Ari

Such likeable characters. As for Paris, I am immediately drawn to be on the side of this little boy who 'leaned' and 'refused' and 'persisted'. In just one paragraph I am sympathetic, rooting for this character. He grows on you nicely, and it is sweet how a description of a run around the basepath can paint a picture of a character in your mind.

It is interesting how you deal with time. These 'fortunate neighbors for a space' are well rooted in time yet it is not a story of a time and a place only. That Paris could 'later in life do a backflip from a standing position' is where I am first moved from the moment, and then I have a sense that it is not just little boys but also me looking for 'recourse when uninspired' and who can be 'enamored by the process'. The cliff as metaphor of rise and decline feels just as true at 63 as at 8, those in 'the white-walled, rubber-roofed nursing home experience the same cliff as our young heroes.

I like too, the metaphor of building as the process of living; the planning and the 'desire to work toward their plans' as all we have to fight the 'dull blur'. They stabilize, they practice, they puzzle and are full engaged. They immerse themselves, lose perspective and regain it.

I am glad to be among the 'members ... whose hearing had not faded'. Thanks for sharing your writing. It was great fun.