| General Fiction posted January 25, 2013 | Chapters: |
3 4 -5- 6... 
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A story of growth in the rural south
A chapter in the book Rabbit
In Your Sights
by bhogg
| Background The young boy, nicknamed Rabbit, learns that he is to stay with his grandparents for the entire summer of 1959. It's a summer of adventure and growth. |
I should have been up, but found myself lying in bed, looking at the way the sun came through the window. Grandma's house was old, so dust was always in the air. The light coming through the window struck the dust and created an illusion of structure. It was a great day to just lie there. It was also my birthday. Yesterday, I was eight. Today, I was nine.
My grandmother yelled up the stairs, "Rabbit, are you up?"
"Yes Ma'am," I replied. It wasn't really a lie. I was awake, so technically, I was up.
"Well, hurry on downstairs. I want you to see your Grandpa before he goes off to the station."
I picked up my clothes from the floor and put them back on. I'd only worn them for two days, so figured they would be fine. I traipsed down the narrow stairs and straight for the bathroom. My grandparents would be in the kitchen drinking coffee, but there was some immediate business for me to take care of.
Leaving the bathroom, I went to the kitchen. It was the hub of the house. Of course, food was cooked there, but unless company came, we ate there. After dinner my grandma and grandpa would sit there and talk or play gin rummy or cribbage. I walked in and plopped into my usual chair. They had already eaten, but set a small plate for me with two sausage biscuits and a glass of milk.
Nobody was saying much until my grandpa reached behind his chair and handed me a long package. I had no idea what it was. It was about three and a half feet long and wrapped with butcher paper and string. My grandpa simply said, "Open it."
With no finesse and little care, I ripped the paper off. Inside was a Daisy No. 25 pump-action BB gun. This was the gun that every little kid wanted. It had a magazine that held fifty BBs, a wooden stock and grip, a front site and adjustable back site. I just held it in my hands and looked at it.
Clearing his throat, my grandpa said, "Happy birthday, Rabbit. I heard you talking to your cousin Wesley about a BB gun, so I called your dad and mom to see if it was okay to get you one. What do you think?"
Grandpa wasn't much of a hugging guy, but I got up and hugged him anyhow. "Thank you, Grandpa. This is great. Shoot, Wesley only has a Red Rider BB gun. It ain't nearly as good as this one."
"Well, I'm glad you like it. Your dad only asked that you let Virge teach you how to shoot it. You probably don't know this, but Virge is the one who taught your daddy. All he's got to shoot now is his old .22 bolt-action rifle, but he's about the best shot around. He'll teach you good."
My chores for the morning were to gather eggs, pick beans and cucumbers that were ready and pull bugs off the tomato plants. I finished in record time and headed up to Virge's with my new BB gun and a tube of 250 BBs.
Grandpa must have told Virge I was coming because he was ready for me. He had stacked three hay bales on top of one another and on the top bale, he attached a white cardboard target. With red paint, four concentric circles were drawn from large to small. The largest circle was about eighteen inches. The smallest, central circle was about the size of a silver dollar.
As he saw me approach, he smiled and said, "Hey, Rabbit. I heard you got yourself a new gun." I showed it to him with pride.
"Hoo-wee, this is a good one. Are you ready for me to teach you how to use it?"
"I'm ready, but I already read the instructions. It's got fifty BBs in it and I'm ready to go."
"I'm sure you are, but I promised your grandpa that I would teach you right. The first thing you need to know is that this is called a BB gun. It ain't called no BB toy. You've already done one foolish thing."
"What, what did I do?"
"Well, the first time you showed me the gun, you pointed the business end at me. That's something you don't ever do with a gun. That there gun could easily put an eye out. I only got two eyes, and one of them ain't doing too good. You could have put old Virge in a world of hurt."
"I'm sorry. I didn't even know I did it. Maybe I was just excited and ready to go."
"Alright then. That's a good first lesson. Don't be in a big hurry around guns. Now bring it over and let's take a look.
Virge took the gun and showed me how to cock it to engage the first BB. Any time he showed me something, there was always a lesson. "You got to be real careful to point the gun toward the ground when you pump it. You also got to watch out for your fingers. If you ain't careful that slide will pop back and pinch you bad."
Virge had placed two additional hay bales about thirty feet from the target. This was to be our platform for shooting. "Okay, Rabbit, since you is right handed, put that hand around the grip here. Put your left hand up on the wooden handle. Rest your arm and gun on the hay bale. Now, tilt your head to look down the rear sight and close your eye which is furthest away from the rifle, and leave the other eye open. Now center the sight at the front with the notch in back toward that target. When you feel comfortable, take a shot."
It sounded easy enough. I did what he said and took my shot. Virge's response told the story. "Hey, you done pretty good; you hit the hay bales. Let me show you one time and then you try again."
Virge lined up and did exactly what he asked me to do, and took his shot. The difference was that there was a BB hole right in the center of the innermost circle.
"How did you get to be so good?"
