I am only a little Gypsy 1 - Reincarnation, does it exist? - 23. Chapter 23. As stiff as a dead tree; catching a real pig.

Near the end of the day, the sun started sinking too low and the mountain air was becoming too chilly, so that we left our mountain lake and decided to go home. All of us felt dead tired after swimming and having very much fun, so that we just started following the river back to our waterfall, where we quickly dressed. Shivering from the afternoon cold, we hoped that our grownups had already put more logs on our glowing campfire.

Immediately after we returned into our 'cathedral' clearing and the oldest boys had counted our heads to play it safe, all out minors raced along the winding paths through the surrounding bushes and entered our camp. Fortunately, during our absence, a few nice grownups had already put some more logs onto our campfire. Feeling grateful for their much-appreciated help, we crowded around our brightly glowing fire until our shivering bodies were warm enough. Then, my minor friends took their caught animals out of our string bags, to prepare them in our small butchery.

After my shivering body had warmed up enough, I first went into our surrounding bushes, to perform my self-allotted task as our 'Chef Cook'. Quickly, I gathered several tasty herbs, washed them, dried them, and used my Mom's wooden cutting board and sharp kitchen knife to slice them into pieces. In the meantime, my friends had already cleaned their caught animals. Happily, they started to smear the cleaned carcasses with my again heavenly scenting herbs mixture, of course painstakingly controlled by me. Soon, a very nice aroma started to waft into the air, making a few watching grownups sniff approvingly while stealthily winking at their clever little Chef Cookie. Would they again ask us for a tasty chunk of our roasted animals, as they had already done several times before?

After all their animals were roasted, my minor friends first sliced the meat into many chunks. Then, all of them offered me, and a few unlucky others, a fat chunk of their roasted meat, as they always did, so that all of us had more than enough food to fill our hungry stomachs to the brim. Again, our spiced animals tasted more than delicious. After devouring them, we burped loudly, as usual, to thank their animal spirits for offering us their tasteful sustenance. Inwardly, I mused that, starting tomorrow, I wouldn't have to eat my friends' roasted animals anymore, because then I would finally be roasting my OWN caught animal! That is, IF an edible animal had ensnared itself into my cleverly hidden trap with its special sturdy knot...

At last, feeling dead tired but also absolutely wonderful, we went to our caravans to greet our parents and wash the smear off our faces. As usual, immediately when I stepped inside our caravan, my tidy Mom took me into our kitchen and started to clean my face and hands with lots of soap. However, this time, I just let her do as she liked, without making too much of a fuss as I normally always did. Today, I just felt too tired and too sleepy to withstand her.

After my Mom was ready, she kissed my wrinkling nose before I left her kitchen and entered our living room. In there, I crawled onto my Dad's safe lap, kissed his prickly cheek, and tried to melt away into his enveloping arms and powerful aura. For a few minutes, I sat still while enjoying our close togetherness very much. Then, I started to yawn too much, and therefore hopped off my Dad's lap to let my Mom put me to bed. Of course, I was again sleeping without a diaper, which felt much cozier and also quite a lot freer. Feeling dead tired from scouring our surrounding woods and swimming in our mountain lake, I closed my eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, I suddenly woke up because the already bright sunlight tickled my eyelids and made me sneeze. Immediately feeling bright and shining, as usual, I wanted to jump out of bed and quickly don my clothes. Only, very much to my dismay, my too strained body muscles had become extremely stiff and painful during the night, so that I started to grunt aloud from their unexpected aching. Clearly, my only four-year-old and also still a tad too small body wasn't used yet to paving my path through our surrounding woods, climbing along our ravine, and learning how to swim in our mountain lake.

Whilst gritting my teeth, I carefully slid out of my bed, hobbled towards my parents' bedroom, and cautiously crawled onto my Dad's broad stomach, to be held and comforted. Still grunting under my breath from the unexpected pain, I complained:

"Dad? All the muscles in my body are aching terribly, while my arms and legs are feeling as stiff as a dead tree..."

Whilst waking up slowly, my Dad squinted at seeing the already bright morning sunlight peeking through a small crack in our curtains. Then, he started to laugh at seeing my sour face and hearing my softly grunting complaints. Teasingly, he first tickled my also painful belly button, before he chuckled:

"I think that, after strolling through our woods and playing in our mountain lake for the first time, you've caught 'baby stiffness'."

Baby stiffness? What the heck was that? Never heard of... Besides, I also didn't like my Dad calling me a 'baby'. Couldn't he show some more respect to my painful misery? Angrily, I sat upright and started to punch his broad stomach. Ultimately, I was no longer a little baby but already a 'Real Big Boy', and I had already folded my first snare and set up my first own trap in our surrounding woods...

Immediately when I thought of my first trap, I nearly couldn't wait anymore to take a look at it! Suddenly being in a tremendous hurry, I wrestled free from my Dad's arms and raced to our kitchen, to eat my Mom's 'healthy breakfast' before I went outside. What if I had NOT caught an edible animal, and my first snare was still empty? Or, what if I had caught a rat, and all my minor friends would laugh at my misfortune and call me a 'ratter'? Oh no... Please, let it be at least a small marmot, or maybe nothing at all, but NOT a rat...

In our kitchen, my Mom had already started preparing her usual 'healthy breakfast'. Quickly, I started to help her, of course by again using my tasty herbs. Now that I had been moving around, my initial 'baby stiffness' was already disappearing magically, so that my body restarted feeling enthusiastic and full of energy again. Soon, my Mom and I were ready, and my still sleepy looking Dad joined us in our living room. Hurriedly, I first wolfed my healthy breakfast down in a tremendous hurry, and then I nearly choked while gulping down a glass of 'healthy' diluted powder milk. Fortunately, my understanding looking Dad allowed me to leave our table early, by telling me to go join my new friends and have fun.

