Judianjames conjured up this memory with her story, "Ampersand and Poodle" chapter 3, "The Tree House." This recollect brought back a book full of memories. Tree houses were put up and protected by the older boys who also stole our supplies for putting up one of our own. Likewise, hills were claimed and my friends and myself had grosses of M-80 firecrackers and also enjoyed making ones, at least half of the community then called it Double Rock Proving Grounds instead of park. Everything was fought over. One time we were exploring and a group from neighboring Overlea resented us being on the hill and creamed us with their BB guns. We ran alright, but home to grab a sling shot and fill our pockets with M-80s. A person that done blasting taught us how to properly prepare safety fuses because he feared us blowing up our hands. We were back on the hill and the patrolling Overlea people were back walking the trails. We let out a, "F-you!" and they started shooting, this time for keeps. We launched ten M-80s before they fell around them and chased them through the woods with about ten more. This hill, known as, "Suicide Hill," was retaken. Nobody messed with us and our cannons which was loaded with a M-80 in a bottle.

But a rope swing was a different matter and us routy kids, settled into a polite society, just to see how good the other boys were.

Knife Game was a game played on a rope swing set on a hill. The first person would go out with a sheath knife in their teeth. Upon coming back he would place it in the hill at the highest possible spot. The goal was for the next person to grab it while coming back and place it higher. I developed a method of flipping my body with earned me the comments of, "Crazy" or "God Damn!" This lasted unit one day I went out and saw the swing go above me, then I looked back and saw the looks on the other boys face; they were laughing or just had their mouths open. Everything happened so I had every detail registered until I impacted the ground thirty feet later. Being who I was, my crumpled body dusted off the dirt and I laughingly said, "Oops, I screwed up." It didn't hurt until later that night and the next two weeks.

We loved it because it attracted the attention of the girls. I guess the fun was talking them into going out for the rope swing ride. Quite a spectacle, that everyone enjoyed. I tended to like these freak girls because they were honest and fairly open, yet despite what was thought of them, were quick to draw lines.

The last time I was on a rope swing I broke off from the group and just enjoyed chatting with Marjie. Physically she was much to look at, she was dumpy, freckled and had weird hair and these splotches over her. But I was speechless in listening to her. She had life all figured out and one hell of a spirit. The shocker was she told me the same and said that she didn't know if she would be back but would try and wanted me waiting for her, just in case she could make it. I ran home and with Diarrhea of the mouth told my mom all about her. After about three weeks, mom informed me that she looked weird because she had leukemia and had passed away. If I had only known, God! I bet we would have snuck off and made love. To me she deserved that much, but I bet that rope swing was her last memory and she left us in comfort and love.

The rope swing represents to me the epitome of life.

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