The Body, by Stephen King

This is the third story in Different Seasons and I enjoyed it (I also enjoyed the movie which was based on the story, Stand by Me).  The book started by saying "The most important things are the hardest things to say."  Was this story about one of those important things?  Like that childhood friendships usually don't last?  Or that it's hard to recreate that kind of magic as an adult?  Was it that you shouldn't let your friends hold you back?  Was it that you have to find your own way in life with honest, independent thinking?

I liked the inclusion of short stories in the narrative (ones that King actually wrote earlier when he was learning the craft), mainly because I could see that King wasn't born a fantastic writer; he honed his craft with years and years of practice--a good lesson for any aspiring writer just starting out.