Thomas McKean

An Appealing Spot to Pass the Night

The gargantuan bird's nest seemed an appealing spot to pass the night, but not for long.

A Distinct Possibility

The three apparently empty tenements appealed to the Adventurous Children.

"We could stay in one of these," suggested the red- dressed girl.

The one on the left, however, was occupied by a couple who bore a striking resemblance to the Adventurous Children's mother and father. Even though this austere couple claimed not to recognize them, they nonetheless knew all their names.

"We don't want to live with these people," stated the white-shirted boy and the other six nodded their heads in agreement.

The middle tenement, the tallest and roomiest, was deemed too close to the one inhabited by the name- knowing couple.

The third and last, the one on the right, seemed a distinct possibility, except for the swarm of one thousand silver- winged moths who swooped in and settled every morning at dawn, passing the day there until, at moon-rise, they would sail out the empty windows like mist rising. The yellow-dressed girl with the blue sash thought that they could at least sleep there for a few nights, vacating for the day when the moths returned, but the memory of the rustling of one thousand pairs of silver wings and the soft touch of two thousand antennæ distressed the other six so the Adventurous Children moved on.

The End of the World

Was a National Holiday or the End of the World being celebrated? The Adventurous Children had their own opinion on the matter but knew enough to keep it to themselves.

Following an Estrangement

Following an estrangement with their parents, the Adventurous Children hadn't visited their Great- Aunt in many years. The two yellow-dressed girls had fond memories of their Great-Aunt's tea-set, made of flower-decorated bone china; the red-shirted boy recalled the fun they'd had playing in the dumbwaiter; the
white-shirted boy couldn't help laughing as he recalled their Great-Aunt's moustache. So it was unexpected when, after knocking on the familiar oaken door, they were told by the prim older man who answered that he'd owned and lived in this very building for the last twenty-years - and quite alone. Nobody answering to their Great-Aunt's description had lived there (or in any of the neighboring buildings) for as long as he could remember.

Half-Way to Their Destination

The Adventurous Children were surprised when the taxi they hailed had no driver but was still able to take them at least half-way to their destination.

The House in the Woods

Only two of the Adventurous Children set foot in the house in the woods. They wanted to find the origin of the strange glow issuing from it. They did indeed discover its source but decided against sharing it with their siblings. They had promised not to.

No One Could Recall When

Looking at the photograph on the wall of the museum, it seemed to the Adventurous Children that they must have been there before, but no one could recall when.

Play in Traffic

No one had ever told the Adventurous Children not to play in traffic.

Returning Home from School

It was rather a shock for the Adventurous Children, returning home from school one afternoon, to discover that their parents had moved. The house was empty and no forwarding address (or even message of farewell) was to be found.

Something Seemed to be Moving

The boys stood on one side of the wall, the girls on the other. This was not the way the Adventurous Children generally divided themselves, but the makers of the wall

(although absent) had been particularly specific in this demand. Following the exact instructions, the Adventurous Children counted backward from one thousand and waited. Something seemed to be moving behind the row of trees.

The Staircase that Seemed to Lead Nowhere

The Adventurous Children remained undeterred by the staircase that seemed to lead nowhere; it only seemed to lead nowhere. It took some time to discover this.

X Marks the Spot

The Adventurous Children had always heard that X marks the spot. Although after much searching they did indeed discover the “Where” they never fully understood the “Why.”
“Perhaps,” suggested the red-shirted boy; “there is no Why.”
“I’m not even sure there’s definitely a Where,” said the yellow-dressed girl.