A short piece of prose, at least I think so. It was the spring of their lives, when wonder and curiosity mixed together inside young boys’ heads and became ‘imagination’. Those days when noisy boys took chances; ran past the cave where Ogres slept, chased the lion headed dog until his stony eyes fixed on them in their daring bagginess. It sent shivers up their necks, and they ran for their lives with the Devil Dog in pursuit, down hill past the Ogre’s den, all the way to the cliffs where they hung by their fingernails until it was safe to climb down. Then they leapt across deadly chasms full of hissing snakes, all within the bounds of their own yard. They walked in awkward steps, too long for their legs, and ran when they should have walked. They never looked back because they were never headed there, and they never got caught at anything. They were champions of chance, and took each one they found; they were oblique before they knew what oblique meant, with adventure their only destiny – and at any cost. So they stayed on the fringe, those hot summer evenings when the window locked eyes of those nosy-neighbor-window-faces could only squint at them through reflected glass and guess their intent. But those were not disapproving stares, or even disbelief. More like the look of those who sit in idle and wonder what they have just missed; wonder how to get revved up for the next time. At least, that’s what the baggy boys told themselves, because they were awkward and oblique, and bent on adventure. After supper, when the stars appeared in the black sky, all of Douglas Valley shone like a reflection on a lake. Those long-stepping, awkward smelly boys stood quietly in the middle of the street as the hillside full of porch lights became a curtain of stars draped across the trees. They could not tell where the hills ended and the sky began. They knew they were lucky, and they felt lucky. Then it was time to count and hide from ‘Ollie’ who was ‘it’. The chance-takers slithered, and angled, and swerved in and out of the wooded shadows, and dove across the summer lawns, always careful of the dog piles – you can’t lie your way out of that smell. They laid low until way past last call, “Ollie, Ollie, oxen free. Come in; come in, wherever you are”. That was thirty minutes ago, the Dukes were home free, and they never got caught – ever. Later, in the living room, it was Jiffy Pop, and ‘Wild Kingdom’, and ‘Wonderful World of Disney’ in that order. Not bad for a Sunday evening, for the Dukes of Douglas Valley. |
Dukes of Douglas Valley
Written by Lizzy (828 comments posted) 4th March 2007 | | Really enjoyed this.I find thinking up good titles difficult but this was so apt, referring both to tele programmes and the children's ideas of themselves. So much put into such a short piece and so evocotive of childhood. I was there with them playing hide and seek.(In my youth of course- pity I'm beyond it now, the piece has that nostalgic feeling!) |
Written by Fledermaus (3492 comments posted) 5th March 2007 | | Very nice. I must admit I first read it through quickly before I read it carefully, so I already knew the clue when I did so, but I like the idea of this fantastic heroic epic about the Dukes of Douglas Valley, who turn out to be playing kids. |
Written by Witzl (1585 comments posted) 5th March 2007 | | I enjoyed this, too: you really captured the wonderfully free, inventive world of children's play. And I do remember the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday evenings -- we couldn't have Jiffy Pop, though; my mother insisted on popping the real thing. Oh, how I remember those dog piles on the summer lawns, and the hot nights. As well as 'Ollie, Ollie, oxen free.' |
Written by Phil (6963 comments posted) 5th March 2007 | Prose? Are you sure? - Only joking.
Yep, super bit of writing. Really captured a time and a few emotions. Loved it.
Phil. |
Written by Kathy (220 comments posted) 5th March 2007 | Lovely, lovely childhood stories, I'm a real sucker for them. It was so atmospheric and well told. Loved the second para in particular.
Kathy | the truth is out
Written by bwoz (125 comments posted) 5th March 2007 | By now you all must have guessed, I am really a nine year old boy just playing "grown up".
Witzl -- I can't believe you understand about Ollie oxen-free. Were we neighbors or something?
There is one bit of autobiographic detail, I will confess. The part about not being able to lie your way out that dog crap smell....that was me. Dove right on top of it one night trying to escape "being it".
I didn't live it down until we moved three years later.
Thanks all, for reading and commenting. I really enjoy opening my email and seeing a lot of critiques waiting for me. I write for people like you all.
Next excerpt will be similar -- the same characters a couple years older. Hope you will stop in and read "Pirates of the Ozark" about when the Dukes of Douglas Valley promote themselves to Pirates.
Night all. Best wishes
BW |
Written by Witzl (1585 comments posted) 6th March 2007 | Hello, bwoz. I couldn't resist answering this.
We used to holler 'ollie, ollie, oxen free!' when playing hide-and-go- seek. And there was another game we used to play with a pile of rocks which involved this phrase. Did you play 'Red rover, come over?'
And I've stepped in many a moist pile myself. |
Written by anorwegianwood (278 comments posted) 7th March 2007 | I loved this. Very cleverly composed and well described--without going over the top with feelings of nostalgia. We always shouted "ollie, ollie, oxen free" for hide-n-seek too, but somehow that particular game always turned into jump-out-from-behind-trees-and-attack-each-other.
For Witzl (if you see this): Red Rover was actually banned at my elementary school when one kid broke his arm trying to stop someone from breaking through the line. It always seemed like The Forbidden Sport to us. Every so often, someone would try to start a game, but we'd always get caught and end up playing Captain Midnight or Run, Sheep, Run. | Must be neighbors
Written by bwoz (125 comments posted) 7th March 2007 | Witzl,
you must have grown up in the same neighborhood -- nobody EVER calls it hide-and-GO-seek except the kids I played with. Everywhere else I've heard the game called only "Hide-n-seek".
Oh yeah, we did Red Rover too -- that was usually a warm up to the rest of the adventures for the Dukes.
thanks for sharing and enjoying.
BW |
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