Tree Tied

Being young this is the first and last time a friend was left behind. Unless of course the law was after us. then it became every young man for himself. Haha...1

Anyways this day in this story is about a tree tying and mental torture. What else occurd after I and my pal scrammed is anybodies guess.2

One may not think small town America had gangs but in the fifties, sixties and early seventies to my knowledge they did.3

Block and family gangs. Large families of brothers would grow wild. Tormenting the young and the new.4

I was a newbe to town life. Mom married to a step taking me away from my life of ease in the forest of Acadia National Park. Having grown up in the woods Where my only playmates had been raccoons and deer fed by hand. I was lost on concrete and tar.5

As I moved into the neighborhood I quickly learned who to dodge. Making friends my own age and learning the ropes at age 10. For a year I adjusted the best any young lad could.6

Until one day a year later I and two pals taking a short cut home through a wooded section near the school. The roughness of life in town finally caught up to me. The School street gang grabbed us. Five of them all big and older. Jr. high 8th and into high school some. 7

On an old foundation they made us sit. They carried clubs and bats with them. Also some rope. Grabbing one of my pals they tied him to a tree. Leaving I and my other friend under guard telling us we were next.8

One of the gang climbed the tree and spit a huge lunger onto our friends head. Another lightly poked and jabbed at him with a stick. That's when I knudged my pal sitting beside me. Moving my head to point deeper into the woods behind. He got it. We both took off in the direction of where I knew to survive. 9

We climbed and ran up over the small mtn. from it's base of where we'd been setting. Deeper into the woods. A few members of the gang gave chase but the woods was not their place. It was mine. Part monkey, part rattle snake I taught my other pal with me how to make a townies life miserable in the forest. From falling rocks to tree top branches, cayote calls at dusk it was all very haunting. 10

The last heard calls from the older tormenters was they'd get me. Later -11

Whatever happened to our friend who was left behind I don't know. It wasn't long before his family packed up and moved. 12

For me it was my last time I ever ran or left anybody behind as the following will tell.13

It was another after school day. A new neighbor from away had moved into the house beside me. From N.Y. now that my memory comes back more as I write. His mother was a teacher. 14

We took a wrong short cut on the way home from school and were caught finally by the gang of brothers. haha... it took them two year's to catch me.15

But they hadn't forgot how I had turned the tables on them that day by the foundation. I was now 13 and bigger. They wanted my head and the mind of my new friend. Really wanted to mess with him bad. 16

You see he was a different color then us in small town America. I could see where it was heading and I was not going to bolt without him. 17

I turned and slugged the middle size brother a few years older then I. That was all it took. FIGHT, FIGHT the chant went up. My friend was forgotten he too watched in disbelief as I wiped the lawn and the street with this kid. When finished and he lay bloodied and beaten his brothers and other gang members stood in astonishment. A new respect had been made for this boy of the woods. Haha... and they all left me and my pals the hell alone. 18

A year later I was old enough to join the YMCA football team. I only got bigger and tougher. 19

Funny thing is I'm still bigger and tougher then anybody in that old gang. Hahaha... one's even my mechanic now and he brings up that story once in awhile when he introduces me to other clients mingling around the shop. The day I took out one of their toughest brothers. Hahaha.... 20