His Best Work

HIS BEST WORK

Brazil Buzz

By Mary Lou Sartor

My dad enjoying spooking us. I can still hear his laughter when he talked about it. His best work happened one dark night around this time of the year. At times, I am often that frightened child, the mold held!

During my childhood I was fearful of about everything. I was afraid of my shadow, people without teeth, folks wearing sun glasses, feral dog packs and my dad ( on the warpath)furthermore I was especially terrified of a fellow called Bigfoot!

We lived next to the Catholic Cemetery (Restlawn). Many times features of that landscape made my pearls chatter. Thereabouts was a mausoleum. It was situated at the backside of the cemetery. Within the rough stone walls ,several bodies were entombed inside gray steel vaults positioned on rusty metal stands. I could not comprehend the reasoning ,as to why the surviving kin opted for a wrought iron door fitted with an age - old lock. After all, a solid door with a dead bolt and a standard outside lock with a skeleton key would have offered more solitude.

I paid careful attention to that place. There was an ambiance about the told world style structure.

The roof of the stone vault appeared to be thatched over and had a cover of grass weeds and a few saplings too weak to reach skyward. In fact, one spring day little bantam hen hatched a brood of chicks in her nest hidden in the grass.

Many late evenings after the daily chores my father were set aside dad would take a few beagles to the back of the resting place and unleash them to enjoy a good chase or two in the deep dark woods beyond the fence

One night dad ask me if I wanted to tag along! I always felt safe with him but kept in mind the thrill he gained from spooking us like he did mother while snipe hunting shortly after she said “I do.”

We used the upright Carroll stone to lean on located front side of some of the oldest burial plots of the graveyard (1858). We waited for the choppy voice of Commentator, the best starter of our beagles to open up.

My protector was armed with a two-celled flashlight that he kept hitting with his right hand. All of a sudden we heard a blood cuddling cry. That ear piercing sound was of glass breaking pitch. My entire body was shaking. Meanwhile, my week kidneys were waiting on hold!

Today I realize that eerie spine-chilling performance was coming from a coyote. That dad of mine was a fast thinker. He chuckled and spouted, Don’t worry, that is just Bigfoot walking the woods.”

I almost bit my tongue and I grasped the sleeve of dad’s old jacket I had a strong desire to be home and be secretly hidden beneath my iron bed. A few days before he read me a story from the pages of Outdoor Life that featured Bigfoot (Sasquatch),an elusive man- like creature of sizable stature.

Fact or fiction that I absorbed from the content of that read was indelibly etched in my young mind. I thought I could smell his stench and he was gaining on us. About that time, we were unaware Johnny Jenkins one of dad’s dearest friends was ambling down the cemetery’s brick road to join us.

Listening to the beagles in pursuit of a chase yet to take place somewhere in the deep woods, Jenk placed his hand on my trembling shoulder. I screamed loudly. Dad said he would take me home because Bigfoot has a special appetite for little girls, and more; he might be hungry! Because of darkness, I failed to see if my father was making good eye contact, that of which, was his determination of all truths.

That night everyone settled in for a good night of sleep except me. I listened to a hefty helping of gritting and snoring. My eyes were focused on the window. I could hear that cry coming from outside somewhere in the darkness of night I often reflect on Bigfoot as I peer out into the darkness of night in my nightmares and my ears and detect vocals of more than one. I assumed it is Bigfoot and he is taking his family for a walk in my direction.

The Bigfoot scare gave me a lingering memory and Dad-love lives on!

Years later, when John Jenkins came to visit Dad; we all sat on the back stoop and had a good laugh about that night of fright so long ago.