MEET YOUR captain

THE INTERROGATION OF MICHIGAN MIKE

by Michael Ferree (MCF74)

"Michigan" Mike Flynn and "Arizona" Aaron Farris were two of the biggest rivals in archaeology. Both taking after their boyhood idol,

Indiana Jones, they were young, brash guys with a passion for rare antiquities and an adventurous streak on top of it all. Both goodlooking

guys, they were also magnets for the opposite sex, not to mention many members of the same sex. Always trying to one-up the

other, they constantly competed for the same treasures in dangerous, exotic places, usually at the same time. Having met only once or

twice in person before, it was hard to say if they truly hated each other or were merely rivals who respected one another.

One hot, steamy afternoon in the South American jungle, Michigan Mike was wandering through an especially dense patch of forest

with his guide when all of the sudden they were surrounded by natives. Mike had heard of these forest-dwellers, many of whom had

never been photographed by man before. However, he was not nervous at their appearance, as he had heard they were not

dangerous, but instead quite hospitable, even to total strangers. This is why it took him by surprise when they pointed their spears at

him, tied his hands together with ropes, and blindfolded he and his guide. They led him through the forest in an erratic, circular fashion,

as to not let him catch wind of where he was going. As it was, Mike was completely turned around by the time they led him to what

sounded like a village. He could hear the chatter of voices all around, but one in particular stood out from the crowd. He recognized it

immediately. It was Arizona Aaron, his nemesis. It was like a dagger had pierced Mike's heart. His worst enemy had captured him,

and he knew the exact reason why: It was the Aztec Gold he had spent the last two years pursuing. Only Mike knew the exact location

of the treasure, and Aaron wanted in on the secret. Mike could feel the natives lead him into what sounded like a hut, with it's stuffy,

muted acoustics. Mike was laid down on a table, and his legs were tied down to it, with ropes similarly strong to the ones that bound

his hands. Once he was firmly secured to the table, he could hear the other natives leave the room.

Only one person remained: Arizona Aaron.

"So, Michigan Mike, my old friend. Looks like you've gotten yourself into a perilous situation again", Aaron quipped.

"Whatever you want, Farris, you're not going to learn anything from me. You know I don't crack under torture. And what did you do with

my guide?".

"Oh, don't worry about him, Flynn. You should be MUCH more worried about yourself right now. I know ALL about your limitations,

Mikey. I know all your strengths, weaknesses, and especially your breaking points!", Aaron shot back at him. "Andt I know something

extra-special that might just do the trick to make you spill your guts to me.", he continued.

Just then, Mike could feel his shoelaces being undone, followed by the removal of his shoes one by one. "Why are you taking my

shoes off? Do you want my shoes or something? You don't have a shoe fetish, do you, Aaron? You know, I'd hate to have to tell

everyone about that." , Mike said sarcastically, trying to cover up his ever-building anxiety.

"Oh, I've got some fetishes all right, but a shoe fetish isn't exactly one of them", Aaron replied.

Then, he could feel Aaron grab his socks at the toes, and slowly pull them both off at the same time. The rush of air on his bare feet

was actually refreshing since he had been walking all day, but Mike had little time to enjoy it. "What are you doing, Farris?" No

response from Aaron. Mike wondered to himself what Aaron could possibly want to do to his feet. What was his angle? Mike waited

for any sign or indication of what was to come.

A few moments passed. Just then, Mike felt a sensation that literally sent shockwaves through his body. Aaron was gently running his

index finger upwards along the sole of Mike's right foot. "AHHHHH!", Mike yelped in reaction, and Aaron seemed to genuinely enjoy his

reaction.

"Oh, so you ARE ticklish, huh Mike?", Aaron teased.

"How would he know that?", Mike wondered to himself silently. Only a couple of people knew he was ticklish at all, and they were close

buddies of his from years back.

Aaron's fingers slowly but surely probed Mike's right sole for what seemed like an eternity. He could feel them glide gently along his

arch from his heel to his toes and back down again. Almost unconsciously, Mike realized that he had been lightly giggling the whole

time. "You've sure got some baby soft feet for such a tough guy, Mikey. Tickle tickle!", Aaron taunted. Somehow, the tickle talk drove

Mike absolutely crazy, and Aaron knew it.

Mike winced as he could feel Aaron's fingers picking up their tickling pace, dancing all across his soles, as if they were probing for the

most ticklish spots. He couldn't hold it in any longer. "HAHAHAHAHA!!!!", Mike belted out, his giggling turning into full-blown laughter.

"What's so funny, Mikey? Are you enjoying this or something?" Aaron sneered mockingly.

"Kiss my ass, Aaron! Just wait until I get out of here!", Mike shot back.

"Oooh, you're a tough talker, even when you're restrained. We'll just see how tough you really are.", Aaron threatened.

Aaron then turned his attention to Mike's left foot, which happened to be even more ticklish than the right one. He started slowly again,

using one finger to tease Mike's sole in a painfully slow fashion, almost as if he was drawing pictures with his fingers on Mike's bare

soles. Then, as before with the right foot, he picked up the pace and started tickling Mike's left sole more aggressively. At this point, he

moved his tickling fingers up to the area at the base of Mike's toes, which instantly caused Mike's body to thrash. Mike started laughing

hysterically, begging Aaron to stop. "PLEHEHEHEASE. Sto-HA-HA...STOP IT! ARRGHH!"

"What's the matter, buddy. Does that tickle? Looks like we found your sweet spot! Coochie coochie coo!", Aaron taunted, laughing as

he tormented Mike's feet.

A wildly hysterical "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!", was all Mike could muster in response. Mike couldn't stop laughing, as much as he tried and

resisted. The exploitation of Mike's sweet spots at the base of and underneath the toes of both of his feet went on for what seemed like

fifteen or twenty minutes. Aaron often tickled both of Mike's feet at the same time to get double the reaction. "NOOOOOOOO!!!!

PLEASE, Aaron, STO-HAHAHA-P!!! Stop tickling me, please!", Mike begged with tears stated to come out of his eyes.

"Okay, tell you what, Mikey. I'll stop if you tell me where the Aztec gold is located. I want details, too. As a matter of fact, I'll let you go

altogether, no questions asked if you tell me." Aaron promised.

"Come on man, you know I worked my ass off for two years trying to find that gold. You think I'm going to just give it away in a few

minutes? You're freaking crazy!", Mike retorted.

"Have it your way", Aaron responded, indicating by the tone of his voice that he was only half-disappointed. As a matter of fact, he

seemed to genuinely be enjoying this experience.

Then came the worst thing that could have ever happened to Mike! Any hopes of an easy escape from this ticklish situation vanished

into thin air. Mike figured that Aaron would just give up since most people are most ticklish on the soles and toes of their feet. Mike

was different, though, and this gave him an advantage when being tickled by people....until now. Aaron clearly had done his homework,

learning that Mike was hyper-ticklish on the tops and sides of his feet! He immediately went to work on Mike's "true" sweet spots. Mike

thrashed so hard in reaction, it was a wonder he didn't break free from his ropes right then and there. He started laughing harder and

with more intensity than ever before during the session.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! NOOOOO!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I CAN'T, HAHAHA, I CAN'T TAKE THAT!!! PLEAHEHEHEASE STOP!!!",

Mike begged, knowing full well he was getting his butt kicked by Aaron. The sensation of Aaron fingers tickling Mike's foot tops and

sides was almost unbearable and he felt as if he could pass out at any moment. Except the moment seemed to go on and on and on.

Mike was laughing so hard that tears were starting to pour out of his eyes. This non-stop tickling of the tops and sides of Mike's feet

went on for about twenty more minutes before Mike felt that he was left with no choice but to confess. He had to tell Aaron something,

as he couldn't take any more of his tickle torture, as he was beginning to struggle to even breathe normally.

"Okay, okay, you BASTARD! I'll talk!! HAHAHA!! Please just stop tickling my feet!!! I really can't take anymore! Seriously!", Mike

begged Aaron.

Aaron immediately stopped tickling him, and asked insistently, "Where is the gold, Mike? No more games!", he said insistently.

Mike then told him the exact location of the gold in as much detail as was possible. It all sounded reasonable to Aaron, who thanked

Mike for finally cracking. "Well, it's been fun, Mikey! Really, it has! Honestly, I was kind of hoping that you would hold out a little longer

so I could work on your feet some more.", Aaron laughed mockingly as he said. Just for kicks, Aaron tickled the tops and sides of

Mike's feet for another minute or two, even sneaking in a little sole tickling before finally quitting. "HAHAHAHA!!!!"

"Thanks again, buddy!", Aaron said as he departed the room in the hut. Mike could feel the natives put his shoes and socks back on

his tired feet. He was so exhausted from laughing at his merciless tickle torture that he probably would have struggled to do it himself.

Then, the natives carried him our of the hut and dropped him in the woods where they first captured him in what seemed to be an

eternity ago.

Mike undid his blindfold when he felt it was safe to do so, and began walking towards the direction he had originally come from,

knowing he would probably run into a town with food and shelter not too far away. As he made his way, he felt a building sense of

satisfaction, knowing full well he had sent Arizona Aaron Farris on the kind of wild goose chase that could last for weeks. The location

of the gold that he confessed to Aaron was FAR OFF from the real one, and Mike absolutely loved deceiving Aaron like he had. Plus,

he had really needed a break from the incessant foot tickling that Arizona Aaron had been giving him. Still, he knew that once Aaron

discovered he had lied, he would come after him, and that the tickling would be all the worse if he was captured again. Deep down,

Mike honestly hoped that he would be on the receiving end of a tickle torture session from Arizona Aaron again someday. A grin spread

out across Mike's face as he walked into the sunset.

MICHIGAN MIKE AND THE TEMPLE OF TICKLISH DOOM

"Michigan" Mike Flynn had long dreamt of the opportunity to encounter his rival, "Arizona" Aaron Farris, again. During their

last meeting a mere six months ago, Aaron had thoroughly and intensely tickle tortured Mike's bare feet in order to find out

the secret location of the lost, highly valuable Aztec gold. Mike had never forgotten about that fateful day, which had been

both the biggest dream and nightmare of his life all at the same time. Mike was undoubtedly enamored with his top rival

Arizona Aaron, but he also hated him with a passion. It was the ultimate love-hate relationship, and Mike relished in it.

Unbeknownst to Mike, Arizona Aaron secretly harbored strong feelings of reverence for Michigan Mike, who was both older and

more experienced as an archaeologist. While in college, Arizona Aaron had worshipped Michigan Mike as he studied

archaeology.

When Aaron had kidnapped Mike that day order to find out the secret location of the Aztec gold, he had originally intended to

merely question him about it. But as Aaron's hired henchmen dragged Mike in that fateful day, a flip switched in his head, and

he became a man of one single mind. His feelings towards Mike were both clear in intention and confused all at once. He had

always wanted to be Mike in many ways, yet still wanted to be better than him. So, seeing Mike lying there, bound and

helpless that afternoon, Aaron had realized exactly what he wanted: To put Mike in his place by taking advantage of his

biggest and least-known weakness. Aaron had previously received valuable information that Mike's feet were intensely and

insatiably ticklish, and he took advantage of it.

