In his lap, Jacob’s hand hid his erection. Had Reverend Gillis looked at him during the sermon? Was he talking to him – about him? He tried not to masturbate – he’d even gone two whole days without doing it once – but it was difficult; it was so damn difficult. If God didn’t want him to masturbate, why did he make if feel so good?

Or was it Satan that made it feel so good? Did God allow Satan to make it feel good to test him? If he did, Jacob had failed the test. He often masturbated two or three times a day. Once, he had masturbated six times in one day.

“I’ll stop, God,” he promised. “I’ll never masturbate again, starting today – starting right now.

In his room after church he stared at his hard cock. Again, it had betrayed him: touch me; hold me, it said to him. Just touch me; just hold me. You don’t have to do anything more. You don’t have to rub me; you don’t have to make me shoot. Just hold me; wrap your hand around me and hold me.

I’ll just hold it, he told himself. I won’t masturbate.

It throbbed so, making small up and down motions.

Of its own volition, his hand grabbed it. It wasn’t a conscious decision on Jacob’s part.

He grasped it behind the head, squeezing it as hard as he could. “Oh, oh,” he gasped. It felt so damn good.

He didn’t mean to move his hand, but it slid forward, sliding his foreskin over his cock’s head. He squeezed the head.

It felt even better, but his hand couldn’t stay there; it slid down the shaft of his hard cock, until it butted against his groin, revealing his cock’s engorged head.

As he slid his hand forward once again, a clear bead of moisture was expelled from the slit at the end of his cock. He collected it on the tip of his forefinger of his other hand and touched it to his tongue. He liked the taste.

His hand slid back, striking his groin; slid forward, pulling the loose skin over the end of his cock. Back; forward; back; forward. “Fuck…fuck…fuck…” He thrust his hips, humping his hand. Spunk shot from his cock, the first clump landing three feet from where he stood.

He stood, biting his lower lip, thrusting his hips, humping his hand, pumping his cock, as spunk shot from its end, falling in clumps on the floor, a line of spunk from where he stood to a spot three feet in front of him.

“God damn it; god damn it; Oh, God, I didn’t mean to do it.”

“Jacob,” his mother called. “What are you doing up there? Aaron, see what that boy’s up to. He spends too much time in his room.”

He heard his father’s footsteps on the stairs.

Jacob stepped out of his underwear – they were gathered around his ankles – and began using them to wipe up the spunk tracks on the floor.

He hadn’t quite finished, when the door opened.

“Jacob!”

Looking back over his shoulder, he saw his father. His face was red. Jacob had never seen him so angry.

Taking a step, Jacob’s father kicked him in his bare ass, sending him sprawling into the vestiges of his spunk. It smeared across Jacob’s front.

“Masturbator,” his father, said. Taking off his belt, he struck Jacob. “Masturbator.”

“I’m sorry,” Jacob wailed. “I won’t do it again. I just did it this once. I won’t do it again.”

“Liar, masturbator…you’ve done it before.” He struck him harder. “Admit it. You’ve done it before, haven’t you?”

“Yes, yes, just don’t hit me. I’ve done it before.”

His father stopped striking him. “You leave me no choice.” Reaching down, he grabbed Jacob’s arm, pulling him to his feet. Jacob was naked. Although his cock was flaccid, a drop of spunk hung from its end.

“What are you going to do?” asked Jacob.

Not answering, his father led him out of his room and down the stairs. Jacob saw his mother and his two younger brothers at the dining room table.

“What are you going to do?” His mother asked the same question Jacob had.

“I’m going to do what I must,” said his father.

“Are you going to geld him?” asked Zachary. A year younger than Jacob, he, too, had started puberty. Caleb, the youngest, had a year or two left before he would.

Aaron, his father didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “Do you masturbate, Zachary?” He knew Zachary was past puberty. He knew he had erections.

“No, Father,” said Zachary. “I wouldn’t do that. It’s a sin.”

Pulling Jacob’s arm, Aaron looked into his face. “Does he? Does your brother masturbate?” The three brothers shared a room.

Although Jacob was sure Zachary did – he heard Zachary’s bed creak, when Zachary thought he was asleep, he’d never seen Zachary do it. Still, he said, “Yes, he does.”

“Liar,” said Zachary. “You do it all the time, but I don’t.”

“You knew he was doing it?” Aaron asked Zachary. “How long has he been masturbating?”

“He’s been doing it for over a year,” said Zachary. “He does it under the covers at night.”

“And you never said anything, even though your brother put his soul at risk?”

“I…I couldn’t prove it. I never saw him do it.”

“But you knew he was, didn’t you?” asked Aaron.

“Yes, I thought he was,” said Zachary.

“Because you were doing it, too, weren’t you?”

