The man just got here and just has on old jean-shorts, flip-flops, and a raggedy cowboy hat. He is dressed like no cowboy I’ve ever seen. The paper calls hims The Midnight Cowboy, but he looks more like The Late-Night Scumbag.

Thankfully, the moon isn’t too bright, but we can still see what we’re doing. That also makes it good for him. He’s pretty well hidden. The Cowboy is walking around the pavilion seeing what he can trash.

He turns over a couple of concrete benches, and then heads towards the grills to mess them up too.

“What an idiot!” Joe, who’s closest to me, whispers ever-so-quietly. “What a fool!”

The five of us decided earlier that if we were each alone, we would be really scared, but all together we are fearless. We feed off each other. There’s strength in numbers they say, and that gives us hope and confidence.

Before we sneaked-out and galloped over here, we made the most awesome plan. And right now, it’s about to play itself out.

Scotty has a pair of real hand-cuffs he brought, ready to snap on the Cowboy any second now. We slip out of our hiding places as The Cowboy starts scattering ashes from one of the grills. He doesn’t see us right away because we’re dressed all in black like junior commandos. We are one with the night like ninjas.

I run hard and throw my full weight against him as Scotty reads my mind and comes right behind me to slap one cuff on The Cowboy’s wrist and the other onto the grill.

The Cowboy is off-balance, off-color, and off his rocker if he thinks he can escape. He grunts and strains against the handcuffs, until he realizes he’s really caught. The grill doesn’t come off either; it’s welded on there good.

Then he starts cussing us, and calling us names in between the curses. It’s too bad; he can cuss all night, he’s still busted.

Falcon uses his phone to call 911; he is the only one of us who remembered to bring a phone. Lucky for us he did, I say

After The Late Night Scum, err, Midnight Cowboy gets carted away, we get treated like heroes and driven home in a cop car, lights flashing and siren blaring! At this hour, too! This is awesome!

It’s two in the morning of the best Fourth of July any of us has ever had. After the party starts, everybody will know that we, The Junior Commandos, were responsible for catching The Midnight Cowboy and making it a great Fourth of July!