Scout Slavery

By: Rick Masters
(© 2012 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 1

I remember the first day that I moved from Cubs up to Scouts. I was ten and a half years old and at the end of the year I would move to my new school and would then be a big boy. This move up to Scouts was the first step along the way. However I was rather nervous and not sure what to expect. I was put into Kudu patrol with Mike as my patrol leader. I later learned that Mike was always given the new boys at their first meeting because he made them so welcome and took away the fear of the unknown. Needless to say, at fourteen and a half, Mike was a big guy and I guess I fell in love with him there and then, even though I did not realise it at the time. But things were not to be so wonderful as I was soon moved to another patrol with Jim as my leader, and he ruled by fear! Every order was veiled with a threat and a bit of rough bullying was not unknown. It did make my first year at scouts a bit of a chore. I am glad I stuck it out though, because the following would not have happened if I had not.

It was an unwritten law that boys could not go on a patrol camp until they were twelve years old. I guess a lot of younger boys might not have been able to take to being alone, miles away from any help with no adult present and this is what a Patrol camp was like. To explain - A patrol was made up of 4 to 6 boys with a Patrol Leader (PL) and his Assistant Patrol Leader (APL). Part of the Patrol leader's goals included taking his patrol on a camp for the weekend (Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon). In our case we would be taken out to "Scrubbs" (A camp ground dedicated to scouting in the national park - about 40 miles from the nearest civilization). We would be dropped off with our food and equipment on Friday after school and a parent or two would come out on Sunday to collect us. During the rest of the weekend we would not see an adult except for the camp warden who came out at 6,00 p.m. each evening to "inspect" The warden would stay for about half an hour and we would then be alone again for the next 24 hours. I could not wait until I was 12, even though the prospect of going on camp with Jim was not very conducive to building excitement, I still wanted to camp without adults!

Before I got the chance to go on a patrol camp, I had a couple of other experiences to go through, almost in preparation for the event. First I had to move up to my new school. Once again I was a bit nervous, because I was going to a special school, supposed to be for advanced children, and I did not know anyone else who was going up with me. So I did not have any feelings of mutual support. However, I needn't have worried too much, as virtually everyone who was in my class was in the same boat, and we were all as nervous as each other. I had another surprise to come with that first day at Smiths College, because as I went to the cycle shed to collect my bike to ride home after school I saw Mike. Of course he couldn't be seen to fraternise with me or his friends would hound him with severe mocking for being friendly towards a junior, but he did at least acknowledge that he had seen me by giving me a smile and saying a quick, "Hi." I had no idea that Mike was attending the same school and I was thrilled.

At our next Scout meeting, he came and had a few words with me, and told me he was glad he had a fellow scout from the same the troop at school with him. I too said that I was glad to have somebody in the school who I knew and added, "Even if we can't be seen to be friends." Hoping this would make it easier for Mike to pretend to ignore me at times when he was with his friends. I think Mike actually appreciated this, and he would always greet me when he saw me with a quick "Hi, Jones." We only called our closest friends by their Christian names; everybody else was referred to by surname only.

One Friday, a week before the end of term, Mike came up to me and said, "Jones, wait for me at the cycle shed after school today." Then he went off with his mates. I did not know what this was about, as he hadn't even tried to explain this order to his friends, and so I had nothing to go on to try and puzzle it out. It took a long time for that final bell to ring. But when it did I was out of the classroom and made it to the cycle shed in record time. Mike came up and simply said, "Get your bike, and we'll talk on the way home." I was over the moon, I was going to be allowed to ride along with a senior and no one could say a thing because he had invited me. We each went to extract our bikes from the tangle the shed got into with more bikes being in there than had been planned for in the building of it, and managed to get out the gate at almost the same time. We set off initially in silence. Mike didn't say anything, and I didn't dare. It was only after we had gone about a quarter of a mile and were basically away from the rest of the school kids that Mike turned his head toward me briefly. "Would you like to go on a patrol camp with me these holidays Rick?" he asked. I was devastated, as I had to answer, "I would love to, Mike, but I can't." Mike looked astonished and asked why I couldn't go on camp. "It is still
4 months to my 12th birthday, so I won't be allowed and also I am not in your patrol." I virtually cried. I really was upset and had to fight to stop myself from showing the tears I felt inside in my voice. Mike just laughed. "You daft thing!" he retorted, "Would one like me, who is in a special school for gifted pupils, not have taken that into account? I have already had a word with Skip (our Scout Leader) and he has agreed that you will be alright going with me. He might not have agreed with the other patrol leaders, but I have shown him I can handle it."

