Playing chase and trying to avoid the cockleburs in the field was just about impossible for the two little girls. The field was near the two story farm house where Mom could see them while she was hanging clean laundry on the old rope clothesline outside. Because of the drought there was little water other than for the bare necessities. All the farmers had to drill wells, sometimes more than one, trying to find water, and abandoned well shafts were not always filled in. While Mom was gazing at her daughters, she screamed a blood curdling scream as she saw the youngest suddenly sink from view.
Now that is frightening. Farms are not always the safest places although they are great places to learn about life and many useful things. Let's hope it was not too deep.
ReplyDeleteIn 1949 a three year old girl fell 94 feet through a 14 inch wide shaft of an abandoned well. The rescue attempt was broadcast live on KTLA.
Deleteyow! Surely one of the most common of childhood terrors, the falling into a well.
ReplyDeletegood punch in your Six this week.
I agree. It certainly was for me at the time.
DeleteWas not expecting it to go there. Would you very terrifying. Good visual with words.
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine how very horrifying it would be for all involved.
DeleteOh, my goodness. This is a fictionalized story of tales I've heard as a young girl of children falling into dry well holes. The next part of the story is the hair-raising rescue, I'm hoping.
ReplyDeleteJimmie Osbourne wrote a song titled "The Death of Little Kathy Fiscus," which was about the rescue attempt of one little three-year-old girl who fell in a dry well. It is on Youtube.
DeleteIt started out so well; I certainly didn't see that coming.
ReplyDeleteClick to read my six!
This kind of accident can happen so quickly and often ends tragically.
DeleteOh no! This is definitely a very real possibility here in West Texas too, where abandoned properties are not uncommon. It has happened, and I cannot imagine a more terrifying experience for a mother or a child, who we pray was rescued unharmed! Motherhood is definitely not for the faint of heart, and the worries continue right on thru adulthood. Great twist on a story, Pat! :-)
ReplyDeleteI remember as a child not being allowed much of a free range on the farm in California, and probably due to a real happening such as this. The rescuing of a child from a very deep dry well is very difficult.
DeleteIt would be a horrible thing to watch your child sink before your eyes and you can not reach out and rescue! Fortunately, there are people trained to rescue people like this if they can be reached in time. Great story and very scary because it does and can happen in many places.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was writing this, I did some searching on the internet and read about this being a real problem in other countries too. For a parent to not be able to do anything to console a child would be so heart wrenching.
DeleteNot the first time I've heard of this sort of thing happening - terrifying. Good reminder to always be careful where we step, I guess!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. To be aware of one's place in relation to the world around her is important, always.
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