“No, I never,” said Zachary.

Aaron grabbed Zachary’s arm. “Get the door, Caleb,” he said. “We’re going to the barn.”

“Are you going to geld them?” Caleb asked.

“Yes,” said Aaron.

“Please, Father, I won’t do it again,” said Jacob.

“He needs gelding, Father,” Zachary said, “but I don’t. I don’t masturbate.”

“I don’t believe you,” said Aaron. “If you knew he was masturbating, the only reason you wouldn’t have told me was that you were doing it, too.” He led the two through the back door toward the barn. After shutting the door, Caleb followed.

Once in the barn, Aaron released their arms and gave each boy a shove, hurtling them farther into the barn. Turning, he shut and barred the barn door. “Get me the elastrator, he told Caleb, who soon returned with it and a handful of rings.

“Take off your pants,” Aaron told Zachary.

“No, Father, please,” said Zachary, giving up the lie, “I don’t do it as much as Jacob. He does it all the time. He’s the one that needs gelding. I didn’t do it more than once a week. He does it every night. I’ll quit. I can quit. I know I can. He’s the one that needs gelding, not me.”

“If you’ve known he’s been masturbating for over a year,” said Aaron,” I can only suppose you’ve been doing it that long, too, and once a week is too much. Once is too much. Take off your pants.”

“No, Father. Please don’t geld me,” said Zachary.

“Take off your pants, if you don’t want a beating to go along with the gelding.”

As Zachary slipped off his pants, Aaron put a ring on the elastrator. He pushed Jacob to the floor, bent over, pulled Jacob’s balls through the ring, and released the ring. It snapped tight around the base of Jacob’s ball sac. “Ow…ow…it hurts,” said Jacob.

Aaron, placed another ring on the elastrator, pushed Zachary to the floor, bent over, pulled Zachary’s balls through the ring and released it. The ring snapped tight around Zachary’s ball sac. Zachary clutched his balls. “It hurts…it hurts,” he said.

He turned to look at Caleb. “Take off your pants,” he said.

“But, I don’t masturbate,” said Caleb.

“Take off your pants,” said Aaron.

Caleb took off his pants. Unlike his brothers, he had no pubic hair. His cock and balls were small.

Aaron fit another ring on the elastrator; he pushed Caleb to the floor; and snapped a ring around the base of his ball sac. “But, Father, I never…”

“You would, given time,” said Aaron. “It’s best that I remove the temptation. I should have gelded your brothers at your age.”

He cleared out the tack room and locked the boys in it.

Caleb looked down at the ring around his ball sac. “It hurts,” he said. He looked at Jacob. “Does it hurt you?”

“Yes, it hurts,” said Jacob. “It probably hurts me more than you. Your balls are still small.”

“It’s all your fault,” said Zachary. “Why couldn’t you have waited until tonight? You could have done it under the covers, and Father wouldn’t have caught you.”

“You did it more than once a week,” said Jacob. “I’ll bet you did it every night.”

“Not every night,” said Zachary. “Some nights I didn’t. You did it more than I did.”

“Why did you do it?” asked Caleb. “Why do boys do it? I never did.”

“That’s cause you don’t have any hair yet,” said Jacob. “Your dick and balls haven’t grown.”

“They won’t, now,” said Zachary. “Jeremy Brown was gelded when he was about Caleb’s age, and his cock never grew. He showed me. His cock is no bigger than Caleb’s. Ow…it hurts. It’s all your fault.”

Sometime later, Aaron checked on the boys. Their ball sacs were almost black. None of them felt like eating. Both Jacob and Caleb had puked. He gave them some water to drink, cleaned up the mess, and left them a slop bucket for them to pee in.

That night, he let them back in the house. Their balls were dead. Nothing they might do could save them. Neither Jacob nor Zachary felt like eating; both felt sick to their stomachs, but, at least, the pain had eased. They could no longer feel their balls. The hurt was deep inside.

Caleb, however, ate. He no longer hurt. He looked down at his little, black, balls. “Are you going to cut them off, Father, or are you going to let them fall off?” When he gelded lambs, Aaron left the bands on until the lambs’ balls fell off.

“I’ll cut them off,” said Aaron. “We can’t have you walking around with rotting balls.”

Up in their room that night, Caleb said, “I’m glad Father did me. Now, I’ll never be a masturbator like ya’ll. Aren’t you glad Father did you?”

“No,” said Zachary. “It hurts.”

“It hurt me at first,” said Caleb, “but it doesn’t hurt any longer. Aren’t you glad Father did it, so you don’t have to masturbate?”

“No!” said Jacob. “I liked masturbating.”

“You liked it?” asked Zachary.

“Yes, I liked it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I’ll bet all boys do it. I’ll bet Father did it, when he was a boy.”

