Pigeon Kids

Part 2

Left to wander the streets hungry, the children turned to knowledge as their fuel. To get their minds off of their shriveled stomachs, they read books, any books they could find. Books on agriculture, books on dog training, books on metallurgy. They read mysteries, romances, true crime�until they had exhausted the entire inventory of the branch library in their neighborhood. They still had a few more months until the pigeons would return, but no more books. The Pigeon Kids sat in the park, thinking about what to do next.

"Well," ventured Little Pauli, "we could throw rocks at squirrels."

The children thought about that, but decided against it, since it would make the squirrels angry, and they all knew they couldn't outrun an angry squirrel. However, while everyone was thinking about squirrels, Shep was still thinking about books. Staring at his worn, dirt-stained tennis shoes, he hatched a plan to break into the public school. On a Sunday, when no one would be there, they would sneak in and read books. When he revealed his plan to the other kids, they gladly agreed to help him carry it out. Early Sunday morning, they entered the school through a rusty air vent and read textbooks until late at night when they left the way they came, without anyone noticing. For a few weeks, they did this, but the Pigeon Kids weren't satisfied with waiting a week between visits. They had to find some way to take the books with them without getting caught. It was when Marvin found the photocopier that their lives really began to change. By copying all the textbooks, they could take them back to the pipe. When the younger kids didn't understand something in the books, Shep and Marvin would explain it to them. Soon, that little concrete pipe in the middle of a bustling city became a schoolroom.

Continue on to Part 3...