I'll get you later

All through my childhood I was obsessed with wearing a hat of some description, so when my middle sister snatched my hat off my head while we were playing next to the dam behind the cowshed and ran off with it, I was incensed and let out a bloodcurdling scream.  My father who was in the cowshed came running out thinking something terrible had happened to one of us.  When he saw that we were both fine, he turned to me and said "I'll get you later" before charging after my middle sister.

Terrified at what "later" might turn out to be, I ran as fast as I could past the cowshed, down the hill and into the small gate on the other side of the old house.  Charging into the grove of almond trees to the left of the house, I climbed up a tree which had hardly any branches on it.  At about the height of three metres, I found a small branch to sit on, vowing and declaring to sit there all day and all night if I had to.  Unfortunately for me, the branch was too thin to carry my weight, and so with a noise which sounded like the crack of a pistol, the branch broke and I found myself falling backwards onto my head.  A terrific pain shot through my shoulder and I virtually knocked myself out.

How I got home that day I will never know.  Not only did I see stars, but the whole star spangled banner went past my eyes as I staggered and stumbled as best I could through the trees, across the veld and back to the house. I managed to make it to my bed, before collapsing into a deep sleep. How long I slept I don't know, but when I awoke, I found a number of anxious faces peering down at me.

My father who usually had to be begged by my mother to take us to the doctor when we needed one, thought this time that I really should be checked out.  I on the other hand having experienced the setting of four broken arms by the time I reached the age of seven, together with the accompanying chloroform to knock me out, refused point blank to be going anywhere.  Eventually nothing was done, and the broken collarbone mended itself after about six weeks or so.  As for falling on my head, I found it to be quite useful in explaining away my poor scholastic results.  One thing is for sure though, I would go to all sorts of lengths to avoid my father "getting me later".