"Then, the man moved toward me..."

A small group of boys watched me with awestruck faces. They had been listening eagerly to my story, and were now waiting breathlessly for me to continue, the silence unbroken but for soft breathing. Suddenly, a boy coughed, and the spell was undone.

"Ye can't stop there, Doc!"

"What happened?"

"Didja die? Did Mr 'Olmes die?"

"'Course he didn't die, idjit. He's here, ain't he?"

I cleared my throat and the boys quieted. "Thank you, Wayne, for pointing that out. Now, do you want more of the story?"

A chorus of yes's were heard.