Our family owned some farmland which had a small orchard. We used the property as a summer retreat, but each year we enjoyed much fruit from the orchard and would share the fruit with others. One weekend we invited two families to come get some boxes of fruit and also to share a picnic with us. My girl friend MaryLee, and also my counsin Shirley, were there.
Our property was near the top of a hill, and from the top there was quite a view off into the distance. MaryLee and Shirley and I decided to walk the path up to the top. We started out, going around some blackberry briars at the bottom. A little way up the path we came to a barbed-wire fence, and very carefully we held the wires apart so that each of us could crawl through without snagging our clothes on the barbs. It was a lovely day, and we were enjoying our walk.
After we started out my dad decided he would play a "joke" on the three of us. He started "growling" and making noise like a bear. We were near the top of the hill when we heard this. We stopped to listen for a moment. The second time he "growled" Shirley turned as white as a sheet. The color totally drained out of her face as she cried, "It's a bear!!!" We went into panic mode and started back down the path, running pell-mell as fast as we could run.
At one point I tripped on a root and fell headlong on my face. The other two ran over the top of me and kept right on going. I picked myself up, but the other two were "long gone" down the path. I didn't even remember the barbed wire fence on the way down. I think we all went over the top of it.
We were a sight when we got back, but MaryLee fared the worst. She forgot about the blackberry briars at the bottom of the path and, in her fright, ran right through the middle of them. Needless to say, we were all scratched up and grubby-looking from our adventure.
My dad felt really bad when he realized what had happened. What he thought would be a joke didn't turn out so well. He was on our "black list" for the rest of the day!
© 2007 Arlene Schwartzkopf