“Not Father,” said Caleb. “He wouldn’t have.”

“He has balls. He had them as a boy. I’ll bet he masturbated. I couldn’t help it. I had to masturbate. There wasn’t anything I could do to stop myself. I told myself I didn’t want to do it, but I did. It felt good. Nothing felt so good.”

“I liked it, too,” admitted Zachary. He looked at Caleb. Maybe you are lucky he did you, now. You won’t know what you’re missing.”

Something awoke Jacob the next morning. Opening his eyes, he stared at Zachary’s hard cock. A black, swollen, ball sac hung from it. “Is your cock hard?” Zachary whispered, not wanting to awake Caleb.

It was; Jacob nodded.

“Scoot over,” said Zachary. He pulled back the covers, looked at Jacob’s hard cock – even though he was younger, his was longer than Jacob’s by a good inch – and slid in beside Jacob.

“What are you doing?” whispered Jacob.

“Don’t you want to masturbate?”

Jacob nodded.

“I do, too. I didn’t think I would, once my balls are dead; do you think they’re dead. Maybe, he didn’t kill them after all.”

“They’re dead,” said Jacob. “I think it takes a while for all the stuff your balls make to get flushed out of you.”

“You do me, and I’ll do you,” said Zachary.

“What about Father?” said Jacob.

“I heard him leave the house. He’s probably doing chores. I think he didn’t get us up because of the gelding. Do you still hurt?”

“A little – kind of deep inside me – but not too much. My balls don’t hurt. Do yours?” asked Jacob.

“No,” said Zachary, “and I want to masturbate, more than ever. Isn’t that weird? I was just gelded, and I want to masturbate more than before.”

“Fuck…I do, too,” said Jacob.

“You do me, and I’ll do you,” said Zachary.

“What about?” Jacob gestured toward Caleb’s bed with a flick of his head.

“Just don’t moan or anything. Did you know you moan, when you squirt?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do,” said Zachary. You even woke me up sometimes; then, I had to masturbate to go back to sleep.” He wrapped his hand around Jacob’s cock. “Mine’s bigger,” he said. “Mine fills my hand more. Do it, and you’ll see.”

Jacob wrapped his hand around Zachary’s cock. “It does feel bigger,” he said.

“That feels good,” said Zachary, “Do it.” He started pumping Jacob’s cock. Jacob pumped his.”

After the first moan escaped Jacob’s mouth, Zachary clamped his hand over it. Facing each other on their sides, he felt his brother’s hot spunk strike his chest. He came, pumping his onto his brother. They each came two more times, before they heard Caleb stir. Zachary, spunk all over his front, got up and jumped into his bed.

“Good morning,” Caleb said, once his eyes were open; then, remembering the night before, he threw back his covers. His small, limp, cock, hung to the side, over, his little, black, balls. He touched them. “They don’t hurt,” he said. “What’s that smell?”

Jacob looked at Zachary. “What smell? I don’t smell anything. Do you Zach?”

“No, I don’t smell anything,” said Zachary. Beneath the covers, he wiped spunk – mostly his brother’s spunk – off on the sheet, glad for once, that he was the one that changed them.

The boys dressed and went downstairs. Their mother smiled wanly, when she saw them. “I guess I’ll never have grandchildren,” she said, “but it was for the best. Your souls are more important than grandchildren. Are you still in pain?”

“I’m not,” said Caleb, his usual, cheery, self. “I’m glad Father gelded me.”

“I hurt some,” said Jacob, “but not as bad as yesterday. It hurt so bad that I threw up.”

“I did, too,” said Zachary.

“I didn’t,” said Caleb. He thrust out his chest. “It wasn’t all that bad.”

“You cried,” said Zachary.

“You did, too,” said Caleb. “So did Jacob.”

“At least, the worst is over,” said their mother. “Call your father, Caleb, and have a seat at the table. Breakfast is ready.”

“Boys,” said their father, when he entered the dining room. “Are you in pain?”

“I’m not,” said Caleb.

“A little,” Jacob and Zachary agreed.

“I’ll want to examine you after breakfast,” Aaron said.

In the kitchen afterward, he had each boy drop his pants and climb up on the counter. “Looks good,” he told each boy. “I think I’ll leave them alone for a couple more days before cutting them off. It might hurt a little, when I do, if I clip some live skin, but I’ll be careful. It won’t hurt near as much as it did yesterday.

On Wednesday, Aaron cut off their balls. Even with their balls dead, Jacob and Zachary had masturbated each day.

