A Christmas Present Not Under the Tree
By Michael Riles
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
Publishers Note: This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real person, places, or events is coincidental.
Copyright 2011 Michael Riles
The chilling winds of fall greeted us early that 4th day of October, 1957.
The entire population of my block on Winthrop Avenue had gathered outside the courtyards of the stately three story apartments. A new Halloween goblin arrived early, holding no trick or treat bag and donning no mask. It was high in the sky—a satellite called Sputnik.