Stop
Possible
Help
Exposed
Her
Fuzz
Tower
Hangman
Suspicious
Life
Peeper
Butcher
Chutzpah
Wait
Avenger
Truce
Swim
Justice
Bye
Report
Peace
Epilogue
Barry Frank Cohen
Mashnee Island Archives
Acknowledgments
DEDICATIONS
In the latter stages of writing this book, I received word that my best summertime buddy and fellow Mighty Midget, Michael (Mike) Stykowski had passed away just a short year earlier. I was devastated by the news. We had been out of touch for a long time and I was so looking forward to sharing this book with him, reliving our stories and most importantly, reconnecting. We’ll never get the chance.
It is with tremendous pride and honor that I dedicate this book to my pal “Sty.” Rest in Peace, brother. I call shotgun!
This story is further dedicated to my fellow Mashneeites with whom I shared those magical summers. Without you, there would be no story!
The characters and circumstances in this book are fictional. A story gleaned from a young boy’s vivid imagination, a boy immeasurably blessed to Grow up Mashnee. Every part of the “crime drama” was made up. It’s fiction. Not true. Just for fun! Thankfully, Mashnee Village is and always has been a very safe, peaceful haven.
The historical information provided has been thoroughly researched and painstakingly verified. Thank you to all those folks who shared their stories, pictures, postcards, letters, and most importantly, your cherished memories with me. Each meeting and conversation was truly a blessing.
I hope this story harkens you back to a simpler time, a simpler life, a better place, Mashnee.
EPIGRAPH
“I want my youth back.
Not so I can run faster,
Or jump higher,
But that I could paint with
Softer brushes and
Brighter colors.”
Sherman Cohen, ‘Regrets,’ Poet
