Secret Ravens

In 1963, the same year that the Beatles went on their first American tour, Castro went to Moscow, Bonecrusher Blackwell beat Ox Bunyan to become the American Wrestling League champion, and a stardust storm hit Fountain Square, was the year the big Victorian house that occupied the corner of Spann Avenue and Spruce Street was finally sold.

Harry J Hoople, retired chemist, shop owner, Auschwitz survivor and keeper of an ancient wish machine wondered if the stardust would bring something good…or something very, very bad.

When Harry saw the green station wagon with Kentucky license plates roll by, he braced himself because he knew this meant the something had arrived.

Eleven year-old Will saw the station wagon too. He hoped it meant there were new kids moving into Fountain Square. Will was right. The station wagon carried the Avery family, including a strange kid named Mott and his beautiful older sister.

Stardust can do peculiar things to a neighborhood.