Children

He didn't mind the way they pestered him, and he certainly didn't tell them to quiet down; it was nice to have some company while he worked outside. The neighborhood kids would ask a zillion questions and play little pranks here and there - harmless stuff, but they howled with laughter and it got him to chuckling, too. The almost daily shrieks and giggles, hoots and cans kicked did their part to cut back a thorny hedge of loneliness threatening to take over since his partner had died (and he was grateful). Night was a different story, however, and he never answered who called at the window in the deep dark (made the mistake of pulling the curtain back only once). Sundown was a time for buttered popcorn and true crime television, not for whatever it was that climbed the fence, played with the bird feeders, and repeated his name in a sing song voice trying to sound like a child.