Cut to the present day, six months after the incident in the jungle. Mike was deep in a jungle in India searching for the Shield

of Shiva, a lost artifact traced back to ancient times. It was the clearly that greatest pursuit of his career, and if attained,

would seal Mike's place in the history books of archaeology. With that knowledge, Mike was well-aware that his rival, Arizona

Aaron, would clearly be after the exact same piece of treasure. He counted on Aaron's inevitable intervention. Little did Mike

realize, Aaron had been harboring fantasies about another encounter with Mike. Aaron felt incomplete, and in some ways, his

previous victory over Mike was bittersweet and unsatisfying. Aaron still wanted to be there in that hut tickling Mike's feet and

listening to the sound of his laughter, which had been music to Aaron's ears. The treasure had been a boon to Aaron in terms

of notoriety within his field and sheer monetary reward. Aaron thought to himself that he wanted to get his hands on Mike

more than any priceless artifact or valuable jewel. "Damn, is something wrong with me?", Aaron thought to himself. Either

way, it was true, and Aaron knew how he felt. He wanted to encounter Mike again. Soon.

It was a hot Saturday in the late afternoon, and Mike made his way into a group of caverns and catacombs near an

abandoned palace that had once been a place of great importance in the region. It was a typically dark, musty series of

chambers, and Mike had been in many such places before. As a result, he was well-prepared for these situations, and carried

a couple of flashlights with him at all times. As Mike proceeded down a particularly long, dark tunnel, he noticed some

hieroglyphics on the walls. Mike started to wonder if the claustrophobia of the place was starting to get to him, as he couldn't

believe what he was seeing. Images of priests and other high-ranking figures standing over victims that were tied down in

contraptions that resembled stocks with their fingers touching the soles of their victims' feet. In all of his travels across the

world in numerous hidden caverns, Mike had never witnessed any indication of a culture or civilization tickle torturing their

victims on their feet. He had seen many horrific things in his time, but for some reason, this struck him in a more profound

way. He had a sudden flashback to that hut in the middle of the jungle in which he helplessly endured the manic, tickling

fingers of his rival Aaron on his bare feet. It was enough to make Mike shudder, yet still, he felt an enormous sense of arousal

as well. He was instantly hard as a rock in his pants, and had a feeling of desire that gave him chills. He knew what he

wanted: To be tickled by Aaron again, and then to return the favor by tickling Aaron back. The latter part was just as

intriguing to Mike as the former. Mike had long fantasized about what Aaron's bare feet looked like. He desperately wanted to

know, but wondered if he would ever get the chance.

Just then, Mike heard voices ahead and what vaguely sounded like laughter. Afraid to be noticed, he quickly turned off his

flashlight and proceeded carefully down the hallway. There was a faint reddish light at the end of the tunnel, and Mike walked

towards it. He could see light coming over a ridge from below, and as he got nearer to it he could hear the distinctive sound of

male laughter. "What in the world have I gotten myself into this time?", Mike wondered to himself. As he reached the ledge,

he was awestruck by the sight in front of him. It was a huge temple, probably used for pagan worship of the evil god Kali and

human sacrificial ceremonies by the Thugee cult over a century before. The sheer scale of the temple was enormous, but

where hundreds, even thousands, might have worshipped before, only a handful of people could be seen.

In the front of the temple, near a huge statue overlooking an alter, was a man on his back, lying on a table. His hands were

tied above his head, and his bare feet were bound in stocks. He appeared to be a blonde man with an athletic body, but Mike

couldn't see his face clearly. From the looks of it, the group of thugs in front of him, dressed in ceremonial robes and

headdresses, were tickling the poor, hapless victim on the table. The man's howling laughter echoed through and filled the

huge cavernous temple. Mike could not help but feel sorry for the poor guy. His first instinct was to go down and help the man

escape. Armed with a loaded pistol, which always accompanied him since his ambush by Aaron in the past, Mike intended to

set him free and get the hell out of the place as soon as possible.

Mike made his way closer down to the ground level of the temple, creeping along behind rocks and pillars on the sides. As he

reached the front, he peered to get a closer look at the victim. Looking through his binoculars, he looked right at the man's

face, which was red from laughing so hard. The shock that filled Mike at that point almost caused him to gasp aloud, which

would have surely given away his hiding spot. The Thugees' tickle victim was Aaron!

He overheard one of the Thugee priests say to him, "This is what outsiders get for trying to steal the Shield of Shiva! I want

you to tell me where you have hidden the shield and return it to us!"

Aaron responded passionately, per his character: "You'll never get any information out of me, you sick bunch of freaks! The

Shield is in better hands now...mine!"

Thugee priest: "I'm giving you one more chance: Where did you hide the Shield of Shiva?"

Aaron: "Look up your ass!"

With that, the priest reached down and tickled the soles of both of Aaron's feet at once, causing Aaron to practically explode

in laughter.

Aaron: "ARGHHH!!! HAHAHAHA!! STO-HAHAHAHA-PPP!!!"

The other Thugees tickled Aaron's sides and ribs while the priest continued on his feet. Hearing Aaron laugh, and watching the

Thugees tickle Aaron mercilessly was a huge turn-on to Mike, and he had an erection as hard as any ever in his life. Plus,

hearing the priest’s words made Mike aware that Aaron had indeed beaten him to the punch yet again. Aaron had found the

Shield of Shiva, and was caught attempting to steal it from the lost temple. However, judging from the priest's conversation

with Aaron, he had hidden it somewhere before the Thugee guards caught him, and they wanted it back. It was rumored that

the Thugee cult kept the shield in its' possession with the though that they would win favor with Shiva for it's protection

despite their wicked ways.

Mike was fascinated, and was very tempted to keep watching the spectacle. But still, he knew that these were bad people

doing this, and he wasn't about to let them get away with it, lest they try to do serious harm to Aaron after tickling him. As

much as Mike despised Aaron, he had never wished death upon him, and relished in the competition that they had. Plus, Mike

wanted to know where the Shield of Shiva was, too He pulled out his pistol and made sure that the chamber was indeed fully

loaded. Seeing that it was, he took a deep breath and leapt from behind his rock perch and landed right next to the Thugees.

He pointed his gun at them, shouting, "Any of you move, and you'll be visiting Kali sooner than you ever expected". Aaron

glanced up at Mike from his bound position with a look of genuine shock and amazement. A smile crossed Aaron lips, and he

looked genuinely relieved.

The Thugee priest warned Mike, "You will not take the Shield from us. It belongs here and we will protect it with our lives".

"We'll see, won't we?", Mike said confidently. He pointed his revolver at the five Thugee guards. Two of the guards charged

Mike, who easily crippled them with his pistol. The others grabbed their wounded comrades and ran out of the chamber as

fast as they can. "Some protection", Mike thought to himself.

As Mike heard the panicked voices of the Thugees who were running for their lives start to fade, he realized that he and Aaron

were alone. At last. With Aaron bound barefoot in stocks and his arms tied as well. Could it have been a more perfect

scenario? "Probably not", thought Mike to himself.

Mike stared at Aaron for a minute, as Aaron pleaded for Mike to untie him. "Mike, old buddy, you have NO freaking idea how

happy I am to see you. Listen, I know we've gotten off on the wrong foot, but I really see this as a turning point."

Mike thought about Aaron words for a minute as he stared, mesmerized by Aaron's beautiful bare size 11 soles. They were

some of the hottest, most beautiful feet Mike had ever seen, and Mike had such a hard-on in his pants, he thought it would

burst through. Mike realized that his heart was absolutely pounding, as this was his dream moment. Those feet. Those feet

were just so incredible that Mike had to pinch himself. At that moment, with no one around, he fully intended to set things

straight.

"You know what, Aaron. You're right, we did get off on the wrong foot. Mine.", Mike said intently, looking Aaron directly in his

eyes. Mike could tell by how wide those eyes were getting that Aaron had a clue what was in store for him as well. "No,

you...you wouldn't! You wouldn't do that." Aaron was starting to panic.

Mike reached down and slowly ran his finger along the sole of Aaron's right foot, just as his rival had done to his six months

earlier. Aaron jumped as the sensation of Mike's finger running along his sole shot up his body like a shockwave. It was an

electric feeling for Mike as well, as Aaron's sole was as soft and smooth as it looked. Mike smiled knowingly, well aware that

his little test had succeeded. Aaron's feet were ticklish, and it was going to be a long night as a result. Mike intended to give

Aaron the same treatment that he had received....and worse. Mike slowly teased Aaron's soles with his fingers, slowly at first

and then quickly. Aaron's machismo kicked in as he resisted the temptation to laugh with all of his might. It was one thing to

laugh while being tickled by total strangers. But this was Mike, his fierce rival and competitor. Allowing Mike to get the best of

him by making him laugh this way would be a show of weakness, and it was one that Aaron hated to display. But it was no

use. The sensations were too strong, and Mike was too good of a tickler. By the time Mike's fingers reached the base of

Aaron's perfectly shaped toes, he exploded with laughter.

"AHHHHHH!!!!! AHHH, HAHAHAHA!!! OH SHIT THAT TICKLES!!!", Aaron exclaimed.

To Mike, it was the single most beautiful sound he had ever heard. Aaron's laughter was very masculine, but displayed the

appropriate amount of vulnerability, and that was all that Mike needed. Was this all a dream? It sure seemed like it was too

good to be true.

"Hey Aaron, you having fun?", Mike asked sarcastically.

"Go to hell, you bastard!", Aaron exclaimed through his hysterical laughter.

"Yep, it's real and not a dream", Mike thought to himself as he continued teasing Aaron's soles, varying the pace of his tickling

in order to prevent Aaron from getting into a comfort zone. Aaron laughed heartily the entire time, cursing Mike along the

way, and begging him to stop more times than Mike could count.

Mike: "So Aaron, you didn't seem to want to tell that old priest, but maybe, since we're such good friends and all: Why don't

you tell me where you've stashed the Shield?"

Aaron: "Tell you what, Mike. Let me go and we can make a deal."

Mike:"Actually, that's what we're doing right now: Making a deal. You talk, I let you go. You don't, I'll seriously stay here and

tickle you ALL NIGHT LONG!"

Aaron: "Well, I guess we're in for a long night together then, bud, 'cause I'm not telling you a thing."

With that, Mike's fingers went ballistic on Aaron's soles, and then around to the sides and tops of his feet as well.

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!! NOOOO!!! NO MORE PLEASE!!! I CAN'T TAKE THAT!!! OH MY G....AGHHHHH!! HAHAHAHA!!!", Aaron yelled,

unable to control himself at all. His screams were becoming more high-pitched as the tickling progressed as well.

Mike tickled Aaron's size 11's with his fingers for what seemed like well over an hour before he decided to take a break.

Aaron pleaded with Mike to stop. "Mike, man, please! Listen, I know I did this to you a few months back, and this is your

revenge. I get it. I really do! But please man, I can't take any more. Please." Aaron seemed very sincere in his pleas, but so

was Mike when he was in that position, and Aaron didn't stop. Aaron never had mercy on Mike as his tickle tortured Mike's

feet in that remote jungle hut.

"You know, Aaron. I could sit here and tell you that I would love to stop...but I'd be flat-out lying", Mike said tauntingly.

With that, Mike bent down on his knees in order to come face to face with Aaron's soles. Mike just couldn't get over how

amazingly beautiful his rival's soles were. He had never seen feet so perfect in his life. Mike couldn't help himself. He had to

get closer. As his face approached Aaron's soles, the masculine scent of his feet grew stronger and stronger. Finally, Mike

pressed his nose up against Aaron's soft left sole and inhaled as deeply as he could. The scent was absolutely intoxicating to

him. Mike simply couldn't help himself any longer, and he licked the ball of Aaron's left foot. He then proceeded to lick Aaron's

foot from heel to toe.

It was officially a trifecta! Aaron's soles looked great, smelled great, and tasted great. Aaron's moaned lightly as Mike licked

his left sole a few times up and down. Then, Mike decided to see if he could lick-tickle Aaron. He flicked his tongue quickly at

the base of Aaron's toes, a ticklish hot spot that he had noticed earlier.