On Sunday, Reverend Gillis had the boys, along with their father, come down to the front. “Brother Smith,” he said, “is a soldier in the army of Jesus Christ. He is fighting the good fight. Caring only for the good of his sons, he did what was right. He gelded his sons. The two older ones were masturbating. The youngest one never will. They have all been gelded. He has volunteered to geld any other boys that need it. I’m sure some of you know or suspect your sons are masturbating. Brother Smith is a farmer. He has experience gelding animals. As you can see, his sons, gelded last Sunday, are doing well. Those of you that love your sons, those that care for their souls, bring them down. We’ll begin the gelding today after services.”

A man, Brother Dawson, stood up. He pulled Clyde, his fifteen year-old, to his feet. “No, Daddy, no. I don’t want to be gelded.”

“You’re masturbating,” said Mr. Dawson. “You think I don’t know, but I do. It’s for the best; it’s to save your soul. Besides, look at those boys. They’ve been gelded, and they don’t appear to have suffered for it.” He dragged him down front.

Several other fathers dragged their sons down. Not all of the boys had hit puberty. Their fathers, perhaps remembering their childhoods, knew how difficult it had been to avoid masturbating. If gelded, maybe their sons wouldn’t be tempted.

Twenty-two frightened boys – many of them crying – stood with their fathers in front of the pulpit, each with his arm firmly held in his father’s grip. A sixteen year-old, almost his father’s size, struggled. “Help me hold him,” his father said. “He masturbates. To my shame, I’ve caught him doing it, and I didn’t expose him. He desperately needs gelding.”

Two men rushed to his aid; one held the boy’s other arm. From behind, the other put his arm around the boy’s neck. The kid couldn’t break free. “I’ll do him first,” said Aaron Smith.

“Take them to the large classroom,” said Reverend Gillis. We’ve moved out the chairs and moved in mattresses. The boys will need to stay a few days. Some of the deacons and other volunteers will guard them. It’s best that the fathers don’t stay. The boys will suffer some pain and beg to have the bands cut off; but as you can see, these boys are fine;” he indicated the Smith boys; “and they were gelded just last Sunday.”

“It hardly hurt at all,” said Caleb.

Both Jacob and Zachary shot him a look. Like them, Caleb had wailed during the first several hours, after their father had banded them. OK, maybe he hadn’t hurt as much as they had, but his balls hadn’t been mature either.

“Has it stopped your masturbation?” a man asked him.

“Oh, I never did it,” said Caleb. “I’m too young. Father gelded me, so I’d never start. Jacob and Zach masturbated, though. They did it all the time. I would have told, but I didn’t know that’s what they were doing. I heard their beds creak at night, but I didn’t know they were masturbating. I think they’re still doing it. One time, when they thought I was asleep, I saw Zach crawl in bed with Jacob. His thing was hard – he has a really big one. Jacob’s bed started shaking, and after a while, he moaned. Zach put his hand over Jacob’s mouth, but I could still hear him. I could see Jacob going like this,” he made thrusting motions with his hips, “under the covers. I told Father, but he said that it takes a while for the tes-testoserone,” he looked at his father.”

“Testosterone,” Aaron said.

“Testosterone to get flushed out,” Caleb continued. “He said after a few weeks, they wouldn’t want to do it, and if they kept it up, he’d cut off their pricks. He doesn’t want to do that, because they’d make a mess when they peed. When the tes-testos - whatever – gets flushed out, they won’t want to masturbate. I’m glad he gelded me, before I started doing it. I don’t think I would have; they really act weird, when they do it; and it stinks. I can smell the stuff they shoot. I asked Father, and he said it was sperm. I looked at their sheets, and they had spots on them. The spots were dried and the sheets were stiff where the spots were, and they stunk. It was the same smell I smelled, when Jacob moaned.”

“They still masturbate, even though they’re gelded?” a man asked.

“Caleb says they do,” said Aaron, “and I have no reason to disbelieve him. If they do it again, I’ll cut off their pricks. Do you hear me, boys?” he said looking at Zachary and Jacob. “No more. It’s got to stop right now.”

“Yes, Father,” said Jacob.

“Yes, Father,” said Zachary.

The classroom was in the basement. With the doors guarded, there was no way out. After the fathers, satisfied by examining the three Smith boys that Aaron knew his craft left, Aaron started.

Each boy was stripped. The sixteen year-old was first. Held by three men, his struggles were useless. Aaron pulled his balls through the ring and released it. The ring snapped shut around the top of his ball sac. The boy, Ethan Haws, screamed. He was put into a straitjacket, and sat on a mattress.

Before long, all twenty-two boys, wearing straitjackets and bands around their ball sacs, sat, lay, and squirmed, on mattresses on the floor.

The deacons were kept busy cleaning up puke and shit and mopping up piss, when some of the boys lost control of their bladder and bowels. Jacob, Zachary, and Caleb had to help.

