The Rockpile Summary

The rockpile is a pile of rocks in a vacant lot across the street from the Grimes' family apartment house. No one knows why the rocks are there, but the children have been told that moving the rocks could cause the subway below them to crash and kill everyone inside, therefore the children have been willing to obey orders to stay away from the rockpile. However, every Saturday the Grimes' boys, John and Roy, often sit on the fire escape outside their apartment and watch other boys play on the rockpile. One day Roy decides to go to the rockpile with a group of his friends who call to him as they walked by. Roy promises John he will only go for five minutes and makes John promise he will not tell their mother.

John becomes distracted by a drawing of...