The Fraternal Order of Youth

This entry was originally posted on 17 December 2003 at 12:29 p.m.

Childhood is a secret society. I was indoctrinated somewhere around fourth grade. It all began with an origami throwing star--the fault of either Aaron Urschel or a kid named Chad whose last name i forget.

You might think of our group as a culture distinct from that of adults, but really we were more of a secret subculture. We shared our own games, rites, beliefs, and codes. We had our own words for some things, words that described things that didn't exist for anyone outside our group. We had shared stories that we created and embellished together, invisible landscapes that we imposed upon the geography of our school, tests and quests to prove ourselves.

I can't reveal the specifics, you must understand. These are secrets that must be kept in the heart for fear of guttering and dying in a shapeless pool of wax.

I haven't seen Aaron or Chad (or Gable, Aaron's sidekick) since 1986, but i think of them often. I wonder whether they remember the way i do.