Dennis E Fishel

The Bully and Emily Dickinson Dennis E Fishel

Bombing the neighborhood kid hating geezer with dog crap seems like a good idea at first. But Den and Jay's mission turns from prank to panic when the kite they construct for the job accidentally dumps its load on the head of the well known and much feared bully, Russell Folmer. Being wimps of epic stature, Den and Jay are relieved when parental perceptions of the incident deem that their actions have thwarted Russell's attempt to rob the bad tempered old man. As punishment for his apparent crime, Russell is packed off to his uncle's farm to work off his shame by painting the barn, leaving Den and Jay to roam without worry. They're also free to commit more unwise acts, byproducts of Jay's volcanic personality and unerring ability to do things without first thinking about the results, combined with Den's newly found sense of adventure and an unfamiliar surge he thinks might be what courage feels like. So, as Russell continues to find ways to escape his sentence at hard labor and hunt his tormentors down, Den and Jay stumble into more ways to lay blame for their mischief on the overstuffed goon, whose escalating punishments begin to resemble a career. This is righteous revenge for all of Russell's many victims, Den and Jay tell themselves. But truth is often an elusive thing, and the reciprocal revenge that's headed their way doesn't turn out to be quite what they expect.