The Innocents' Crusade
by Keith Reddin

THE STORY: In an increasingly bizarre (and funny) series of college admissions interviews, Bill, a bright but unfocused young man, can't seem to convince anyone he's more than just a wishful thinker with average test scores.

Even worse, Bill's parents have decided to make a family road trip out of their son's college search and are right there every night when he returns to the motel, dejected from the day's failures.

It would be bad enough if Bill decided to give up his dreams of a higher education, but instead each rejection inspires him with a new kind of optimism.

Taking a cue from an article his mother gives him about a medieval crusade of children (all of whom either starved or drowned on the way to the holy land), Bill takes it into his head that what his generation lacks is a mission and decides to start his own crusade, albeit one with few definable goals.

Bill's father, a borderline alcoholic, can't fathom it.

Instead of offering Bill his support, he waits and watches for an opportunity to discourage his son and force him into the resigned, work-a-day life that he's had to lead since he was Bill's age.

As the “crusade” proceeds from town to town and shopping mall to shopping mall, Bill accrues an increasingly outrageous entourage, not the least interesting of whom is Laura, a runaway heiress, with whom Bill will fall in love.