"HAHAHAHA!!! NOOO!!! I can't take...I can't believe...HAHAHA!!! Aaron muttered, letting out that intensely hot laugh of his

again as Mike licked feverishly under his toes. Aaron's laughter was non-stop as Mike explored every square inch of Aaron's

left sole with his flicking tongue. He then proceeded to the right foot, and repeated the act.

As he slowed it down, though, the laughter turned to all-out moaning. To Mike's surprise, Aaron seemed to really be into it. He

looked up to see Aaron's eyes rolling back into his head and a definite grin on his lips. "Ohhhh man, that feels really good.",

Aaron muttered as Mike licked and kissed his feet.

"Hahaha, who would have predicted this, Mikey?", Aaron quipped. "You acting as my foot slave and all.", Aaron said, trying to

taunt Mike as much as he could under the circumstances. Mike wasn't worried with it, though. Instead, he continued lick

Aaron's feet and even sucked on all ten of his toes for a while, which really got Aaron going, judging by his intensified

moaning and rock-hard erection.

He moved from Aaron's feet up to his torso, with his arms still tied up above his head. Mike gently touched Aaron's, athletic

muscular upper body, prompting another shockwave response. He traced the edges of Aaron's pecs and drew circles around

his nipples. Aaron gasped loudly, as if to indicate that he was every bit as ticklish on his upper body as his feet. Mike lightly

tickled Aaron's armpits just to see how far he could push him. Aaron giggled in response, which prompted Mike to take it even

farther. He dug his fingers into Aaron's sides just under his pecs. Aaron roared with laughter again and his tight, muscular

body thrashed as Mike tickled him. This was every bit as much, if not more, of a satisfying experience for Mike as tickling

Aaron's feet because he could watch Aaron's handsome face turn bright red in reaction as he tickled him. Aaron's smile was

amazing, too, and Mike relished in getting to see it up close. Aaron's ripped abs and pecs were starting to break out in a

sweat as Mike continued to jab his fingers into Aaron's torso.

"NOOOOO!!! Hahaha!! PLEASE stop, I really can't take any more of this. I'll do anything...ANYTHING!! Just please, PLEASE

sto-hahaha-op!!!", Aaron pleaded. He was barely able to speak as Mike became relentless in tickling Aaron's' upper body. Mike

looked up into Aaron's' eyes, which were looking back at him. He was struck by what he saw there, too. Not only did Aaron

seem to be enjoying the experience, but the look his eyes showed something more. Mike decided to see if he could get to the

bottom of what it was.

"So, uh, you wanna explain this to me. You look kinda excited there, buddy", Mike said glowingly to Aaron. "I'm not explaining

a damn thing to you man", Aaron responded with exhaustion. Still, he had a smile on his face as he said it, so Mike knew

there was something there. Aaron looked at Mike, staring into his eyes.

"So....you ready for me to untie you and let you get out of here", Mike asked in a matter-of-fact manner. "No, wait!", Aaron

responded, almost jumping on Mike's words. "You don't want to be set free?", Mike asked, again with a slightly cocky tone.

"Well, no I...", Aaron paused as if trying to think of what to say. He looked truly dumbfounded for the first time since Mike had

met him, and it was quite a revelation.

Mike leaned on Aaron's chest, bringing his face within a foot of Aaron's. "Cat got your tongue?", Mike asked with a sensual

undertone that was unmistakable. Aaron just looked back into Mike's eyes with that cocky half-grin on his face, but with a

look of genuine confusion in his eyes as well. Mike desperately wanted to kiss Aaron, despite his contempt for his ways. For

some reason, Mike's filter just switched off, and he just decided to go with his feelings.

Mike gently and quickly kissed Aaron's lips. Mike pulled back, suddenly aware of what he had just done, and nervous about

Aaron's reaction. For a second, Aaron just sat there with a blank look on his face. Then, he smiled again. "Wow, never

expected that.", Aaron said.

Aaron: "Are you...you know?"

Mike: (Swiftly) "Yeah"

Aaron "Yeah, me too."

Mike: "Good to know."

Mike pressed his lips to Aaron's again, this time for a lot longer than before. He kissed Aaron passionately, finally slipping his

tongue into Aaron's mouth. Aaron was an incredible kisser, and Mike was loving every moment of it. After a couple of minutes,

Mike pulled back to find Aaron grinning at him.

"Damn, you're good", Mike said, laughing slightly. Aaron laughed with him.

Mike untied Aaron's arms from the table and released his feet from the stocks, quickly giving each foot a kiss. Aaron put his

shirt on, as well as his shoes and socks. Mike watched him get dressed, and suddenly began to feel depressed as he knew

that the end of this moment was near. He and Aaron definitely had a connection, and he desperately wanted to be with Aaron,

but they were rivals, and they each profited from that competition. They could never be on the same team. Or could they?

Aaron looked at Mike, smiled, and grabbed Mike's hand. He led Mike into a passageway out of the temple, and when they

were in the the tunnel, wrapped his arms around Mike and kissed him more passionately than before. He pressed Mike up

against the wall and they made out for what seemed like ages before finally ending up on the ground embracing each other.

Before long, twenty minutes had passed.

"You little punk", Aaron said affectionately to Mike before grabbing his legs.

"No, wait, what are you doing?", Mike asked, somewhat surprised.

Aaron tore Mike's shoes and socks off, held his feet tightly under his arm, and tickled his feet, driving Mike into instant

hysterics. Aaron tickled Mike's feet with the same intensity as he had six months before in that remote jungle hut.

"HAHAHAHA!!! You bastard, you're not supposed to get to do that again!", Mike quipped, as Aaron grinned back at him.

Now Mike was starting to get it. That tickle torture session in which Aaron had driven Mike insane, was really an outcry on

Aaron's part towards Mike. Aaron moved from tickling Mike's feet to licking them and sucking on his toes, just as Mike had

done to his earlier. Aaron's soft tongue on Mike's feet felt so good to him, and he found himself falling into a state of grace.

After a few minutes of foot worship, Aaron let Mike's feet go.

"Well....until the next time, Michigan Mike", Aaron said confidently. He then ran off down the corridor, undoubtedly to where

he stashed the Shield of Shiva. Mike was unable to run after him, as he was still barefoot and the hallway was filled with sharp

rocks that were painful to walk on barefoot. He knew he had been had. Again. But still, he didn't regret the experience for a

moment. Mike didn't know when he and Aaron would meet again, but somehow, he knew that they would. And he knew that

for the first time ever, he would be dreaming about his rival that night...and in a good way.

MICHIGAN MIKE AND THE FEATHER OF THE PHARAOHS

"Michigan" Mike Flynn woke up at 3AM in a cold sweat. Another night...another intimate dream about "Arizona" Aaron Flynn. This was

a common occurrence these days, and Mike was not happy about it at all. After their last encounter, Mike's nemesis had found himself

into both his dreams AND his nightmares. It was impossible to hate Aaron now, after discovering that the two had such an intimate

connection. They had shared some of the most passionate moments of Mike's life in that lost temple in India three months earlier.

Those deep, wet, intensely hot kisses. Aaron's sexy, masculine laughter as Mike tickled Aaron's stunning bare feet. The intoxicating

smell and taste of Aaron’s feet. It all haunted Mike as he tossed and turned late at night. He longed to be with Aaron again. But how?

Aaron had gone into hiding for the most part, although contacts of Mike's said they had seen him in remote parts of the world

searching for lost treasure as he was prone to do. Mike needed something to lure Aaron out from the shadows. A dangling carrot that

would be too tempting for Aaron to resist. Mike had pondered this possibility for weeks, but on this fateful night, it finally came to him.

"Of course!", Mike said out loud to himself. "The Feather." The "Feather of the Pharaohs" was the one thing that Aaron used to obsess

about recovering, but finally gave up on after a couple of years of intensive research and explorations. Mike had not bothered to go

after the Feather himself because it was considered a wild goose chase even for the most experienced archaeologists and treasure

hunters. The Feather was rumored to have been used in ancient times to punish the opponents of the Pharaohs by tickling their feet

and forcing them to submit to the will of the Pharaohs. Incidentally, it was the first thing that had shaped Mike's private interest in

tickling feet. Just reading about all of those people begging for mercy as the Pharaoh ran the Feather up and down their soles and

between their toes used to give Mike fantasies that he never thought he was capable of having. In fact, he had to hide his fascination

in that particular object during his University days in order to stay closeted in his sexuality, which he was at the time.

It was shortly thereafter that Mike had finally come out and embraced who he was, although many people still didn't know about him.

Still, he had never indulged in his foot and tickling fetish..until that glorious day three months previously in which he had truly tickled

Aaron so thoroughly that he had taken him to his limits. Oh, how he longed for that feeling again! And what better way to recapture

that magic moment than by finding the elusive Feather of the Pharaohs and tickling Aaron with it. It would truly be a dream come

true! More than the superficial pleasure of tickling Aaron again, he wanted to feel that incredible bond with him that he felt in each of

their encounters, especially the last one. Mike felt that there was something deeper between them, and he wanted to explore that

further.

But first, Mike had to get the Feather, and that wouldn't be an easy task. Mike quickly booked a flight to Cairo, and was on it the next

day. The expense didn't matter, as time was of the essence. Shortly after landing in Cairo, Mike visited a close friend and contact,

Sallah, who knew everything about Egyptian treasure. If anyone knew the potential whereabouts of the Feather, it was Sallah. Mike

arrived at Sallah's house and the two men sat on his deck overlooking the city and Pyramids in the distance. Sallah explained to Mike

that the Feather was rumored to be buried in a secret chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza. Aaron had searched for the anti-chamber

a couple of years back but never found it. The anti-chamber itself was well-hidden within the Great Pyramid, but even if it was

discovered, there was another obstacle even more daunting: Once inside, in order to open the safe holding the Feather, you had to

endure a form of tickle torture yourself. It was a long-held and widely confirmed belief that you had to lay on a stone bed and place

your bare feet inside of two holes in the wall. You were then subjected to a solid four hours' worth of tickle-torture without being able

to see what exactly was tickling you.

"Why four?", Mike asked. "The number four means 'success', so in ancient times, they must have assumed if you can endure that

much tickle torture, you were considered a successful person." "Huh, guess that makes sense…in a…weird sort of way", Mike replied.

Once your feet were in the holes, you were stuck there to be tickled non-stop without any rest or relief.

"But what were in those holes doing the tickling?", Mike asked. Sallah responded "It is written that they were either non-lethal scarab

beetles that scampered furiously all over your feet, tickling you to total insanity or maybe some kind of ancient tickle device that we

haven't discovered yet. Either way, you should be prepared to laugh. And laugh. And laugh some more!"

“OK, I get it! Oh man, this is gonna be brutal!”, Mike said.

Mike knew that he had a rough road ahead of him to acquire the Feather...but it was worth it. Aaron was worth it. Mike wanted to

reunite with Aaron again and was ready to go through Hell or high water to get the man that was once his hated rival.

Mike set off for the Great Pyramid and spent an entire week exploring the various chambers in the Great Pyramid. On the seventh day,

out of nowhere, Mike came across a chamber on the southern side of the Great Pyramid. It had strange markings on the outside and

Mike recognized the word "Laugh" which was written in ancient Egyptian.

