function strip_first(sequence s)
    return s[2..$]
end function

function strip_last(sequence s)
    return s[1..$-1]
end function

function strip_both(sequence s)
    return s[2..$-1]
end function

puts(1, strip_first("knight"))  -- strip first character
puts(1, strip_last("write"))    -- strip last character
puts(1, strip_both("brooms"))   -- strip both first and last characters