Unplugged

Childhood, unplugged.

Roan and his cousins play in the blistering heat, taking relief in the shade and the watering hose.  Roan lumbers around behind the cousin of his choice; he's the middle in age and they're like stairs, one, two, three, but Roan is the biggest, solid, central-weighted.  His auntie borrows him for her exercises.  They transfer toys by stealing them, one from the other, like a baby assembly line.

There will never be a time when they didn't know each other.  They'll think back as far as they can in their memory and say, "There was always Ned.  There was always Auggie.  There was always Roan."

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