Read an Excerpt

The Passage into Manhood

There is a chair in the room and the boy sits on it. There is also a window but he doesn't look through it. It is night and there's nothing to see anyway. Instead, he concentrates on the light bulb on the ceiling. The light fills the room and warms his soul.

After many years the boy notices there is no door in the room. He sees, too, that it is not really night outside. The window is bricked over. He opens his mouth to speak.

The light bulb flickers out.

The chair collapses.

In the darkness, the terrified scream announces his passage into manhood.