I Alone

Jim, Clark, Alex, and myself lined up before the principal like toy soldiers. We'd grumbled the whole way here, lamenting Grace Johnson's unforgivable sin of tattling. I could tell for the others the complaints masked an underlying horror of what punishments might await. They'd never been in real trouble and us regulars liked to tell stories to bolster our bonafides.

Dr. Wilson lectured us for a few minutes before demanding a confession and apology. I don't know what bravado took hold of me, but I stepped forward.

"I alone threw mud at those girls."

The others nearly cried in relief.

The Grave Diggers

Bill and Greg had worked as gravediggers for the New Horizons Cemetery for more than twenty years, but their feelings about the job couldn't have been more different.

Bill hated digging graves. He detested manual labor, felt weirded out being around so many dead people, and frequently complained about his increased risk of skin cancer. He regretted not having finished high school, leaving him with few options to feed his family.

Greg, on the other hand, approached his job with a more optimistic demeanor. He responded to every one of Bill's complaints the same way.

"Well, it beats digging ditches."