Billy Breaks Through

They told Billy it was impossible. He could never break through the big stone wall in the village no matter how hard he tried. He was nobody special, but try hard he did.

In the beginning it was all just part of a child’s game — kids being little dicks to each other, bluffing while calling bluffs and the like. “Bet you can’t jump this high!” and “I can piss longer than you!” That kind of stuff. However, when Billy was challenged to break through the big stone wall, he wasn’t bluffing when he said he’d do it. He took up the challenge with fierce conviction — the conviction of a boy with conviction.

It was funny, of course, watching a child shove, kick, and punch his way to no
progress, but then it got a little worrisome. Billy didn’t stop. He just kept trying. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. His parents, who had initially encouraged him, found they had made a grave mistake. This was permanent. To Billy, the wall was but a conquerable obstacle.

Years went by. At age 16, when all the effort materialized physiologically, Billy
even made a chip in the wall. Or more of a blemish. Well, a dent. We’ll say it was a dent.

That’s when the town really took notice. It was a pretty big dent; could he possibly do this we wondered? There were more skeptics than supporters, but those of us who…