Chuckling, Virge said, "When I was a little boy, we couldn't afford many bullets. Every time I shot, my daddy expected me to bring home a squirrel or a rabbit to eat. When you either hit what you're shooting at or go hungry, you get pretty good."
Virge worked with me for about thirty minutes. One of his key points was how to squeeze the trigger rather than jerk it. At the end of that time, I was hitting the target every time and mostly in the inner circles. "You're doing really good. Keep practicing and you'll be a good shot like your daddy. You best be heading home for lunch. Maybe tomorrow, we'll line us up some cans to shoot."
The next morning after chores, I got my gun and rushed back to Virge's cabin. A splash of color caught my sight. A red cardinal landed in a China Berry tree right in front of me. Stopping and breathing slow, I cocked my gun. Lining up like I was shown and slowly pulling the trigger, I fired. Almost instantly, you could hear the impact. The BB striking the bird was accompanied by a small puff of red feathers. Running over and picking up the dead bird, I continued to Virge's.
When I arrived, Virge was sweeping off his front porch. He cheerfully greeted me, "What you in such a big hurry for?"
I opened my hand to show him the bird. "I saw this bird in the tree and I did everything like you taught me. It wasn't a big target, but I got him."
As I looked to Virge, I could see he was not sharing in my excitement. Putting down his broom, he said, "Come on over and sit next to me on the porch."
I did. Virge was silent for a moment before he said, "Put down your gun for a minute." After I did, he said, "Now, put both of your hands around that bird and close your eyes."
I thought this strange, but did what he asked. "Is the bird still warm?"
"Yes."
"With your eyes closed, can you see that bird sitting up in that tree?"
"Yes, I can."
"What was the bird doing?"
"Not much, just flying and maybe chirping a little."
"Well, Rabbit, that bird is called a Cardinal. When they is red like that, they are the daddy bird. So that bird probably had a wife bird and this time of year, probably some baby birds. Just know, that bird ain't never going to fly again, ain't never going to chirp again and ain't never going to see his wife or babies again. You can open your eyes now and see that bird for what he is, dead."
I opened my eyes and opened my hands. My tears ran on to the dead bird. "I never thought about any of that. I was proud of my good shot and now I don't feel too good."
Taking the bird from me, Virge said, "See, it's only your second day with a gun and you done learned another valuable lesson."
My grandmother yelled up the stairs, "Rabbit, are you up?"
"Yes Ma'am," I replied. It wasn't really a lie. I was awake, so technically, I was up.
"Well, hurry on downstairs. I want you to see your Grandpa before he goes off to the station."
I picked up my clothes from the floor and put them back on. I'd only worn them for two days, so figured they would be fine. I traipsed down the narrow stairs and straight for the bathroom. My grandparents would be in the kitchen drinking coffee, but there was some immediate business for me to take care of.
Leaving the bathroom, I went to the kitchen. It was the hub of the house. Of course, food was cooked there, but unless company came, we ate there. After dinner my grandma and grandpa would sit there and talk or play gin rummy or cribbage. I walked in and plopped into my usual chair. They had already eaten, but set a small plate for me with two sausage biscuits and a glass of milk.
Nobody was saying much until my grandpa reached behind his chair and handed me a long package. I had no idea what it was. It was about three and a half feet long and wrapped with butcher paper and string. My grandpa simply said, "Open it."
With no finesse and little care, I ripped the paper off. Inside was a Daisy No. 25 pump-action BB gun. This was the gun that every little kid wanted. It had a magazine that held fifty BBs, a wooden stock and grip, a front site and adjustable back site. I just held it in my hands and looked at it.
Clearing his throat, my grandpa said, "Happy birthday, Rabbit. I heard you talking to your cousin Wesley about a BB gun, so I called your dad and mom to see if it was okay to get you one. What do you think?"
Grandpa wasn't much of a hugging guy, but I got up and hugged him anyhow. "Thank you, Grandpa. This is great. Shoot, Wesley only has a Red Rider BB gun. It ain't nearly as good as this one."
"Well, I'm glad you like it. Your dad only asked that you let Virge teach you how to shoot it. You probably don't know this, but Virge is the one who taught your daddy. All he's got to shoot now is his old .22 bolt-action rifle, but he's about the best shot around. He'll teach you good."
My chores for the morning were to gather eggs, pick beans and cucumbers that were ready and pull bugs off the tomato plants. I finished in record time and headed up to Virge's with my new BB gun and a tube of 250 BBs.
Grandpa must have told Virge I was coming because he was ready for me. He had stacked three hay bales on top of one another and on the top bale, he attached a white cardboard target. With red paint, four concentric circles were drawn from large to small. The largest circle was about eighteen inches. The smallest, central circle was about the size of a silver dollar.
As he saw me approach, he smiled and said, "Hey, Rabbit. I heard you got yourself a new gun." I showed it to him with pride.
"Hoo-wee, this is a good one. Are you ready for me to teach you how to use it?"
"I'm ready, but I already read the instructions. It's got fifty BBs in it and I'm ready to go."
