Time had passed too quickly. Munch watched the old Falcon turn onto the road and, he headed for his house. Mama wasn’t home yet, but she would be soon. He went up to the studio and sat down at his drawing table. If only there were a way to express what he now felt. If he was a poet or a songwriter he might be able to. Her lips, he could still feel them. Soft. Her eyes shining just for him. All time fell away from him as he traveled into his land of dreams and built castles for he and Thahn Ho.

When he heard the VW in the drive, he looked around him. Through the window he saw that daylight was almost gone. Quickly, he got up, went down stairs and put his jacket on before Mama even had time to get into the house. He headed out the door, just as she was coming in. She said, “Hey, you going some where?”

Without making eye contact he said, “Just for a walk.”

“Don’t go far.”

”I won’t.”

Mama asked, “Got your flashlight?”

“Yup.”

“Be careful.” Mama’s famous last words. He had been careful his whole life. Outside along the western horizon the last shreds of sunlight were fast disappearing. Munch retraced the steps he had shared with Thahn Ho. His mind was full of Thahn Ho. He had fled the house because he wanted more time alone to think. At the house Mama would be fixing a late dinner and she would be chatty. He didn’t want chatty, he wanted silence and space without interruptions. He needed time to be all on his own with his own thoughts. He reached the stream. When he headed down the bank he saw Max. Oh, great. When had he gotten home? Munch couldn’t remember hearing Grandma Toady’s truck leave. Max glanced up at him, but he didn’t speak or move. Munch decided to head further down stream. It was getting really dark. He turned on his flash light. It’s beam shot through the trees. At the barbed wire fence line, he had to carefully duck and crawl through, lest he snag his clothes on one of the barbs. He was now on Old Man Jenkin’s property. Old Man Jenkins was a bit on the touched side, but he and Mr. Jenkins were on friendly terms. Well, as friendly of terms as Mr. Jenkins allowed. The beam of the flash light skittered across the surface of the stream. The bank was steeper here. Munch’s shoe slipped and he went sliding toward the water. He managed to grab a low hanging oak branch before he hit the cold water. Carefully he raised himself to a sitting position. That was close.

The wind sent murmurs through the trees. He turned off his flash light and looked up at the stars. They seemed so far away and yet so close. Even though Thahn Ho wasn’t with him, she was with him. It was such a strange sensation. At the beginning of the school year he never even imagined a girl might like him. It hadn’t happened before, so he had no expectation of it happening at all. But, now, now there was her. Every detail of the evening came to mind again. It had been so wonderful and so brief. Some how, some way it would happen again. He didn’t understand what Ong noi was up to, but he was grateful. Munch let out a slow sigh.

Beneath his hands he felt the first new blades of grass. The moon began to rise, casting silver light. It touched the small leaf buds on the oak trees. It skittered across the surface of the stream. Moonlight had always held magic for him. If only he could share this moment with Thahn Ho.

There was the crunch of leaves behind him. Quickly, he turned. A flash light beam hit him square in the eyes, blinding him. Was it Old Man Jenkins? Max’s voice asked, “Mind if I join you?”

Maybe their feud was over, or perhaps Max was calling a truce. Either way, Munch had missed Max and if he wanted to talk to him, it would be welcome. “No, but be careful, its pretty steep.”

His warning came too late. Max lost his footing. His flash light sailed into the air and spiraled into the stream with a loud splash. Just barely, Munch managed to snag Max’s sweatshirt before he slid into the water.

Dazed, Max said, “Thanks.” Munch let go of his sweatshirt. Cautiously Max settled himself onto the bank. The flash light was at the bottom of the stream, a good five feet below the water. It made a lovely orb of light. He looked down at his flash light and shrugged. Munch noticed his eyes were red rimmed. He had either been crying or smoking. Munch didn’t smell any cigarette smoke. His first impulse was to ask Max if he was okay, but he held back. If Max was okay, he wouldn’t look like he looked and he sure as hell wouldn’t have sought him out. Something was up. If Max wanted to tell him, he could tell him, but Munch refused to go fishing for information. Max was thirteen and he could change moods in a heart beat.

In silence they sat. From time to time Max tossed a rock or an acorn into the water. Munch watched the ripples spread out before they were swept away.

All at once Max blurted out, “I’m moving in with my dad.”