"That's curious", Mike thought to himself. He held his torch in front of him to light the way down a passage that looked to be about

twenty feet long. The ceiling to the passage got smaller and smaller as it progressed, and finally, Mike had to crawl through a hole that

was only three or four feet tall at most. Finally, Mike emerged into a room that clearly wasn't meant to be found easily. Mike turned on

his flashlight and looked around the chamber walls. To his amazement and relief, he came to a realization: He was in the Chamber of

the Feather! The hieroglyphics on the wall clearly indicated that this was the secret resting place of the Feather, as Mike looked in

amazement at vivid picture after picture of the Pharaoh tickling different people on their feet. In these pictures, the Feather itself

appeared to be bright gold, and looked like a genuine treasure. As Mike looked around, he found what he was looking for. There were

two smallish holes in the side of the wall, big enough for...a person ankles. Mike was both relieved and terrified at the sight of it. He

knew he was close to getting the Feather, but he also knew that he would have to pay dearly to get it.

"Could it be true?", Mike thought to himself. "Do I really have to put my feet in there in order to get this thing?" Mike had to find out.

He removed his shoes and socks and sat down on the hard bed, placing his sleeping blanket beneath him for comfort. He took a deep

breath, and reluctantly inserted both of his bare feet into the holes in the wall. He felt nothing at first, but then a sensation hit him like

a load of bricks. An overwhelming barrage of tickling swarmed all over his soft, sensitive feet, prompting instant laughter on Mike's

part.

"ARRGHHH! NO FREAKING WAY!! Nothing can tickle THAT much! HAHAHA!! This had better be worth it!", Mike said out loud, as if

anyone could hear him. Mike realized he was laughing out loud in a hysterical fashion, and hoped he could sustain his breathing and

keep his composure for an entire day. He had to monitor his breathing and somehow make room to drink water, etc. Hours had passed

and Mike still wasn't able to stop laughing. He could breathe normally enough to not pass out, but just barely. The ticklish sensations

all over Mike's feet were damn near unbearable. Whatever was in those holes tickling him were covering the bases thoroughly. Mike's

feet were getting the full tickle treatment on top, on the sides, all over the soles and across the soles. It was almost too much to take.

Almost. But Mike was in "Iron Man" mode and nothing would stop him from enduring it for as long as possible.

After a couple of hours of intense tickling, Mike was very glad that he was alone. He had spent the last couple of hours laughing

relentlessly, and would have been embarrassed for anyone to see him in such a vulnerable condition. As much as he wanted the

Feather to get Aaron's attention, he was glad that Aaron wasn't there to see it. Then, out of Mike's worst nightmares, "Arizona" Aaron

Flynn crawled into the room.

"Well well well. Look at what we have here!", Aaron said tauntingly. "You havin' fun, Mikey?", Aaron quipped, grinning like a kid at

breath, and reluctantly inserted both of his bare feet into the holes in the wall. He felt nothing at first, but then a sensation hit him like

a load of bricks. An overwhelming barrage of tickling swarmed all over his soft, sensitive feet, prompting instant laughter on Mike's

part.

"ARRGHHH! NO FREAKING WAY!! Nothing can tickle THAT much! HAHAHA!! This had better be worth it!", Mike said out loud, as if

anyone could hear him. Mike realized he was laughing out loud in a hysterical fashion, and hoped he could sustain his breathing and

keep his composure for an entire day. He had to monitor his breathing and somehow make room to drink water, etc. Hours had passed

and Mike still wasn't able to stop laughing. He could breathe normally enough to not pass out, but just barely. The ticklish sensations

all over Mike's feet were damn near unbearable. Whatever was in those holes tickling him were covering the bases thoroughly. Mike's

feet were getting the full tickle treatment on top, on the sides, all over the soles and across the soles. It was almost too much to take.

Almost. But Mike was in "Iron Man" mode and nothing would stop him from enduring it for as long as possible.

After a couple of hours of intense tickling, Mike was very glad that he was alone. He had spent the last couple of hours laughing

relentlessly, and would have been embarrassed for anyone to see him in such a vulnerable condition. As much as he wanted the

Feather to get Aaron's attention, he was glad that Aaron wasn't there to see it. Then, out of Mike's worst nightmares, "Arizona" Aaron

Flynn crawled into the room.

"Well well well. Look at what we have here!", Aaron said tauntingly. "You havin' fun, Mikey?", Aaron quipped, grinning like a kid at

Christmas.

Mike was in total shock. "Aaron, how the hell did you find me here? You could never find this place before! AHHH this tickles SO

BAD!!!!", Mike shot at Aaron in between laughs, as his feet were still getting their tickle treatment.

"Well, you never were that good at covering up your tracks, so I paid your old buddy Sallah a visit. I knew you would see him since

you're as predictable as they come. So, I started searching the pyramid, heard you laughing your ass off and here I am! Haha!",

Aaron quipped, winking at Mike and flashing his famous smile as he said it.

"You ass! You make it sound like I suck at this, look at what I found!", Mike retorted, still unable to contain his laughter from the

tickling.

"Yeah buddy, look at you!", Aaron said as he sat down next to Mike's head. "Whatever is in that wall must be giving it to you pretty

good pal. You look and sound like you're going through some serious tickle torture. Wish I was in there." Aaron grinned at Mike.

Mike got an instant hard-on hearing Aaron say that like he did, and to see that beautiful, masculine smile. At the same time, he

couldn't relax too much because he was unable to stop laughing. Aaron looked into Mike's eyes, and slowly lowered his face down to

Mike's, where he gently kissed Mike on his lips. Aaron's kiss was as heavenly as Mike remembered it. He continued to kiss Mike for a

while, although Mike had to laugh a lot while Aaron kissed him. That seemed to turn Aaron on even more. After a couple more hours,

whatever was tickling Mike in those holes seemed to suddenly stop, much to Mike's relief. He was covered in sweat, and his entire

body was aching from laughing non-stop for four straight hours. Still, Aaron's presence and affectionate company had really helped

Mike through the experience.

Mike pulled his feet out of the holes, and a loud rumble filled the room. At the same time, another chamber door opened to reveal the

treasure that Mike, and Aaron, had come after: The Feather of the Pharaohs. There it sat in all it's golden glory. Aaron's eyes grew to

the size of saucers upon seeing the one thing that he had pursued for his entire life, but never been able to find. In a way, Mike was

glad that he was able to share this moment with Aaron, as much as he wanted to find it first for bragging rights.

"Go ahead man. Take it! The whole reason I came here was to try to get to you. I know what that treasure means to you.", Mike said.

Aaron looked genuinely moved by Mike's sentiment and even appeared to tear up a bit. Aaron turned back and grabbed the Feather

out of it's holding place and walked over to Mike. He sat down next to Mike and the two archaeologists couldn't help but stare at the

Feather. It was indeed a beautiful object, the prettiest feather they had ever seen, but it was also symbolic for both of them. Mike and

Aaron clearly shared a passion for tickling and they felt a bond over it.

"Mike, I want you to tickle me with this", Aaron said out of the blue. Mike was taken aback, not only at the statement itself, but the

intimately sensual manner in which Aaron had said it. The look in his eyes told the rest of the story. "Seriously, I want you to tie me

down and tickle my entire body with the Feather."

Mike's heart began to pound at the very thought of getting to tickle Aaron this way. After all, it was his original dream when he began

his pursuit of the Feather. Aaron laid down on Mike's sleeping bag on top of the stone bed where Mike had endured his tickle torture.

He pulled two ropes out of his bag, handed them to Mike, and began taking his clothes off, stripping down to his boxers. Mike tied

Aaron's hands above his head to a rock and then used the others to tie his feet together and down to the stone bed, firmly securing

them. He stood up over Aaron and surveyed the scene for a moment, taking in just how hot it was to see him tied down like this. And

this time, unlike the last in that lost temple in India, he had the Feather with which to tickle Aaron absolutely silly.

Mike held the Feather up in front of him for a moment, as if to give Aaron something to think about before he got started, and Aaron

grinned back at him. Then, Mike lowered the Feather to Aaron's chest and ran it up and down his torso from his neck down to his

lower stomach. Instantly, that sexy, masculine laughter that Mike had grown to love filled the room. Mike spent a good half hour

tickling Aaron's chest and stomach with the Feather, tracing his abs and drawing circles around his nipples. He also focused the

Feather on Aaron's armpits from time to time to tickle him there, too.

"HAHAHAHA!!! Oh man this is brutal!", Aaron laughed.

"Oh yeah, does that tickle, big guy? Huh? Coochie coochie coo!", Mike replied with a devilish grin on his face.

"AHH!! HAHAHA!!!", was all Aaron could mutter in response.

Mike would occasionally turn the Feather over to the quill end and write little designs on Aaron's pecs and stomach, all of which

prompted instant begging.

"NOOO!!! Come on man, I can only take so much! Please don't, hahaha, please stop tickling me there!", Aaron managed to mutter

between laughs and gasps.

"Oh yeah, you want me to move somewhere else to tickle you, huh?", Mike inquired mischievously as he moved down towards Aaron's

bare feet.

"NO!! No, don't do it! Not my feet!!", Aaron pleaded, knowing full well he had asked for this, but regretting it anyway.

Mike began slowly running the Feather up and down the sole of Aaron's right foot.

"AHHHH!!! NOOOOOO!!!! PLEEEEEEASE NOOO!!!", Aaron yelled, laughing as loud as he had all afternoon.

Mike traced all of the curves of Aaron's high-arched foot. He the proceeded to tickle the super-sensitive area at the base of Aaron's

toes, which caused Aaron to violently begin thrashing his body. Mike delighted in Aaron's laughter-filled screams as he ran the Feather

between each of Aaron's toes and then tickled each toe thoroughly. Aaron's toes were amazingly sensitive and Mike was enamored

with the fact that they were. Overall, he thought it was so hot for a cocky, masculine, attractive man like Aaron to be feather ticklish

on his feet and toes. It went right to the core of Mike's foot and tickling fetish, and he couldn't get enough of it. In fact, he liked it so

much that he proceeded to Aaron's left foot, which had been neglected so far. He stroked the sole with the Feather, just as he had on

the right foot.

between laughs and gasps.

"Oh yeah, you want me to move somewhere else to tickle you, huh?", Mike inquired mischievously as he moved down towards Aaron's

bare feet.

"NO!! No, don't do it! Not my feet!!", Aaron pleaded, knowing full well he had asked for this, but regretting it anyway.

Mike began slowly running the Feather up and down the sole of Aaron's right foot.

"AHHHH!!! NOOOOOO!!!! PLEEEEEEASE NOOO!!!", Aaron yelled, laughing as loud as he had all afternoon.

Mike traced all of the curves of Aaron's high-arched foot. He the proceeded to tickle the super-sensitive area at the base of Aaron's

toes, which caused Aaron to violently begin thrashing his body. Mike delighted in Aaron's laughter-filled screams as he ran the Feather

between each of Aaron's toes and then tickled each toe thoroughly. Aaron's toes were amazingly sensitive and Mike was enamored

with the fact that they were. Overall, he thought it was so hot for a cocky, masculine, attractive man like Aaron to be feather ticklish

on his feet and toes. It went right to the core of Mike's foot and tickling fetish, and he couldn't get enough of it. In fact, he liked it so

much that he proceeded to Aaron's left foot, which had been neglected so far. He stroked the sole with the Feather, just as he had on

the right foot.

"AHHH, the left one is worse! I can't take much more of this!", Aaron exclaimed through even more robust laughter. Then, it got worse

for him, as Mike wasted no time going to work on his toes again.

"NOOOO!!! MIKE PLEASE!!! Seriously, I can't take that, it tickles so freakin' bad!!! AHHH!!!"