I couldn't contain myself. My grin split my face from ear to ear. "Are you really sure? And how come when I am not even in your patrol? And when will it be, I've got to work on my mom?" I had a hundred and fifty questions to ask, and I was so excited I couldn't get them out in time. By this time we had reached the gate to Mike's house and so he stopped me. "Listen, just have a word with your mom tonight, and tell her to check with Skip if she is worried about anything, then come around to my house tomorrow, say at about two in the afternoon, and no I will not be free any earlier. We can discuss things then, and I will answer all your questions then. I do have to explain something and find out some stuff about you, and once I have, you may not want to come on camp." With that Mike said good bye and went on up his drive. This was the best day of my life, so far, and yet time seemed to drag by as I waited for my mother to get home from work. Even swimming in the nude did not seem to speed up the passage of time. I was nearly always naked at home. I loved the feeling of freedom and was totally comfortable with it because I had been like this ever since my mother and older sister had come on the scene. Perhaps I should explain. My real mother had died when I was a baby. I have no photographs or memories of her. My dad had looked after me with a series of "aunts" until we moved in with the lady I now call my mom. This happened when I was almost 4. Within 6 months of our moving in with them, my dad took off for who knows where, and I haven't seen him since. He could be dead for all I know and all he cares. There never has been any birthday or Christmas card from him let alone a present. My sister, step-sister really, is 6 years older than me, and liked to take charge of my ablutions when I was little. She would bath me and get me ready for bed and such like. I am also very ticklish and she loved to tickle me. One evening I had just finished having my bath, and Josie, was drying me. Dad had already left us by this time. I said something teasing to her and she started to tickle me. In an effort to escape, I ran totally naked from the bathroom and down the passage to the lounge where mom was having a cup of tea or coffee. Josie was in full pursuit with her hands up and fingers spread in a very tickilishing threatening position. We were both squealing with glee. I jumped onto the sofa next to mom seeking protection, but only got tickled by her as well. I was trapped and doomed! After what was probably only a couple of minutes mom sent us both off to get me dressed. But after that time, it became a daily ritual, and after a few weeks of this I just stopped bothering to go and put clothes on until it was time for dinner, and mom and Josie didn't seem to mind. Going about nude after seemed to just grow naturally out of that. When I was old enough to take care of my bath myself, I still didn't get dressed until I absolutely had to. My sister also started to shed her clothes at times, but as she was already developing by this time, she did not go about naked that much. I started swimming in the nude as well because I couldn't be bothered to dig my costume out and it was much easier after a long hot ride home from school to strip off as soon as I put the bike away and dive in even before I had actually gone inside the house. But I digress,

When mom got home, I still naked and went running out to ask her to let me go camping. "Slow down a bit!" she demanded, "Give me a chance to get inside and get my shoes off. And you can put some clothes on to ask me for a favour." I dashed to my room and pulled on the first pair of shorts and 'T' shirt I could find and ran back to the sitting room to ask mom again. "Please, please mom; Mike says you can phone Skip to ask anything you need to know." Mom just sighed and said she would think about it, and let me know after she had phoned our Scout Leader. I went and got her the cordless phone so that she did not have to delay, but all she said was, "I want some time to think about what questions I have to ask him first. I will phone him tomorrow and make my decision then." Oh! What torture. I had to wait till the afternoon to find out from Mike what he had to talk to me about and then still had to wait for mom to speak to Skip. I had waited all afternoon and still was no nearer to finding anything out at all! And now I still had to wait through all of Saturday morning as well and even then when I went around to Mike's house I still would not have final permission from Mom. But at least she had not said 'no' straight away.

To be continued...

Posted: 11/05/12