Calm Before Storm

A cascade of young faces, speckled with soft features, stood in front of a single wooden door.

The stream began to pour in. Each boy looked at his friends. They had worked all year for this.

Everyone was nervous but no one said it aloud. Once one of them acted confident it was over. The boy next to him was worried about himself and decided to brave a strong demeanor, and soon everyone was loped into the foolish game.

They gathered around right before the skittish laughs would end and the horror would start.

One boy thought of time. He kept saying to himself that "this second nothing bad is happening" and was able to repeat it thousands of times, trying and failing to make each one last.

The boys gathered in a circle, each with his arms around his other brothers. They would face this but they would do so together. Each went glancing around, face by face, knowing it would be over soon, praying for strength.