Sunday, July 10, 2011

My Toy - An experience I had as a child.

I have another story that I want to share with you all about an encounter/experience I had when I was younger. It takes place before the last story I shared about the time I saw Bigfoot. I can't remember when it happened, I just remember the experience. At the time I thought nothing of it, but today as I look back, armed with the research I have learned over the years, I know that it was another sign of the creature that I couldn't possibly understand at the time.

I grew up in a nature lover's paradise with my grandparents. There were acres and acres of swamps, woods, and an awesome creek that were literally in my back yard. From the time I could stand I was fishing from the banks of the creek and finding all sorts of animals near the tree line and bringing them home. My grandmother would always promptly make me return them.

My younger sister and I would also play on a swing set that my grandparents had for us. It was in the side yard near the tree line. We would spend hours on the swings and fight over who's turn it was to go down the tiny slide attached to the side. One day we were fighting particularly more than normal. At the time I was 5 or 6 years old and she was 3 or 4. Both of us young, loud bickering kids, actually not too big of a contrast from today where we are now old loud, bickering adults. I had a toy elephant that I liked to play with and carried with me everywhere I went. This thing was beaten down.  It was small, about the side of a coffee mug and made of a grey corduroy fabric. The nose was all droopy and misshapen from where I used to chew on it when I was a baby and had used it instead of a pacifier. I called him"EL". This thing meant the world to me and my sister knew it.

As we continued fighting over who's turn it was to slide or who was going to tattle on who for swinging too high she snatched the little elephant from my hands. She taunted me viciously... well as viciously as a four year old could taunt and said she wasn't going to give it back. I tried to catch her and wrestle it out of her hands but it was too late. With one swift move she launched it deep into the swampy woods that was a few feet behind our swing set.

I was horrified. I remember tearing up instantly as I ran for the house to tell my grandmother. My sister quickly followed as we entered the house still fighting with each other. Tears ran down my face as I told the story to my grandmother. She hugged me and made it all better like grandma's always do. My grandmother promised that tomorrow we would go look for "EL". I was okay with that and thought nothing else of it for the rest of the day and that night.

The next morning I had forgotten all about my toy. About mid morning we headed out to play. As I approached the swing set I looked over at my sister who was walking next to me.  We were both shocked at what we saw.  There sitting on the bottom of the slide was "EL". He was laying on his side, wet and dirty. There was also a bunch of feathers and acorns piled next to him. I thought nothing of it at the time, I was just so happy that he had come home and rushed to get him. I took him inside and my grandmother immediately threw him in the wash so he could stay with me for many more years to come.

I can't say for certain but I think that possibly the same creature I would one day get the chance to see in that same patch of woods may just have been watching us play that day. She might have found my toy out there and gave it back to me.  Plus those other wonderful gifts that I wish I had not taken for granted at the time. I swear to you everything in this story is true and I can't explain it. If she did, she'll never know how happy it made me to have that silly little toy back.  Just thinking about this event again to this day gives me goose bumps.

Until next time, stay safe and take the time to look at the details, you might be surprised what you find.

James

No comments:

Post a Comment