Andrew Grace

A Blessing and a Curse

When I was a small boy a strange man appeared in my town. I happened to be playing in the street – a game called kerbie where you throw the ball at the opposite kerb so that it bounces back to you. I was playing on my own, as I often did at that age, when I first noticed him. It was one of those evenings where all the boys who would usually be playing with me were busy with Scouts or elderly relatives or, in one case, a bout of chickenpox.