Here's the intro to Easton Summer:
Robert leaned his bike next to an almond tree deep in the
orchard and walked slowly to the edge of the road. It was a dark night and the
fact there were no street lamps in Easton and the moon wasn’t very bright
didn’t help any. Robert approached the road, unseen in the dark. He stood
silently behind the mailbox tree trying to remain hidden. The lights were on in
the Sanders’ house. He knew the big front window was the living room and the
two smaller windows in front were bedrooms. The kitchen was at the back of the
house. He had looked in all the windows last Sunday when the Sanders and those
troublemakers Jason, Eric and Kati had gone to church. The Kings had been gone
too, so Robert had taken his time looking around.
Robert had explored the hay fort and sat for awhile
watching the goats watching him. Robert liked animals but his dad wouldn’t let
him have pets. The Dewey land sat fallow, nothing growing on it and no animals
in the pasture to entertain an only child. Ever since his mother left his dad
acted like Robert had left too, leaving him alone most of the time.
Headlights lit up the mailbox tree and Robert ducked down,
not wanting to be seen. Robert didn’t know why he was here. He couldn’t see the
goats in the dark, but he waited, watching the Sanders’ house. No one came out.
Robert could hear the frogs and crickets by the ditch, but no animals. There
were no animals in the field either. They were probably all asleep. That’s what
I should be doing, Robert whispered to himself. With a big sigh, Robert turned
to head into the orchard to retrieve his bike. He was going home. His dad
should be home by now. I wonder if he even knows I’m gone, Robert thought. As
Robert turned and walked away, he didn’t see the other hidden figure across the
street under the pear tree on the ditch bank. It was a night for spying.