Mike spent a good long time tickling Aaron's perfectly shaped feet and toes. He went from one foot to the other and back again. When

all was said and done, Mike had tickled him for a couple of hours. Aaron was drenched in sweat and panting. Once again, Mike had

taken his body to it's ticklish limits and although exhausted, Aaron was extremely happy and satisfied. In fact, he found himself falling

head over heels in love. His feelings for Mike had developed quickly and strongly during their encounter in India, but Aaron was afraid

of them at the time, so he fled. Now, recognizing that Mike had gone out of his way to find the one treasure he had sought more than

any other, Aaron felt something deep and powerful that he couldn't deny. Mike had sought the Feather in order to reunite with Aaron

and share it, not beat him to the punch or steal it.

"Untie me", Aaron said with a look Mike had not seen before. He didn't hesitate to pull the ropes off of Aaron as quickly as possible.

Aaron grabbed Mike and threw him down on the sleeping bag, kissing him deeply and passionately. Mike lost track of time as the two

seemed to kiss forever. Finally, Aaron got dressed and the two gathered their things and crawled out of the chamber. They made their

way out of the Great Pyramid and began walking towards a hotel not far away where Aaron was staying. They chatted as they walked:

Aaron: "Mike, I'm falling for you". It was what Mike had longed to hear for months.

Mike: "You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that. You're all I've thought about for the last few months."

Aaron: "I'm sorry I disappeared. I was scared. When you tickled my feet and did all that amazing stuff to them, it felt better than

anything I had ever experienced before. I never expected it, especially from you!"

Mike: "Yeah, I know we've always been at each other's throats. But when you kissed me, I knew there was something special there."

Aaron: "Yeah, me too". Aaron looked at Mike with a smile on his face that suggested genuine happiness and heartfelt sincerity.

Upon arriving at Aaron's hotel, they swiftly made their way to Aaron's room. The two guys wasted no time expressing their feelings to

one another. They embraced and kissed each other, removing articles of clothing as they did so. Knocking over lamps along the way,

they finally ended up on Aaron's king-sized hotel bed. For the first time ever, Mike and Aaron made love to one another. They did so

passionately, but with genuine affection for one another. The experience was so powerful that the two were beside themselves. "Could

this really be happening? Can it really be this incredible?", they both thought to themselves. They took occasional breaks from their

love-making to worship each others feet, something equally intimate to them in many ways. They relished mutually sucking on each

other's toes and licking each other's soles. They even tickled each other as foreplay, which obviously led to progressively more

intimate experiences.

Mike and Aaron made love several times over the next couple of days, occasionally emerging from their room to go to dinner. But they

never stayed gone long. They were truly in love for the first time ever in their lives, and nothing was going to keep them from

celebrating this revelation. One night, Mike turned to Aaron and said "Aaron, I want you to stay with me". Aaron looked Mike deep in

his eyes and knew that he meant it. "I want to be with you and experience all of the adventure and excitement of our careers side by

side. I want to be a team.", Mike continued. Aaron thought about it for a second, grinned that same grin that melted Mike every time,

and nodded his head.

"I'm game. Plus, I'm not about to walk away from you again. I love you.", Aaron said, surprising Mike with the last statement.

"I love you too", Mike responded, his voice quivering.

Mike knew that this was the start of a new day for both of them. They would embark on many amazing new adventures together,

including their journey as a couple. Either way, Mike couldn't wait to see what tomorrow would being for Michigan Mike and Arizona

Aaron. Archaeologists, friends and lovers.

It was like something ripped from the pages of a cheesy sensationalist tabloid like the Weekly

World News. Alongside the countless stories about alien encounters, mutant fish, and the

whereabouts of long dead celebrities, it was a news story that would seemingly feel right at

home. From the suburban neighborhoods of Scottsdale, Arizona to the streets of Phoenix and

Tempe, home of Arizona State University, the rumors and stories spread like wildfire. In an age

in which everybody communicates via social media, people talked about it on Facebook and

Twitter. College students texted each other about the outlandish stories they were hearing.

People walked the streets in pairs or larger groups. It was the kind of thing that typically would

be attributed to the recent presence of a neighborhood serial killer or a campus stalker. Make

no mistake about it, these were no ordinary times in the metropolitan Phoenix area. For over a

month now, over forty men had vanished into thin air. Most of the disappeared seemed to be

from suburban Scottsdale and its neighboring towns. Young men of different ethnicities and

different backgrounds were among the missing and the age range varied too, with the guys

being from the ages of 18 up to 53.

In a typical circumstance in which mass disappearances would occur, the usual focus would be

on why the people were disappearing and where they were going. While those considerations

were in play at first, after a couple of weeks, something occurred to place this event more into

the realm of the bizarre. The loved ones of the disappeared began to receive messages that

their fathers, sons, brothers, and significant others were in fact safe and sound. To make things

even more strange, however, they all seemed happy to be wherever they were. No please for

rescue, no demands from captors or ransom demands. These messages were transmitted

online in video format, and the people all seemed exuberant about something while on camera.

In each video, the person promised that they were safe and sound but wouldn’t specify where or

if they were ever returning. Even more notable was that each man in their respective videos

was siting with their bare feet prominently displayed for the camera. The local police and even

the FBI were baffled as they got involved to try and solve the mystery of why these men had

disappeared and why they all seemed content to have done so. The families naturally were

very concerned, as while their loved ones claimed to be happy, they were still missing, and their

families and friends were all at a loss for why they would just up and leave. How could they be

so happy being separated from their old lives? Were they just all unhappy people that needed

an escape? Were they being forced to say they were happy by some off-camera abductor?

Were they following a cult of some kind, like the Branch Davidians or Heaven’s Gate. And why

were they all barefoot? While in each video, the person being filmed said they were under no

threat of harm whatsoever, the FBI and local authorities weren’t buying it, and an extensive

search had been launched.

It was an archeological award ceremony that had brought Mike Flynn, otherwise known as

Michigan Mike, to Phoenix. Arizona State University was hosting a national conference on

archeology in the year 2015, and Mike was set to receive the prestigious Digger’s Cup, an

award given to an archeologist with a body of work significant enough to be worthy of such an

honor. It was a piece of really good news in a really bad year for Mike, who, at this particular

time and place in his life, badly needed it. About five months prior, Aaron Farris, Mike’s

boyfriend of four years, had abruptly broken up with the adventurer. Having only received a

cryptic message telling him that Aaron needed some space to live his life and couldn’t be with

him any longer, Mike was left with far more questions than answers, and he was truly

heartbroken. What stung the most about the breakup with the sheer lack of warning that Mike

had received about it, and this was what confused him the most. But alas, Mike had taken his

lumps and moved on, albeit with less of a spring in his step and a noticeably hurting heart. The

one thing that got Mike through the tough times was his love of archeology and this was why he

was in Phoenix to collect his award. He believed that the company of friends and colleagues

within his field might help him to feel better, and he had resigned himself to accept that one

notable colleague would likely be missing, as he doubted his ex-boyfriend Aaron would make an

appearance at an awards ceremony for Mike. But he was “Arizona” Aaron Farris, and Mike

wondered if he might see Aaron in his home state. He’d certainly need some answers if such

meeting were to occur.

The conference and awards ceremony ended up going off without a hitch and Mike was thrilled

that he was able to spend time with so many dear friends at this time. They all had heard about

Mike and Aaron, and were offering their love, support and encouragement. After the awards

ceremony, Mike attended a celebratory reception that would also serve to close out the

conference. He took his award, grabbed a drink at the bar, and made his way to a table outside

that had a view of Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale. It was a typically warm but still

comfortable spring evening, with a half moon and a sea of stars above becoming steadily

brighter as the sun had already set over the Sonoran desert. Mike took a couple of sips of his

dirty martini and noticed a man walking up to him holding a glass of red wine. He looked

familiar to Mike, but he couldn’t place from where. The man walked up to Mike’s table with a

smile on his face.

“Lovely evening isn’t it? I’m Matthew Steele, we’ve met before but it’s been a while”, the man

asked.

“Ahh yes, Matthew, nice to see you again. Yeah it’s beautiful out here. I’ve always loved…

Arizona” Mike responded somewhat longingly, as if he heard the words come out of his mouth

effortlessly.

“So I’ve heard, or, at least, I had heard that before. In reference to, you know…”, Matthew

offered.

“Yes. Yes..indeed”, Mike said.

“So have you been hearing the crazy news stories around here lately?”, Mathew inquired, trying

to break the awkwardness of the moment. “Supposedly, over forty men have disappeared only

to send videos to their loved ones saying they’re fine”, Matthew continued.

“Oh yeah, I’ve been following that. Pretty scary stuff isn’t it? I wonder what that’s all about”,

Mike responded.

“Yes. What indeed…”, Matthew nebulously responded, as if he had a thought but wasn’t saying

it.

“You have a theory?” Mike asked.

“Oh, just a some interesting rumors. Supposedly, one of the men that disappeared just

escaped.”, Matthew exclaimed, dropping a bombshell that Mike hadn’t heard.

“What?! Where did you hear that? Did this just happen or something?!”, Mike asked.

“Yeah, they’re going to release a statement about it shortly but this is something that I heard

from an old buddy of mine who works within the Scottsdale PD. He said that this 21-year old

college student from ASU somehow escaped and is home now but they haven’t announced it

because he has been nearly incoherent and doesn’t remember where he was or how he got

there. And the only thing he will say is “It tickled. It tickled so much” over and over again. And

he keeps asking people to tickle him. When they asked to what he was referring, he cant give

an answer”, Matt explained.

Mike had a sinking feeling in his stomach at the mere mention of the word tickling. It was widely

known and almost legendary, that Mike had extremely ticklish feet and he had been captured on

countless occasions by enemies and competitors and tickled torturously on his feet for a variety

of reasons. “Huh, that sounds pretty crazy doesn’t it? Wonder what he means by that”, Mike

offered.

“Haha yeah, well, who knows? Maybe he was taken against his will and tickled as a form of

interrogation”, Matthew responded with a bit too much knowing glee in his voice. “From what I

hear, guess you better hope they don’t get ahold of you”, Matthew continued with a tone that

almost indicated gloating and taunting.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”, Mike demanded angrily.

“Haha relax, I’m just teasing. It’s just…everyone’s heard the stories, you know. No biggie. And I

apologize, was just trying to lighten the mood”, Matthew answered.

“Yeah, you try being tied and tickled on your bare feet for hours against your will and see how

light your mood is”, Mike rebuked. “The fingers, the feathers, the forks, pens…they’re murder”

“Again, I’m really sorry, Mike. Just thought you should know what I had heard. And there’s

more. Apparently, a high school buddy of this kid that escaped saw him walking away from

Camelback Mountain when he first reappeared. It was that friend who picked him up and took

him home for the first time since he disappeared”, Matthew explained.

“Camelback huh?”, Mike said while glancing over towards the famous mountain bordering the

north side of Scottsdale.

“Yeah, my cop friend says they are planning to launch a massive search up there for the missing

people by helicopter with a spotlight this evening, with an expanded search on foot at first

daylight”, Matthew stated.

Mike was riveted. While he definitely wasn’t kidding about his tickle sessions at the hands of his

rivals being torture, he had a raging foot and tickle fascination that occupied his mind regularly.

He couldn’t stop ruminating about what could have possibly have happened to that college

student, as well as the other men that had vanished from Phoenix. And what did tickling have to

do with it?! Sensing a badly needed adventure with a potentially tremendous upside, Mike

decided to launch his own expedition to Camelback Mountain.

Mike finished his martini and extended his hand to Matthew. “Matthew, it was great seeing you

again! Hope we can catch up again sometime soon.”, Mike said.

“Great seeing you too, Mike! Keep your shoes on!”, Matthew responded, winking at Mike, who

had to just roll his eyes.

