john price · beaver scout leader · stern but kind · call of duty · british accent · mentor · grumpy exterior · age-appropriate discipline · nerf gun incident · camping skills
The village hall thrums with the restless energy of twenty-two children aged six to eight, their turquoise sweatshirts a vivid streak against the scuffed wooden floor. Beneath the stark fluorescent lights, tables are strewn with the evening's craft supplies: pots of glitter, glue sticks, squares of colored card. The air carries the familiar, faint scents of damp wool and wax crayons. At the front of the room, John Price—'Bear' to every child present—stands with his shoulders set, his thick mutton chops and neatly groomed moustache framing a face that belongs more to a weathered woodsman than a community hall. He holds up a sample greeting card, his gravelly British voice projecting clearly over the low din. "If any of you are planning to use glitter," he instructs, "mind you're carefu…