’t do this to yourself, so who tied you up?” his sister asked.

“I don’t know. I thought it was you guys. I fell asleep and woke up when the other girls were here touching me.”

“They touched you too?” Shelia blurted. “I want to do that too.” She looked at Stacy, her oldest cousin. “If I touch that gooey stuff, will I get pregnant?”

“If you had some on your finger and pushed it into your slit, maybe. But as long as you wash your hands after touching him, no. It has to be in your private parts to get you pregnant.”

Hunter had no choice but to lay there and let the girls grab and poke and touch. Even his sister took part. In no time at all, he was hard again.

“We could go now,” Stacy said. “And then we can continue this from inside the room.”

Several minutes later, Aunt Gina and Hunter’s mom returned. “The boys said you wanted the girls to find you too,” his mom began. And then she noticed the mess on his belly.

“Oh, I thought we could trust them more,” she said. “He couldn’t have done that without some help. The boys must have masturbated him.”

“No, they untied one arm and made me do it,” he said. “And the girls were here, at the window, and they watched.”

“Hunter, they just got back from across the street,” Aunt Ginna insisted. “They don’t even know you are naked. We know you don’t want us to see you, but did you really tell the boys you wanted them to come in?”

“No. I don’t want anyone to see me. Please, just untie me.”

“I think his first experience must have been too much for him,” his mom offered. “We should release his wrists and let him go and shower.”

Together, his mom and aunt quickly released all of the slip knots. “We’ll leave this just like you set it up in case you want to try this again later,” his aunt said. “You need to go and shower. We’ll keep the girls on the porch, so you can walk across the hall as you are and then you won’t foul your clothes.”

Hunter was struck cold. He did not believe that the boys could lie that well. They had truly been surprised to find him tied up. So much so that teasing him didn’t even start until after a few minutes. So if it wasn’t them, who had done it?

Knowing that everyone except Aunt Kim, his father, and uncles had already seen him, he did something he never before would have considered. He left the room while still naked and crossed the hall to the bathroom.

With hot water washing the cum away, he jacked off again, this time getting almost as good a feeling from it. He washed his entire body, but the shame didn’t come off. And he still had no idea who had stripped him.

When he got back to the room, there was a new note in his suitcase. “It isn’t over.” The fear returned.

He checked twice, but all of his boxers were gone. He put on shorts, feeling uncomfortable without underpants on under them, but he had no choice. He searched his cousin’s luggage and thought about stealing a pair of Abe’s, but didn’t want to take his shorts off again. And his boxers were not in their bags.

He slept poorly that night, scared that Wyatt and Abe were plotting against him in the night. He woke up early. His cousins were still asleep. It was a hot night, and they laid uncovered, the older one in boxers and Abe in pajama bottoms.

Hunter had slept in his shorts and shirt. He quietly put on socks and shoes and grabbed anything he could find to eat from the kitchen. Then he set out to find some place of safety from his cousins.

By mid-morning he had only a vague idea of where he was. He was sure he knew the way back, but had no idea of what lay around him. It was a mixture of farm lands and small wooded areas. Some swampy areas blocked him from continuing in the direction he had been headed. But it didn’t matter. He was utterly alone, having not seen a house or person in the last hour. He ate the last of the food he had brought and headed for a hill he could see off to his right, hoping that once upon higher ground the mosquitoes and flies that were bothering him here near the swamp would be over.

From the hilltop, he saw he wasn’t quite as isolated as he had thought. Not far from the back base of the hill was a collection of houses and other buildings set along both sides of a road. He remembered passing through it on the trip to his aunt and uncle’s house. He turned in that direction and thought that possibly he could even make out the row of houses that included the Smith’s. He discovered that instead of moving in a straight line he’d actually walked a half circle, never getting beyond a mile and a half from his starting place.

Slightly discouraged from his discovery, he peed before finding a comfortable place to sit and wait out the day. It was getting hot already, and hardly a breeze was blowing. After sleeping poorly during the night, he drifted off into sleep.

The noise woke him. It took a moment before his brain recognized it. The sound of motor bikes. He sat up and found himself totally naked. From the direction he had climbed the hill were four kids on small motor bikes, plus two more on ATVs. It appeared as if they were just having fun driving around, but he worried that they may also decide to come up the hill to escape the bugs in the valley.

He looked around. Other than some knee-high grass, there was no good place of concealment. And no tracks or signs of his clothing. He couldn’t imagine how he had slept through being stripped naked. Nor could he understand who had done it. He remembered the second note. It said it wasn’t over, and now he found that to be true. It had to be someone either staying at the house or in one of the houses nearby.

He remembered the three girls who had found him yesterday. Could they be doing this to him? He thought it very unlikely, but if not them than who? It didn’t matter much at the moment. Once again he was naked. This time he wasn’t tied to a bed, but his clothes were missing.

A yell from the right brought his attention back to the kids on bikes and ATVs. They were definitely moving in his direction. Not all at once, they circled around, chasing each other or playing some kind of game, but their general direction was towards the hill. He was going to have to leave.

It was one of his fears. Being naked and having to make his way along a road to get home. How could this keep happening to him?