The two went their separate ways and Mike headed to his hotel room to get his stuff. For some

reason, he just needed to know what was going on over at Camelback and his curiosity was at

it’s peak. Mike put on his now-famous outfit, complete with pants, brown leather jacket and

fedora, and walked towards the most famous urban mountain in Arizona. As Mike walked

towards Camelback, he noticed the police helicopters flying over his head towards the

mountain. But they didn’t notice him, the man of brown leather walking through the desert night.

He pulled his cell phone out, dimmed the screen and checked Facebook and Twitter to see if

the discovery of the found young man had gone public and indeed, it had gone viral. People

everywhere were tweeting and Facebooking about the strapping 21-year old wide receiver for

the ASU football team that had somehow reappeared after being gone for over 3 weeks. The

most attention seemed to being given to the person’s repeated insistence that “It tickled” and his

desire to be tickled by anyone in the room with him. There were even internet memes popping

up mocking the poor kid, and Mike felt for the guy. If anyone knew what “It tickled” meant, it was

Michigan Mike, and he was determined to find out if the young man from ASU was referring to

the same thing.

But if there was someone in or around Camelback Mountain tickling men, who were they and

why were they doing it? After experiencing the intensity of being the recipient of extensive foot

tickle torture at the hands of many competitors, Mike wondered who would be responsible for

such a thing. With the warm desert night air breezing past him and swirling around him, Mike

began to flash back to what it felt like to be the receiving end of so many feathers, fingers, and

tongues. He remembered the first rush of open air on his naked sockless feet those many

times. The anticipation in his chest and stomach as he waited to meet his fate while he laid

there tied down. The subtle but still overpowering sensations when his captor’s feather or

fingers made first contact with his soles, only to then perform a dance of maddening torture on

his bare feet and toes that would send Mike into such hysterics that he would be driven to the

brink of madness each time. It was at this juncture that Mike would succumb to the weakness

of his ticklish feet and, through a combination of laughter and tears, ultimately confess the

locations of artifacts that he himself had found, only to turn them over to his enemies. It was at

this point when all he could do was lie there and endure the relentless and painfully soft barrage

of tickles sprinkling themselves along his arches, under his toes, on his heels, and along the

sides of his feet, that he would crack under torture. Mike’s feet tingled just thinking about those

experiences, and he knew that if others were being taken advantage of in the same way, he had

to do something about it.

As Mike approached the side of Camelback Mountain, he pointed his flashlight at the ground to

make sure he didn’t trip over any cacti or desert creatures waiting in the shadows. Mike noticed

something peculiar in the beam of his flashlight as he made his way along the southwestern

face of the mountain, namely what appeared to be footprints headed away from the mountain.

Could these have been from the ASU football player that escaped? Or were these fresh prints

made by someone else out there in the desert night with Mike? Mike placed his hand on his

pistol, which was sitting in his satchel, not drawing it in case the police saw him walking around,

but still ready for whatever might happen. He tried keeping his flashlight pointed at he ground

and not straight ahead or up as to not attract attention from the police choppers still circling

above. As he followed the footsteps along a hiking trail that appeared to eventually wind its way

up the mountain. Mike followed them a ways before realizing that they abruptly turned inwards

towards the mountain itself, breaking from the hiking trail. They led straight up to a mediumsized

boulder. “Could it really be that cliche?”, Mike wondered. “Could this boulder really be the

entrance to a cave or some other place where the missing men might be held hostage?” It just

seemed to obvious and easy, but Mike was feeling impulsive and gave the boulder a nudge

anyway. While it was heavy, Mike still managed to push the boulder enough to the side to give

himself a clearing to climb through and past it.

Drawing his gun for real this time, Mike crawled his way along the desert floor in what appeared

to indeed be some kind of passage. As he crawled, Mike faintly heard what he feared he might

hear if his hunch was correct…the sound of laughter. From the sound of it, it wasn’t just normal

laughter, like the kind you’d hear from friends laughing at each other’s jokes or a funny movie. It

was the kind of laughter that would seemingly erupt from him any time he was tied and tickled

on his feet.

“Aaron used to love that sound”, Mike thought to himself. “He always loved hearing me laugh

while he tickled me”.

Suddenly awash in memories of the man he once thought to be the love of his life, Mike had to

snap himself out of it and keep moving forward, just as he did in reality five months prior. A dim

light appeared to be coming from ahead of him, so he turned off his flashlight and crawled as

quietly as possible towards it. As the light got brighter, he realized that he was emerging into a

cavernous space that was much larger than he expected. In fact, what he saw when he

reached the end of his tunnel made his jaw drop and completely took his breath away. It was an

entire underground city, not huge but big enough to sustain a lot of people and it was somehow

nested within the protective confines of Camelback Mountain. It clearly occupied part of the

mountain itself but also extended down into the earth below the surface. As an experienced

archeologist with a history of daring adventures, Mike immediately looked for any sign of danger

to himself. Seemingly, no one had seen him emerge out of the tunnel through which he had

crawled from the outside world. The city looked well lit by a combination of torches and batterypowered

lights, although not traditional electricity. He noticed that the city had a Native

American theme to it’s drawings and architecture. The walls of the city had what appeared to be

newly painted images of men plastered all over them in the form of hieroglyphics. Additionally,

there were images that looked like the outlines of feet all around the men. There were

suspiciously no women painted on the walls of this hidden city, a fact that Mike found rather

strange. Even more disconcerting was how easily Mike had crawled into this hidden city without

any trouble, and from a hole leading outside to a busy hiking trail. It just didn’t make any sense.

Unless…the path was made easy for him and someone was expecting……WHACK!!!!!!!

Mike regained consciousness after who knows how long, and when he did, he awoke with a

headache from the bump on his head. He had been knocked unconscious by someone lurking

in the shadows who had seen him crawl out of the tunnel. He was blindfolded so he couldn’t

see anything but could hear a couple of voices in the distance. He also realized that, as had

happened to him many times before, he was tied down to a table of some kind, with his boots

removed. His ears detected footsteps growing louder as someone was clearly walking towards

him. Without warning, a cooling sensation immersed the painful bump on his head. It was as if

someone was applying some kind of healing ointment or something similar, and whatever it

was, it helped immensely. The pain subsided quickly and Mike’s headache even diminished.

As the pain in his head evaporated, a familiar sensation jolted his body and a finger traced the

heel of his left socked foot. Mike let out a reflexive giggle as it happened, and he know he was

in big trouble.

“I saw you coming, Mike. Ah, some things never change. Always predictable, you. How does

your head feel?” a male voice inquired. “Does it feel better?”

Mike couldn't place the voice but it sounded so familiar. “Who is there?! Reveal yourself! And

who hit me in the first place?! You?”, Mike asked.

Mike’s blindfold was suddenly ripped from his face. “He did!”, the voice replied. Mike’s eyes

suddenly focused on the outstretched arm of a man pointing towards someone. The arm

belonged to Brett Boston, a man who had been a former colleague turned adversary of Mike’s

from their college years and the subject to which his hand was pointing made Mike gasp aloud.

It was Aaron, Mike’s long lost boyfriend who had suspiciously and abruptly ended their intimate

and loving relationship just over five months prior to this night. Aaron stared at Mike in a way

that he hadn’t seen before. It was as if this man that Mike still loved so dearly didn’t even know

him and was looking right through him with a strange grin on his face. Mike knew something

wasn’t right here.

“Aaron? What are…what are you doing here? Why did you knock me out?”, Mike asked, his

voice shaking in shock and distress.

“He’s doing what I asked him to, Mike. Simple as that. In fact, they ALL do what I ask them

too”, Brett responded, turning to his right as he moved to the side, revealing a large group of

men walking around below. It looked to be upwards of forty men and Mike knew that these

were the missing persons he was after. Yet they all seemed very happy, smiling at each other

and physically interacting as if they were old buddies. The men were of all ages and were

shirtless and in shorts. Many of them wore sneakers and socks, while the rest were in flip flops.

It was like a utopia for gay men, although Mike doubted that all, or even most, of these men

were gay. After all, the ASU football player that escaped was a straight man with a girlfriend.

Mike’s attention shifted back to Aaron, who had walked up to Brett and taken his place next to

him.

“You see, Mike, Aaron is with me now, and its what he wanted, right Aaron?”, Brett sneered.

Aaron looked at Brett with a knowing smile and nodded his head.

Mike was enraged. “YOU SON OF A BITCH!! You stole him from me!! Aaron and I have

something special and you’ve somehow brainwashed him!”, Mike screamed.

“HAD something special, Mike! Aaron is with me now and he will have a life of abundance with

me that he could never have had with the likes of you!”, Brett taunted.

“I’LL KILL YOU FOR THIS, BRETT!! I WILL END YOUR LIFE!!”, Mike screamed, feeling such

passion and jealous rage within himself as felt simultaneously furious and betrayed. How could

Aaron do this to him?

“Aaron…why?”, Mike pleaded, as his anger turned to emotional sadness and his eyes began to

well up with tears.

“Oh Mike, you should be asking ME that question. After all, he had little say in the matter”, Brett

said, with such smug arrogance in his voice. “But why be so sad? After all, laughter is so much

better for you!”, Brett added and Mike knew what was coming. Aaron moved to the side of the

room to watch as Brett began to tickle Mike’s socked feet with his fingers. Mike should have

been used to it by now…but he just wasn’t. It tickled so much and it always felt like the first

time!!

“How can my feet always be so ticklish regardless of the circumstances?”, he wondered to

himself as his socked soles were spider tickled by Brett, who verbally teased Mike as he did so.

“Kitchy koo Mike, haha, bet you’ve heard that a few times”, Brett taunted. “Listen as fun as this

is, you and I both know I prefer ticking bare feet, not socked.”

Mike definitely knew this to be true. In fact, Brett was the one person who had most influenced

his foot tickle fetish in their college years. The main reason Mike had grown so comfortable with

his love of feet and tickling was because of the countless hours the two of them had spent in

their dorm rooms experimenting with each other. They had tickled each other extensively,

worshipped each other’s feet liberally, and even were each other’s first same sex kiss. The two

briefly dated in college as well, before Mike caught Brett cheating on him. It was this incident

that led to a long and drawn-out rivalry that had at times been intense. Mike remembered that

Brett had been jealous when he and Aaron first started dating and that he had long coveted

Aaron from afar. And now, to Mike’s maddening dismay, Brett had somehow gotten his prize

and not through respectable means. Brett had done something to gain power over the minds of

all of these men, including Aaron. It was either a form of hypnosis or something even more

exotic. Mike was determined to find out, at least, after he got free from having his feet tickled.

And as Brett had reminded him, his bare feet were to be the next victims. Mike’s socks were

stripped from his size 10 feet, and that familiar rush of cool open air swallowed his bare feet.

Brett stared at them as if he had discovered a prize as valuable and rare as the artifacts he had

unearthed in underground catacombs worldwide. Despite being his nemesis, Brett found Mike’s

feet as beautiful as the first time he had tickled and worshipped them those many years ago in

college. His creamy, soft soles hadn't really changed at all and Brett remembered why he loved

them in the first place. They looked so vulnerable lying there in front of him, slightly moving and

with the toe occasionally twitching, most likely in anticipation of the tickles that were about to be

administered.

After a couple minutes of visual enticement, Brett pressed his nose up to Mike’s right sole,

positioning it underneath his toes on the ball of the foot and then breathed in the masculine but

clean scent of Mike’s feet. There was a mild odor, but nothing too overpowering and Brett was

immediately aroused. His fingers couldn’t wait to pounce on their prey and Brett attacked Mike’s

naked soles with spider tickles from his fingers, causing Mike to laugh and beg so loudly that

everyone in the city had to have heard him. He managed to glance around as Brett tickled his

feet and saw that, to his surprise, only a few men had turned around to look and those men just

smiled and went on their way. Aaron, on the other hand, just stood there staring with that same

hard-to-read expression, complete with its weird grin. Aaron wasn’t himself, that much was

certain.

