This summer I made some good friends. I was exploring around while Aunt Rachel went to the rialto for a little while. I found some pretty flowers, I think they’re called collards. Anyways, I decided to come up close and take a whiff; boy they sure were colorful. Then these two kids done decided to pop their heads right up from behind the fence in front of me and the flowers. It was a boy and a little girl, she looked to be round my age. I recognized the boy as Jeremy Atticus Finch, but the kids here called him Jem. Aunt Rachel is indigenous to this quaint little town, so she knows most of the kids. They jus’ kept on staring and staring. Since I hear from Aunt Rachel he’s a good kid, and I didn't feel any intimidation, I started it off. I told them, “Hey”. Jem greeted me back, so I introduced myself to him. I told him I was Charles Baker Harris. Then he decided to be funny ‘bout it. “Your name’s longer’n you are”, he says to me. I don’t mind though, lotta kids are meaner to me ‘bout that sort of thing. I tell him to call me Dill and that I’m seven years old. He seemed ok, so I decided to impress him and the girl with him. “I can read” I says to him. Then he tells me the girl can read. What’s even worse is that she’s actually a year younger than me. Shucks! I never can seem to win with this kind of stuff. He introduces her as his sister, “Scout”; funny name, but Dill ain't that much better, if it even is. We talked about stuff. Apparently Jem likes the movie Dracula. Once I told him I’ve seen it, we started getting along better ‘n better. Scout didn’t go and say much. Quiet girl I guess. Anyways, after a while Scout goes and asks me ‘bout my pop. I don’t like talking bout him, considerin’ he gone and left us. I suppose she didn’t understand what with her being all young all. I tried not to become irked. Then Jem told her to shush. I was pretty happy ‘bout that. After that we became good friends, the three of us. They even called me eccentric. I don't know what that means but it's sounds like it means cool, so I'm happy about it. I came over to their house and we played and acted out scenes from thing's like Tarzan and Tom Swift. After a while they told me about this one house. They called it, "The Radley House". They told about "Boo" Radley, the son of the late Mr. Radley. They say they hear all sorts of things about the guy. Apparently he's chained down and downright malevolent (I read that from the newspaper, bet that Scout can't do that!). I was very curious to meet this fellow, considering he seemingly stabbed his father in the leg and hasn't been seen in years. I just watched the house, days on end. Couldn't help it, I felt so excited getting closer. One day, the three of us were walking by the house when I decide to dare Jem, seein' as he always brave about things. I says to him, "I'll swap you The Gray Ghost if you just go up and touch the house." Needless to say, he was back in a flash, runnin' like a madman, but he did it. I saw him slap that wall and run like the dickens. That was the funnest summer I've ever done have, and I can't wait to come back next year.
