Family Folklore by Jordyn Hansen

I sat in the car on my way to South Dakota. We were almost there, only half an hour left. The car ride had left me so bored that I could have seen an ant and been entertained. My Ipod had died about 3 hours ago, and I couldn't watch TV because my mom was sleeping. I couldn't sleep because I suffer from insomnia. I glanced out the window every so often, but otherwise I just stared at the seat in front of me. I learned that my car has 24 stitches on each side of the headrests, there are 17 lines on the back windshield, and so many other boring facts that won't even apply to my life in any way. I never even thought that it was possible to be that bored.



Half an hour later we arrived at my great-grandmother's house. It was family reunion time, and this year, we had to meet in South Dakota. When everyone arrived, we went to eat dinner and just chill for that night. Later we hit the sack.


That morning I awoke from the bed in my hotel room. I glanced at the clock and it was only 800
(800 is military time for 8:00 am) I opened the window and was faced with a sun that was already hotter than melted iron. I closed the window and got ready for the day. After I was ready, my family and I drove down to my grandma's (which was like 4 blocks away). We arrived and walked in smiling and ready to eat breakfast. After we ate breakfast, we went outside to go get in the pool because it was already about 85 degrees. As I walked outside and sat next to the pool, I heard that something was rattling or hissing close by. I told my uncle Rob, then he told my dad. I was to afraid to move, for fear that the snake that I heard would bite. My dad came outside with a pillow case, and had brought my cousin, and my uncle. I asked what in the world were they going to do with a pillow case. They simply told me that they were going to catch it, and that I was going to be the one to drop the pillow case on it.


I stood there, my stomach dropped to my ankles. I stuttered, wh-what!?!


But sure enough, they weren't lying. I eventually took the pillow case, and started to move very slowly. My dad, uncle, and cousin started to branch off and try to find the snake that we heard. By now I knew that it was a rattle snake because of the noise that it was making. I was so scared, I probably could have died of a heart attack right then and there. All of the sudden, my cousin whispered to me that it was right in front of him. We all started walking over to him. I started to shake as I could see that this rattle snake wasn't very happy. I opened the pillow case as wide as I could, and I knew that making a mistake could be very fatal.


I leaped next to the snake and put the opened pillow case on top of it. I could see and feel the snake thrashing about. I quickly took the pillow case and closed it so that the snake couldn't get out. My cousin picked up the pillow case, and held it closed so tight that I thought he could have been trying to wring someone's neck. Once we all settled down and the snake started to relax a little bit, for it knew that we weren't going to hurt it. My uncle took the pillow case, and we started to walk back to my great-grandmothers house. I stepped in the door and my grandmother asked why I was back inside, and not in the pool. I explained to her that I was going to get in the pool, but I got destracted. Then my cousin walked in with the pillow case, and my grandmother could tell what was in it the second that she saw it. Sh raised her voice so loud that I thought I might be deaf. She screamed for my cousin Garrett to get the snake out of the house. We all just kind of chuckled, but eventually we took it outside.

Our next thing to do was to release the snake. Since I was the fastest runner they volunteered me to go about 75 yeards from the house and let the snake go, then run back to the house. Of course, I had no say in if I would do this or not. I walked out far enough for the snake to hopefully not return. I stood there, my arms shaking. The snake was getting mad again. I took a deep breath, and dropped the pillow case, and booked it back to the house.

I arrived back at the house winded. I walked back inside and told my grandmother that I released the snake. Until this day, she is still afraid of snakes. and my uncle Rob, my cousin Garrett, my dad, and I continue to joke around with her about it. She says that she was so scared that she is surprised that she didn't have a heart attack and kill over right then and there.