Clad only in the straitjackets, the groins, cocks, and balls of the boys were exposed. Several of them had erections. A couple had ejaculated. One of them was a boy whose cock, balls, and pubic hair had just begun to grow.

“Is that sperm?” Caleb asked Jacob. “Is that what you and Zachary spurt? How come he spurted? They can’t masturbate with those straitjackets on.”

“Yeah, that’s spunk or sperm. I don’t know why he spurted. I used to have wet dreams. I used to spurt without masturbating.”

“Are you going to stop masturbating?”

“Are you going to tell Father, if I don’t?” asked Jacob.

“I have to tell him if you do,” said Caleb, “to save your soul. I love you. I don’t want you to go to Hell.”

“I know,” said Jacob. “I’ll try to stop.”

The next Sunday, twenty-five boys – including the three Smith boys – stood in front of the congregation. None of them had balls. Watched over by the deacons, none of them, the Smith brothers included, masturbated during the week. One had a wet dream, but he was one of the few that had never masturbated. He usually had a wet dream every couple of weeks.

“We’ll set aside the first week of each month for gelding boys,” said Reverend Gillis. “If you really love your son, you’ll have him gelded. As long as they have testicles, few boys are able to resist masturbating. Better they lose their gonads than spend eternity in Hell.”

By the time school started, one hundred five boys in the congregation had been castrated. It had been a month and a half since the Smith boys had lost their balls. Jacob still masturbated but only once or twice a week and never around Caleb or even Zachary. Zachary masturbated occasionally, but he didn’t tell Jacob. Neither boy wanted his cock cut off. Each boy did it in the bathtub, where there was little chance he’d be caught.

Each of the brothers had pink, puckered, scars, where his balls had been. Caleb’s scar was smaller, and would probably one day disappear; after all, his balls had been small.

“Will you need a jock strap?” Coach Johnson asked Jacob, when he issued gym clothes. He knew the boy had been castrated. Freedom of Religion allowed parents to castrate their sons, but the authorities and schools had to be notified. On the form Coach Johnson held, a box to Jacob’s name had ‘Neutered?’ across the top. Below it, ‘yes’ was checked.

“When were you castrated?” he asked. “As I remember, last year you had balls.”

“About a month and a half ago,” said Jacob. He heard the murmurs of the boys in line behind him.

“Quiet, Boys,” said Coach Johnson. “I don’t want any of you giving Smith a hard time because he no longer has balls. There are some of you that should be castrated. Most of you think with your cocks, not with your brains.”

Castration was being discussed in Coach Johnson’s church, and Coach Johnson was in favor of it for most boys. For too many years, he’d seen the effect puberty had on boys. It turned sweet kids into assholes. He couldn’t think of one boy whose behavior had been improved by going through puberty.

“Do you want a jock strap?”

“I don’t guess so,” said Jacob. He just took a pair of shorts, socks, and a t-shirt. He could wear his own underwear.

“Did you really have your nuts cut off, Sam Rogers asked him, walking back with Jacob to the locker room.

“Yeah,” said Jacob.

“Did it hurt?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I see?”

“Not much to see,” said Jacob.

“Let me see anyway,” said Sam.

Jacob shrugged. “OK.”

Several boys gathered around while Jacob pulled off his jeans. Since he didn’t need a jock strap, he didn’t need to take off his underwear, but they had to shower before returning to class, so the other boys would eventually see his ball-less crotch anyway. He pulled down his underwear.

“Shit,” said Sam, holding his balls. Sam’s cock was hard. It pressed against his underwear. “Who did it?”

“My father,” said Jacob.

“Why?”

Jacob’s face turned red. “For masturbating,” he said. “In our church, masturbation is a sin.”

“You got your balls cut off for jacking off?” said a boy. “If that’s a sin, a lot of us are going to Hell.” He looked around. “I’ll bet every boy in this room jacks off. You jack off, don’t you, Sam?”

“Hell, yes,” said Sam. “Your dad really cut off your balls for jacking off?”

“Yeah,” said Jacob. “Does your father know you masturbate?”

Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. He never said anything. My mother once said I was spending too much time in the bathroom; and she said that right after I had been in there jacking off. I think she knew what I was doing, but I don’t think she would cut off my balls for doing it.”

Jacob looked around at the other boys. “Do all of you masturbate?”

A couple of boys looked at each other. One boy shrugged. “Sure,” he said, all boys jack off. My dad said it was natural for boys our age. I’ve been jacking off since I was twelve. My dad caught me doing it once. That’s when he told me it was normal for boys my age to do it. ‘Just don’t get it all over your sheets,” he told me. ‘Keep a roll of towels or tissues beside your bed,’ so I keep a box of tissues beside my bed. I jack off two or three times a day. Do you still jack off?” he asked Jacob.

