Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Special Treat – Clara Wersterfer

Oct 7, 2006

The Big Fall
by Clara Wersterfer

During a recent conversation with my Aunt June, I asked her if she could
remember something about my mother's childhood that I might not know.
She told me the following story which I will try to write in her words.

When we were children growing up, there were three of us girls and three boys. We all had chores assigned to do each day. The story I am telling happened when I was about seven, your mother, Lil was nine and Frances was eleven. One Saturday when Momma had gone to visit a sick neighbor, Papa came home from his shoe repair shop and found the kitchen table holding dirty dishes from breakfast. He asked Frances where Lil was as it was her job to clear the table. Frances didn't know where Lil was as it was Saturday and Lil did what she pleased. Lil happened to be on the back porch and heard Papa say he would
give her a spanking when she came in.  Lil made haste to the hay barn, climbed up and hid in the hay filled loft. Guess she thought Papa would go back to work and forget about it if she stayed away long enough. After a fruitless search,
Frances and I gave up and cleaned the kitchen.

About an hour later, I went to the barn to gather eggs and found Lil lying on the ground like a rag doll. She had fallen from the loft. My screams soon brought the
whole family. Papa picked her up and told someone to call for the
doctor, who came quickly as he lived down the road. Doc Robinson
declared Lil had a brain concussion and we would have to wait and see if she woke up. The family knelt around the bed and began to pray. Papa
prayed aloud, beseeching God to have mercy and spare his child.
He promised God that if she lived, he would never again spank or punish
her.

Papa was a Christian and deacon for the church. He knew it was wrong to bargain with God like that, but he was distraught and fearful Lil would die. We all suspected that Lil was his favorite child.
It so happened that Lil was waking up about this time and heard what Papa
was saying. Right then, Lil knew she had the hammer over Papa.
Turning over in the bed, she reached out her arms and said "Papa". He gathered her in his arms and sent up prayers of thanks heavenward. From that day on, Lil could have done murder and gotten away with it.

When she was in trouble, she would go sit on Papa's lap and tell him she had been a bad girl and needed him to pray for her. He would hold her close and
render up prayers for her salvation. Not only did she get out of a spanking,
but Papa wouldn't let Momma punish her, telling Momma Lil had repented
her sins. When the rest of us kids did wrong, we got Lil to take the
blame and we would do her chores or give her something. We all knew there was a special bond between Papa and Lil.

Fifteen years later when Papa lay dying with cancer, Lil felt she should confess to him what she had done over the years. She sat by his side every spare moment she had, holding his hand or soothing his brow.

Carrying tea or water for him, and agonizing over what she had done.
Finally she gathered her courage and made a full confession with tears running down her cheeks and fear in heart that Papa wouldn't forgive her. "Child, You should ask God's forgiveness, not mine. I forgave you long ago. For many years, I knew you were hoodwinking me.
No one could have done as many bad things as you confessed to doing. You
wouldn't have had time for anything else." he told her.

Clara Wersterfer

CBWEST@webtv.net