It was a hot summer day. Their mother told me that my friend R., the girl with long blond braids as wide as three fingers of my hand, and her brother M., were out in the fields with their dad. I did not need to ask where the fields were. I knew each and every one. The one where the corn grew higher than us, the one were we planted the potatoes, the one where they grew the feed for the cows. It was corn harvest time. I walked towards the biggest tree knowing that I would find them sitting underneath it, eating delicious sandwiches of home made bread topped with home-smoked ham or home made sausage. Father and farm hand drinking cider. On my way to the big tree I passed a small tree and looking at the lower branches saw something dangling there that scarred the schnook out of me. I remember how fast I looked away thinking that I saw Christ on the cross hanging upside down. The shock of seeing that made the insides of my body tremble. I remained puzzled for a long time and knowing that what I had seen could not be what I thought, I never told my friend nor my family about it.
I can't believe that it had to take 60 years before I finally found out what I had seen. I had a hard time getting a what I thought was a bird out of my house after moving to the country and was told that it must have been a bat. I looked bat up and had my answer.
I always recognized Die Fledermaus on the radio but that did not help.
Why Christ on the cross which was never talked about in our family?
5 comments:
A question worth thinking about, perhaps.
Ellena, when you figure out how your mind works, perhaps you would come over the provincial border and help me with mine!
You remember amazing detail and every story somehow prompts me to travel back into my childhood to similar places (not geographically).
The old, old church in the little village I grew up in had bats so rare they were (and still are) protected. For Fastnacht, I always asked to be Batgirl. Now that I think about it, bats in the belfry can be exciting. Sorry your bat experience frightened you so.
I know they're harmless and useful creatures but I find bats frightening too.
I never made that association of an upside down crucifixion but it's a startling image.
Tom!
I did and got as far as thinking that maybe it had something to do with tombstones. I loved to hang around in the cemetery at that time. So many flowers on graves wanted my water.
Halle!
I'd love to manage that during this lifetime. Who knows.
Rouchswalwe!
Had there been bats in the chapel where I rang the bell, I might have solved this puzzle of mine long ago.
Nathalie!
The live one in my house did not frighten me. Death does not but dead does, hm.
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