- Tyler, Adam and Brandon, burst into my office to remind
me that I had promised to take them tobogganing. Their collective look
of expectation is more than I can stand and immediately, without hesitation,
I say, "Let's go then."
-
- They squeal with delight as they rush from the office
with their gear in hand. As I put the truck in drive, they asked where
we will be going. "Well," I say, "I think we will go to
Carl Barr's farm." More squeals of delight.
-
- Upon arriving at Carl's farm, Carl tells me that the
road back into the hill is nothing more than a snowmobile trail and I will
probably not be able to get back into it with my truck. My reply, "Well,
she's a 4-wheel drive." "You might make it then," he says
with a smile.
-
- I manage to drive the truck back about a quarter of a
mile but the road is too bad. The boys are scared at the thought of getting
stuck and being devoured by wolves. I decide to turn around and use 4-wheel
drive to get back out. Miraculously, the 4-wheel drive works returning
us safely to the farm it is usually finicky.
-
- I enter the farm telling Carl he was right the road
is too bad. I ask him if there are any other hills in the area for the
boys to play on. Several areas are suggested I returned to the truck
with the coveted information.
-
- The boys again ask where we will be going if Carl had
told me of a place that would be good. "Well, Carl told me of a few
places and one well I better not say because it's well, it's just plain
scarey." The boys exchange looks of concerned wonderment. Brandon
says it first: "Let's go to the scawey one dad." "Yes,"
roars Adam. "Let's go," Tyler answers.
-
- Now the issue is, that I had not been told of a scarey
place and don't even know for sure where the areas are that Carl has suggested.
My writer's blood had caused me to start a verbal story to excite the boys
but I had no place to take them I was going to need some time to find
a good hill.
-
- "Well boys, I'm not so sure that is a good idea,"
I cautioned. A collective "why" echoes through the truck. I pause,
trying to muster a grave and serious look. "It's because of the name
given to the hill after the accident. "The name?" "Accident?"
"What accident?" I had them hooked and the ensuing story would
be good for several desperate miles of hill searching. It is all I can
do to keep from bursting into laughter their looks are so serious.
-
- "It happened many years ago," I start. "There
was an accident in which three boys went up the hill and were never seen
again." Brandon asks, "What happened to them?" "As
the story goes, they say a father took his three boys to the hill and the
four of them went up the hill but only one came down. They named that hill,
Deadman's Hill." A hush falls over the boys as they search each others
face for emotion I look left out of the window to hide the give-away smile
forming on my face.
-
- Silence then Adam says: "It can't be, us. We are
still alive." "And there are fours boys in our family including
Mike," adds Tyler. At six, seven and eight years of age, these boys
solve problems like the Borg collective. I was going to need a new twist.
-
- "Yes," I said, "they were my first three
boys. What is four plus three?" Brandon removes his gloves exposing
his God-given abacus he starts to count. Tyler asks, "Why four and
three, dad?" Brandon shrieks, "Dad! Tylew made me lose count!"
Brandon, when upset, has a scream like a noon-day whistle and can possibly
shatter glass if upset enough. "Six," yells Adam impulsively.
Brandon yells, "Adam!" Brandon had lost count again and starts
over. "Let Brandon count, boys, before I start bleeding from my ears.
Brandon, stop shrieking."
-
- Comes the answer, from an obsessively accurate tabulation
of Brandon's left and right abacus, "Seven!" "That's right.
You three boys and Mike, and your three previous brothers, equal seven.
Now, let's get to Deadman's Hill." I glance at my rearview mirror.
Tyler has both hands extended, palms up, as he mouths something to Adam.
His look is one of deep concern I smile.
-
- I feel a stare burning into the side of my face. Brandon
looks at me askance. With the steely look of a hill-killing veteran and
speaking like the elf-terminator he says: "Bling it on baby."
I explode with laughter where do kids get these looks and sayings?
-
- "Look, I may have been kidding about the three boys
but I am NOT kidding about Deadman's Hill." Tyler, unceremoniously
pulls the toque from my head, throwing it at me. "Dad!"
-
- I am running out of time.
-
- The intersection of Highway Seven and Highway Thirty-eight
is fast approaching. I decide to try for more time. "Boys, I was told
there is a grocery store in this area named Grey's. You need to look for
that name and tell me if you see it it should be on the right side of
the road. That's where they can tell us where Deadman's Hill is."
I look at my rearview mirror to see Adam and Tyler staring to their right.
Brandon is looking out my driver's window. "Um, Brandon, your other
right, son." I had been in this area a couple times and had stopped
at Grey's for one thing or another. I slow. I hope they will see the name
without me pointing it out. "There it is dad!" "I see it,
dad, pull in!" The truck rolls to a stop. "Okay, I will go in
here. Lock the doors and I will be out in a second" I remove the keys.
Ka-thunk!
