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Gabriel took a deep breath and nodded. Jimmy was always nice to him and was the closest thing he had to a friend. As they arrived at the edge of town, Maggie turned down the old dirt road that would take them to the pond. She couldn’t see it because of the high cornstalks, but there was no mistaking the towering cottonwood trees. As they pulled off the road, she heard the high-pitched voices of boys who had already arrived. They were yelling and laughing. Gabriel had finished eating half of his peanut butter sandwich, and he started to open the door. “Hang on, baby. Look here.” Maggie licked her thumb and began to wipe off the peanut butter from around his mouth. “Don’t forget your marbles.” Gabriel reached into his school bag and pulled out a large mason jar of his favorite marbles. “I’ll see you in a little bit, Mom.” “Okay, baby. Be careful.” Gabriel got out of the truck and walked down the path between the cornstalks. Just before he was out of sight, Maggie shouted, “Have fun, Gabe!” In her heart she was thrilled that he would be playing with other boys, but she was also worried sick. She watched her son every step of the way until he disappeared behind the cornstalks. As Gabriel got closer to the pond, he nervously ducked into the cornstalks and peered through them to watch the boys. A few were climbing the lower limbs of the largest 37
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