"I'm sure you are, but I promised your grandpa that I would teach you right. The first thing you need to know is that this is called a BB gun. It ain't called no BB toy. You've already done one foolish thing."
"What, what did I do?"
"Well, the first time you showed me the gun, you pointed the business end at me. That's something you don't ever do with a gun. That there gun could easily put an eye out. I only got two eyes, and one of them ain't doing too good. You could have put old Virge in a world of hurt."
"I'm sorry. I didn't even know I did it. Maybe I was just excited and ready to go."
"Alright then. That's a good first lesson. Don't be in a big hurry around guns. Now bring it over and let's take a look.
Virge took the gun and showed me how to cock it to engage the first BB. Any time he showed me something, there was always a lesson. "You got to be real careful to point the gun toward the ground when you pump it. You also got to watch out for your fingers. If you ain't careful that slide will pop back and pinch you bad."
Virge had placed two additional hay bales about thirty feet from the target. This was to be our platform for shooting. "Okay, Rabbit, since you is right handed, put that hand around the grip here. Put your left hand up on the wooden handle. Rest your arm and gun on the hay bale. Now, tilt your head to look down the rear sight and close your eye which is furthest away from the rifle, and leave the other eye open. Now center the sight at the front with the notch in back toward that target. When you feel comfortable, take a shot."
It sounded easy enough. I did what he said and took my shot. Virge's response told the story. "Hey, you done pretty good; you hit the hay bales. Let me show you one time and then you try again."
Virge lined up and did exactly what he asked me to do, and took his shot. The difference was that there was a BB hole right in the center of the innermost circle.
"How did you get to be so good?"
Chuckling, Virge said, "When I was a little boy, we couldn't afford many bullets. Every time I shot, my daddy expected me to bring home a squirrel or a rabbit to eat. When you either hit what you're shooting at or go hungry, you get pretty good."
Virge worked with me for about thirty minutes. One of his key points was how to squeeze the trigger rather than jerk it. At the end of that time, I was hitting the target every time and mostly in the inner circles. "You're doing really good. Keep practicing and you'll be a good shot like your daddy. You best be heading home for lunch. Maybe tomorrow, we'll line us up some cans to shoot."
The next morning after chores, I got my gun and rushed back to Virge's cabin. A splash of color caught my sight. A red cardinal landed in a China Berry tree right in front of me. Stopping and breathing slow, I cocked my gun. Lining up like I was shown and slowly pulling the trigger, I fired. Almost instantly, you could hear the impact. The BB striking the bird was accompanied by a small puff of red feathers. Running over and picking up the dead bird, I continued to Virge's.
When I arrived, Virge was sweeping off his front porch. He cheerfully greeted me, "What you in such a big hurry for?"
I opened my hand to show him the bird. "I saw this bird in the tree and I did everything like you taught me. It wasn't a big target, but I got him."
As I looked to Virge, I could see he was not sharing in my excitement. Putting down his broom, he said, "Come on over and sit next to me on the porch."
I did. Virge was silent for a moment before he said, "Put down your gun for a minute." After I did, he said, "Now, put both of your hands around that bird and close your eyes."
I thought this strange, but did what he asked. "Is the bird still warm?"
"Yes."
"With your eyes closed, can you see that bird sitting up in that tree?"
"Yes, I can."
"What was the bird doing?"
"Not much, just flying and maybe chirping a little."
"Well, Rabbit, that bird is called a Cardinal. When they is red like that, they are the daddy bird. So that bird probably had a wife bird and this time of year, probably some baby birds. Just know, that bird ain't never going to fly again, ain't never going to chirp again and ain't never going to see his wife or babies again. You can open your eyes now and see that bird for what he is, dead."
I opened my eyes and opened my hands. My tears ran on to the dead bird. "I never thought about any of that. I was proud of my good shot and now I don't feel too good."
Taking the bird from me, Virge said, "See, it's only your second day with a gun and you done learned another valuable lesson."
 Recognized |
List of characters:
Rabbit - young boy almost nine
Grandma Louise (on the father's side)
Grandpa Horace (on the father's side)
Grandma Nan (on his mother's side)
Pappy (Grandpa on his mother's side)
Virge Gates - 87 year old black man, Rabbit's good friend
Sugar Butts - Virge's nickname for his niece, Ms. Carry
Wesley - Rabbit's cousin
John - Rabbit's older brother and constant nemesis
*** This is a novel, so if some things don't make sense, please be aware that there are previous chapters. I wish I could make each chapter a stand alone masterpiece, but ...
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Rabbit - young boy almost nine
Grandma Louise (on the father's side)
Grandpa Horace (on the father's side)
Grandma Nan (on his mother's side)
Pappy (Grandpa on his mother's side)
Virge Gates - 87 year old black man, Rabbit's good friend
Sugar Butts - Virge's nickname for his niece, Ms. Carry
Wesley - Rabbit's cousin
John - Rabbit's older brother and constant nemesis
*** This is a novel, so if some things don't make sense, please be aware that there are previous chapters. I wish I could make each chapter a stand alone masterpiece, but ...
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