Overgrown House 4 by Hoekemannen (flickr.com)
My Real Memoir
I spotted a weasel in the spring of my 5th year. Apart from a few orange trees and an incinerator, our back yard was boring. The trees were too young to climb, and I’d already checked the incinerator for any treasures that might have survived the last trash-burning.
The sleek little weasel didn’t want to play. It saw me and took off like a high-speed monorail. So I chased it. Out of the yard and across the street into an overgrown lot. Through the weeds it raced, and down a tunnel of wooden arches choked with dead vines.
At the end of the tunnel, I found Crazy Old Alice. My first friend. Diminutive, shriveled, and dressed in a raggedy frock, she showed me her cottage. No, there was no furnace for cooking wayward children (although Alice was as skinny as a weasel). She didn’t want to eat me, she wanted to show me the massive soldier statue that dominated her tiny living room. She spoke very little and mumbled when she did, so it remained a mystery. There was almost no furniture other than the statue.
Then we went outside and Alice showed me her rabbits. “Easter Bunnies!” I thought. They lived in hutches and loved attention, so I began to visit regularly. I was Alice’s only friend.
I always brought carrots for the bunnies. But one day I caught Alice stealing their carrots! I told her it was wrong to steal, especially from Easter bunnies. But she continued to do it.
A few weeks later, I was climbing through the overgrown arches, when a tall, scary man suddenly lifted me up by my shirt collar. He shouted, using all sorts of bad words, and told me he’d kill me if he ever caught me there again!
That night, I dreamed I was climbing through the vine-choked arches–only now they were electrical wires! The scary man was at the end of the tunnel, laughing menacingly. Then I accidentally touched a wire, fell to the ground…and died! (More on that here.)
I finally told my parents about my visits to see Alice and the Easter bunnies, and about the man who’d used bad words and threatened to kill me. They were stunned, and went straight over to Crazy Old Alice’s cottage. What they discovered was horrendous:
Alice, the widow of a decorated war hero (the soldier statue), was only in her late 40s, but she’d had a stroke. She lived on a hero’s pension, but it was regularly cashed and pocketed by her son, the tall scary man. As her legal guardian, he provided her with a few meager canned goods and an occasional cheap smock. She was starving and alone.
But no more. The neighbors had Alice’s son arrested, cleaned up her house, and showered her with food and clothing.
I was no longer her only friend.
My Real Memoir is a series. To read the next one, click here.
Mitch Teemley 
Nice story. I hope the pension is good enough for Alice to hire somebody to care for her.
LikeLiked by 3 people
This was an awesome story. Very cool.
LikeLiked by 3 people
What a tragic story! Little Mitch who loved bunnies saved her life ❤
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thanks, but that may be a bit of an overstatement, Rosaliene. I was pretty clueless about what was going on, really, but I did unwittingly alert those who could–and did–take action.
LikeLiked by 4 people
And what a difference it made!
LikeLiked by 2 people
What a sorrow and a triumph. Great conflict in this story.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Wow. Thank God for young Mitch and the weasel.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Amazing story, Mitch! A triumphant tale of the good son versus the bad son. What a godsend you were to poor Alice. Your bravery in telling your parents may very well have saved her life.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my gosh Mitch. What a story. I was sad at first, but it all worked out in the end. The big picture in retrospect, I would consider it a God thing. God had placed you in her path and it had changed her journey. Children are innocent. In this case Romans 8:28 was in play. Good thing you told your parents. Although I will give some credit to the bunnies. 🐇🐇
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m sure you’re right, Susan. Looking back, I see God’s hand at work long before I had anything like a real personal faith.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I know Mitch. Children are Gods delight, no matter what age, since He knows the beginning from the end, this had all played out in linear time. You just played your part in the big picture. I’m sure He gets a kick a out of you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: In Search of a Friend | Mitch Teemley
This was a very moving story. Youdid a great job; I quite enjoyed your writing. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Tim.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are welcome; have a great day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
WOW, Mitch.That is some story but it is amazing to me how many people have had experiences with odd folk that they never told their parents or others, and then wonder or figure it out too late. I am glad that you said something, and t hat your parents stepped in.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too, Tonette, and good to hear from you.
LikeLike
This made me think of our Bunnies we had when the kids were young Mitch. I learned during this time, early 70’s that Rabbit is also a food source in Europe. We had a family not far from us that always had Rabbits for sale. I was to learn that this Portuguese family also ate rabbit as a food source quite frequently. Should you or anyone else out there in Reader land be interested, check out the stats. https://www.compassioninfoodbusiness.com/media/6898105/info-1-rabbit-meat-production-in-the-eu.pdf
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will!
LikeLike
What an AMAZING story!! Thank GOODNESS you had the courage to tell your parents!! Oh, I love that the rest of her days were much, much better!! God is good!
LikeLiked by 1 person
He is indeed.
LikeLike
Through the eyes of a child. Perspectives versus reality~but the heart is the heart and I’m so glad this “adult” situation had a happy ending.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too, Karla.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You were in the right place, at the right time! I had to think that was meant, and thank goodness you found Alice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beauty of the human spirit!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a wonderful story! If you hadn’t been there…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Expressing My True Self | Mitch Teemley
Pingback: The Year I Turned Shy | Mitch Teemley
Good
LikeLike
Thats really cool. wow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: What a Mouse, a Duck, and a Kangaroo Taught Me About Life | Mitch Teemley
Pingback: When Your World Changes | Mitch Teemley
So grateful you found each other and that you told your parents when you did.
LikeLiked by 1 person