One of my favorite Stephen King stories is "The Body" from "Different Seasons", which would later become adapted into my favorite King movie, "Stand by Me".
My middle years were definitely along the lines of this story. Four kids from the wrong side of town. I was Gordie and Rick was Chris Chambers. We made another friend Andy who was like Vern, and I knew a kid from before named Nathan, who was just like Teddy without the messed up ears.
We explored the woods and hung around with hoodlums and just got in trouble in general. We stole Playboys and practiced smoking cigarettes, and all of that.
Many times we rode our bikes to the dollar theater six miles away, to catch second hand some of the best movies ever made. This was the best time ever to discover movies, with 82 considered the best year for movies ever.
But mostly we just hung out and talked.
I still talk to Rick, but I haven't seen Andy or Nathan since middle school.
King was right. You will never have friends like that again.
YOU ARE READING
Sherwood Forest
Non-FictionWe moved to Sherwood Forest in the summer of 1980, just as I was going into the seventh grade. The first friend I would make would be a girl named Candy. I have been in love three times in my life, and Candy was the first.
