My Neighbors' Son Was Flashing SOS in Morse Code Every Night — but One Night He Sent a Message That Made My Blood Run Cold
The whole lot of them marched across the road.
***
A week passed. I spent the afternoons on my porch, watching the world pass by. Sometimes, someone would wave, and I'd wave back, but nobody stopped to talk.
One day, David and Leo came outside to throw passes. I thought they were just having fun at first, but then I realized David was all business.
"Again! Level it out. You're letting the nose dip. Focus, Leo."
Leo retrieved the ball, his movements sluggish, and threw it again.
I thought they were just having fun at first.
When a throw went wide into the bushes, David rubbed the bridge of his nose and checked his watch.
"Tell him to keep his elbow up," I muttered.
"You're not focused. Go throw at the wall until you get it right." David stepped toward the house.
Leo watched his father go, then his shoulders slumped. He threw the ball straight down at the ground. It bounced high, landed on the sidewalk, and rolled into the road. Leo moved to retrieve it.
"Keep your elbow up," I called out to him when he picked up the ball. "And step into your throws."
"You're not focused. Go throw at the wall until you get it right."
