So back in the late '70s, I was the Scout/Pack Master for a group of about 20 cub scouts in town. My son was one of them. We planned a weekend overnighter at a Boy Scout campground in northwest Connecticut. While I was planning the weekend events with my adult volunteers, I remembered stories I had heard about "snipes" back when I was a Boy Scout. A snipe was a fictitious bird that could snap at you, but you could catch them in a bag while clicking long sticks together.
So at the end of the first day at the camp, we were getting the young kids primed for the snipe hunt we planned at dusk by telling "stories" of snipe encounters. Woodpeckers we could hear in the distance were said to be snipes. Heck, one kid so believed my stories that he told the other cub scouts that his grandfather owned a zoo and kept snipes in a large cage. LOL. We passed out "catch" bags and sticks to the kids, and started to get ready to line them up outside the camp cabin.
I had to visit the bathroom for a quick pee, and as I was standing there this little kid (James) about 7-8 years old came up behind me. He was whimpering so I asked him what was wrong. He said quietly, “Mr. Arthur, I'm afraid of the snipes. They're going to bite and hurt me. I don't want to go to the field in the dark to catch them.” He had caught me by surprise, but I really didn't want him to go to the field being so afraid. So I said, "James, there is no such thing as a snipe. It's a make believe bird. We're just going to go to the field and bang sticks together, but nobody is going to catch or see any snipes because it's make-believe." James started smiling and thanked me for telling him. I told him to not tell anyone else so that it wouldn't ruin the fun for the other kids.
We started walking to the open field which was about 100 yards away. As we were walking, I couldn't help but notice that James was walking close to me. When we got about halfway there, I felt a tug on my jeans. It was James. I looked down at his face and noticed in the dim light that he wasn't smiling. I said, "James, what's the matter?" His reply was classic. He said, "But Mr. Arthur, what if you're wrong?" I burst out with laughter. We shortly thereafter arrived at the field and the kids had a blast clicking sticks together and trying to catch snipes in their bags. None were caught, of course, but it was a fun night! I think James even had a good time.
So at the end of the first day at the camp, we were getting the young kids primed for the snipe hunt we planned at dusk by telling "stories" of snipe encounters. Woodpeckers we could hear in the distance were said to be snipes. Heck, one kid so believed my stories that he told the other cub scouts that his grandfather owned a zoo and kept snipes in a large cage. LOL. We passed out "catch" bags and sticks to the kids, and started to get ready to line them up outside the camp cabin.
I had to visit the bathroom for a quick pee, and as I was standing there this little kid (James) about 7-8 years old came up behind me. He was whimpering so I asked him what was wrong. He said quietly, “Mr. Arthur, I'm afraid of the snipes. They're going to bite and hurt me. I don't want to go to the field in the dark to catch them.” He had caught me by surprise, but I really didn't want him to go to the field being so afraid. So I said, "James, there is no such thing as a snipe. It's a make believe bird. We're just going to go to the field and bang sticks together, but nobody is going to catch or see any snipes because it's make-believe." James started smiling and thanked me for telling him. I told him to not tell anyone else so that it wouldn't ruin the fun for the other kids.
We started walking to the open field which was about 100 yards away. As we were walking, I couldn't help but notice that James was walking close to me. When we got about halfway there, I felt a tug on my jeans. It was James. I looked down at his face and noticed in the dim light that he wasn't smiling. I said, "James, what's the matter?" His reply was classic. He said, "But Mr. Arthur, what if you're wrong?" I burst out with laughter. We shortly thereafter arrived at the field and the kids had a blast clicking sticks together and trying to catch snipes in their bags. None were caught, of course, but it was a fun night! I think James even had a good time.
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