I remember watching the movingvans pull into the driveway next door and how ecstatic I was to have someone myage living near me. The cold loneliness of the country and the monotony ofplaying games alone would finally be broken. Little did I know the impact myneighbors would have on me.

I was seven years old when the vacant land wasfinally filled by the McCurley's house. Cole was also in second grade, and weimmediately became best friends. We were inseparable, using our resources andoveractive imaginations to create new adventures. We explored every inch of their50 acres, known simply as The Farm.

Adding to the excitement of the vastacreage were Trey and Cruise, Cole's brothers. Trey, two years older, was ourcool, comical guide through life. If we needed to know anything about anything,Trey was there to explain the how, why, when and where, even if he had noknowledge of the subject.

Cruise, two years younger than we, was partscapegoat, part guinea pig. One time he barely escaped getting a concussion whenCole and I coerced him into walking through a booby trap we built - westrategically placed logs in a tree with a small vine that triggered them to fallon his head.

If anything happened that didn't sit well with parents,Cruise was always blamed. We rewarded his loyalty by allowing him to participatein our schemes. We even allowed him to be the first to try out our new ideas,which 99 percent of the time ended in failure, and sometimes injury. We were notcruel to him, however, and we never intentionally hurt him. When an injuryhappened, Cole and I were always there to stanch the bleeding, put out anyclothing that had caught fire, or simply carry him back to thehouse.

Amazingly, the four of us survived childhood, and each other. Inthe fifth grade, though, their parents separated and Cole, Cruise and Trey leftThe Farm, and me, behind. Each year the wedge of adulthood is driven furtherbetween us, but as each day brings Cole and me closer to graduation, I rememberthe friendship we once had, and the bond four boys' hearts once shared.