To Probe A Beating Heart by John B Wren Page A

good,” said Tom.
                  “Yeah, real good,” said Stelian sarcastically.
                  “One’s your limit today, Danker. Maybe next time we see you here
    you can do two cigs” said Frank.
                  “Yeah, we don’t want you should get addicted,” said George.
                  Averell looked at Frank and said, “You know where the library is?”
                  “Yeah,” said Frank, “You wanna’ go there, in the summertime, when we ain’t in school?”
                  “Yeah, I want to check out some stuff about bleeding,” said Averell.
                  “Like what?” asked Frank.
                  “Like where can I cut someone and not make them bleed a lot,” said Averell.
                  “Hey, who you gonna’ kill?” asked Tom, “one of us?”
                  “No, no, I watched a movie and somebody said in movie, ‘cut him
    where he won’t bleed.’”
                  “I saw that flick, lots’a blood and guts.” said Tom, “Let’s go to the
    library and check it out.”
                  “It’s too late, we could go tomorrow,” said Frank.
                  “You can show me the way?,” asked Averell.
                  “Sure, no problem.”
    The next day Averell met Frank in the woods, “Where are the others?”
    asked Averell.
    “They don’t want to go, cause I told them that they would have to
    read a whole book in a week if they did go.”
                  “No you don’t,” said Averell.
                  “See kid, you knew that, they didn’t, that’s what I like about you.
    Smart.”
                  “And Tom, and George?”
                  “Dumber than a pair of rocks in a bucket, genuine stupid. Let’s get
    goin. We gotta’ take the bus or we could walk, but that would take a long time. You got any money for the bus?”
                  “I have two dollars, see,” and he showed Frank the money.
                  “Naw, keep it, they usually want exact change, I’ll cover you and we can even up later.”
                  The two walked to the main street about two blocks away and caught the east bound bus. “So, smart guy, what bus you gonna’ catch to get back home?”
                  “The one that goes that way,” he said pointing to where they came
    from.
                  “Yeah, that’ll be the west bound bus, okay.?”
                  “Yep, okay” Averell was having fun.
     
    * * *

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER EIGHT
     
     
    Have you ever heard voices . . .
     
     
    The library was much as Averell remembered it, large, full of books and quiet, very quiet. They went to the Information Desk and Frank said he was showing his little cousin what a library was like. He asked the librarian about the human body and for a reference book on what the main organs and veins and stuff were. She took them to the reference section and they started poring through the pictures and drawings of the body.
                  “There’s a lot of stuff here” said Averell, “I can’t remember it all.”
                  “You can borrow books from a library, take ‘em home for a week or two and bring ‘em back,” said Frank, “All you need is a library card, do you have one?”
                  “No, how do I get one?”
                  “You get your mom to come down here with you and she has to sign a paper and you give them some info on you and bingo, they mail you a card.”
                  Averell looked disappointed. “Okay.”
                  “What, I told you, get your mom—.”
                  “That’s the problem, her, she is a definite problem. She doesn’t like me