Boy, Aunt Jessie was gonna love that. Munch asked, “When?”

“I turn fourteen at the end of the month and I am gonna be solid gone. I want my old room back full time and to be in one place. This moving around all the time isn’t good for me or Mitzi.”

At the thought of Mitzi, Munch’s stomach hurt. That little girl needed her big brother.

“Have you talked to your dad?”

“Yeah. I just have to talk to my mom and we both know how that’s gonna go.” He tossed another acorn into the orb light. “I hate this whole stupid thing. Mom is so stubborn and Dad, well, lets just say Mom plays him. Anything she wants, she gets, but not this time. No. Not. This. Time.”

The anger and confusion in Max’s voice was palpable. Munch said, “It really does suck.”

“Yup.”

“Have you told Grandma Toady?”

“You know I have. She reads me better than either of my parents.”

“What’d she say?”

“That I should do what’s best for me.” He picked up another acorn and tossed it.

Munch said, “I get it, but I will miss having you around. You realize that when you go I’m gonna be stuck on this farm with whole passel of female kinfolks.”

Max actually chuckled, “Sucks for you.”

“Yeah, it does.”

A loud snort sounded just above them. The boys turned. Up on the rim of the bank an ominous silhouette. A monster in the dark! There was no such thing. The creature turned slightly. It wasn’t a monster it was the biggest wild boar he had ever seen. The moon cast it in silver and danced across it’s long white tusks. Wild boars were vicious, unpredictable and fast. Getting caught out like this was not good. Max and Munch stood frozen. What now? Munch whispered, “No sudden movements. Just stay calm, we are gonna climb this tree. Follow me, slowly.” Munch took a slow step toward the oak tree and pulled himself onto the lowest branch. Max was right behind him. The boar let out a terrible snarl. It was blood stopping. Panicked, Munch pulled himself from one branch to another. The boar hit the tree hard. Max screamed. Terrified, Munch looked down. Max was just below him out of the boar’s reach. That sucker was tall. He had his split hooves braced against the tree.

Frantic, Max whispered, “Are we stuck up here?”

“It would appear so.”

“How’d you know what to do?”

Munch said, “My daddy taught me.”

“Thank God, that thing could have killed us.”

“Yeah, he really could.”

The boar dropped to the ground and rooted around the tree for acorns. He was in no hurry to leave. In the distance, Munch heard the clang of Mama’s cow bell calling him home. Oh great. he and Max were about to be in trouble again. Mama had told him not to go far, and he had gone far. She would break into a panic any second now. The bell sounded again. Mama would be going over to Grandma Toady’s and find out that Max was missing too.

Below, the boar went to the water’s edge and took in a big slurping drink. He shook his entire body and stared up at the tree.

Max said, “I can’t believe this is happening. I just got ungrounded!”

The cow bell sounded again. This time it was harder and longer. Mama was in a state now. It was gonna be hard to find them and dangerous in the dark. That boar would charge on anything that moved.

Max said, “I wish we had communicators like they do on Star Trek, or better yet a Transporter. What I wouldn’t give to have Scotty beam me up.”

In the stillness of the night, Munch heard truck doors open and slam. Mama was half crazy by now. A couple of hounds started baying at the moon. This was fast becoming a nightmare. The baying turned to barking. Munch heard the dogs running. They had caught a scent. Munch prayed it was the scent of that damned boar. Sure enough, the dogs crested the bank. The boar took one look at the pack and charged up the bank. A shot rang out and the boar fell over dead.

Someone chuckled. In the silver light Munch saw Old Man Jenkins. In his hands was a rifle. He went the boar and prodded it with the butt of his rifle. “You rank old bastard. Not even worth your weight in bacon. Least now the sows and young boars will be safe.” He turned his flash light to the trees and saw Munch and Max. “You idiots can come down now.”

Max hit the ground and made his way to the dead boar. Munch, vegetarian that he was, had no desire to see the dead animal, still, he needed to thank Mr. Jenkins. He reached the ground, turned on his flash light and climbed up the bank. When he reached Max and Old Man Jenkins he said, “Thank you so much Mr. Jenkins. You saved our lives. We best get home.”

The old man narrowed his eyes, “Yeah, you best. Course, I see Toady’s truck lights coming. Hop to it and you just might reach the fence line before she does.”

The boys took off running.