Skunked

Skunked

Charles “Chuck” Hawkins was always up for an adventure. Whether it be on his own or with his siblings, living on a farm allowed his imagination to go wild. One night he went on an adventure that would for sure change the way he hunted. It would cause him to be more aware of what he was going after rather than going in blind. This is his story from his point of view.

The house was full of relatives. The smell of fresh food filled the air like sweet corn and fresh rolls, but not for long. Mom's cooking was a treat. All of the men were talking about hunting, so I piped in “One day I was out hunting gophers and I got five in one day.”

“That's nice Chuck,” uncle Orv said.

“Good job. Way to keep the fields clear of gophers. Now go on and play.” Dad said with a smile on his face.

I decided to go outside for a bit. It was a nice night and the stars were just starting to come out, while the sun was setting in the west. As I walked by the cornfield I heard a rustling noise. Being the hunter I was, I grabbed a club like stick, took a deep breath and went into the field. The wind was blowing and it started to mess with my mind, since it was causing the cornstalks to rustle. The cold air sent a sense of calm through me. I didn't know for sure if there was in fact a creature but something inside of me said there was. If I was going to get this creature I'd have to go to its level. I'd have to Army crawl. Just like dad taught me when I asked him about the war.

Time seemed to be moving very slow. I had no idea what I was going after, but I knew that whatever it was, it was going to be the biggest thing I had ever killed.

All of a sudden I saw it in front of me. I quietly stood up and took a small step forward. It must have heard me because it took off like lighting. Of course I was in pursuit right behind it. It moved quick through the maze of corn. I decided now would be the best time to attack, so I clubbed the creature. I had to be careful, since the husk of the corn could very easily cut me. Looking down at this creature I noticed its coloration black with a set of white stripes. Finally after a good beating it died.

Never had I smelled anything like the scent that this animal gave off. It didn't matter though, because I had so much pride in what I had just done. In fact, I wanted to show everyone what I had done. I was so proud, I thought they would be too. I finally hunted something bigger then a gopher. Nothing could stop me from smiling. I felt like king of the cornfield.

As I walked into the house, it became silent. All the women stopped talking, and they just stared at me. For a moment I thought I had walked in on an “adult” conversation. Then I saw mom.

“Charles Hawkins. What on Earth do you think you are doing?” mom verbalized with conviction.

“I'm showing what a good hunter I am. Aren't you proud?” I asked.

“Slightly. Earl you best come out here and deal with your son.” Mom replied.

The excitement I felt as dad walked into the kitchen was overwhelming. I could hear his boots hitting the wood floor as he came through the doorway. As he walked in I noticed all the women had left the kitchen. Dad was smiling and shaking his head, so I held up my catch and he let out a squeal of a laugh.

“Oh Chuckie, no wonder your mother wanted me to come out and deal with you. You got yourself a skunk, and it smells like the skunk got you as well.” Dad said with a loving chuckle.

“So that's what a skunk is. I thought it was just something that happened in a game of cribbage.” I replied slightly embarrassed.

Dad put his arm around me and took me out to the barn and said “We need to clean you up or your mother won't let you in the house tonight.”

It was finally dark out and starting to cool off. Dad had went back in the house and turned on the barn light, and mom came out with tons of tomato juice and some clothes. Dad started the hose and mom began to douse me with the tomato juice. We did it in layers kind of; tomato juice, then water, then repeat until I no longer carried the sharp scent. After, a little while mom went back into the house to put my sister and my brother to bed. About a half hour later I was as clean as I was going to be, so dad gave me his coat to wear as we walked back to the house. We decided to wait until morning to bury my clothes that had been transformed into useless material. The smell of the skunk still lingered, but that was okay, because now I had a story about a mysterious beast that I had killed in the cornfield.

Sometimes adventure gets the best of you, but if you are able to survive the damage of, in this case, the humiliation then the more power to you. For Charles to transform his mishap into a life lesson about being careful about what you go after shows how he could rise above the embarrassment. Also that anything that happens in your life can become a story to pass on. Even if it is embarrassing like getting sprayed by a skunk that you thought was some wild crazy creature.