That spooky part of the day

One time Ben hid in the cupboard under the stairs and recorded our war game on his little tape machine. Jude and I were camping on the first landing of the staircase as it makes a fine clifftop in Normandy when a clifftop in Normandy is needed. We had scaled the cliff in a night-time op, losing a few commandos in the attempt (all played by me) and when Jude spoke his big pre-raid speech to all his men (all played by me) it was what I would call a grave moment and quite moving. Later on though, Ben played it all back to us in front of Dad during that spooky part of the day when you are slipping out of being a British commando, say, and stepping back into your own body and gazing around at your family and thinking about them and supper and the night falling. It's not a time anyone should mess with, and Ben messed with it that one time, hauling out our commando selves when it was not fitting, and though Jude said nothing at all, my stomach hurt, because I thought he had spoken a fine pre-raid speech but Ben and Dad were creasing up like crazy so my cheeks blazed Ribena colour and the word traitor came to mind as I watched Ben who had become a stranger for a day. Oh no, not Ben, why Ben?

--Emma Richler, Feed My Dear Dogs