The kids behind him were close enough that he could even make out some of what they were saying as they shouted over the noise of their motors. There was no indication they knew that a naked boy was just a few hundred yards away from them, but Hunter began moving faster. He thought if he could just get far enough ahead of them he could turn back to the right and return home using the same path he had made coming here. It would still leave him with the problem of returning naked, but at least he’d be able to avoid the road until he was nearly to his cousin’s house.

“Hey look,” he heard shouted from behind him. He turned and saw a boy his age pointing right at him. Once the others saw him, they made a beeline towards him. On motorized vehicles, there was no possibility he could outrun them.

It turned out they were not all boys. The ones on bikes were, but the two in the ATVs were girls. And they sure looked happy at finding a naked boy.

“Move your hands and let them see,” one of the boys yelled.

Hunter kept his hands right where they were. He was surrounded. The silence of the meadow returned as all of the engines were stopped.

“You aren’t from around here,” one of the girls said. “Why are you naked?”

“Some kids took my clothes. Probably my cousins. Any chance I could borrow something from any of you guys?”

“Move your hands and maybe,” the other girl suggested. All the kids appeared to be between 12 and 14 years old.

It was going to happen anyway. Hunter was sure of it. He moved his hands, getting a laugh from the boys and cheers from the girls.

“What do you say boys, you willing to loan this poor kid an article of clothing?” one girl asked.

“There ain’t been anyone out here all morning except for him,” a boy stated. “I think he’s lying. I think he was naked because he wanted to be. Only we must have got between him and his clothes and now he’s stuck.”

As no offers of clothing were being made, Hunter covered his privates with his hands again.

“Where are you staying?” a girl asked.

“Stacy, Stan, and Susan Smith are my cousins,” he responded.

“We can take you back. You can ride with me.” The girl slid back on the seat of the ATV, showing that there was room for him in front of her.

“Or, we can go and tell your cousins where you are and maybe they’ll bring you some clothing,” one of the boys said. “Do you know where you left your clothes?”

“I didn’t leave them anywhere. Someone stripped me and took them.”

“Okay, let’s say that’s true. Was it a boy or a girl? How old? What was he or she wearing?”

“I don’t know, I was asleep when it happened.”

“His story keeps getting more and more phony,” the boy said to his friends. I say we tie his arms behind his back until he starts telling us the truth.”

Hunter had to consider how strange his story sounded. Yet it was the truth. He fell asleep and woke up naked. For the second day in a row. Nobody would believe that, even though he knew it to be the truth.

“I have a phobia about being naked,” he began. “I’m trying to overcome it. I left early in the morning and dropped my clothes somewhere, but I don’t remember where exactly.”

“Okay, still sound phony, but at least its believable. Can anyone vouch for this so-called phobia?”

“Any of my cousins or my sister. Or my parents or Aunt Ginna.”

“It’s up to you,” the girl said. “I can give you a ride back to their house. Or you can go as you are. Or I’ll send Willy ahead to tell your cousins you’re out here naked.”

Since he had no idea at all where his clothes were, he knew his cousins were going to see him naked anyway. At least maybe they really would bring him something to wear. It was bad enough being seen by them. He didn’t want his mom and his two aunts staring at him as well.

“Send someone to tell my cousins,” he said.

The girl who had been doing most of the talking was about to say something to a boy on a motorbike, but the second girl had gotten off her ATV and was walking over to him.

“I didn’t get a very good look at you. Before we help you, put your hands behind your head and let me see you.”

“Yeah Debbie, make sure you stand close,” a boy yelled. I’ll bet that he’s kind of small so you need to take a few more steps towards him or you won’t be able to see it.”

“Put your hands behind your head or John will tie you to that tree over there until we get back with your cousins.” The girl sounded dead serious.

Hunter moved his hands.

“He’s got a boner,” the boy laughed. “He doesn’t look all that scared to be seen naked now.”

They all laughed and made a few more remarks about him until the first girl ordered Willy to go to the Smith’s house. As he started the engine, Hunter put his hands back over his privates. This time, they let him keep them there.

It was forty minutes before his six cousins and his sister arrived, accompanied by the three girls who had seen him naked yesterday. He was ordered to move his hands again, this time by his cousin Stacy, which he did.

“We passed your clothes just on this side of the road,” Jen said. “We decided to move them somewhere else. Keep your hands to your sides and we’ll take you right to them. Otherwise, you can spend the rest of the afternoon looking for them.”

With his dick proudly pointing the way home, the group headed that direction. The kids with motorized rides circled around a couple of times before heading back towards the hill.

They were nearly to the road. “Where are my clothes,” Hunter asked.

“Over there where your mom is waiting,” Stacy said. “She wants to talk with you.”

“Shit, no!” he said. “Jen, please tell her I’ll talk with her later and just get my clothes.”

His sister looked back and forth between him and mom. “Okay, but only because I think you really are trying to shake your phobia.” She ran over to the shade of a tree. Five minutes later she came back with his shorts and shirt. “She still wants to talk to you now, before you go back to the house.”

Now that he was dressed, it wasn’t as bad. He still didn’t want to face her, but one way or another he was going to have to. Better to just get it over with here than at the house with the rest of the adults joining in.

