Community Magazine November 2009

T he normally quiet, peaceful forest bordering Pardes Acres was now filled with commotion. A large contingent of policemen, several with dogs pulling excitedly at their leashes, followed a group of young kids in colorful Crocs. The group was led by a young boy talking seriously to the police chief. The boy‛s face and hands still bore witness to his frightening experience in the inferno of the now-destroyed barn. It was Ezra. His siblings crowded behind, listening. “In the report to the FBI,” the chief remarked, “you stated that you witnessed the suspect declaring his revenge on those who were staying at Pardes Acres, and that you heard him in this forest. But I need to ask, what were you doing here, in this wild area, in the first place?” Ezra was quiet. He was still hesitant to explain about the Wii, especially with his brothers and sisters right there. His mind raced, trying to think of plausible-sounding reasons. Suddenly, his mother‛s words flashed in his mind: “The rabbis say that the punishment of a liar is that he‛s not believed even when he speaks the truth!” Ezra squared his shoulders, glanced at his siblings sheepishly, and began. “To tell you the truth, I was looking for a place where I could play some, er, games, on my Wii. Our parents didn‛t know that I brought it with me for the summer. That‛s why I was looking for a place where… no one would find me.” Behind him, the Crocs Kids looked at each other in disbelief. Joey, noticing Ezra‛s discomfiture, motioned the others to be quiet. Morris couldn‛t contain himself. “Ezra, you brought the Wii???” Ezra swallowed hard and nodded. The chief smiled encouragingly at the red-faced boy. “Well, son, I apologize for probing. I simply wanted to understand how you came upon the home of the most wanted man in New York State when we‛ve been searching for years with no luck!” Ezra was surprised to find himself smiling broadly. It was embarrassing, but it was over! He felt so good, so relieved; he wished he‛d done it sooner. For weeks he‛d been making excuses, building unbearable tension wrought by the ongoing deception. Now he felt much better. The chief then asked, “So, son, how much further on is this crook‛s residence?” “See that tree stump up ahead?” Ezra replied, pointing, and feeling a shiver run down his spine. “That‛s where I saw him sitting, smoking a pipe, the first time I came here. Then he got up and walked into the forest. I was too scared to let him see me…The next time I was here, I found his house, if you can call it that. It‛s just beyond the stump. It‛s a bunch of long wooden pieces leaning against a big tree… The next time I went was the last time, because I was so scared. I ran as fast as I could out of the forest.” Ezra paused. “That was when I decided to try playing the Wii in the cabin, instead of using the battery and playing in the forest. I was just too scared to come near here.” “Why were you so scared?” Rebecca asked curiously. Ezra answered softly, “He was talking to himself, saying, ‘No one‛s gonna take over Cropsy‛s forest. No one‛s gonna find Cropsy‛s home.‛ And then he took out – ” Ezra‛s voice shook – “a long rifle, and fired up towards the sky. That‛s when I started running, and behind me I heard him still shouting, ‘No One! They‛re all gonna wish they never came...‛” T h e C r o c s K i d s Chapter 6: On Cropsy’s Tail ESTHER PARDES The characters: Joey 13, Judy 12, Ezra 10, Rebecca 9, Morris 9, Sharon 6, Baby Charlie 3 The recap: The Pardes Family, thankful that Ezra survived the barn fire, learned that the fire was caused by arson. 84 Community magazine