Chet (chetbaker)

Last week, Bill's class took a field trip to the beach. His half brother Randall came along - a little boy in the special class with aluminum hook arms, whose mind was as misshapen as his legs. No one at school really knew him because he always rode on a separate bus and was taught to stand within the confines of a tetherball circle every recess. In the late afternoon, Randall was over with the adults when he spotted a gull overhead. His eyes burst with emotion and he suddenly took off stumbling after it. Tears streaming down his little face, he stretched his aluminum hooks as wide as he could towards the sun, howling, "Boon, boon," and disappeared into the deep blue sea. The other kids were surprised he could even run that fast.