minutes while it still carried on, but she finally gave up waiting for it to settle down completely. She covered the cage and went back to bed. Once again, they all tried to sleep.
Sleep did not come easy. As they were drifting off, a thud pulled them back into reality. They were surprised to see that one of the children had fallen out of the bed. They got up and checked the child; fortunately, she wasn't hurt. They all went back to bed, and just as they were relaxing, they heard another thud. Another child had rolled out of bed.
For the rest of the night, the bird fussed and the children fell out of bed, one by one. They were not hurt, but they were really scared. They weren't playing a joke. They were tired and sleepy, and getting a little cranky because they wanted to sleep. Something was determined, however, that none of the family would sleep that night. Finally, around 4:00 a.m., the activity stopped. The bird got quiet, and the rest of the night passed without incident.
Wanda never could figure out why the ghost picked the children to disturb that night. Even though nothing else happened while they lived there, Wanda and her husband found another house as soon as they could and moved away.
The Dove
This story came from one of Lonnie's uncles. It was often repeated in storytelling sessions .
Early settlers and those who lived in rural areas through World War II were accustomed to having guns in their homes. Rifles (known as the twenty-two) were useful in hunting rabbits, squirrels, and certain birds for food. Many boys had a rifle of their own by the time they were eleven or twelve years old. They hunted with their fathers and would use tin cans as target practice when left alone to provide their own entertainment.
Hunters were legally permitted to shoot turkeys, quail, pheasant, geese, and ducks for food, and they were allowed to shoot hawks that attempted to carry off their chickens. Some birds were not to be killed, though.
The dove was one bird they did not shoot. Many believed it to be a sacred bird. Children were told the story of the dove bringing an olive branch to Noah on the ark to show that the danger from the flood was gone. The dove became a Christian symbol of the Holy Spirit and the international sign for peace. Some Native Americans believed it was bad luck to kill a dove because it was believed to contain the soul of a lover. Some people also believed that the dove was sacred because it was the one bird into which witches and even the Devil could not transform.
Twelve-year-old Eugene Long had heard these beliefs for as long as he could remember. He had just received a twenty-two rifle for his birthday, so he was not surprised when his mom and dad reminded him of all these things. They stressed that he must never kill a mockingbird, a dove, or a songbird of any kind. Eugene assured them that he would not do that, so they allowed him to go out alone with his new rifle.
It was late afternoon the day before Thanksgiving, and it was Eugene's plan to kill a turkey all by himself for Thanksgiving dinner. Yesterday, he and his dad had spotted some turkeys down by the creek in the edge of the woods in back of the field behind the barn. Eugene was very excited as he walked past the barn and his mother's chicken coops.
He could hardly wait to surprise his whole family by bringing home a turkey all by himself. The idea made him feel very grown up and important.
He approached the creek and wooded area very quietly. His eyes searched along the creek bank as he waited for the turkeys to appear. The minutes crawled by without any sign of the turkeys, but Eugene was patient. The sun dropped out of sight behind a dark bank of clouds in the west, and a cold wind picked up and made Eugene shiver. The clouds moved closer as he waited, and the air felt damp.
âIt feels like snow!â Eugene said to himself.
The shadows deepened and began to close in, and Eugene had to admit that no turkeys were going to
Sleep did not come easy. As they were drifting off, a thud pulled them back into reality. They were surprised to see that one of the children had fallen out of the bed. They got up and checked the child; fortunately, she wasn't hurt. They all went back to bed, and just as they were relaxing, they heard another thud. Another child had rolled out of bed.
For the rest of the night, the bird fussed and the children fell out of bed, one by one. They were not hurt, but they were really scared. They weren't playing a joke. They were tired and sleepy, and getting a little cranky because they wanted to sleep. Something was determined, however, that none of the family would sleep that night. Finally, around 4:00 a.m., the activity stopped. The bird got quiet, and the rest of the night passed without incident.
Wanda never could figure out why the ghost picked the children to disturb that night. Even though nothing else happened while they lived there, Wanda and her husband found another house as soon as they could and moved away.
The Dove
This story came from one of Lonnie's uncles. It was often repeated in storytelling sessions .
Early settlers and those who lived in rural areas through World War II were accustomed to having guns in their homes. Rifles (known as the twenty-two) were useful in hunting rabbits, squirrels, and certain birds for food. Many boys had a rifle of their own by the time they were eleven or twelve years old. They hunted with their fathers and would use tin cans as target practice when left alone to provide their own entertainment.
Hunters were legally permitted to shoot turkeys, quail, pheasant, geese, and ducks for food, and they were allowed to shoot hawks that attempted to carry off their chickens. Some birds were not to be killed, though.
The dove was one bird they did not shoot. Many believed it to be a sacred bird. Children were told the story of the dove bringing an olive branch to Noah on the ark to show that the danger from the flood was gone. The dove became a Christian symbol of the Holy Spirit and the international sign for peace. Some Native Americans believed it was bad luck to kill a dove because it was believed to contain the soul of a lover. Some people also believed that the dove was sacred because it was the one bird into which witches and even the Devil could not transform.
Twelve-year-old Eugene Long had heard these beliefs for as long as he could remember. He had just received a twenty-two rifle for his birthday, so he was not surprised when his mom and dad reminded him of all these things. They stressed that he must never kill a mockingbird, a dove, or a songbird of any kind. Eugene assured them that he would not do that, so they allowed him to go out alone with his new rifle.
It was late afternoon the day before Thanksgiving, and it was Eugene's plan to kill a turkey all by himself for Thanksgiving dinner. Yesterday, he and his dad had spotted some turkeys down by the creek in the edge of the woods in back of the field behind the barn. Eugene was very excited as he walked past the barn and his mother's chicken coops.
He could hardly wait to surprise his whole family by bringing home a turkey all by himself. The idea made him feel very grown up and important.
He approached the creek and wooded area very quietly. His eyes searched along the creek bank as he waited for the turkeys to appear. The minutes crawled by without any sign of the turkeys, but Eugene was patient. The sun dropped out of sight behind a dark bank of clouds in the west, and a cold wind picked up and made Eugene shiver. The clouds moved closer as he waited, and the air felt damp.
âIt feels like snow!â Eugene said to himself.
The shadows deepened and began to close in, and Eugene had to admit that no turkeys were going to
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