Okay , so I wanted to write about politics , the economy or any number of things , but because I mentioned scorpions in a milk carton at the end of volume 2, I figured I'd better get that over with and wash my hands ( and mind ) of the whole scorpion affair .
It's the spring of 1963, I'm in the third grade at Bijou Elementary . The school has a nice playground with a huge field stretching out past the blacktop , as pavement was referred to in those days . Way in the far end of the field me and some other kids found a nest of scorpions , they were small and kind of a light brown . I think most would agree that these are a truly creepy insect , what with there out stretched pincers and the arced stinger tail waving around and there spider like legs . But as little boys, at least the weirdos like me , we found them fascinating and at the same time scary .
One day this kid brought out a empty milk carton from the cafeteria and with my help we started scooping scorpions into the opening with a stick . He got three in there and closed the pour spout . Now I'm being totally honest here , I thought he was just collecting these things to to take home or to let go in another part of the field or something . The recess bell rang and we went back to our classroom .
Whether it was intentional or not I don't know but the scorpions got loose in the room . The girls all climbed up on the chairs at there desks and the boys all started hooting and hollering . It was chaos and it was great . The little things were going every which way evoking screams from the girls and laughter and shouting from the boys , one of the kids threw up so now we had that to deal with as well as the renegade insects , which in my mind's eye they seemed to be growing even as I watched this whole thing unfurl .
The janitor finally showed up with his first weapon of choice being a broom , a regular old stick broom , not a push broom . He started by trying to sweep the enemy away into the hall but that wasn't working . They became more frantic and were really scurrying around so that now the boys were screaming to . He finally got them into one side of the room and the teacher had us march out single file into the hallway closing the door behind us leaving the janitor in there with the creepy crawlies.
After some time the janitor emerged victorious with the waste bucket in one hand and his trusty broom in the other .Our Hero ! But then ,whether it was planned or not ,we had a fire drill . We were already in the hall so we all head out to the playground , not far from scorpion land .
My gawd they've got us surrounded ! They're in the school , they are in the play field , they're everywhere . It's no wonder I was such a nervous kid . A chipmunk in my pants , marauding gangs of scorpions at school and so many other things waiting to" get me" .
Actually, I was cool with garter snakes , lizards and frogs as I was always catching them and putting them in my aquariums and cages in my bedroom along side my monster models and little stacks of sci fi / horror books and magazines. A mad scientist in the making !
So you be good and do what you should . Take care , Bob