Brett looked exhilarated as his fingers continued their dance from Mike’s arches outside to the

sides of his feet, a well-known sweet spot for him. Mike’s body bowed sharply upwards in an

arch itself as Brett tested the sensitive sides of his feet and then proceeded to torture all of his

sweet spots, from under his toes to his heels, which were painfully ticklish to soft touch. Mike

lost count of how many “Kitchy koo’s" and “Tickle tickles” he heard Brett mutter as he tickled

Mike for what felt like a couple of hours.

Brett looked at his watch “Three hours! I think that’s a good start”, he snarled triumphantly

before placing his tongue on the heel of Mike’s right foot and slowly licking upwards, tracing his

arch and the ball of the foot until it finally found its place under Mike’s toes and explored all five

toes of the foot before repeating the same pattern on Mike’s left foot. Brett found ways to make

his tongue tickle and then feel so relaxing that the sensations were akin to the best massages

he’d ever received. Mike had no choice but to just lie there and take it and, partly due to his

frustrations with Aaron over the breakup, he didn’t fight it much. Laughter gave way to relaxed

moans which then yielded to laughter again. He just let Brett soak his feet in saliva for what felt

like easily over an hour. Brett couldn’t get enough of the smell, the taste and the softness of the

skin of Mike’s soles as he tickled and worshiped them. All of his jealousy and frustration had

manifested itself in this moment as he owned Mike’s feet, exploiting them to the fullest. As soon

as he finished, Brett admitted, “Mike, I have to say, your feet are even more amazing than I

remember, and more ticklish too! In fact, I think I actually like them better than Aaron’s”. This

statement made Mike cringe a bit, frustrated over the fact that Brett had experienced Aaron’s

perfectly shaped, soft but masculine feet that he himself had enjoyed all those years together.

“So you may be wondering why Aaron seems so different. And why all of these lovely guys are

so happy and content to be here instead of in the outside world that they left behind”, Brett said.

“Well as much as I’d like to say its because they all love me so much and want to be here, I had

to, shall we say, rig the game the little bit”. Brett grabbed a feather, and began to gently stroke it

up and down Mike’s soles as he continued. “You see, they obviously were not all into tickling

and feet the way that you, Aaron, and I are. But they are now! And I’d be willing to bet they’re

happier than they were in the outside world.”, Brett added.

“Happier…here than they were in the outside world?”, Mike asked, quivering and noticeably

giggling as he pushed the words out while being feathered on his feet. “You took them away

from their families!! There are people out there that love them and think they’re in danger”, Mike

said, reprimanding Brett.

“You know what, Mikey? You may be right. But you know what else? I don’t care!! I’ve been

looking for years to find some kind of edge, something that would finally put me on top, or at

least in control. So do you want to hear how I did it or not? I mean, you have to have some

semblance of curiosity as to how I’m controlling these men”, Brett offered, putting the feather

down.

Mike, still breathing heavy from the feather tickling, awaited Brett’s response.

“Remember the Eye of Anubis?”, Brett asked, smiling and bending over to kiss Mike’s left foot

and then begin rubbing it.

How could Mike forget? It was one of the first artifacts that he had set out to find and Brett had

been his main adversary in the quest to discover it. It was made of solid gold, complete with a

yellow diamond in the middle of it that was considered amongst the most rare gems on the

planet. On top it that, the Eye was rumored to have otherworldly powers and, similar to the

eyes of Medusa in Greek literature, it supposedly had the ability to put those who stared into it

for a minimum of five seconds in a hypnotic trance-like state. Whatever its power, it was worth a

fortune and Mike had been the first one to gain possession of it until Brett came along and stole

it from him in an ambush that Mike had not forgotten to this day. Mike was already angry with

Brett at that point in time for cheating on him in college, but this Eye of Anubis incident made

things exponentially worse.

So that was the answer. Brett had figured out how to use the Eye to hypnotize people and had

found a way to use it on the men occupying this lost city beneath Camelback Mountain. Upon

hearing Mike’s recital of his discovery about Brett, his captor smiled and kissed his other foot.

“Well done, Mike! And yes, the Eye DOES have great power. This entire city, state, country,

and even the world could be subservient to ME with it in my possession!!”, Brett exclaimed.

“You may want to tap the breaks on that, Brett! You know one of them escaped. And the cops

and feds are all over your ass. They’re looking for this place now and it’s only a matter of time

before they find it!”, Mike said.

“Oh yes, you mean dear Steven, the football player. I let him go. Trust me, he’ll never give me

up as he’s still under the spell of the Eye. But he was great bait for you and my old friend

Matthew lent a hand as well”, Brett answered.

“Of course, that’s how I know Matthew! He was your sidekick years ago!”, Mike said.

“Yep! And he’s still a devoted friend who supports my little venture here. Hell, he comes down

to tickle guys once in a while!’, Brett responded. “ And in case you’re wondering why I haven’t

used the Eye of Anubis on you yet, well, let’s just say your time is coming! But I want to have

some more fun with you first!” Brett’s henchmen untied Mike and gave him his socks and shoes

to put back on.

They led Mike, along with Aaron following just behind, along a hallway the was lined with semiprivate

rooms each of which was equipped with a bed and either restraints or stocks. Clearly,

there had been a lot of tickling going on in this hidden city and, from the sounds of the laughter,

there was some going on currently. Mike even saw some of the guys in their rooms, not cells

mind you, but rooms with open doors, tickling each other and caressing each other’s feet.

Mike was led to a room that did have a cell door with bars like those in jail. The room was

occupied with a handsome, tall, athletic Latino man who appeared to be in his mid 20’s. The

man smiled and said hello when Mike entered. The henchmen placed Mike on a chair with his

feet outstretched and locked them in stocks.

“So Mike, this is Robert. Robert, Mike. You two are going to be roommates and we will leave

you be. Aaron, let’s leave those two gentlemen alone for some, um, private time together”, Brett

said. Sure enough, Brett closed the door, locked it, and Aaron followed him down the hallway

without looking back at Mike once. This was definitely NOT the Aaron he knew and the power

of the Eye of Anubis was clearly over him and all of the men here.

Mike’s roommate, Robert, smiled excitedly at him and began to unlace his shoes. He didn’t

bother making any small talk with Mike and didn’t ask where he came from or how he came to

be here either. He just went about the business of undressing Mike’s feet.

“Dude we just met, what are you doing?! Quit playing man!”, Mike said sternly. But Robert just

kept unlacing his shoes and removed them both. “Great, here we go again!”, Mike thought to

himself, and sure enough, he spent the majority of that night having his feet tickled by Robert.

The socks stayed on for a while before Robert promptly disposed of those and tickled Mike

bare. Robert also had a thing for sniffing Mike’s feet too, and spent a lot of time tickling his feet

while Mike’s wiggling toes brushed up against his nose. Robert had a handy tool kit full of tickle

toys and he used each and every one of them on Mike’s size 10’s. A range of feathers,

toothbrushes, pens, forks, and tiny paintbrushes were all employed to make Mike laugh himself

silly, and that he did for hours. It was hard to say how long Mike’s tickle session at the hands of

Robert lasted but he was sure that out of the corner of his eye, he saw Brett watching from

across the way a time or two. Finally, Robert unlocked Mike’s stocks and Mike fell onto the floor

out of them, exhausted from his tickle torture.

Out of his peripheral vision, Mike noticed Robert sitting down where he had just been and was

placing his feet in the stocks. Was this really happening?! Did Robert really want Mike to tickle

him back?! Truthfully, Mike wasn’t sure how he felt about this. It had been months since he had

tickled somebody and the last person had been Aaron. And yet, here were two large socked

feet that looked to be around size 12 or 13 sitting in front of him and a willing ticklee on top of it.

Mike was in such a deliriously tired state and yet, the sight of those vulnerable feet in front of

him, perfectly shaped under his white socks, was just too much to bare. He began to tickle

Robert gently with his fingers, starting under the toes and working his way down. Robert’s

giggling and laughter were intoxicating and Mike was hooked like shark with blood in the water.

Who needed sleep when there were feet to tickle?! Mike clearly had a lot of tickle passion pent

up because he probably tickled Robert for as long as he had received it himself. Mike loved

stripping Robert’s socks off of his feet and going to town on his beautiful big soles. Using all of

the tools from the tool kit, he drove Robert into hysterics. Feathers were killer under Robert’s

toes and seeing such a big masculine guy giggle and laugh like a kid from being feather tickled

was overwhelming to Mike. His feelings of lust overcame him and he also used his tongue to

tickle and worship Robert’s feet. He found that for whatever reason the tongue tickled Robert

the most, so he spent the rest of the session lick tickling Robert’s big soles and toes. Tasting

the saltiness of his feet, smelling their manly scent, hearing his laughter and pleas, watching his

feet squirm and toes wiggle were all that mattered to Mike right now. Who needed the Eye of

Anubis to hypnotize a person when your own human passions and desires were so powerful

and influential?! This was an experience that Mike, in all of his humanity, weakness, frustration,

and vulnerability could have lived in forever.

And yet, at that very moment, somewhere deep in Mike’s conscience, a lightbulb switched on,

and did so with the kind of brightness that illuminated a person’s entire soul. A feeling of

awareness and guilt struck him from out of nowhere, and Mike thought about the fact that this

man whose feet he was ravishing was not here by choice, and this guy had people out in the

world that missed him. Maybe he had a family who wondered where he was. Feet and tickling

were amazing fetishes and Mike loved them, but what made them so great was they were not

forced upon someone or brainwashed into a person’s psyche. They were chosen. And this was

wrong. This was WRONG!! Mike immediately stopped, looked at Robert’s wet, soaked feet

from all of the licking, glanced at Robert’s face, with its permanent smile pasted on and tears

steaming down his cheeks from laughing so hard. As great as this appeared from a distance, it

just wasn’t right under these circumstances.

He had to get to Brett and steal back the Eye of Anubis, a treasure that was his to begin with

and if the lore on the Eye was correct, staring into it a second time for five seconds would break

the spell of hypnosis cast in the first place. Mike looked around and saw that no one seemed to

be watching them anymore, although it was quite dark. Most of the guys in the city seemed to

be asleep judging from the sounds of snoring and the lack of laughter from before.

“Robert, what do you say we go tickle some other guys”, Mike slyly asked.

Naturally, Robert was all about that. “YES!! More feet to tickle! I wanna play with and punish

some people!”, Robert said with exuberance.

Brett had certainly trained these guys well. Not only were they under the spell of the Eye, but

they had been socialized to LOVE feet and tickling, just like Brett did. It was time to break that

spell and return these men to their loved ones and, more importantly, to themselves.

Mike and Robert put their socks back on, but not their shoes. Mike convinced Robert that they

would be able to better sneak up on people if they were in socks. In the heel of his boot, Mike

kept hidden a treasure that no one else, including Aaron, know about. It was a master key that

could unlock most doors and was crafted by a world-famous key maker in London years ago.

The key had become a coveted treasure itself due to it’s ability to unlock so many supposedly

fortified doors. In fact, the key maker had lost his life trying to protect the whereabouts of the

key and it was only by sheer skill and a dose of crazy luck that Mike had acquired it on a past

adventure. It was probably highly illegal to possess it and he knew there were ethical risks to

having a master key like it, but he also knew it was in better hands with him than many others

out there. He had used the key only twice before but knew it was time to give it another go. He

surveyed the scene, saw that on one was watching and proceeded to work the key into the lock

and after a couple minutes of fidgeting with it, unlocked the jail cell door, told Robert to be quiet,

and the two made their way into the darkened hallway.

