Monday 14 July 2014

family history

"When I was about six I was playing with the children who lived in the house opposite. It was late afternoon and I can remember that there was a very beautiful golden light. Suddenly we saw one of the Betts boys running towards us, shouting and waving his arms. He was rather simple, he was twenty six and he hadn't been called up because he wasn't quite right. Anyway, he had been sleeping under a haystack and when he woke up he saw this great column of rats coming towards him. He was quite terrified. My dear, there were hundreds of rats, thousands of rats, all led by a King rat. They were moving to a new territory and eating everything in their way. We watched and then they turned off into a field and we didn't see them anymore. I know that you don't believe me but it's quite true."

Granny's memories of early childhood in rural Lincolnshire.

4 comments:

  1. I always thought it was the tale of Tommy Tucker and the rats ...

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  2. Sounds just like a tale, is what I thought!

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  3. I love these snippets of old memories. I have some jotted down as well, stories that shouldn't be lost. Wonderful.

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  4. Delightful shudder! Yes it sounds like a fairy tale but then perhaps fairy tales are rooted in our folk memory.
    Shauna. x

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