My Boo Radley
Growing up on the way down4 total reviews
Comment from Begin Again
Karl was most definitely your angel - what a horrible death he had. Life swings its pendulum in some many ways for different people. Glad it ended well for you. Smiles!
Thank you for entering the contest and sharing your story. Good luck!
reply by the author on 23-Feb-2021
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Karl was most definitely your angel - what a horrible death he had. Life swings its pendulum in some many ways for different people. Glad it ended well for you. Smiles!
Thank you for entering the contest and sharing your story. Good luck!
Comment Written 23-Feb-2021
reply by the author on 23-Feb-2021
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Thank you for reading, Carol. New Jersey's nickname is "The Garden State," although it's really only the southern part of the state to which that applies, and that's where I grew up. I don't think people realize how dangerous farming is. Karl's death, while horrible, was not uncommon. Tractor roll-overs are the leading cause of death in farming to this day, even with the added safety features on modern equipment. They are powerful beasts: go too fast while turning and they may roll sideways; start out too fast and the huge wheels will toss you backwards in a heartbeat. On smaller family farms, you spend the day isolated and alone, and have to deal with anything that goes wrong on your own.
My dad was an artist and lithographer, so I was rescued from the dangers of the farming life. My little adventure by myself tells me I wouldn't have lasted long as a farmer!
Tom
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My father grew up in the "olden days" and shared many horrifying stories including a man being buried inside a grain silo. I live in the country but not on a farm.
Comment from cupa tea
What an adventure! We must be close in age because those two wheel days and hom for meals were how my neighborhood worked too...
I like your wording in this paragraph:
I lived in a small suburban town in South Jersey, an oasis shimmering in the summer heat rising off a vast farmland desert.
reply by the author on 23-Feb-2021
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What an adventure! We must be close in age because those two wheel days and hom for meals were how my neighborhood worked too...
I like your wording in this paragraph:
I lived in a small suburban town in South Jersey, an oasis shimmering in the summer heat rising off a vast farmland desert.
Comment Written 22-Feb-2021
reply by the author on 23-Feb-2021
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Hello, cupa tea. Thank you for reading and commenting. Yes, you're as old as my baby sister! I'm guessing you too heard your mom saying, "It's such a nice day--why don't you find something to do outside?" Seemingly endless summer days with no electronics and only our imaginations as toys, watching animal-clouds above, sailing ship-trees into fantasies: it was a great time to be young!
Tom
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I totally agree with you...Often I miss those good old days...
Take care, blessed be
Comment from Wendy G
What an amazing story. How fortunate that he came to your rescue. It could have come to a nasty ending for you otherwise. Your story is well written. Best wishes for the contest! (Thanks too for the Author's Notes.)
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2021
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What an amazing story. How fortunate that he came to your rescue. It could have come to a nasty ending for you otherwise. Your story is well written. Best wishes for the contest! (Thanks too for the Author's Notes.)
Comment Written 21-Feb-2021
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2021
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Thank you for reading and commenting, Wendy. I went back to the area a few years back; it's unrecognizable. Karl's farm has been replaced by a housing development. It's so changed, I couldn't come close to finding where my child-eating tree had stood. New Jersey's nickname is "The Garden State," but as the older farmers die off, their the farm land is sold for development because more often than not, the children don't want a farmer's life. I'm pretty sure I can't eat golf fairways and detached garages. Who will be left to grow our food, and where? Are these problems in Australia?
Tom
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Hi Tom, Yes we are having exactly the same problems here, even not too far from where I live. The developers (and politicians) are very short-sighted!
Comment from Susan Newell
I like how you introduced us to what used to be called childhood. I have very many similar memories. We all got knocked around. In high school some died in car accidents. Yet, somehow it seems better. We developed both independence and ingenuity -- even if was in coming up with a good tale to tell our parents to replace the actual events. Tying your experience to Boo Radley is wonderful. What a lesson about fear of the unfamiliar and learning to trust you have given us. There are several good contest entries, but this surpasses all in the telling and the meaning. Bravo! Good luck!
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2021
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I like how you introduced us to what used to be called childhood. I have very many similar memories. We all got knocked around. In high school some died in car accidents. Yet, somehow it seems better. We developed both independence and ingenuity -- even if was in coming up with a good tale to tell our parents to replace the actual events. Tying your experience to Boo Radley is wonderful. What a lesson about fear of the unfamiliar and learning to trust you have given us. There are several good contest entries, but this surpasses all in the telling and the meaning. Bravo! Good luck!
Comment Written 21-Feb-2021
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2021
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Thank you so much for this rating and your kind review. These flash fiction contests are very challenging. Every word counts (pun intended)!
We were all scared to death of Karl. He was big, and when he tried to speak his voice boomed incomprehensible sounds. I'm not sure, as I was hanging there dazed in that tree, whether I fainted from a concussion or fear. I feel so badly now, looking back as an adult.
Tom
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God has a way of creating divine appointments, and I'm sure Karl is very happy and well cared for in the afterlife.