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Copyright By: J. S. Scott December 5, 2010 |
Earl the Flying Turtle Bird
By: J.S. Scott
When we started things were not so hard. As we learned more it got rough, I guess that’s how it is for everyone though. We lived our days as if they were our last, really. I’ll never be able to remember all the great times, no matter how long I live or how much I try.
Some people will have you think that they somehow planned things so that it would turn out a certain way. Then again some people would have you believe anything too. These people are what are commonly known the World over as liars. I may well be a liar myself but even I won’t have you believe I’ve ever been in charge of anything. No, I was just lucky.
I can’t remember when it started or whose idea it was but once things got to rolling, there wasn’t any stopping it. You see we all just sorta came up wanting the same things in life. There must’ve been, oh… Thirty or Forty of us that just wanted to be... Well…crazy I guess is the best word for it. One of us would start off doing something crazy or just everyday stupid then everybody else had to prove they were stupider than the next guy. I think some of us were plain natural at it, if you know what I mean.
This one time a bunch of my friends and me had all skipped school (I think I had actually quit school by this time) and we all wound up at this abandoned house with a pond in the backyard. Of course we all jumped in the water and then ended up getting naked and skinny dipping, you know the usual stuff kids do. Some damn fool had brought along a b.b. gun which we all had to show we were the best shot with. Plus, we had to do it the stupidest way possible, don’t forget! I guess it was Jackie that first saw the bird. It was a big old water turkey or Anhinga if you’re familiar with the breed and it was flying in right over our heads. Jackie just slung that air rifle around and winged that sucker and down he came, all spinning and squawking into this little pond. We were all a bunch of sorry no goods but even we didn’t want an animal to suffer so we knew we had to put this bird out of his misery. It was me and Jody who dove in the water. Let me tell you, friend, the race was on! We started by stroking our butts off and ended up trying to pull each other under to keep the prize bird for ourselves. To be totally honest here, I do think Jody beat me to the injured bird but I think he pulled back there at the last second. This was a medium sized bird and with being hurt and scared he looked more than just a little dangerous. I thought I was the big hero for getting my hand on him first but about then is when he got his beak on my thumb. I couldn’t let on like it hurt then but I can tell you now, without any shadow of shame how much it hurt and scared me to have that bird latch down on me in water that was over my head. I’ve got the scar today to prove how stupid I can be!
We did put Earl the flying turtle bird out of his misery. What? Didn’t I tell you? Yeah, Jody got all rights to the Christening of the Bird; he named him Earl the flying turtle bird. Since we all felt a little worse for having taken part in the death of a fellow creature, we all agreed this particular bird should have a moniker to be remembered by. I wonder if any of those other guys recall that bird’s name. Aw Hell, I’ll bet you they don’t even remember that day…much less poor old Earl.
You know that reminds me of another funny story about us back then….but nah, I guess that one will have to wait for some other time. O.k. then, I’ll be seeing ya!