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A little over a month had passed since Corey found himself a place that he could call home.  Even though he had known Connie for only five or six weeks, it seemed to him as though he’d known her for an eternity.

Now it was the middle of January.  The giant pine tree, put up in the living room and decorated ornately and topped with a star, was now stripped of its trimmings, and was lying in the alley by the back gate, waiting for the refuse collectors to turn it into mulch.  On the ground in the living room, where there had been empty boxes and wrapping paper left since the 25th day of December, now there was nothing but clean carpet.  Furthermore; just a day ago, Corey helped Connie remove the strings of colored lights that decorated the house.

Exactly one week after Connie and Corey exchanged gifts, including gifts of love and other wonderful feelings, came the beginning of the new year.  This New Year’s Day was a special one for the town of Sellecca Valley.  For the first time ever, a college football championship game was played at the University of Pennsylvania at Sellecca Valley.  Sponsored by a Pennsylvania-based company that made plumbing fixtures, the game was nicknamed “The Toilet Bowl.”

The day was Thursday.  Nothing too unusual was going on.  Since Connie was working that afternoon, Corey was at home on his own.  Normally, he would make himself lunch in the kitchen, and eat it while sitting in the living room.  Unfortunately, today there wasn’t much to eat in the refrigerator, nor the freezer; even the cupboard was bare!

So Corey decided to go down to the corner, and get himself a sandwich at the local deli.  While he was having lunch, he heard two men in the booth next to him, talking about something.  What they were saying sounded somewhat familiar to Corey, but he couldn’t quite comprehend what they were talking about.

“I just can’t wait until Saturday,” said one of the men to the other.

“Neither can I,” said the other man.  “The Downtown Sellecca Valley Festival of the Arts is always an uplifting time for me, too.”

“Downtown Sellecca Valley Festival of the Arts?” wondered Corey.  “I believe I’ve heard of it before, but I just can’t seem to remember much about it.”