"STICKS & STONES"

Once upon a time there lived a fair young maiden who lived in a small village on the ocean side. A quaint and quiet village where people seemed to be very friendly and helpful. This young maiden was pretty timid and did shy away from people and would rather turn and run away rather than return a smile or say hello. The children in her neighborhood were her closest friends and her only link to other children outside of her small group. The children could always be found playing in the streets, running through peoples yards, playing tag or hide and go seek. There weren't fences to bar them from running amok. If someone did not care to have their yard ran through they simply asked the children not to do it and usually the children would honor their requests, but they could always find a way through by walking as close to the edge of the yard as possible or running as fast as they could so as not to get caught. All in all, they were a group of happy, obedient children who always found great entertainment in the great outdoors and by the ocean side. One of their favorite activities was sliding down the mountainside on the back side of their village on large pieces of cardboard. The Village Manager's greatly despised this activity because their abode was at the base of the mountain. In other words, as the children flailed and screamed with delight on their ride down the mountainside, they pretty much ended up in the Village Manager's backyard. The children experienced a heightened sense of excitement because their beloved mountainside activity was now banned forcing them to spy out the Village Managers every move in hopes of them leaving their home together for a period of time. Oh the joy when this did occur on several occasions. The word of their leaving was passed like a bucket brigade among the children and soon the mountainside was filled with children and laughter and cardboard. There was so much fun to be had, until . . . we were confronted with bits and pieces of cardboard by the Village Managers that lay at the foot of the mountainside in their backyard.