Jacob looked around to make certain no one from his church was present. “Sometimes, but not as much as before. I used to jack off,” he said, using that term for the first time, “two or three times a day. Now, I do it a couple of times a week.”

“Can you shoot?” Sam asked.

“A little,” said Jacob. “Not as much as before. I used to shoot three or four feet; now, just a little dribbles out, and it’s not as white and creamy as it was before. I could probably go longer without jacking off, but I still like it. It still feels good.”

“Jeez,” said another boy. “I hope I don’t have my balls cut off. Sometimes, my dad says he’s gonna, but it’s not a religious thing with him. He thinks it would improve my behavior. I guess all a guy’s father has to do is say it’s a religious decision, and he can have his son’s balls cut off. Sometimes, I think he’s kidding, but sometimes I think he’s serious. Do you think it’s changed how you act?”

Jacob shrugged. “I don’t know – maybe. I don’t get mad like I used to, and I don’t fight with my brothers like I used to. Maybe having my balls cut off has changed the way I act. In some ways, it’s not so bad. I used to have to masturbate – jack off. Now, I only do it when I want to. In some ways, it’s kind of cool not having balls.” He slapped himself below his cock. “No balls to get hit in,” he said. He grinned.

“That part’s cool,” said Sam. “I hate to get hit in the balls.”

The coach came over, breaking up the conversation. “Nice,” he said, looking at Jacob’s crotch. “I think he looks good without balls. What do you guys think?”

“I think it’s cool,” said one of the boys, Kevin Johns. “I wish I didn’t have balls.”

“You’re crazy,” said another. “No one is cutting off my balls.”

“I think he looks cool without balls,” said Kevin. “I never liked mine.” If Jacob hadn’t been castrated, he would have never admitted to the other boys he didn’t want balls. All boys seemed to think losing their balls would be the worst possible thing – next to losing their cocks – that could happen. Jacob had lost his, and the world hadn’t ended.

After gym class, Kevin caught up with Jacob. “Do you think your dad would castrate me?”

“I don’t know,” said Jacob. “You want to be castrated – really?”

“Yeah,” said Kevin. “I never liked having balls. I tried cutting them off once, but I only made a little cut and freaked out when I started bleeding. Does it hurt?”

“Yeah,” said Jacob, “a lot at first – the way my father does it, with bands - but that’s mostly the first day. When he actually cut them off, they were dead, and it didn’t hurt much, a little maybe, when he trimmed too close to live skin.”

“I think it’s cool the way he did it,” said Kevin. “I saw a kid once that had been castrated, but they left his empty sac. I’d rather have mine cut off like yours. Do you think your father will do me?”

“What would your father say?”

“I don’t know,” said Kevin. “I don’t think he’d let me do it.”

“I know,” said Jacob. “Do you belong to a church?”

“No,” said Kevin. “My parents aren’t religious.”

“Join our church; then it’s a religious decision on your part; and your father couldn’t do anything to stop it. Any kid over thirteen can join whichever church he wants - if he doesn’t belong to one - with or without his parent’s approval. Do you jack off?”

“Yeah,” said Kevin, “but I don’t like it. That’s another reason I want to be castrated. I once jacked off nine times in one day; I jacked off so much, I rubbed my dick raw.”

“Come to my church with me next Sunday,” said Jacob. “My dad is gelding more boys next week. You can join and get gelded all in the same day. It’s gonna hurt, though.”

“I don’t care,” said Kevin. “I want to get it done.”

“Don’t tell him I’m still jacking off,” said Jacob.

“Don’t worry. I won’t,” said Kevin.

The next Sunday, Kevin went down to the front of the congregation twice, once to join and once to volunteer to be gelded.

Since he volunteered, no one put a straitjacket on him.

“Hurts, don’t it?” said Jacob, sitting on the mattress beside him.

Through gritted teeth, Kevin said, “Yeah.”

At school the next day, Sam and two boys stopped Jacob in the hallway. “Did he do it? Did Kevin do it?” Sam asked.

“Yeah,” said Jacob. I stayed with him last night. His balls are dead for sure. They’re all black. My father will cut them off in a few days.”

“What did his father say?”

“He came to the church with him, and brought along his wife and his other sons. I think he’s cool with it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he joins our church. If he does, he might have his other sons done.

“You really don’t mind being castrated?” Eric Jones, one of the boys asked.

“I thought I’d hate it,” said Jacob, but it’s really kind of cool. I like not having balls hanging from my crotch. You know how they’re always getting caught in your underwear or pinched when you sit down. I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“What about jacking off? You don’t get horny like you did, do you? When did you jack off last?”

