Richie's Outing by Cole Parker

[Lugnutz]

Another great read by Cole. Suspense, fear and finding "The one".

http://www.awesomedude.com/coleparker/Short_Stories/richie.htm

[Camy]

Cole is a master of this genre and here, with initial bleakness yet a happy ending full of promise, he proves it once again.

[Bruin Fisher]

Well, I was expecting a Cole Parker story, and I got one, but this is quite a lot darker than I was expecting. The poor boy Richie of the title has everything against him - his community, church and even (especially) home are toxic places for him, but with help from an unexpected source it all comes right for him in the end. Really, of course, the responsible adults concerned should have been there for him way earlier - but better late than never.

Cole is a brilliant writer, able to drop his reader right into his story and make them believe in it, and this is no exception, so it's uncomfortable reading in parts, but Richie gets a happy ending, so the reader does, too.

[Gee Whillickers]

Wow, when the scene started describing the character's mood, the gun, and the church, I had a real reaction that had me gripping the arms of my chair much harder than I probably should. Of course, as I should have known it would, the outcome was positive. Though I cried a little inside at the burning of three perfectly good cheeseburgers.

[Guest Dabeagle]

A very tense beginning, leading to a lighthearted ending. Well worth the effort.