`` open to me , '' instructed the soft voice in reply . that was where the fault occurred . was it smart for us to be running toward the man with the gun ? as the ball hung in the air , a silence fell over the crowd . do you know if he got parts ? we have our whole , short life ahead of us . `` and if there was no return postage , the story went into the wastebasket , '' the writer said . when the gravel crunched beneath tires outside , my heart fluttered . 