The four-year-olds

I was disturbed from my morning reading by the sound of something crashing against the sheet metal fence surrounding our back yard. I looked out the window to see two of the neighbor boys, neither more than 4 years old, picking up rocks and throwing them against the fence. The boys are named Amada and Amadou. They are about the same size, bold and fearless with a touch of rebellion and they roam the neighborhood, often unsupervised, discussing their plans for mischief in proper French.

The sound of rocks hitting the fence can make quite a racket, and I suppose they were enjoying the effect.

I noticed a couple of chunks of bread that had been carelessly tossed into the “flower garden” which is an area surrounded in small rocks where I have tried to grow flowers.

Getting their attention from the window, I told the boys to stop throwing rocks, not at all convinced that this command would have any effect on their actions. Our backyard door was still shut and held in place by nails, as is its morning habit, so they must have come in through the hole in the fence on the neighbor’s side, or perhaps through the front door that opens out into the dusty road passing our house.

Just then an older boy came along and grabbed each of the little boys by the hand. He bopped them both on the head and they dropped the rocks they’d been holding. 

Before they were escorted out of the yard, the little guys reached down and each of them picked up a chunk of bread out of the dirt, dusted it off and went on eating as they were led out of the yard.