Something Up My Sleeve!

  I have never been one to be squeamish about the critters one finds on the Bayou.  In fact, I have often claimed that I like the critters better than I do most people.  You always know what you are facing when dealing with a critter.  I come across dozens and dozens of all sorts of critters each day in my daily hikes and chores.  None have ever given me reason to be frightened.  

  In the Frog Pond, one expects to find...well, frogs.  There is a myriad of other critters in there, as well.  Dragonfly larvae, water bugs, snakes, toads and bunches of other aquatic creatures fill the pond.  Today, one of the potted plants, a willow tree, had toppled over with the stiff winds.  No problem.  I would just reach in, right the plant and go about my merry way.  One of the critters of the pond had other thoughts about my intrusion.  A rather large fishing spider decided to hitch a ride on my arm while I was shuffling around with the willow tree.  This did not bother me except for the fact that the spider decided to climb up my arm and into the baggy sleeve of the oversized T-shirt that I was wearing.  Now a spider on the arm is one thing but a spider inside the shirt is quite another.

  It was obvious that I could not shed the shirt in the middle of the yard so there was nothing to do but find the closest place to seek a bit of privacy.  Luckily, that was the laundry room.  It did not take long for me to peel off that shirt, ball it up and toss it on the back porch!  Thankfully, I had not folded the laundry yet and a fresh, clean shirt was within reach.  Oh, the things that happen on the Bayou!  It all ended well, however.  I managed to rid myself of the spider and stay relatively private while doing it.  The spider came out of its adventure unscathed and was soon seen bouncing across the grass to the safety of the Frog Pond.  What an experience!

The White Trees

  Years and years ago, back when I was just a tyke, my brother and I experienced something that was a bit strange.  He and I were always together, always best friends and always delving into some adventure or another.  We played in fox dens, were trapped by snakes and wandered miles from the old homestead to retrieve the wayward cows.  While these sound a bit far fetched according to today's standards for childhood escapades, they were all true adventures for two preschool farm kids of long ago.  The aforementioned incident was perhaps even more unusual.  It could be described as downright creepy.

  It was not unusual for us to play in the woods beyond the field behind the barn.  This area was a good third of a mile from the old farmhouse and was begging for two kids to get up to no good.  We, more oft than not, met that heeding well.  The day in question saw us chasing the piglets that were foraging in the old sweet potato vines.  It was great fun until one pig scooted under the fence and out into the woods. Having a piglet on the lam meant that soon all others would follow. We had to catch that pig!  The only thing to do was follow it under the fence and into the underbrush.  It was while we were down on all fours that we saw what seemed like a dark tunnel through the underbrush.  As we crawled through, a bright light became visible where the tunnel ended.  We neared the edge and both of us stopped short. In the opening, there were white trees illuminated by the great light.  While it was an enthralling sight, something told us that we should not venture there. Still, we were glued to the place and the vision.  Something was drawing us...calling us to come forward.  Two frightened kids made haste to crawl back through that "tunnel" and race back to the open field where Pop was chugging around on his old tractor.  He stopped to ask two visibly shaken kids what had happened.  When we told him, he just gave a stern warning not to go anywhere that felt strange.  It did...the place almost felt evil.  My brother and I never spoke of the vision after that.

  That was odd enough but years later, my own kids were playing in that same field.  The boys had gotten boomerangs for a gift and what better place to play than an open field??  All three kids were bounding about the tall grass hoping that their boomerangs would return to them.  When the oldest threw one far and long, it went into the edge of the woods in the same place where the vision had appeared so many years before.  I had never told my kids of the experience but later that evening, my youngest son called to me from his bed.  When I went to him, he was shaking with fear.  "Mom, there were white trees that scared me."  All I could do was hold him.  I knew what he had seen.  We talked about the trees, about the tunnel and about the feeling of dread but also of wonderment. 

  Several years later, another incident occured but in a different spot.  My oldest son and his friend came home from a hike about the woods and told of seeing white trees in a spot that felt really eerie.  They had decided that their hike should come to an end and they should head home.  This time, the vision was about a quarter mile to the west of where the other two sightings had been.  I cannot recall if my daughter has ever experienced the phenomenon or not.  It would be strange if all of my kids have!

  What were these visions?  Why has no one else seen them?   Why the feeling of angst, the feeling of being lured into the opening yet at the same time, the feeling of dread?  Was there something paranormal about the experience or are all three just figments of our imaginations?  

  While these tales are strange enough as all of us saw the same thing in approximately the same area, a new curve has been tossed into the plot. Just a few days ago, my oldest brother told me of a creepy experience just a few years after my youngest brother and I had seen the vision.  My oldest brother said he was too scared to tell anyone all of these some fifty years.  His tale..."While out rabbit hunting one night, something scared me nearly to death.  I was aiming at a rabbit when all of a sudden there was a bright light shining just past the rabbit.  When I pushed through the brush to see what the light was, there were all of these white trees.  Nothing else was there.  I had the creepiest feeling that I wanted to go into the light but something kept telling me not to go.  I stood there glued to the spot for what seemed like hours before I came to my senses and ran home.  I have never told anyone before."  Oh, geez!  This weird phenomenon just keeps getting creepier and creepier!  All the other incidents occured during broad daylight but my oldest brother saw the trees at night.  I have often pondered just what each of us had seen. Why has it left such an impression on us and why the feeling of dread?  

  Good news!  The white trees in the picture are not trees at all. These are roots that were running under an old board in the garden path. When I went to replace the rotted board, I discovered the beautiful pattern of the roots and decided to photograph it.  The roots did bring back a flood of memories of the "Tales of the White Trees".   I think I prefer the sweet little roots to the hair-raising white trees!