The Barn by Cole Parker

[Rutabaga]

Asshole-Ism will out. 

R

[Camy]

Here'e a silhouette of the cat reading chapter three.

I told her it wasn't finished, but would she listen.... She'd like more though. Soonest. Mrrow!

 

 

[Cole Parker]

Nice to see I have fans!

C

[colinian]

5 hours ago, Camy said:

Here'e a silhouette of the cat reading chapter three.

I told her it wasn't finished, but would she listen.... She'd like more though. Soonest. Mrrow!

Tell her she'll have to jump ahead to chapter ten which is the latest to be posted (as of 5/27). Or just read faster so she doesn't miss any of the chapters in-between.

Colin 

[Camy]

She's got to ten and wants (demanded, actually) more.

Also, she really, really doesn't like Tim.
 

[Cole Parker]

 Ha ha ha ha ha.  Very wise cat!

C

[colinian]

Cats are able to identify bullies and point them out to their owners. And sometime take action, too. See Pedro's Joseph's Cat for an example.

Colin 

[Rutabaga]

No cats in this household but our dogs are pretty good at reading people. They sometimes stumble over some of Cole’s big words, though.

R 

[Cole Parker]

I only write for smart cats.

C

[Rutabaga]

On 5/27/2019 at 2:00 PM, colinian said:

Cats are able to identify bullies and point them out to their owners. And sometime take action, too. See Pedro's Joseph's Cat for an example.

Colin 

Yes, that is an excellent example. 

R

[Merkin]

I’m torn between rudely pushing past the animal love fest going on here or starting a new thread but I do want to comment on The Barn now that Cole has wrapped it up. 

Cole’s story, as we have come to expect, is wonderfully well written with compelling characters and a plot that never fails to keep us on the edge of some cliff.  In addition he has given us an authentic depiction of the way it was for boys experiencing self-discovery and the hopelessness of being gay in small towns across this land only a few decades ago, a situation that still exists in too many places.  Add to this the accuracy of his presentation of the real constraints on gay boys and men imposed by sports at every level, constraints that still apply and make sports so much less that what they are capable of achieving.  The reader cannot help but feel the weight of every risk Dave, Chip, and boys like them take as they make their way through the minefield of small town high school life, its team sports, and beyond.

Thanks, Cole, for a great read and an important statement.
 

 

[Cole Parker]

Thanks so much, James.  It means more, coming from you.

C

[Rutabaga]

I liked the story, but was struck by the contrast with some earlier ones that involve greater loss and greater emotional upheaval. Maybe Cole is mellowing out. 

I’m thinking of tales like “On the High Plains of Wyoming” (arguably Cole’s best short story) and “Ren.”  People died in those stories — admittedly scoundrels — and were felled by youngsters.  It was a different world. 

Here things were more genteel.  I’m not saying one is necessarily better or worse, just noting the difference.  

I also found myself wondering whether any American college campus still offers what Chip experienced.  The many reports coming from today’s campuses suggest that they have become bastions of political correctness, activism, and loss of academic rigor, especially in the liberal arts. 

Anyway, good show. 

R

[Cole Parker]

A reader asked me if I modeled the college after Kenyon, a very fine liberal arts school in Ohio.  Some readers are very perspicacious.

C

[Rutabaga]

1 hour ago, Cole Parker said:

Some readers are very perspicacious.

I tend more to the grandiloquent.  😥

R

[Cole Parker]

Someone has to be.

C

[Camy]

Cole, yet again a doozy! 'The Barn' was terrific.

I know I should play the game and read chapters as they're released, but I'm impatient, and get irritable if I have to wait. I broke at chapter ten and lucked out that eleven was the finale. Actually, I thought that ten was the end: its last line worked perfectly.

Spoiler

I do have a wee niggle. You wrote an good antagonist in Tim then dismissed him with two sentences in chapter 11. I'd like to have known more about his fate. Perhaps a sequel?

 

[Cole Parker]

7 hours ago, Camy said:

Cole, yet again a doozy! 'The Barn' was terrific.

I know I should play the game and read chapters as they're released, but I'm impatient, and get irritable if I have to wait. I broke at chapter ten and lucked out that eleven was the finale. Actually, I thought that ten was the end: its last line worked perfectly.

  Hide contents

I do have a wee niggle. You wrote an good antagonist in Tim then dismissed him with two sentences in chapter 11. I'd like to have known more about his fate. Perhaps a sequel?

 

Believe it or not, I did think of a sequel, and it was going to feature Tim.  He'd be the one that would be most interesting to examine.  His attitude was bad, but very much like thatd of a lot of teens I've known who are way too narcissistic.  Be fun making him change.

But I doubt I'll do it.   I have another story in mind, and by the time that one's finished, I doubt I'll be thinking about Tim at all.  But it's a good suggestion.  Thanks.

 

C

[Camy]

I do believe it.

There's a rich vein untapped in Tim and his possible redemption. You don't have to mine it now... but sooner or later, who knows. A short story, maybe.

Thanks for the thanks. 😉