Water, Warfare, and Wit

William was late. He knew the rest of the boys would have already started the meeting but the rain was beginning to worsen and it was too late to go back. His bike had gotten a flat tire while riding to school yesterday and the slippery sidewalk only made things worse. But William saw the Wilnor place around the corner and he could see the faint light coming from the shed in the backyard. The house had long been abandoned and renovations had been overturned due to the collapsed foundations. But the shed remained intact and the Grove St. boys began using it as a meeting place. William parked his bike along the weeded pathway next to the house and hastily made his way to the shed.

“You’re late”, said Tyler. William ignored him and sat down on the metal chairs the boys had laid out. In front of him was a large mahogany table Jason had found at a garage sale last summer. The boys even managed to find some christmas lights from Tyler’s garage and an old radio from Devin’s attic. Jason always had food on his mind which is why they put a cheap mini fridge in the corner of the old shed. They soon had furnished the shed into a comfortable abode for their Tuesday night meetings. 

“This is the twenty ninth meeting of the Bandit Hawks”, said Jason (Tyler had come up with the code name for them after combining the names from his dad’s car and the middle school mascot). At first, the meetings were something of a hangout as the boys enjoyed the idea of freedom after the sun sets. But after the September incident the meetings were filled with purpose. 

“As you all know, there have been rumors regarding another attack against Grove St. by the Santiago Ln. boys”, said Jason. Everyone vividly remembered the vivid day in September: they were playing basketball in William’s driveway when the Santiago boys, armed with water balloons, swiftly rode in on their bikes and launched a barrage of water fury. The Bandit Hawks had no time to react and were drenched in hose water and misery. But they vowed to get revenge on the Santiago boys. This was not the first time an occurrence like this had happened because the town of Furton had two middle schools and rivalries were tense. The Grove St. boys and Santiago boys were constantly competing to be the better side of Furton. 

“Operation Slash and Dash is ready to go next week and as you all know Tyler and I will be the first attack team, and William and Devin will be the next wave”, said Jason. The revenge plan had been thought out for weeks until a perfect solution came to their minds. The first team would slash all the hoses on Santiago Ln. And the next team would be ready with water balloons and water guns to provide support. It was the perfect plan, but now it was time to work out the kinks. Devin laid out the map of Furton and quickly the boys began marking out a plan of action. Furton was a large town that had neighborhoods on opposite ends and a downtown in between. Devin wanted to go through  downtown and launch an offensive right into Santiago ln. But the Bandit Hawks decided on Jason’s method which was going around downtown and through Bedridge park towards the north. They then would flank Santiago Ln and sneak up on the unsuspecting rivals. 

“What supplies do we need?”, said William. “Fifty water balloons and six water guns...just in case”, replied Tyler. The Bandit Hawks knew the plan was risky and if they got caught it would mean a crushing defeat for their side of Furton. Yet risk is what they were fueled by. Being middle school kids, they only saw the light at the end of the tunnel and not the bats living within. It was a do or die and they were ready after months of grueling patience. William was the only one who seemed hesitant of this revenge tactic but the others quickly persuaded him to bring glory to west Furton. 

“And how much money is in the vault?”, questioned Devin. The “vault'' was a large tin box William had taken from the Smith’s recycling bin and it housed the Bandit Hawk’s money to spend on the shed/entertainment. “Enough for the supplies and maybe a bit extra for a victory party afterwards”, stated Jason. The money had been saved up for the past few months for the attack and each of the boys had their methods of contributing. Tyler worked at his dad’s garage and made the most money in the group. Jason and Devin worked at the town drug store helping Mr.Sanchez with shipment unloading. William did not have a job yet but he became an expert in pawning off trinkets. He would scourge for cheap toys and games on weekend garage sales, and fixed them up to sell. As a result, the boys were able to live rather comfortably and had a sizable collection of comic books and baseball cards stacked in the corner of the shed. 

After the Bandit Hawks finished what they considered “serious business” they winded the night down by playing a game of monopoly or taking turns on Devin’s Playstation portable. Some days they decided to be brave and try to venture into the Wilnor place. The chilling atmosphere drove their curiosity but no one dared to go more than five steps inside the house. Yet Jason claimed he saw a figure one day when he got to the shed early. No one believed him but he insisted there was a ghost living in the house. But today, the boys were too excited to do any of their usual activities and so they decided to call quits early. With the meeting adjourned, the Bandit Hawks hopped on their bikes and went their separate ways into the night, eager to see the victory that awaited them in the future.