All about Chappy

*Thinking the world owes you anything leads one to a destination called “unhappiness.”

Rattletrap…Rattletrap…Rattletrap (A Snare Drum Cadence)

Chapter One

Lately, it seems grumbling and complaining had become a way of life for this boy of nine. Had Chappy reached the age old conclusion which suggests to all adolescents that “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” or was it more that “The world owes you something?” Negative thoughts pervaded his being and the only thing important to Chappy, his nickname, was the time he spent alone in his room daydreaming. Chores and homework had become such a bore and there were new feelings and attitudes about everything in his life. Like all boys, he longed for adventure beyond his hometown community. More and more the distant sounds from the scary beckoning town bridge, also the only way out of town, seemed to enchant his very being. Hometown for Charles, his real name, was a hamlet of about 3 square city blocks, a railroad crossing, school, a church, and little else. The people who lived thereabouts were cursed with sadness and misery; everybody knew why, but, no one dared speak of it. And, like every other small town, this town too had a witch and a long history of involvement with spiritual matters.