-
- Stepping into the store, I find an elderly male cashier.
"Hi. I'm looking for a hill to take my boys tobogganing on a good
one. Is there such a hill in this area?" "How good?" Asks
the elderly man. I smile. "Well, something that will stop the hearts
of three boys ages six, seven and eight." "Hm, that's a tall
order. Do you know this area?" "I know it a bit." "Turn
left onto Seven and go to 509. Then follow it to a place called Mississippi
Station it's an old station where the K&P line used to stop. There,
you will find an old general store. Behind that store is a hill that is
famous for good tobogganing - about a twenty-five minute drive." "Thank
you." "You're welcome."
-
- The questions start as soon as I step into the truck.
"Where is it dad?" "Did they know dad?" "How big
is the hill?" I still need more time telling them it will be twenty-five
more minutes could cause a mutiny. "Well boys, it's bigger than I
though. The man said that sometimes all that are left on the sleds as they
plummet down the side of the hill are screams they go so fast." "What
do you mean," asks Tyler? "Good. They are hooked once again.
-
- The drive goes quickly as I tell the boys stories which
I say the cashier at Grey's had shared with me. Thankfully, they do not
ask how I have gotten twenty-five minutes of stories from a two minute
conversation. As it turns out, it is concluded that the hill is of enormous
proportion, easily able to reduce a grown man to tears of fright. This
suits then fine. All I have to do is produce the hill.
-
- Entering the twelve-house town of Mississippi Station
I do not readily see any hill of such size. I drive a little further but
realize that I must turn back to the small town if I am going to find the
famous hill.
-
- Reentering the town from the north, I see a man shoveling
the steps of a church. I pull onto the side road and stop. "Excuse
me, could you tell me where the tobogganing hill is?" "Yes, it's
right behind that line of trees. Drive in the parking lot right beside
you and walk along the side of the old general store. Once you get to the
shed, look up, it will be right in front of you." "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
-
- I pull the truck into gear looking at the boys. Their
heads are focused on the line of trees. I move the truck into the parking
lot there is only one other car here. Sensing that the hill may not be
up to the level of terror I had previously suggested, I decide to use my
knowledge of perspective to enhance what might be a lackluster first impression.
-
- "Boys, when we walk to the hill, it may look small
from the bottom but when you're on top, it will look like a mountain like
you're on top of the world. Don't be scared, okay?" "We won't.
Let's go!"
-
- We walk along the side of the store to the shed. There,
before us, is a hill stretching out for better than a quarter mile. It
rises majestically to a height of about two-hundred feet! "Oh, dad!
It's humongous!" "Aw-some!" Admittedly, even I am surprised.
-
- The boys flounder in the deep snow as we approached the
hill. Brandon is the first to collapse. While resting, he seizes the opportunity
to make several snow-angels. I struggle along slowly answering pleas to
hurry-up with, "I'm taking pictures boys, I have to go slow."
Thank goodness for cameras.
-
- I'm sure I see snow fall from trees and ice crack in
distant ponds as Brandon descends the hill, shrieking man, that kid can
scream! Adam is next to descend. Part way down the hill, his toboggan finds
deep powdery snow which flows like some white tsunami into his face. I
hear him laughing and gasping from the cold snow as he passes. Tyler is
next and finds the center of the hill which has a packed down, path. He
becames air-born for several feet half way down he tumbles to a stop.
Tyler yells: "Guys! Did you see that?" Excited screams and laughter
fill the entire length of the hill.
-
- Shortly, two other people approached the hill a father
and a daughter. The daughter sports a snow-board and the father carries
a plastic sled of sorts. They climb the long hill. The father helps his
daughter to start down the hill, then turns to me, puffing. "What
a heck of a climb! Hi. I'm Frank. I own this." "Hello Frank.
Pleased to meet you. I'm Lea. I hope I'm not being presumptuous buy being
here. The man at the church said this was the toboggan hill." "No,
not at all. Everyone comes here. Everyone is welcome." "Thank
you Frank." "My pleasure." We shake hands.
-
- Frank explains he is a teacher from Toronto and had purchased
the place two years' previous. I tell Frank of my ordeal finding the hill
and the story I had told the boys. "Deadman's Hill . . . never seen
again, eh?" I chuckle. "Follow my lead, Lea. See that GT Snow
Racer by the toboggan at the bottom of the hill?" "Yes."
"Here they come. Play along."
-
- The boys struggle to the top of the hill. They pause,
looking at Frank. "Hi boys, see that toboggan and the GT Snow Racer
at the bottom of the hill?" The boys, stare down the hill then nod.
"You can use those if you want, they were left here by three boys
many years back. Two were on the toboggan and one was on the Racer."
The boy's heads snap back to Frank a look of surprise on their face. They
look at me I keep my eyes on Frank.
-
- Thus, began the legend of Deadman's Hill.
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