When Courage Fails

In the end, Ace and his gang took credit for finding Danny Morrison. The four of you slunk home, defeated and ashamed. You had your chance to be heroes, to do something meaningful, and you let it slip away.

The experience haunted all of you in different ways. Gary stopped writing stories about heroes. Vinny became even more nervous and withdrawn. Tom’s recklessness turned destructive. And you… you learned that sometimes the moments that define us are the ones where we fail to rise to the occasion.

Years later, you would wonder what might have been different if you had found the courage to stand up that day. But by then, it was too late to change anything.

The last adventure of summer became the first great disappointment of growing up.