Disclaimer: I do not own anything! I merely borrow the wonderful characters Chris and Gordie , ( other less worthy ones as well) , from the glorious film directed by Rob Reiner. A film that was based off the novella , The Body , written by the great Stephen King! He whose fame shall never fade from this earth!


Together

That Monday was the second worst day of Gordie Lachance's life , ironic considering yesterday had been the best , the day he and Chris had made love in the forest. That Monday was the day Chris didn't show up for school, and in a freak of fate that could be labeled " coincidence" only by a lunatic , that day was October 31st Halloween , the three year anniversary of the Cassy brothers murder.

Gordie was beyond worried by the end of first period , Chris was gone , with no explanation.

" He was fine yesterday." Gordie thought to himself , had he not been racked with grief and worry he might have found humor in the double meaning that could be applied to this statement.

All day he was more like a phantom than a person. He sat in class but didn't listen , he ate but tasted nothing , without Chris nothing mattered. He kept telling himself it would be okay , that Chris was sick , or skipping , but he wasn't kidding anyone , especially not himself , something was seriously wrong and he knew that. Finally the last bell rang and kids broke though the doors in waves , eager to get home and begin the shadowy glory that is Halloween. Gordie was going to run straight to Chris's house , he'd even risk running into Mr. Chambers. He started down the steps of the school when he heard something that froze hi body and shattered his senses ,

" Yeah , Chris Chambers is a total queer."

, his heart stopped , he turned his head and saw a group of boys talking with their back to him. He recognized the speaker as Henry Spencer.

" No way , not Chris Chambers?" one unbelieving boy asked ,

" Yeah , I saw him myself , he was in the woods , fucking some guy. It made me puke" ,

there was silence as this reality altering information set in.

" Did you see who it was?" ,

" No , he was on top of him, I heard him screaming Chris's name though."

The best way to describe what Gordie was going through can't be described by words , not my words anyway , but a close second is this , Gordie shut down. Thinking , breathing , everything but hearing , switched off.

" I'll tell you one thing though" , Henry continued , " his old man was pissed when I told him." ,

"You told his dad?" , one kid asked in admiration he figured anyone who had the balls to tell his son was a queer was really brave ,

" Yeah , had to let him know there was a queer in the family."

At that moment Gordie came back on , as if someone had slapped him with ice water. His heart beat at a maniac pace , adrenaline coursed through his body , and his brain thought at the speed of sound. He ran home , he knew what he had to do , but , God , he was so scared , scared it might be too late to help Chris. He decided then and there with an unshakeable will , that if Chris was dead Henry Spencer would be too , and he'd follow them both. A hideous image of Chris , grotesquely lit by torchlight , hung on a noose of barbed wire , burned itself into his mind and nearly broke him. He had to keep telling himself that Chris was alive and needed his help , that kept him going as he ran furiously home.

He fell once , without feeling anything he got up and ran all the faster. He was distantly aware that it was getting dark quickly , that the sky was black with cloud , and that a stiff wind was screeching through the trees. He was more readily aware that it was Halloween. Finally he reached home. As he burst through the screen door he heard his dad shout at him

" Gordie get in here! Now!" ,

with leaden legs he walked to the living room where his dad waited , glaring in his easy chair.

" You are not to be friends with that Chambers boy anymore. You are not to talk to him , you are not to see him! I always knew he was a bad influence , a criminal , but now I find out he's a homosexual , a deviant! ( It seemed everyone in Castle Rock knew but Gordie). He was having sex with some man in the woods , do you know anything about this?"

Gordie had never seen his dad this visually livid.

" Yes! It was me and I loved it. And I love him , and he loves me , which is more than I can say for you two!" ,

this outburst surprised Gordie the most of anyone in the room , but it felt , good , right. His father was dumbstruck , his mother began weeping in spasms.

" You get up to your room! I'm going to give you the whippin of your life , I'll beat the queer right out of you!" his father , who had suddenly found his voice , roared.

Gordie ran , not to await a beating , but to get the bags , get Chris , and get the Hell out of Castle Rock.

He rushed into his room and got the bags. As he slung one over his shoulder something silver flew out and landed with a thud on the carpet. He picked it up and saw it was a pistol , Chris's , the same one he'd had on their adventure that summer. He stuck It in his pocket and threw open the window. Gordie's father stormed into the room with his belt in his hand , the last time he ever saw his son , on this earth , was when he saw the back of his head as he jumped out the window. By the time the old man reached the window and looked outside his son was gone , forever.

Gordie rushed through the October twilight that was quickly becoming night. When he reached Chris's decapitated old shebang of a house he crouched by the wooden tool shed , hidden , thinking. He'd never been inside Chris's house and he had no idea what room was his or how to find him. As he crouched , frantically thinking he heard a whisper

" Gordie? Is that you?"

he turned around and saw no one.

" Who's there?" , he whispered back.

" Here Gordie !" ,

he was sure of it now , Chris's voice , and it was coming through the space in-between the shed doors.

" Chris! Oh man , I thought you were.." ,

" Gordie , get me out , I'm locked in."

And so he was , a sturdy padlock graded the latch of the tool shed. Gordie noticed a shovel leaning up against the wooden wall , he picked it up and using the sharp end , hit the lock three times , on the third blow it broke. He threw the doors open and rushed inside to Chris. He had difficulty recognizing him , dried blood was lathered on his face , both his eyes were black, and his nose was bleeding.

