Calling America

Stories By Real People From Real Places

13September2007

The Skunk

Posted under places beginning with: C; Crowell; Texas.

Marking our second submission for today (woot!) this story comes from Erin in Crowell, Texas. Visit her blog here.

In this part of Texas is farm country with rolling hills and adventures a plenty for an 8 year old girl.
It was early summer. My family lived 7 miles oustide our very tiny town. So we were way out in the country side surrounded by fields and fishing ponds. We decided to go on a bike ride. I had my one speed with a bananna seat. You know the kind…. pedal fifty miles an hour and go five.

So we ambled for quite a while down this dirt road and to our surpise came across a T intersection. As we looked around deciding which way to go we spied a skunk. His tail looked awful bushy and ready for action. I turned to look at my brother and make a comment. Except he wasn’t there. I turned even more and all I saw was the dust trail his bike was making. I simply shook my head, took another look at the skunk and said “well, what do you make of that?” Then I proceeded to follow my brother.

Now the ride down this road didn’t seem to take all that long. But the ride back was all together something else. I pedaled and pedaled seemingly going nowhere! And to top it all off I was getting darn thirsty. Imagine my disappointment each time I saw a shimmer on the dirt road and I thought it was water only to discover that the small dips in the road were mirages. My brother nowhere in site.

It seems like hours and now it’s getting dark. I’m becoming afraid cause there are all kinds of things in the dark, ya know. Right about the time that tears were starting to form I saw the intersection and knew that home was close. But, wait a minute… what is that? Another mirage or is it really my Grandma coming to look for me? It was her! I was so very happy to see her but I did not cry. For once, she was concerned about me. What a revelation!

0 

Five More Stories

    Patriotic to an ideal, not a country   (05 Mar 2008)
    This post comes to us from Lelia Katherine Thomas, an Australia-based artist. You can see samples of her work and read her blog at http://www.leliathomas.com I have always firmly believed in the American Dream, that stark individuality that got the country off on the right foot. I am politically Libertarian, so

    Fascinated by place names   (21 Dec 2007)
    To all visitors and readers of Calling America: keep sending us your stories! It’s a real privilege to read your entries and since the Christmas break is now in full swing, it means more free time to sit down, gaze into your past and pull out a tale. Why not

    Weblog Awards Aftermath   (11 Nov 2007)
    First of all, Alan and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took time out to vote for us at the 2007Weblog Awards. The whole thing came as a total surprise and we are truly humbled by your support. We received a total of 242

    The Detention Bar   (07 Nov 2007)
    This latest story comes to us in poetic form from Robert Bruce, an American Poet living in Portland, Oregon. He wrote this poem partly at home and partly at the Detention Bar - one of several drinking places inside the renovated elementary school McMenamin’s Kennedy School in NE Portland. For

    Tom Bog TV: A Walk-Around Quiz Show   (06 Nov 2007)
    It is often from within a state of confinement that the most fruitful ideas emerge, and in this case the confinement of campus life in a small Minnesota town was the ingredient that led to the creation of Tom Bog TV. This story comes to us from photographer, Joe Lencioni.

New To Calling America?

These are the stories told by real people from real places across the United States. In creating a rich and diverse landscape of voices, our aim is to get a taste of the 'real' America and not to rely solely on major media outlets to form our opinion of American culture. (Read more...)

We run an open submissions policy, so if you have a story click the button below because we'd love to hear it!

What You Need

  • a real story, past or present, big or small.
  • the name of a real place in the story
  • the passion to share it with the world!

What You Don't Need

  • to be a professional writer
  • to write a novel!
  • to invent or embroider, just tell it like it is!

New! Voice Recordings!

Now you can record your stories in audio, and it's just a few clicks away thanks to our simple browser mic. Click the banner for more details.