fiefoe

His best friend was Nightingale.

In the end, I gave Nightingale the arrowhead. I don't know how he persuaded me. I think I made up my mind after he asked me if he could have the arrowhead in the event of me dying unexpectedly.
(The pieces of the radio network) flew across the classrooms and exploded against a wall or sailed out the window. Sheldon watched Nightingale smash the whole rig in less than ten seconds. He could have put it all back together, but by then his nerves were shot. "Dragon Radio" disappeared forever.
Then, of course, the thing became to have the hottest pocket warmer - and of course that had to be Nightingale. He crammed his little warmer box with all the fuel sticks he could find and lit them and stuffed the whole bloated thing in his pocket. His pants caught fire and he had to pull them off in the middle of the playing fields.
Nightingale and I couldn't care less about Cricket in the real world. In our minds, fat-bellied Churchill hit a ball thrown in by Prince Philip with his chest of medals and Hitler made a Hitler salute and caught the ball someplace out in the field.
I found him Blubbing in the sand pit at the entrance to the fields. It was strange, as if he had suddenly faded far into the distance and no one could touch him. I was going on and he would stay where he was no longer supposed to be.

Part of growing up is about acquiring new ways to look at things:

In the frenzy of handing out, the chips would grow in value. It was like a documentary on the Stock Market that Pa Winter once made us watch - all the hands raised and faces twisted with want. You could sit back and watch the frenzy and make it work for you.
(On birthday plane-ride) ... into the green and pale green and yellow and gold. For the first time, I saw the sense in the pattern on my dad's Harris Tweed jacket. All of the colors were there, even the neatness of fields blocked out by hedges.
I did some more thinking about my promise never to lie no matter what happened. I figured that from now on I would take it on a case-by-case basis.
He took two huge paces forward and his arm snapped back. I heard the grunt as the javelin left his hand. It sailed out, rising and rising as if carried by angels, over the water until it slipped under the waves.

"Stand Before Your God" (Reply)