Cast of Characters:

Cody Schroder - main character of the book

Sheriff Brock Daniels - long time sheriff of Astatula

Beth Sorensen - Sheriff Daniels' confidant

Buzz Cochran - Sheriff Daniels' boon companion and campaign director

Earl Anthony Schroder - Cody's biological sperm donor. For ten years he physically, emotionally, mentally, and sexually abused Cody

Miss Johnson - Cody's teacher at Astatula Elementary School

Mrs. Truman - librarian at Astatula Elementary School

Mr. Miller - principal of Astatula Elementary School


****************************************************************************************
****************************************************************************************

End of Chapter 1 - Part 1:

The sheriff considered Beth's response. He knew she believed in the perfectibility of humanity. In agreement he said, "After what Cody's been through if anybody's earned the right to feel ten feet tall and bulletproof it's that little man."

A bell pealed. Buzz Cochran, the sheriff's boon companion and campaign director, stood at the entrance of the residence. Punctual and polished, he reported on schedule for their predetermined consultation to strategize the newest scheme in the sheriff's re-election bid. Beth opened the door and Cochran entered.

"Greetings, partner," the sheriff took note. With the Astatula Assassin on the loose, he perceived the voting public scrutinized him much closer than they had before, "I want to make a statement so consummated no one will ever doubt my leadership again. So, let's get to work on wrapping up this election, shall we?"


*******************************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************************


Once again, the idiom stop and smell the roses entered the mischief-maker's mind. Sometimes that became a difficult accomplishment for Cody, but the achievement forced him to appreciate the world. To remain in the moment proved harder yet.

The sights, sounds, and smells of objects around him focused the boy's attention on the present and prevented Cody's thoughts from redirecting to his past. When those circumstances occurred, the mental respites only produced unwanted memories. Cody kept a penny in his shoe to remind him to remain in the moment. For self-preservation, he surrounded himself with the defense shield that kept him alive his whole life.

He remembered his school's guidance counselor suggested, "Participate in what interests you without allowing your time to be consumed by anyone else."

That's how Cody felt special. He was well versed in reading body language. He also noticed the actions of others and could quickly determine their underlying intentions.

The abuse doled out to him on a daily basis by Earl Anthony Schroder taught Cody small surprises produced unwanted flashbacks. How well the boy remembered that whatever angered people the most, whatever made them inconsolably sad, and whatever hurt them the worst, Earl Anthony Schroder gleefully spent his life doing.

"Hey, pissant. It rounds me out," Earl Anthony Schroder used to constantly disclose.

Cody liked to gaze at the stars in the night sky. He realized there was a big universe out there. He also enjoyed watching animals in their natural habitats, especially the migration of birds. The free-flight of bobwhites, hummingbirds, and whooping cranes fascinated him. Cody longed to fly away with them. But, that was wishful dreaming.

Most of all, Cody loved the aroma of fresh roses. The yellow ones were his favorites. Not only did they smell good, they helped him learn to see details in other gadgets he never spotted before. A skill that served him well.

While Sheriff Daniels and Buzz Cochran plotted the best manipulation of his re-election campaign, a bell rang at Astatula Elementary School. The egg-shell white center of matriculation perched high on a well-manicured grassy knoll at the intersection of Mountain View Drive and Cassandra Boulevard. The academy's ten classrooms efficiently availed the necessities of Astatula's youngest pupils.

Never more than an average student, Cody applied himself only enough to get by in the classroom. Lunch and spending time on the playground that contained a variety of slides, swings, and a sandbox were the two activities he reveled in the most. Rambunctious, Cody's favorite apparatus was the brightly-colored, rocket-shaped, monkey bars. These he swung, climbed, hung upside down by the back of his knees, or sat on. The school's all-in-one soccer field, baseball diamond, and football field led away from the playground. Cody played all three whenever he could.

Astatula Elementary erupted into a frenzied detonation of ecstatic children racing for the big yellow buses that whisked them back home. The local time read one o'clock on the Friday afternoon before Summer Break. Cody couldn't wait. Summer was his second favorite time of the year. The day Earl Anthony Schroder died his first.

He didn't care that his teacher, Miss Johnson, told the class, "Summer vacation came about because of necessity." She'd looked around at the shining faces of her students and explained, "In the settlement of the mostly agricultural United States, when our country was being formed, children were needed at home to help plant crops."

Most of the pupils hung on Miss Johnson's every word. All that mattered to Cody was there would be no more teachers' dirty looks for two-and-a-half glorious months. Instead of fighting the mad rush caused by his classmates exiting the room, Cody waited to be the last one out except for Miss Johnson, then departed for the library. A grey-haired woman stood behind the desk. Cody noticed how her bouffant hairdo made her resemble Marge Simpson.

Silently, he snickered to himself. He handed his long overdue book to the librarian and announced, "I found A Tale Dark And Grimm, Mrs. Truman."

The book told the story of Hansel and Gretel in eight Grimms'-inspired tales and featured them in the middle of foreboding woods on its cover. Cody related well to the premise of the hardback. The writing characterized his life: dark and grim. That's why he read the book.

A mean snarl crossed Mrs. Truman's face. Her hawk-beaked nose, with it's prominent bridge, the distinguished feature. Cody thought the expression improved the old sourpuss's mug but did not dare say so. Most youngsters were frightened of her. She wasn't the easiest person in the world to get along with. Cody did not fear her.

Volatile in nature and unpredictable, Mrs. Truman pushed eighty. She glared over the coke-bottled eyeglasses that adorned her face. Blind as a bat without them, she desperately needed to wear the black-framed spectacles with thick trifocal lenses. Even then, it seemed she struggled to see.

Mrs. Truman took the book from Cody's outstretched hand and plopped the collection of fairy tales on the top shelf of a cart beside her. Sarcastically she grumbled, "What do you know? Miracles never cease, do they? You finally found your missing library book."

To Cody, it appeared the wicked witch always attempted to get a rise out of students. She specialized in that area of psychology.

Unruffled, he replied, "Un-huh. It was buried on the bottom of my schoolbag all along."

In a monotone, Mrs. Truman told Cody, "The fine will be one dollar and fifty cents."

Cody reached into the front pocket of the faded denim jeans he wore. He fished his hand around and extracted six shiny new quarters he'd earned from recycling aluminum cans. Without counting them, or another word spoken, Cody handed the silver to the librarian and slung the thin straps of his bag over his shoulders.

Meteorically, Cody departed the media center. He whistled a tune to himself as he dashed merrily along his way. He rounded the far corner of a long corridor where he almost bumped headlong into Mr. Miller, the school's strict principal.

"Clear the tracks. Freight train coming through!" Mr. Miller quipped.

Transfixed, Cody halted.