Just at the exact time they both agreed upon Mrs. Pickett began knocking on Mrs. Hardy's front door.

"Come in, come in, Mrs. Pickett." Mrs. Hardy politely said.

"I...I hope I'm not too early." Mrs. Pickett worried.

"No, you're right on time dear, I like people who are punctual." She laughed.

After what seemed like a lifetime of idle polite chatter to Mrs. Hardy she finally decided Mrs. Pickett was relaxed enough to bring the subject of Raymond's beatings up but first she had to find out if all this talk was true.

"You know, Mrs. Pickett, my boys play with Raymond and they have become quite friendly with him." She began. "Shaver told me he couldn't help but notice the bruises and welts on Raymond's back when he stood at your door the other day. He wasn't being nosey you understand, he just couldn't help but see Raymond's back."

"Forgive me if I'm out of line, Mrs. Pickett, but I've heard that Mr. Pickett is responsible for that bruising...if it's so don't you think that type of punishment is cruel and painful to a small boy?" She quizzed the woman. "Do you agree with the punishment your husband gives Raymond?"

The whole time Mrs. Pickett was listening to Mrs. Hardy she hung her head and stared at the floor. When she began to answer the questions the old lady asked she continued to stare at the floor.

"No...no, Mrs. Hardy...I do not agree with the way my husband treats the boy and I...well, I don't know what to do. In the past I've tried to keep him from hurting Raymond but he just can't help himself." She said as her tears began dropping on Mrs. Hardy's old pine floor.

"You see, when Mr. Pickett was a lad his father would beat him as well. The whole time he beat him he would tell him how much he loved him and didn't want to have to do it." She continued. "I guess, in my husband's mind, he thinks it's the way you show your son you love him, he expects Raymond to be a perfect son and no one can live up to those expectations. Oh...I don't know Mrs. Hardy...somehow it all got mixed up in his mind...I don't know how to explain it or what to do about it." She cried.

"There, there, Mrs. Pickett, go ahead and cry all you want. It's best to get it all out." Said Mrs. Hardy genuinely concerned. "The most important thing of all though is Raymond. Why must he continue to suffer because his father has an emotional illness? Don't you see, Raymond is the real victim in all this."

Mrs. Hardy talked with Mrs. Pickett all afternoon about what to do for Raymond. She suggested that Raymond come stay a few days in her home with Shaver and Splinter. The boys would love it and Raymond would be out of danger for a few days.

"You can tell your husband you let him stay because you and he have a lot to talk about and it would be better if Raymond wasn't around to hear it...it won't be a lie, it will be the truth." Mrs. Hardy suggested.

That evening Mrs. Hardy asked the boys to come into the front room for a family chat. She wanted to explain to the boys what was going on and the decision Mrs. Pickett made to help her family. I say the family because the whole family will have to become involved in order for Mr. Pickett to get well.

First, Mrs. Pickett will talk to her husband and make him understand he will have to see a doctor about his emotional problems. Though she doesn't want to have to do it, she is prepared to take Raymond and live somewhere else if Mr. Pickett refuses a doctor's help. This would have to be done to protect Raymond from any further abuse.

She told them Raymond would be staying with them a few days and the lads were so excited they made a list of things to do while he was visiting. They truly loved Raymond as a friend and they were so happy Raymond's father was going to get help for his problem.

Raymond did come to visit and the children had the time of their lives. Mrs. Hardy turned on the water around back of her house and the boys played in the cool spray of the sprinkler one day.

The next day the went on a nature hike through the wooded area that surrounded the neighborhood. There is a small pond at the edge of the forest, the same pond the boys ice skate on in the winter. The boys swam, the did a little fishing and told ghost stories while they cooked marshmallows on a campfire. Of course Mrs. Hardy saw to it they were properly supervised with the help of her nice neighbor Mr. Carter. He was an elderly retired man who used to be a Boy Scout leader. He was perfect for the job.

The last day the lads stayed close to home. They played in the shady side yard of their house and talked for hours about Raymond getting help for his father. He made a wish with a wishbone that his father would get well and they could start doing lots of things together like they did with Mr. Carter. He really enjoyed the nature hike.

The time finally came to say good-bye to Raymond. You would have thought Raymond was joining the Foreign Legion the way he and Shaver were carrying on.

"Gee Raymond, I'm really going to miss you." First, Shaver said.

"I know, Shaver, I will miss you too and all the fun we had together." Raymond said next.

OH GOOD GRIEF! Splinter thought. What's the matter with them? They just live around the block from each other. PEOPLE! I'll never understand them. He wondered as he flopped down in the tall grass. The grass was cool on that side of the house and it was one of Splinter's favorite spots for napping.

The rest of the summer passed slowly for Shaver and Splinter. They saw Raymond from time to time but didn't really get to see him a lot until school started. You see, Raymond, his mom and his dad were all in something call family therapy. It took up a lot of their time but Raymond told Shaver it sure was worth it.

He told the boys about how, with a doctor's help, they talked to each other for the first time ever. Oh, I don't mean every day talk, I mean Mr. Pickett told Raymond about how his dad treating him growing up and Mrs. Pickett...she told about how she always, until now, was afraid of Mr. Pickett. Raymond told about how he thought he was a bad boy because his dad kept beating him and how he felt unloved. After all, his dad beat him and his mom didn't stop it. You can see how it would make him feel unloved, can't you?

Yes, Raymond told Shaver and Splinter he couldn't imagine a family life better than the one he was living at that time. He'd soon find out his life would get even better. With the help of professionals, a concerned neighbor like Mrs. Hardy and, OH YES, let's don't forget about the main characters who were responsible for getting Raymond the help he desperately needed. Th ey would be Shaver and Splinter.

Five months later Mrs. Hardy was telling the lads she saw the Pickett family out shopping for a Christmas tree.

"Oh, laddies...it was so wonderful to see them all there together. They were all laughing and having fun. I am so proud of you boys for jumping in a sticky situation and helping your friend. Any time you suspect a child is being abused you should tell someone. You could tell a parent or your pastor or a police officer...but someone must be told to protect the child." She told the boys with tears of pride in her eyes.

"Well Mother," Shaver began, " you know what they say...a man's got to do what a man's got to do."

"RUFF! R-R-RUF!" Splinter yelped as he ran around and around and around in circles chasing his skinny tail.

The End

~Webrings~

~Index~