Jacob had to think for a minute. “I guess it’s been over a week. I’ve been busy and haven’t thought about doing it. It’s hard to explain, but it’s really different, now. I don’t have to do it; I could probably go a month without jacking off. I only do it, when I think about it. It still feels good; sometimes better than before. It takes longer for me to cum, but when I do, it’s great. Sometimes, it’s like every cell in my body is having its own orgasm. Before, it was all in my cock. Yeah, orgasms are much better. I guess – I guess I’m glad my father did it. Yeah, it’s cool not having balls.”

“It really feels that good to jack off?” said Eric.

“Yeah,” said Jacob. “I – I didn’t realize until just now how much I like being gelded. I thought guys would make fun of me – OK, I get teased a little, but I don’t mind. I like the way I look without balls, and I realize, now, how big a pain having them was. It’s cool.”

“I think you look cool without them,” said Eric.

“Really?” said Jacob.

“Do you think your dad would do me?”

Sam turned, looking at Eric. “You, too, Jones? What the fuck?”

“What’s the downside to it, Rogers?” Eric asked. “He can still jack off; no one can hit him in the balls.”

“He can’t have kids,” said Sam.

“Who wants to have kids? Will your father do me?” he asked Jacob.

“Does your father care?” asked Jacob.

“Nah, he wants me to get it done. He thinks it would be good for me.”

“Come home with me after school. I’m sure my dad would do you. He never said so, but I think he gets off on castrating boys. He’s done enough of them, over a hundred at our church.”

“You really going to do it?” asked Sam.

“Yeah,” said Eric. “Come along. He can do you, too. Your father won’t care. I heard him tell you he wanted you done.”

“Did he really?” asked Jacob.

“Yeah,” said Sam. “After I told him about you, he said he’d like to have me done, but our church hasn’t approved castration yet. They’re talking about it, but they haven’t approved it yet. Would I have to wait until Sunday to join?”

“Not really,” said Jacob. “My father is a church elder. Since he started doing the castrations, he’s second only to Reverend Gillis. He can accept you into the church and castrate tonight. I’m sure he’ll do it.”

“Does it really hurt?”

“Yeah,” said Jacob, “but it’s worth it.” Jacob was amazed by his own words, but he believed them. He WAS glad he’d been gelded. “Father did my little brother. If he can put up with it, you can.”

“Why doesn’t he use something to deaden the pain?” asked Sam.

“It’s like a rite of passage, Father says. It won’t mean as much to you, if it doesn’t hurt. It’s not like you remember the pain. I remember that it hurt, but I don’t remember the pain itself.”

“What does it feel like?” asked Eric.

“Like getting hit in the balls real hard. It made me sick to my stomach; I puked; but by the next day, most of the hurt was gone.” He thumped Sam in the balls with the back of his hand, as boys are wont to do. He grinned when Sam doubled over. “If you have them cut off, no one can do that to you.”

“OK,” said Sam, “I’ll do it.”

“Really?” said Jacob.

“Yeah,” said Sam. “If Eric does it, I will. I don’t want to go through it by myself.”

“I’ll stay with you,” Jacob said.

“I’ll do it,” said Eric.

“Cool,” said Jacob. ‘Cool’ wasn’t a word he’d use at home. “Including Kevin, that will be four of us.” Almost all the boys in his church that had been castrated went to other schools. His brother, Zachary, wasn’t yet in middle school. “We’ll be the ball-less wonders.”

He called his father, who was ready for them when they arrived. Taking them to the barn, he inducted the boys into the church, telling them, “Once I start, there’s no backing out. I’m going to lock you in this room,” he showed them the room, “and I won’t let you out until morning. There’s a bucket in there if you need to pee. It’s best that you don’t have supper.”

“I’ll stay with them,” said Jacob.

“I will, too,” said Zachary, who had come along to the barn.

“Me, too,” said Caleb, but Jacob, who didn’t trust Caleb to keep his mouth shut, in case Sam or Eric mentioned anything about jacking off, vetoed that.

“No, they’re my friends. Zach can stay, but that’s all.”

“But, I helped at the church,” said Caleb.

“There’s just the two of them. We don’t need your help,” said Jacob.

Caleb watched, though, while his father banded the boys. Before they could change their minds, Aaron locked them in the room.

“Shit, it hurts,” said Sam. “I didn’t know it would hurt so much. Call your dad. Have him take it off?” He clawed at the band with his fingernails. They made no impression on it.

“He’s in the house,” said Jacob. “He won’t come out until morning. By then, your balls will be dead.”

“Shit, shit, shit,” said Sam. He puked. After he did, so did Eric.

They didn’t sleep much, but by morning, most of the pain had eased. Each boy had a dull ache deep inside, but their balls no longer hurt. They could squeeze them and not feel it. Their ball sacs had turned almost black.