" Oh Chris , I'm sorry , I'm so , so sorry." pleaded Gordie , unsure what he was apologizing for

" You should see the other guy." , Chris managed a weak smile which caused fresh blood to flow from his split lip. Gordie smiled too.

" C'mon , were getting you out of here." Gordie helped Chris up.

" Gordie watch out!" Chris screamed, his face the incarnation of horror.

But it was too late , before he could react Gordie felt a heavy stinging blow slam on his back. He was sent reeling.

" Well I'll be dammed! Two queers in one night!" ,

it was Chris's dad , as usual he was drunk , a Louisville slugger was in his right hand , the reason for Gordie's aching back.

" You bastard!" Chris roared as he flung himself at his dad.

Chris was angry , ten times more angry than when he'd beat the shit out of Henry Spencer , but he was weakened by the beatings he'd gotten all day and was thrown back with a swift open handed blow to the face. His father laughed drunkenly , until a loud , commanding voice yelled ,

" Stop!" , and he did.

Gordie was in between Chris and his dad , ( I f you could call that demon by so affectionate a name), with the pistol drawn , aimed and Mr. Chamber's chest.

" I will kill you if you touch him again. Do you understand me you whiskey soaked pile of shit! I will kill you!"

, and he was fully prepared to.

" Now get outta ma way boy , my son needs some discipline!"

he staggered forward , bat in hand , a shot burst the night. Mr. Chambers fell backward out of the shed screaming ,

" You broke ma hand! You broke ma hand!" .

Gordie had shot to kill , but fate sometimes has other plans oftentimes better ones. The bullet went in the right hand and was stopped by bone , bone that shattered on impact. The hand that had beat Chris more times than anyone could number was a bloody , useless , rag. Mr. Chambers lost that hand.

" Come on , we need to hurry!" , Gordie said as he helped Chris up.

Chris just couldn't resist , as they ran out of the shed he stopped to give his father a farewell present , a solid kick in the gut and a spit on the face.

The going was painful and slow , Chris was weak and his left ankle was sprained when his father threw him down the cement steps of the house , but it was much better than the staying because it meant that with every hobbled , labored step , they were getting farther away. Every inch of Chris had been beaten , scratched , bludgeoned , and kicked that day. His father had asked him who he'd been with in the woods after he found out from Henry Spencer , ( thank God for the mentally debilitating effects of alcoholism! Otherwise , he might have put two and two together and realized it was Gordie.). But Chris refused to answer. He endured cuts , beatings , even some burns , with stoic silence. He had to protect Gordie.

" We're almost there." Gordie said pointing to the train station.

By now he was helping Chris walk , like football players help wounded team mates , with one arm slung over his shoulder. They were close , about fifty yards separated them from freedom , a train whistle sounded , signaling it was about to depart.

A light behind the caught Gordie's eye , he turned and saw his greatest fear. A mob , face hidden by Children's Halloween masks , with torches , searchlights , and dogs. Memory of the Cassy brothers murder screamed in Gordie's head. They'd been spotted. Chris looked back and saw them too , he heard shout and barks.

" Gordie run! Get out of here! I'm dead weight!" Chris screamed,

" No way man." Gordie answered firmly ,

" Get out Gordie! Your dead if you don't leave me!" ,

"I'm dead if I do!" ,

it was sealed , they would live or die together. After what seemed like hours they finally reached the train platform.

The reader who believes only in matter with no higher power , fate , destiny , God , what have you , would do well to stop reading here.

Out of all the trains that left Castle Rock , ( not many) , and out of all the times that they could leave , (hundreds) , one left right as the pursued lovers reached the platform. Not only did this train leave exactly then but it had one perfectly empty , perfectly , inviting box car , into which the two boys jumped. The train started , sluggishly at first ,and then faster , oh gloriously faster! Soon the mob , the hate , all of Castle Rock was but a speck , invisible and far behind them. The two sat with their backs against the wooden wall of the box car , leaning on each other , as they had always done , looking up at the now clear and beautiful night sky.

It was all so wonderfully like a dream , them together , warm in each others presence , being borne swiftly away from all they hated on this beautiful metal behemoth. But they no longer had to dread the morning , for this dream had been tempered in testing fires and had come out as real and solid as the steel of this wonderful train , their dreams would no longer be banished with the rising sun , they would greet it happily.

" Gordie , I'm so cold." Chris said he hadn't eaten all day and his shirt was slashed in several places allowing the cold night air to seep in and chill him.

Gordie made Chris rest his beaten and bruised back on his warm chest , and he hugged him comfortingly , as he always did , and as Chris always did for him. Chris felt safe in the slim boys embrace and he felt warm , oh so warm. He was exhausted and hurt , but in Gordie's tender arms he felt perfectly contented. As they both fell asleep , being whisked away to they knew not where , nor did they care , Gordie , as he was a writer , did what the best writers do , tell the truth in beautiful ways.

"It's going to be alright now , everything's going to be fine. Were safe , we got out , … together."

And as the two lovers were being rushed away from all the ignorance and animosity that threatened to break their exquisite bond , they both realized it was true , they were no longer empty words said for the sake of comfort , everything was going to be all right. It was , and more.

P.S

If you review I'll give you the Pope's hat! ,

it's called a mitre.