the man with the stovepipe hat hid in the
shadows as the young boys passed him

these boys were feeling good
they had outfoxed the man with stovepipe hat
and were now into other things.

who was coming out tonight
who was calling who

they called themselves the get along gang
there were six of them
sometimes seven if you counted craig,
but he was really too little to be in a gang
he was five, but he was steve's brother
and steve was eight.

all of them were either eight or nine
and that put them in the fourth grade

next year they would all be in the fifth grade
and have sister sheila for homeroom teacher.

she was a trip they heard
she was round and short and chubby and
the only thing you could see was her face
because she was all covered up in those black
and white clothes they had heard the adults
call a habit.

anyway they got to the middle of skeleton hill
and they said their goodbyes and see ya later
and to tommy smacked billy kiernan on the head
and told him not to forget his baseball cards
that he had lent him the night before so he
could show his cousin billy who was over from
high street for the weekend visiting his aunt.

there was a storm coming and derrick wanted to
get moving before him and his brother wayne got
caught in something.

he didn't know it but him and his brother was
was being followed by stovepipe man.

he had almost got to his house on heart street
when he heard a panting in back of him
he peered into the last glimmer of light and
all he could see were the shadows of the trees
as they maneuvered and found their place in the
lamplight.

hmm, derrick said to himself
and kicked the rock that was standing in the
middle of the sidewalk

the rock skpped down the block and hit a garbage
can with a bang

and derrick pulled his little brother scott by the
hand and they went up the first ten steps of the
stoop and then derrick pulled out his key and opened
the door.

him and his brother were almnost inside the vestible
when he heard a low voice saying derrick, wait, don't
you have time for your old friend.

derrick looked fast behind him and saw no one.
he shoved his brother inside the door
and he quickly followed.

halloween was just around the corner
tomrrow night as a matter of fact and he
thought tommy and ryan might be playing a trick
on him. his heart was thumping as he made his
way up to the second floor.

come on tommy hurrty up we'll be late for dinner
and you know how pa gets when we are not sitting
at the dinner table when food is served.

ok, tommy, i'm hurrying.

derrick looked with kind benevolence at his younger
brother and couldn't help but smile the kid was
always following him around like he was some sort
of strange fella. but he wasn't he was just his older
brother.

the two boys came into the apartment and tommy headed for
the kitchen and derrick went for the tv.

the remote was sitting on the floor
and daisy the puppy was chewing on it.

give me that daisy, you know better than that.

the puppy looked up at him bewildered that he
should be talked to in such a stern voice.

he wasn't doing anything he shouldn't be doing.
he was only a puppy
and he knew that this rectangular black thing was
for him to move, chew and bite on.

tommy grabbed the dog by the tail and patted him on the
head, good puppy, the young boy said.

the puppy began to bark and whimper like a baby.
so you want to play said tommy

ok, i'll show you who is the meanest dog in town
it's me
i'm a pretend dog and this is my neighborhood
you are in my living room
and that is my tv
and that is my magic box
see it can change channels
with the snap of a finger
and to make an example of what he was
saying tommy started clicking the remote in fast
and rapid succession.