Once upon a time, on a sunny day in late autumn, in a busy but peaceful little town called Martinville, many people gathered in the town square. In the middle of the square was a beautiful water fountain, featuring a white marble statue of a mermaid, sprouting water from a jug she carried. Many different types of shops, such as a watchmaker, a deli and bakery, a coffee shop, a barber shop, a book store, and even a pawn shop, surrounded the square. To the east of the fountain, a street was blocked off so cars could not enter. On that street, there was a farmers’ market, selling all types of produce, flowers, meat, and even homemade bread. At the end of the street, there was an air-blown castle and slides for children to play. As usual, lots of people visited this farmers’ market once a week. Parents brought their children along because they knew it was a safe place to be.
They also knew it was safe because, in this tiny little town, where families usually resided for generations, most everyone knew one another. So it was quite normal for families to run into someone they knew and engage in long afternoon chats. It was a very typical scene on a Sunday afternoon. Suddenly, there was a loud, thundering scream.“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!” People turned to look. Some children ran toward the direction of the noise. “AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH…” There was another identical holler. The noise was shocking and unrecognizable.
