Growing up on Cedar Hill, life
was just a bit different because our neighborhood was so small and everyone
knew everyone else. Best of all, my
brother, sisters, and I were lucky enough to have friends right around our own
age.
Naturally, I followed my big
brother EVERYWHERE! Which would explain why one time he left me halfway up a
pine tree while he and his friend ran away—then there was that time we were
playing Army, and I was the soldier with a head wound and that needing cleaning—and
they got soapy water in my eyes. There is definitely a pattern here…which leads
me to one of the scariest moments from childhood—following my brother and his
friend to Trenchert’s House—it was haunted.
We all knew it and were forbidden
to go there by our parents. Naturally as kids, we didn’t listen, we were
kids! As I snuck through the woods—close
behind my brother and his friend—but not too close, I realized they were headed
toward Trenchert’s…and then the screaming started!
Horrified by the sound, I froze
and watched my best friend coming out of Trenchert’s screaming with her arms
outstretched and no hands! To this day I will never forget the sound of her
pain-filled screams—or the laughter that followed when they found me cowering
in the woods. For some reason it was my
turn to play a prank on and my friend had worn her older sister’s jacket and
pulled her hands inside. Even though it had all been one great joke to them, it
had scared me spitless, and I never went near Trenchert’s again.
As I got older, I realized the
real reason all of the parents forbid their kids to go there was that the house
was literally falling down. It had been a hunting retreat in the 1920s that had
caught fire. Because Cedar Hill’s roads were all dirt at the time, with no fire
hydrants or water supply nearby, the house burned, leaving only the fieldstone
foundations, patio and a small corner of the house intact.
Maybe that’s why I’m not a big
fan of scary movies or things that go bump in the night—I prefer the holidays
filled with home-baked pies, cookies and cakes!
What was the scariest moment of
your childhood—and was it because of a friend or sibling?
Like you, I followed my two older brothers and their friends everywhere. One day they took me to the town's reservoir and we walked across the spillway. Yes, you read that correctly. Water flowed fast and freely over a 12" wide ledge before plunging down 30 feet, where the water churned and rolled.
ReplyDeleteI followed one of my brothers across on confident feet. Then I heard them bragging about how fast I was going, so I went faster. And that's when my foot caught on something slippery. The next thing I knew I was hanging from the ledge by my fingertips with water rushing around me.
To this day, I choke when walking across logs and I've never returned to the spillway. LOL
Sibling! My older brother Tom read me some stories from "Stranger Than Science," and introduced me to "The Twilight Zone." 'Nuff said!
ReplyDeleteIt was all my younger brother's fault for sure. BUT I got even and it didn't happen again!
ReplyDeleteMy brother enjoyed hiding in the house and jumping out at me at random moments. Scared me every time. Maybe that's why I prefer romantic comedies and high adventure to scary movies!
ReplyDeleteOMGoodness, Tracey! You scared me...and you didn't mention what happened? Did your brothers pull you to safety, did they go for help?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you weren't hurt, and your guardian angel must have been working over time!
Grace, what is it about brothers that they like to scare the you-know-what out of their sisters?
ReplyDeleteHmmmm....now you have me wondering just what your younger brother did, Carolyn! LOL! It must have been good, but I'm soooo glad you got even. :)
ReplyDeleteGood heavens, Amanda...what is it in the male psyche that has them scaring their sisters? Jumping out at me would have scared me to pieces!
ReplyDeleteI agree, I do prefer romantic comedies :)
Driving thru the mountains and us kids were telling stories about Big Foot when my da hit the brakes and our car hit.....a cow...but all us kids started screaming and saying it was Big Foot.
ReplyDeleteZina