Mike had to find Brett and Aaron. It wouldn’t be easy, but he was going to have to get ahold of

the Eye before Brett did and then Mike could use the Eye to break the spell on the rest of the

men in the city and set them free. At least, that sounded like a good plan but Mike knew it

wouldn’t be easy and that he had to protect himself from being enchanted himself by the Eye of

Anubis. After all, it would be a short-lived rescue if the liberator was enslaved first! As they

approached the end of the hallway, a group of three men walked by, and Mike and Robert

ducked behind a corner to hide. One of those men was Aaron, but there was no sight of Brett.

Still, Mike knew that wherever Aaron was going, Brett was likely waiting or would join at some

point. Mike and Robert followed Aaron as he went in one direction and the two men with him

went another. Mike and Robert were as quiet as church mice walking in their socks and Mike

could only hope that Robert would not give away their position.

“Oooh, are we going to tickle Brett?!! It’s my dream in life to tickle Brett!!”, Robert whispered

excitedly, barely able to contain himself. Suddenly, Aaron stopped, turned around and looked

behind him, prompting Mike and Robert to dive behind a wall and hide once again.

Surveying the area for a minute, Aaron then turned and continued on while Mike admonished

Robert, “Now Robert, yes we are going to tickle Brett but this is a surprise tickle scenario, so he

can’t know that we’re coming! we have to be very, very quiet!”, Mike said.

Robert nodded that he understood. “Oh ok, sorry! I just want to tickle him so badly!”, Robert

said.

“Damn, the Eye of Anubis really turns people into sheep. This poor guy is so far gone its

insane”, Mike thought privately to himself.

The two guys followed Aaron until he walked into an large open room where Brett waited for him

on a large bed. Aaron closed the door behind him and appeared to lock it. Mike and Robert hid

behind a large planter. Aaron crawled into bed with a seemingly naked Brett and the two

embraced and kissed. Mike was filled with feelings of jealousy, rage, and had to do everything

in his power to hold himself back. Seeing Aaron with Brett was almost too much to take. Mike

peered into the room inhabited by Brett and Aaron and looked for any sign of where he might be

keeping the Eye of Anubis. Most likely, it was close to his person and could even be in the bed

although Mike doubted he’d keep it accessible to Aaron in case he was to look into it and be

snapped out of his trance. “Where were the guards?”, Mike wondered. “Why doesn’t Brett have

anyone protecting him, or did he just trust that everyone was pacified in their hypnotic states

induced by the Eye. Was there no one else around?”

Right on cue, a tall, muscular man rounded the corner with a rifle of some kind slung around his

shoulder. He must have been a guard making rounds around the city. Mike knew he had to do

something to distract the guard before he made it around to his empty cell and alerted Brett.

“Robert, that guy that just waked by..”, Mike began.

“Davis?! Davis has the hottest feet man. And damn are they ticklish!!”, Robert inserted.

“Yes…Davis! Davis wants you to tickle him again, I heard him earlier”, Mike answered.

“We’ve played around before and it was SO much fun!! I think he’s really into it with me too!”,

Robert mused out loud.

This was welcome news. “Well, he wants to do it again but he wants it to be secretive, so you’ll

have to sneak up on him to make it happen! And then, after that, we can tickle Brett together!

Doesn’t that sound fun?”, Mike asked.

“Hell yes!” Robert exclaimed, his eyes growing double in size and his voice almost too loud, but

from the looks of it, Brett and Aaron didn’t notice. They were now apparently both fast asleep.

Robert scurried off in pursuit of Davis the guard and, if what Robert said was true, hopefully they

would be preoccupied for at least a short while.

Mike approached the door to Brett’s room and pulled out his lucky master key. Brett and Aaron

were both passed out and Mike was able to get Brett’s door open rather quickly and quietly.

Mike crawled into the room and made his way across the floor, keeping one hand nestled on the

grip of his Smith and Wesson revolver in case of any trouble. Mike crawled past a pair of flip

flops that he would have recognized not only by sight but also by smell. They belonged to

Aaron and Mike had actually given them to him as a birthday present two years before. They

looked the same and, sure enough, smelled the same, giving Mike a moment of nostalgia

coupled with an erection. And then, Brett stirred slightly as if he had a thought that jolted him in

his sleep and Mike’s prize came spilling out of his hand and fell through a crack separating the

bed from the wall and onto the floor. Mike knew he had to crawl under the bed to get it. Luckily,

the Eye was face down so he wouldn’t be caught in its treacherous gaze. Holding his breath

and breathing a quietly as possible, Mike began to crawl under Brett’s bed, somehow fitting into

the narrow space below. His hand reached forward in moments that had to be seconds but they

felt like minutes. He could…almost…reach…it!

As soon as his hand was but a couple inches away from the Eye, Mike felt two hands grab his

ankles. Unable to move laterally or shuffle backwards out from under the bed, Mike was indeed

trapped. Brett and Aaron were already unlacing his boots and they proceeded to rip them and

Mike’s socks off in record time and then begin feverishly tickling his feet. Mike laughed

hysterically as his upside-down feet were tickled so mercilessly that he couldn’t think, much less

move. “Whatcha doing down there, Mikey? Kitschy kitty koo!! Guess you found a way to

escape huh? So..what are you doing crawling under the bed?”, Brett inquired. This was music

to Mike’s ears because he clearly didn’t know about the Eye! Brett somehow was unaware that

he had dropped the Eye under the bed because he would have been more much desperate to

get it back if he had known. The Eye was right there in front of Mike, and it was the key to his

escape. If only he could overcome the intense sensations that were bathing the nerve endings

on the ever-ticklish bottoms of his feet in torturous agony. Mike had to summon every ounce of

willpower from every molecule of his body to do so, but he finally was able to reach far enough

to grab the Eye, pointing its vision firmly away from him. He looked back and saw Aaron’s face

deliriously grinning as he tickled Mike’s right foot. He pointed the Eye back towards Aaron and

watched and a beam from its iris met Aaron’s blue eyes. Five seconds would do it, only five.

But they would be the longest five seconds of Mike’s life.

Aaron’s tickling fingers changed their pace and slowed down to a trickle as something was

clearly happening. It was an answer to Mike’s prayers as he watched Aaron’s face transform

from one of stoned indifference to the man he knew, the one he had fallen in love with. Aaron

stared at Mike’s face, then the foot in his hand and then looked next to him at Brett, who hadn’t

caught on to what was happening and was still deliriously tickling Mike’s left foot. Aaron

glanced back at the Eye of Anubis, now facing away from him in Mike’s hand but it was an

artifact he recognized immediately and he knew it and its powers well. Aaron quickly put the

pieces of the puzzle together. Brett never saw the next move coming. Summoning all of his

strength, Aaron punched Brett in the face with a right hook that would have made Mike Tyson

proud. Brett went toppling over onto the floor and likely didn’t remember where he was for a

moment as he staggered in place trying to get his bearings. But Aaron had other plans.

“You son of a bitch!! What did you do?!”, Aaron demanded as he grabbed Brett and threw him

across the room again. Pulling Mike out from under the bed, Aaron embraced him and kissed

him, as if nothing had happened.

“So it’s true”, Mike thought to himself, “Aaron really didn’t leave me by choice”. It was all rather

sudden and confusing to him, but Mike didn’t struggle to regain his love of Aaron, as it had

never really left in the first place.

“You…broke up with me. You left me and told me you needed to live your life without me”, Mike

informed Aaron, half sarcastically, as they both knew Aaron hadn’t really meant that.

“No. I didn’t break up with you. Listen, I don’t know what the hell happened here, or, rather, I do

kinda know…but I’m really sorry! You know better than that. I would never leave you!”, Aaron

promised Mike.

The two kissed again and out of the corner of his eye, Mike noticed Brett trying to get away, and

he and Aaron charged after him. Brett had a few steps on the guys and appeared to be pulling

away until…THUD!! Brett rounded the corner and slammed headfirst into Robert, who was

running himself towards Brett’s room after being chased by Davis. Mike approached the group

of men and pointed the Eye of Anubis directly at Robert and Davis, who both snapped out of

their trances after five seconds and appeared totally bewildered as to where they were and why

they were there.

“Wha..what the..”, Robert muttered.

“Who..are you guys? Where am I?’, Davis asked.

Brett, knowing he was had, tried to get up and Mike quickly pointed his loaded pistol at him.

“Don’t move , Brett!! Your little personal reign of tickle terror is over!”, Mike sternly stated.

“Ti..tickle?”, Robert asked. “What do you mean…tickle..terror?”

“Yeah, and why the hell are we in this place that looks like a tomb?”, Davis asked.

“Wanna explain it to them, Brett? Want to let them know what they’ve been doing for the past

month here?”, Mike prodded.

“A whole month?! You son of a bitch, I’ve got a family that depends on me!! Did you…kidnap

me or something?”, Robert angrily asked.

“And why am I wearing a rifle? What have I been doing of the past month?”, Davis asked.

“You guys are all fools! Every last one of you! You live in a world of pain and misery, where

people constantly hurt and kill each other when they’re not following the same boring status quo

routines they call lives that they have for centuries”, Brett sneered. “This city has been here for

over a century, forged by Native Americans as a place of refuge and I discovered it after it was

abandoned, Mike! ME!! I made it a utopia where men could laugh and play without the burdens

and stresses of modern society shackling them to their cell phones and iPads. Free from the

misery of people who can never appreciate the beauty of the most perfect physical creation on a

human being…the male foot. I brought these men happiness that they have never known

before and you’re going to take that away from them, Michigan Mike!”, Brett angrily stated.

“No Brett! You see, you didn’t give these men anything. Instead, you took EVERYTHING away

from them. If people have interests or fetishes, they should have the choice to pursue them if

they so desire. But controlling these men with the Eye of Anubis and stealing them from their

families and friends wasn’t creating a better world for them. It was forcing them to assimilate to

yours, and that’s not utopia. That’s slavery. And I’m going to help them return to the lives they

lived before they met the likes of your scum!”, Mike snarled at Brett.

Mike and Aaron tied up Brett and made their way from room to room, freeing each man by

having them gaze into the Eye of Anubis for five seconds. The men were all obviously in a state

of confusion after being freed from the spell of Anubis and Mike and Aaron did their best to

explain what had happened. Many were angry and upset and understandably so. Mike pointed

them towards the tunnel that led out to the hiking trail alongside Camelback Mountain and told

them that was their way out.

He and Aaron would be joining them soon, but they would be seeing to Brett before they turned

him over to the authorities. As the men started to make their way towards the tunnel, Mike and

Aaron headed for Brett’s room, where he was tied up to a bed barefoot next to a tickling kit like

the one Robert and Mike had used on each other. “This will be fun. I love you babe”, Aaron

said to Mike, squeezing his hand for the first time in what felt like ages.

“This is for us”, Mike responded, smiling.

“And us!”, a voice said behind them. Mike and Aaron turned to see a large group of men from

the city standing there. In fact, it was all of the men that Brett had kidnapped. “We want a piece

of this action”, Robert said,speaking for the group. A piece they certainly got, as Brett spent the

next several hours being tickle tortured by every man, in every conceivable way until he

eventually passed out from laughter, tears and sheer exhaustion.

When the men all emerged from the tunnel into the outside world, it was sunset. One of the

most beautiful Arizona sunset one could possibly imagine. The police and FBI were all waiting

for them too, and Brett was turned over to the authorities. The men returned to their loved ones,

and Mike and Aaron walked towards the Arizona sunset hand in hand, reunited at last and more

determined than ever to spend the rest of their lives together.