Thanks to anyone who's read or reviewed this story. I've never been a boy and I've never had boy children, so if I've got the details wrong feel free to set me straight.

Swimming Lessons

Marilla stripped Joe's bed as was normal on a Monday morning and noticed a damp patch on his sheets. She bent down to sniff, no not urine. She stood up straight in shock. He was too young surely; and yet maybe not? Time for Matthew to have a little chat with Joe it appeared. This was not something she envisaged when she agreed to adopt a boy, but that was naïveté. Of course, this was always going to happen at some stage.

At lunch she informed Matthew "I found something on Joe's sheets this morning when I was stripping them for washing."

"Really? What?" answered a disinterested Matthew; wondering why she was telling him about laundry.

"A nocturnal emission."

That got his attention. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I think so? As you know my experience with it is negligible, but it wasn't urine and he is twelve years old, so I think it must have been."

"Wet dreams already", mused Matthew.

"Time for you to be the parent Matthew."

Matthew blushed, "Couldn't…?"

"No, I couldn't Matthew. For one thing, I know next to nothing about being a twelve year old boy and for another thing, I think it would embarrass him beyond belief if I broached the subject. Why he'd sprint back to Hopeless as fast as his legs could take him."

"I suppose so." Matthew replied reluctantly.

After school that day Joe was working in the barn as usual, mucking out the cow stalls when Matthew cleared his throat nearby.

"Oh good afternoon Matthew." Joe greeted him.

"Joe, ahem, Joe um, let's sit down for a moment."

"Sure Matthew, what do you want?"

Matthew sat down opposite him. He fiddled with his cap for a few minutes while Joe waited, mystified. Matthew cleared his throat one more time and blurted out "Have you found the sheets wet when you wake up some mornings Joe?"

Joe was embarrassed because he had noticed just that thing that morning. He'd had a sudden flash of a memory of standing next to his damp bed in the asylum, being thrashed by one of the older kids, having wet his bed again. "How did you know? I should have washed them. I haven't wet the bed since I was little. I'm sorry Matthew. Was Marilla angry?"

"No, you didn't wet the bed like that Joe. You're growing up. What you had was a nocturnal emission."

Joe's face blushed red and he stammered out "A noc-c-t-t-turnal e-e-e-mission? What's that?"

"Well, when boys are going through puberty, things start to wake up inside, I guess. Your body's getting ready to be a man. You've probably noticed hair in places it wasn't before. We've noticed your voice cracking at times and now your privates are getting ready too, you ejaculated in your sleep. It's all perfectly natural Joe. I went through it many years ago myself."

"Oh."

"Yes, so you're not in any trouble. Maybe just strip your sheets when it happens. Marilla will wash them like normal."

"It's embarrassing."

"It's just part of growing up."

"Do girls have to deal with stuff too?"

"Actually it's worse for them."

"Worse?"

"Yes, I don't know much about it, but they get stomach cramps, mood swings and they bleed once a month."

"Bleed? Real blood?"

Matthew smiled at him, "Yes real blood. So, consider yourself lucky you're a boy."

One lazy warm fall Saturday afternoon shortly after this conversation the boys from school called for Joe. "Hey! Franklin we're going swimming, want to join us?"

Joe explained that he couldn't swim, but the boys were not perturbed. "We can teach you. This might the last chance we get for a swim before the cold weather sets in."

The swimming hole abutted Barry's Pond, it was a nice secluded pool, with patches of sunlight and shade. Someone long ago had attached a big rope to a branch of a tree on the bank. It was a point of honour for the boys to see how far they could swing and how big a splash they could make as they dropped in.

Once they arrived, the boys all stripped off and the others lined up for the rope. Not surprisingly as he was the oldest and largest, Gilbert created the biggest splash. Everyone cheered as he bombed in the water.

Joe stood on the bank, his hands clasped over himself, feeling self-conscious. He wasn't about to use the swing, but it did look like fun.

Once he surfaced, Gilbert glanced over at Joe. "Oh yes, right, we have to teach you to swim young Franklin. Come down to the water here, and just walk in. It's colder, but I guess you won't be entering the water the way I just did?" Joe shook his head.

Gilbert lazily swam over to where Joe was standing. "Okay, just keep walking out. There's a bit of a drop just over here." Joe hesitated, "You're fine. I've got you. Now, lift your feet off the bottom and swish your arms and legs about, that'll keep you up. All you have to do is keep your head above water. Don't panic, I won't let you drown." The others were watching as Gilbert guided Joe. They all swam over to offer encouragement. "Look Joe, I'm doing it too." Fred trod water by way of example. Soon all the boys were treading water together. Joe felt increasingly comfortable and the movement kept him warm in the cold water.

After a while Moody asked a question of the group, "Has anyone, um, had a wet dream?"

Gilbert, Fred and Charlie all nodded. Gilbert replied, "Oh yeah, I have them all the time."

Joe was mystified, he'd never heard of a wet dream. "What's that?"

As the oldest one there, Gilbert felt he had to provide the voice of experience "Oh you know, it's when you ejaculate in your sleep and wake up wet."

"Oh, Matthew calls them nocturnal emissions. A wet dream makes more sense. I feel like such a fool when I have to give Marilla my damp sheets."

The boys giggled in collegiate embarrassment "Oh yeah, that must be tough, I have to give my sheets to my mother, must be hard giving your sheets to Miss Cuthbert." Fred remarked.

Joe replied, "Marilla's all right. She never comments, I just hand them over and she gives me fresh sheets to remake my bed."

"How often do you have them, do you reckon?" Moody was curious.

"Most nights, I'd say. I never know until I wake up though." Joe confessed. He had been quite self-conscious about them, but knowing the other boys were doing it too made him feel much happier.

"Yeah me too." Moody admitted.

Collectively the boys decided that it was time to get out of the water, they all lay on the grassy bank drying in the sunlight.

"Say Franklin, I'm really sorry I upset Anne that time. What do you think I can do to make her forgive me?"

"Gee, I dunno Blythe. She seems really set against you. She didn't even want me to talk to you at first."

"Well as I recall you didn't, except you did communicate with your fists."

Joe grinned at him, "Yeah, well I got my message across, didn't I?"

Gilbert aimed a mock punch at him and they tussled briefly. "But this isn't helping the Anne situation. I need someone to put in a good word for me" he added when they had settled down.

"Actually, I have tried Blythe. But she's adamant that you're too annoying to be considered a chum. You need some romantic gesture to force her hand. I can't think what though."

"Ouf, I'm getting cold boys, what say we go home? My mother will give us afternoon tea if we ask nicely." Gilbert offered, generous with his mother's largess. The boys quickly dressed, enjoying the sensation of their sun warmed clothes on their cold bare bodies. They ran, chiacking as boys will, to the Blythe house to enjoy a much deserved afternoon tea.