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STARTLING STORIES
Bang. Pass. Bang. Pass. How many was that? Xiao-wu had lost count in the Quan. He sat between Arjun and Fatima, knees grazing on both sides, as he watched Todd pass the yellow flower to Esperanza who passed it to Keiko and then Tamiqua. The other kids in the Quan looked familiar, but Xiao-wu didn’t recall their names.
Jorge was the Banger. He stood in the center, wearing a gauzy white blindfold around his eyes so he couldn’t cheat and see who had the flower while he drummed. In his hands, he twisted the bright red stick of a pellet drum. With a turn, the two strings attached to the drum head went flying and struck both faces with wooden pellets at the ends of the strings.
After another BANG, the flower came round again to Arjun who raised it into a beam of sunligh
