This is probably the longest post I've read on Steemit up till this day but you're writing is excellent - very visual with good dialogue - and the story really takes me in. One thing I can't understand though, is how you can remember this so well, as it happened a long time ago. I guess you either have a photographic memory or a great imagination.
By the way, this actually felt like more than just a story to me. Like a (bunch of) metaphor(s) for a lot of things that I can't really put my fingers on.
Thanks for sharing this with us!
Thanks for your comments. This experience is a very vibrant memory for me, and a story that I've told and retold many times in person. This was my first experience dealing directly with philosophical and idealogical differences, which makes the memory clear, because so much about belief systems and character was being sharply defined on that afternoon. Every event mattered, and still matters to me and so I remember it clearly. The one detail that I'm not as certain on is the names of the people involved - that's not as important to me now - except for my direct neighbours the Bruce's.
I know the stand that I took on that day, because it contrasts with times when I haven't been as strong. Do you remember times when you were stronger than you usually are? Those memories tend to stand out.