Neighborhood, Tuesday Afternoon

The kids they play war today. All serious smiles and missions to complete. They have front and back porch bunkers; Bradford Pear and Maple tree bases. Well-armed, Emerson and Sam are an elite force tasked with taking out the more experienced older neighborhood kids. They are merciless beyond what they show to one another. What they lack in experience, they make up for in bravado and risk-taking. They do not so much protect and serve as destroy and eliminate.

It is a lengthy and succesfful mission ending with sweaty, dirt-streaked faces. Their tired grins return to camp seeking juice packs and are rife with tales of heroism.

The boys live to battle another day.