

Ben and Tom are friends. They like to play with toys. One day, they find a pistol in Tom's dad's room. It is shiny and black. They think it is a toy.
"Let's play with the pistol," Tom says. "We can pretend to be cowboys."
"OK," Ben says. "But be careful. Don't point it at me."
They go to the backyard. They run and hide behind the trees. They make noises like guns. "Bang, bang, you're dead," Tom says.
Ben laughs. He runs to Tom and tries to grab the pistol. "No, it's mine," Tom says. He pulls the pistol away from Ben. He points it at Ben's chest. "Bang, bang, you're dead for real," he says.
He pulls the trigger. The pistol makes a loud noise. Ben falls to the ground. He does not move. He does not laugh. He does not breathe. He has a hole in his chest. Blood comes out.
Tom drops the pistol. He screams. He runs to Ben. He shakes him. He cries. He is scared. He does not know what to do.
He thinks it was a toy. He thinks it was easy. He thinks it was fun. He is wrong. He is very wrong.