“Look, I applaud you for trying to overcome your fear,” she began. “But this is too dangerous. What if those kids had been bigger? Or wanted to hurt you, or had called the police? Keep going, but stay closer to the house, okay?”

She didn’t wait for an answer, instead she stepped forward and hugged him. “Let’s go back. Aunt Ginna is the only other one who knows what you did today.”

He showered before dinner. His boxers were back in his suitcase and he put them on. There was also another note. “Adults to see all.”

Once again, the fear struck him. Only this time, it was more of an annoyance. The adults wouldn’t be as bad as kids, would they? Besides, maybe his attacker would at least identify himself.

That night he changed from his clothes to his pajamas in the room with Wyatt and Abe. Why not, he figured. They had seen all there was to see of him multiple times now. He had nothing left to hide.

The next day dawned with clouds. Much needed rain was forecast, but the temperatures were not expected to go down. Bathing suits were recommended as the uniform of the day for the kids if they planned to play outside.

A game based on football, soccer, and baseball was invented by the kids. It mostly involved trying to get a ball from one side of the yard to the other. In a steady, soaking rain. Ordinarily, Hunter would not take part in such a game. His shirt was plastered to his body, making it uncomfortable. He decided to take it off, leaving him in nothing but his trunks.

The adults sat on the large porch, out of the rain, watching the game as it evolved. They generally cheered for any of the kids who had the ball, but they did cheer louder if it was one of their own.

Hunter had to admit to himself that he was actually having fun. The ball got knocked out of Jen’s hands as she was knocked down, and came right to him. He scooped it up, but not before noticing that his sister’s top was dangerously close to being untied. Then he saw Wyatt charging at him and took off at full speed for the opposite side of the yard.

His older cousin was not able to close the gap between them in time, so instead he dove at Hunter, hoping to trip him up. His right hand hooked on the back of the too-tight trunks, and they split into pieces.

There was silence from the porch, as all of the adults knew about Hunter’s fears. Now he was in the backyard, surrounded by his cousins, and he was naked. Of course, only his mother and Aunt Ginna knew about yesterday.

Everyone froze and looked at the adults, Hunter included. Then, naked as the day he was born, he got up and continued on to the other side, where he spiked the ball to the ground. He’d scored a point, and wanted more. He picked the ball back up and began running, this time towards his cousins and the adults, hoping to make it back across the yard to get a second point.

He failed, having the ball knocked from his hands by Susan. As he chased after it, he noticed that Jen’s top had come off and was somewhere in the yard. She didn’t seem to mind. He played on.

When the first lightning stroke came an hour later, all the kids were called up to the porch. Jen recovered her top, and asked Shelia to help her put it on. It was covered in mud.

The remains of Hunter’s suit had been ground into the wet turf, so he was now naked, surrounded by all. His uncles teased him a little at first, but then teamed up to strip their own sons as well. Soon, four boys were naked and laughing. None of them, not even Hunter, had an erection.

It stayed that way for a few minutes, then Wyatt decided to put his suit back on. As the oldest, he felt out of place being naked in front of his female cousins and the adults. But his brother and Stan remained undressed. Hunter caught his sister making prolonged eye contact with each of their privates several times.

The rain stopped, and the sun came out. That made it steamy hot, and the gang headed for the stream. With cautions to watch out in the current, the adults let them go. Not having a suit to wear, Hunter was suddenly more reluctant, even though Abe and Stan were not bringing their suits.

“You okay?” his mom whispered to him. “You can go get a pair of shorts and wear those if you want.”

His father came over. “You aren’t any different down there than Abe and Stan. They don’t seem to mind. You should go with them.”

Hunter took a good look. His dad was right, there were few differences between the three thirteen-year-old boys.

“I’m okay mom. I’m just worried about other kids seeing me, but I’ll be fine.” Still naked, and still not erect, he ran to join his cousins. At the stream, other kids were there and more showed up later, and a few other boys decided to join in on the naked swim. And for the first time ever, Hunter wasn’t afraid.

Hours later, his mother had a brand-new bathing suit for him. One that fit him properly.

“You know, there was something odd,” she said as she handed the new one over. “We looked at your old suit, and the seams looked like they’d been cut with a knife. Did you do that in order to conquer your Gymnophobia?”

He hadn’t. He knew he’d never do anything like that. Purposely set himself up to be naked. His attacker had somehow struck again. But he lied to his mother. “Yeah, I did. Sorry you had to buy me a new suit.”

“No, I’m glad it worked. The new suit was worth it, and you needed it anyway.”

There were no more notes in his suitcase, and he enjoyed spending time with his cousins for the remaining week of the annual visit. Gymnophobia? Not anymore. The only thing that troubled him now was who had managed to force him into battling it. He never found the answer.

Voice Over:

Can we be so sure that villains are out to get us that we create them ourselves? Fear may keep us vigilant, but it also can keep us apart. The human mind is a complicated thing. Able to direct action in response to fear. And to erase memories of the action taken when necessary. Was there a villain in young Hunter Tindale’s life? Or was he alone responsible for defeating his own worst enemy: fear.