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THE PIGEON HUNT
an Ozark memory
Now ya need to kinda sit back when ya read this,and maybe wounder a little,about why in the world two boys would want
to raise pigeons?
Well,it gave us something to do,and a grain fed pigeon is good eating.
Larry fast was the name of my friend,and he's the one that got me started in doing this. He said someday we'd be rich,with
pigeon farms all over the country. Hu uhh,ok.
Larry wanted some new stock. Blue barbs,had to have blue barbs. I told him some weekend come out and we'd go pigeon hunting.
Well,that weekend came.
Glean remarried a guy from up North. his name was Bill clomens. Now Bill was a big guy.
he was most likely somewhere around six foot tall,and weighed about 230 or 240,he was big.
The thing about most big guys that i've found,they may be big,but somewhere they fell short on being brave. Now we know
that don't fit 'em all. But it does Bill.
Larry's hopes and dreams of getting some pigeons were at the highest. The weekend was coming to a close and the next day
he had to go back into town. Larry was becoming uneasy,he ask me about the pigeons. I told him I'd ask Bill and see if we
were still going to go .
Bill told us to get out in the jeep,he'd be along shortly. While we sat their larry ask me where we were going. I told
him Bill had said something about The Old Willytom place.
The Old willytom place is not far from the Osage river. No one had lived there in years. The house was used by fisherman,a
place to stay.Well. Off we went.
The night was dark,and cloudy. When I say dark,I mean dark. Has in..can't see a thing.
Bill drove threw an opening in the fence,and diddy bopping across a field,hitting every bump in the state,the head lights
showing more in to outer space then on the ground,we finally got to where we were going.
Glean's first husband. Tom,the day I was born. Said i looked like a woodpecker. long skinny neck,arms,and legs. So. he
nick named me. Packer wood. That name stuck to me like glue.
Sitting in front of the house,none of us moving. the headlights made the place look of al.
Long shadows from the brush that was around the house. Even the shadows from the tall grass looked spooky.
Larry looked over at me and ask if this was the place? I said yeah this is it.
Bill,still hanging on to the well of the jeep,said ok boy's this is it. "Did you bring the flash lite Bill? I ask.
"Yeah." he said has we got out of the jeep. "I have it right here." he added.
Larry had a bag,a big bag,had big dreams of getting a bunch of pigeons.
Larry said. "Dallas,I bet there up their,what ya bet?" "Yeah I bet so. Come on."
The door to the house was gone. Nothing but a black hole where it used to be,and you could see nothing inside.
I was first,then came Bill with the light,Larry was 3rd in line.
"Peck?" Bill ask. "You go on in,and see if ya hear any pigeons." Me? Where are you guys going be?"
I ask. I turned and seen Larry looking around Bill. "We'll be right here." bill re ply. "Ok. Well. Give me
the light." "Naw." Bill said. "I'll be right here. I'll shine the light so ya can see." "You'll
be right here?" I ask. "Yeah,we don't want to scare the pigeons. I f
we all go in they might fly out." Bill responded. "Ok,,just shine that light over there toward the stairs."
I said.
I walked into the house,it was really creepy. the floor felt spongy. the smell of mil due everywhere. Dusty,dark,and deserted.
Well,not no more.
I was about to the stairway,when all of a sudden, I walked into the biggest spider web you could dream of. That was it!
Like light i was gone.
it was all over me. Like a wild man drunk,i flung arms over head,wiping my face while i flew out of the house, passing
Bill ,and Larry.
I found myself standing out in the middle of the field,pulling hair thinking it was the web. Goose bumps all over me.
After I got done un webbing myself. I looked, and no Bill,and no Larry. The jeep was their,they were gone.
"HEY!" I yelled. "HEY! Where are you guys? I need light."
They came out from behind an old bale of hay. "What the hell do ya do that for?" Bill ask.
"I ran into a spider web,or cob web." I reply. "You could have killed us." Bill said has he looked
at me all messed up. "Yeah,well. Where were you and the light?" I ask
"We was right where I told ya we'd be. Theres nothing in there to hurt ya." Bill said has he walked over to
me. "Ok. I have an idea." I said. "Give me the light and the 2 of you follow me." Nawwww." Bill reply.
"This is working out good. Don't you think so Larry?"
Do ya remember your Mom or Dad,maybe even a teacher saying? "Those that laugh last. laughs the best."
The 3 of us inter the house. Yeah,me first,then Bill,and the light,and Larry.
Whispering I said to bill. I hear pigeons. There up there to the right." he said "Ok. must be room up there."
The stair way was dark,and the light Bill had was no bigger then a candle.
My shadow was in my way of seeing,but by staying off to the side i could make out where to go.
Lifting my foot to the next step,I seen the board was lose. "Bill? Be careful,theres a lose board next step."
"Ok" he reply.Oh boy.
Slowly I moved on up,then stopped. Have ya ever heard wood break? ya know that cracking sound it makes? Sometimes the
sound don't last to long before it gives way.
The sound of wood breaking came from behind me. I turned just in time to see Bill fall threw the steps. he took out just
about every step there was. Jumping forward in to darkness,I hung on for dear life.
In the movies,when a woman screams in the scare part,it's loud and high pitched. So was Bill's.
"Larry! I yelled. "You ok?" "Yeah. I cant see." he reply. "Stay right where you are don't
move." I demanded. Now. While
1 am talking to Larry. I watch the light get smaller,and smaller. Then Boom,thud,more wood breaking,and then all was black,and
still.
"Bill?!! Bill?" I yelled. From the deep dark space,I hear. "Packer wood?" Bill ask. "Yes."
I reply. "You think that board was lose?" "Yeah,are you ok?" Moans,and growns,more moans. "Packer
wood? Do you think you could come down here.? Bill ask. " Aaaaaaaa,give me a sec. or two ok?" I responded.
"Larry? Are you on the stairway?" I ask. "Yeah." he said.
"Can you sit down,and with you leg feel the hole?" I ask. "Yeah I can do that" he reply.
Doing the same thing,I sit down and with my leg I could tell how big the hole was a cross. I touched Larry leg. That told
me only one maybe two steps were gone.
Taking my shoe off,so i could fee the edge better,holding onto the railing,I stretched out.
Larry took my leg and placed it on the other edge,i was then able to,while holding on to the railing,get across the hole.
"Is Bill ok ya think?" Larry ask. I don't know,we need to get to him. Walking like two blind men,we mad our
way down the steps.
We found by knocking on the walls,and yelling where bill was laying.he had fell in a storage pantry,just off the kitchen.he
was covered in so much dust. he looked a sight.
Not one scratch did he have. His pride was bent. but he was fine.
No. larry didn't get his pigeons. No. We didn't become big pigeon farmers.but what we did get was something far more then
we had ask for. Laughs. And a bunch of 'em.
PAGES DONE BY SPLITFINGER
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