More (from Book 4) 
Extended Excerpts (Note: Scroll Down to continue tales 1 and 3)
from ...Heavy Tales Rising
(Story Two) "Warrior Babies"
This story may prove difficult to credit during the journey through it. And
it’s just as well, for I prefer at present that you not believe. I have my reasons
for so wishing it, and by the end of your reading they will most likely be clear.
For now, I merely express my core feeling that, as the myriad events and cir-
cumstances unfold and struggle ponderously to the end revelation, the entire
experience is best deemed incredible.
It may be evident already that my profession is not that of writer. While
your suspicion has merit, it is also the case that the chronicling I do in my
usual work involves jotting, as well as typing, hundreds of words at a sitting.
And the final products must be concise as well as proper, both grammatical-
ly and mechanically. I am, hence, no stranger to the writing process.
So, who am I and why should you expend energy, in an uphill excursi-
on sometimes, following this tale to its terminus? The identity I’ve assumed
over the past several years is the one I’ll employ here. I don’t see that that
will present a problem. First, I think it unlikely that anyone who knows me,
whether outside or within the agency, will actually fall upon this material.
And even if one such person does, it will surely be taken as an improbable
work of pure fiction in any case. As for you, though, you have my promise
that very soon, in your wading through this expose, the reason for the mys-
teriousness involving my character will come clear.
It was exactly two years and seven months ago that I got the call from
the Holy Cross Daycare director, Mrs. Freund. At the time, I was typing a
report and watching a documentary on what was described as phenomenal
improvements in unrelated communities of the underdeveloped world. As I
remember it, some of the noted advances took place in cities located in
Central America; for others, the sites were villages of western and central
It’s funny how her distinct tone is still fresh in my memory. “Do you
still want the job, Mr. Wolff,” her voice inquired. I most certainly did, I as-
sured her happily. To this day I don’t know if she had any idea of the prear-
rangement made to have me hired as the facility’s other handyman. Actual-
ly I don’t think so. My guess is she hadn’t a clue that my appearance as
an applicant was linked to a request she made to local authorities. Even
while in need of more help around the center, she wanted investigation of
her senior handyman. In other words, she was willing to risk his loss. The
complaint to local police resulted in an unusually quick cutting-through of
red tape, and my agency was contacted.
The fellow whom the agency wanted watched performed a variety of
tasks at the daycare. He was Paul Pilsner, my new coworker. His employ-
ment at Holy Cross was part-time, involving four- to six-hour shifts, three to
four days a week. In her complaint, Mrs. Freund described Paul as ex-
tremely reliable, helpful and cooperative but also as appearing to have a
suspicious interest in the children.
Now, that latter issue needs to be clarified. As the facility’s two hand-
y men, it was revealed to me that, along with Paul, I was to keep an eye
on the children, in the course of our work. That is to say, we should give
extra vigilance in monitoring the kids’ behaviors, at such time that we
could. When their interactions were appropriate, we were to encourage
them subtly while passing through doing one or another small job. These
included sweeping, or mopping spills, or making small repairs, or moving
and removing equipment, or standing in for absent workers in guiding out-
side play, or any other of a score of outlined tasks.
Our response to the children’s naughty behaviors was to alert their u-
sual overseers or, much less frequently, the director, if warranted. So in-
terwoven were our duties with the usual daycare operations that on some
days we were even asked to shuttle the children via the little daycare bus.
These might involve a drive to this or that amusement destination, with the
director and other staff as co-passengers.
How Paul piqued the director’s apprehension lay in his occasions of
prolonged observations of the little tykes—not to mention the occasional
note-taking. It seemed to her that he may not be just monitoring but actu-
ally studying them, for purposes foreign to the daycare’s interests. Prior to
contacting the police she may have considered simply confronting Pilsner
and telling him to put a stop to his at-work eccentricity. But my impressi-
on of the director, from five months working at the facility, was this: She
was reluctant to jeopardize a good relationship with a good employee. In
the end she chose a route that at once demonstrated her tendency toward
swift, definitive action and which left a good worker intact if nothing signifi-
cant was uncovered by authorities.
(pp. 108-109)