Jack's Shop
Beyond the Front Porch
by
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While I was lying there trying to ponder the situation to a successful conclusion, Donnie had jumped the bushes and was heading for the chipmunks with his BB gun popping. Josh and Fletcher were not far behind.The great chipmunk massacre had begun.
I struggled to my feet and began running in the direction of the battle. Boys and chipmunks were running in all directions. The fallen leaves were thrown into the air by the frightened animals and the completely out of control boys firing their weapons.
Just as I got to the scene of the shooting, Donnie yelled, “Coming your way Jimmy!”
I looked in his direction and a chipmunk jumped to the top of a rotting stump, only about 6 feet away. He just sat there for a moment. I could see his tiny chest pounding as I’m sure his heart was racing. I raised my rifle, looked through the scope, saw nothing and fired. I missed.
The slaughter went on for nearly half an hour. I fired perhaps two dozen times and missed each time. It was an embarrassing exhibition on my part. Still, I was part of the hunting party and therefore I shared in the glory that was soon to be ours.
As the leaves finally settled, a half dozen chipmunks lay dead. We stood and bragged about the ones we got and the ones that we missed for another half-hour.
“Hey!” Josh excitedly said. “We better get back to the house and show everyone our bounty.
I think it was Donnie who came up with the idea of tying the chipmunk’s legs together and carrying them back hanging from a small limb similar to the manner big game hunter’s carry their take in deepest, darkest Africa. For the short trip back to the house, we took turns carrying one end of the stick. Donnie’s idea seemed great at the time, but it would prove to be the beginning of the undoing for the four of us.
We proudly walked into Uncle Carl’s yard holding the stick. We attributed the silence of the adults to breathlessness over our bounty as we approached the grow-ups now standing in the yard. We were so wrong. Estelle was the first to speak. “What have you boys done?” she asked.
Fletcher spoke first and said, “We had us a shootout at chipmunk corral!” We all four laughed. The anguish then began.
“You boys have killed some of the most beautiful and peaceful tiny creatures in the woods!” Carl shouted.
“Why did you do that? I spent an hour watching those little fellows playing near the river just last week. They never hurt anyone.”
The four of us looked at each other. Josh kicked a big rock and Donnie threw his gun. This was becoming a very unhappy scene. Uncle Carl continued to tell us what a terrible thing we had done until tears welled in my eyes. Without being told, I took my rifle to the car and stayed there
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About the Book
Front Porches were once the center of activity for families when the weather allowed. With the advent of HVAC, the walls went up, the windows came down and doors closed and an era came to an end. Jack's Shop brings to mind, once again, those days of front porches, outhouses, and country living. Follow the antics and adventures of a young boy growing up in rural Virginia during the1950s and '60s. It may bring to mind a far simpler and, in some ways, misguided period in the history of the south. A bygone era of front porch swings, and the simple pleasures of country living is fondly recalled with a unique sampling of poignant humor. Through his eyes, the serenity and simplicity of the day is continually questioned until finally a life-threatening illness forces him to face a painful reality.
About the Author
Jack’s Shop is Jim’s first book, although several of his stories were published in Riverbanks to Mountaintops, a locally published compilation. He plans to continue the Jack’s Shop series, writing at least two more books. Jim feels strongly that the memory of the rural culture he knew while in his youth is slowly disappearing. Jack’s Shop is an attempt to record a lost era for the sake of generations to come.
Jim and his wife Betty were foster parents for children in need within the state of
Jim has used crutches to walk since he contracted Encephalitis at age 12. Even so, he has been employed with the City of
In his next book, Jim will detail the struggles he faced as he returned to Jack's Shop following his illness. Years before the Americans with Disabilities Act, Jim found himself trying to return to a school system that was inaccessible and a community that was hesitant to accept his disability.