Neither boy felt like eating breakfast, but each had some juice. At lunch, each ate a couple of sandwiches, and Jacob’s mother cooked them a big dinner. By then, the two newly gelded boys, their black balls hidden beneath their shorts, were laughing and joking.

“I’m proud of you boys,” Jacob’s mother said. “Now, you can avoid the sin of masturbation.”

Looking at Jacob, Sam rolled his eyes. He was looking forward to one of those orgasms Jacob had described, one of those in which every cell had its own orgasm. He had no intention of ceasing masturbation.

Jacob frowned. His look said, Don’t say anything.

On Thursday, Aaron cut off their balls. Sam’s father came by on Friday. After looking at his son’s crotch, he said, “Nice job. I’m sure it’s for the best. You never handled puberty well. I wish I’d had you done before you started it. Are you OK with it?”

“Yeah,” said Sam. “I don’t really feel any different yet, but I like not having balls. I like how I look in the mirror. Jacob and Zachary look cool without them. Even Caleb looks neat.” He laughed. “You should see his little dick. I mean, I’ve seen little kids before, but I’ve never seen one that had no balls. His dick is only about this long.” He held his thumb and forefinger about an inch and a half apart. “It won’t ever get much longer, I guess. Caleb,” he yelled. “Come show Dad your crotch.”

Caleb came in and dropped his drawers. He was proud that he’d been gelded. He’d show anyone that asked to see.

On Sunday, Eric and Sam went to church with the Smiths. They were doubly welcomed, as members and as castrates. Kevin was there with his mother, father, and two younger brothers, only one of which had reached puberty. “Dad’s going to have them done next month,” Kevin said. “He sees how happy it’s made me, and Alex has been a real shit since he started puberty. Dad’s sure it will help straighten him out.”

“You really like it?” asked Jacob.

“Oh, yeah, I love it.” You guys really did it?” he asked Sam and Eric.

“Yeah,” they answered.

“Cool,” Kevin said, “I thought I was the only one that wanted to be rid of my balls.”

“I didn’t think I did,” said Sam, “but when my dad heard about Jacob, he wanted me to get castrated. He says he wished he’d had me done before I started puberty. He said he liked me a lot better then. I guess I have been a shit since puberty. The more I thought about it, the more it sounded cool. I liked how Jacob looked without balls. It turned me on. Balls are kind of ugly, aren’t they?”

The following month, Kevin’s brothers were castrated, along with fifteen boys from the church and two more boys from Jacob’s school. One boy from Zachary’s school was castrated at the church, and four more were castrated by their family physicians. The change in Zachary’s behavior had made a favorable impression on his teachers, and they had recommended castration to the parents of some of their more troublesome students.

Within a year, four more churches had approved castration for various reasons, including the prevention of masturbation. If a school recommended castration of students that misbehaved, it was generally done. Pretty well, either the parents allowed it, or they found another school for their son.

In his ninth grade gym class, Jacob looked around the locker room. Almost half the boys had been castrated. Some of them, like Jacob, had no scrotums. Some had empty ones, empty folds of skin hanging from their cocks. Jacob was glad his father had cut off his scrotum. On a hot day, an empty scrotum stuck to a boy’s legs.

Jacob continued to masturbate, not often, every week or so. He got careless. Caleb saw him doing it and told his father. Aaron took Jacob to a doctor that belonged to the church. He specialized in penectomies. Other boys, like Jacob, hadn’t been cured of masturbation by castration.

It was a simple penectomy. Jacob’s penis was cut off flush with the skin of his crotch. He was given a silver plug, which he used to keep his pee hole open. After he got used to having no cock – learning to pee without one was a problem – it was kind of cool to be smooth.

His mother waxed his pubic hair for him. It hurt like hell the first time she did it, but not as much hair grew back, and it seemed to pull out easier after that.

He loved his bare, smooth crotch. The plug looked like a body piercing of some kind.

Caleb liked how Jacob looked and bugged his father, until Aaron let the doctor do him. Since Aaron was a church elder and had castrated hundreds of boys, he wasn’t charged for the penectomies.

Aaron decided to have Zachary done at the same time, even though Zachary hadn’t been caught masturbating. No sense taking chances with the boy’s soul.

Jacob had his penectomy during the summer. He liked how he looked, and since it had been a couple of years since he had been gelded, he really didn’t miss masturbating. It was, after all, a waste of time.

In gym class, he stood in his underwear looking at naked boys. Some had balls. Many didn’t. All had cocks. They’re ugly, he thought. Cocks are ugly, stupid, things. He was glad to be rid of his. He slid off his underwear.

“Fuck!” said Kevin, when he saw. “You had a penectomy. Fucking cool! I want one.”