It was a pleasant morning in the summer of 1994. A small boy followed his mother into a friendly looking building just outside of downtown Battle Ground. If you would have asked him his age he would have looked at you momentarily before he replied happily “almost three”, even though his birthday wasn’t for another 5 months.

            They entered the building and the boy was struck by a peculiar smell, one he would later relate with a mix between macaroni and play dough. He looked behind the counter and was pleased to see a familiar face. It was his next door neighbor, she sat in the only chair he could see, and it was directly behind a large golden name tag. He pulled on his mothers sleeve to ask her what it said, but she didn’t seem to notice him. Rather than persist he went on to survey his surroundings. They were standing in the entrance room, which reminded him eerily of the waiting room at his dentist’s office only smaller. It was a plain room furnished only with an uncomfortable looking couch placed in the far right corner. In the far left corner was a hallway leading to the rest of the building.

            Just as he began to wonder what was down the hallway, his neighbor came up behind him and gently guided him down it. There were two doors to the right, which he paid no attention to, and three doors to the left, the first was closed, and he pondered what might be behind it. It made him think about a game show that he had watched the previous night. The second door was open and he caught a glimpse inside of it. The room was small; it had a table in the middle parallel to the far wall and several chairs to each side of it. He hurried past this door for its contents seemed unpleasant to him, almost menacing. The third door was the one which most caught his attention though. There was noise coming from it, cheerful noise. He became excited, and also a little anxious. He didn’t know what to expect. They stopped in front of the door, and his neighbor opened it for him. She led him into a large room filled with toys and children. She left him at the door for a few moments while she went to get the lady supervising the rest of the children. When she returned she introduced him to a kind looking woman with a warm smile. The boy did not meet the woman’s gaze, not out of disrespect, but because he had never felt comfortable around new people, especially ones much larger than himself. After his neighbor was sure that he would be OK with the strange new lady she left the room, closing the door behind her.