Page 87
By Jack Joseph Smith
By Jack Joseph Smith
Original Scan
AI Interpretation
A near fight with the ex-boxer coach turns into a test of nerve and honesty, then the focus shifts to David standing frightened on the edge of the brutal schoolyard game of kill-the-man.
The coach's refusal to finish the fight matters as much as the challenge itself, because Michael reads it as recognition rather than defeat. David enters under a different sign entirely, already marked by fear and fragility before the game closes around him.
The coach calls the bluff as a test of honesty - 'Okey Frost, let's see how honest you are' - and the two strip to bare chests in escalating, ritual silence while 'The crowd was gathering. Young mischief faces, taking bets in their minds.' The boy's flat 'Let's go' wins the contest without a blow: 'Okey Frost, you were telling the truth.' Michael feels himself 'caught up in the grace of Sebastian' as he comforts the terrified David. The page then frames David's exposure on the very day 'Father Lawnegan saved his life', the 'gray of black rain hung over ice and cement' setting up 'Kill the Man', where 'The mad look was in the eye of any boy running in the game.'