Hurriedly, I trotted outside, in my tremendous hurry again forgetting to say goodbye and to close our front door. Come on, lazy slackers, where are you? Let's GO! Teasingly slowly, our yawning group of minors gathered around our campfire, where we had to wait patiently until even our laziest slackers would be ready to leave their caravans. Impatiently, I joined them and started waiting until everybody would be present, so that I could take a quick look at my first own trap. Would it be still empty?

Finally, all our minors had arrived, so that I stepped next to my older friend Misha, while the oldest minors were already disappearing into one of the winding paths that brought us towards our surrounding woods. For the second time in my young life, I entered our enormous 'cathedral clearing' with its majestic trees and impressive umbrella of entwined branches over our heads. Only, very much to my surprise, this time, I didn't feel anymore like the smallest and most vulnerable 'little runt' in my own group of much older minors. This time, the sound-dampening carpet of moss and fallen leaves under my feet felt really nice; and everything else around me felt as if our enormous forest cathedral was already welcoming me! Could I already have matured this much, in only one day? Wow!

After the oldest minors had counted our heads, just like yesterday, my friend Misha tried to take my hand. However, this time, I decided to refuse politely. Perhaps, I would need Misha's helping hand whilst crossing some extremely steep ravine full of nasty hidden cracks, but not now! Misha looked a little bit dejected and seemed to pout, but I just turned around and walked across the cathedral clearing towards its other side. None of the other minors around me needed such a reassuring hand, so why should I? Already feeling full of anticipation, I entered the winding path towards our first ravine and just started to lead the way, on my way beckoning the others to follow me.

Obediently, all the others started to follow their over-enthusiastic little 'leader' towards our first ravine, whilst secretly nudging each other and chuckling at seeing my obvious eagerness. Without any problems, just like yesterday, all of us climbed along our first ravine with its slippery and wobbly mossy boulders. Next, all of us crossed our 'dangerous' water stream with its wildly foaming rapids. This time, my built-in little trapper friend showed up in my inside, but he didn't help me anymore and only chuckled some; probably because I was already performing most newly acquired trapper abilities by myself. Could my Beloved Ancestors and Spirit Friends have asked him to check on me? Silently, I thanked them in my mind for being there for me, always and everywhere. I also thanked my little trapper friend in my mind for his trapper lessons and any other much appreciated help. Although I didn't hear his answer but only sensed his faint chuckling in my inside, being thankful certainly felt great!

Just like yesterday, we entered our small clearing, where we waited until everybody else had joined us safely and unharmed. After our oldest minors counted our heads again, to play it safe, we just went on and again started to pave our paths through the thick undergrowth, towards our snares and hopefully our caught animals. As usual, Jock went first, into the same shrub where he had set his trap along another animal track. This time, his snare was empty, but he just shrugged it off and quickly set another trap. Next time, he would have more luck. Then, Biny went to her trap and returned immediately, triumphantly carrying another fat marmot. She put the already dead beast into one of our string bags, adeptly set her new trap along another fresh animal track, and returned to us with a happy face, so that we could go on.

One by one, all our minors went to their own traps, gathered their caught animals, and set their new traps along other animal tracks, just like yesterday. Again, most minors had caught at least some edible critter, and the few kids who hadn't caught anything at all, just shrugged it off, took their snares, and set their new traps. Of course, their luckier friends would provide them with enough fat chunks of their own roasted animals, so that nobody would be left hungry.

From a very young age, our parents were already teaching us that, among us proud Gypsies, we would always share everything with everybody else, so that our most heard device was 'live and let live'. This meant that nobody in our secluded Gypsy camp ever cared about 'owning any possessions' or 'having any personal belongings'. Among us Gypsies, even our smallest kids didn't have any real possessions, because they always shared everything with all the other kids around them, even their so-called birthday presents. That way, nobody in our Gypsy camp could ever accuse any others of 'stealing' or 'taking away any possessions'. Just live and let live.

Our parents were also teaching even their youngest children that nothing material can ever be 'owned' by you, simply because you will never be able to take anything of value towards your next incarnation. Of course, you may use some 'personal possessions' temporarily, but only until you pass away and have to leave those once 'owned' things to others... Therefore, we Gypsies never understood how those gadjo's, the 'others' that were living outside our camps, could live the way they seemed to be doing: stealing from each other, fighting for every single 'possession', always accusing and denouncing each other, and still feeling happy about their way of living. We proud Gypsies were absolutely sure that all of us would almost immediately start feeling both extremely ashamed and terribly frustrated!

In the meantime, more and more marmots and other animals were joining the steadily growing piles of beasts in our string bags, until all our kids had emptied their snares and set up new traps. Again, we had gathered more than enough edible mammals to feed everybody else. Six-year-old Jonno had caught a big frog that still jumped up and down in his snare and caused lots of laughter. Looking disappointed, Jonno let the frog escape into the bushes and clumsily set another trap along the same old and already disappearing animal trail. Again, I was sure that I would have done Jonno's job quite a lot better, but I wisely kept my mouth shut. Who knows what we would find in MY trap! Would my first trap be still empty, as no animal had put its head into my special snare with its sturdy knot? Where were those rats...

Now that all the others had emptied their snares, put their caught animals into one of the steadily filling string bags, and set new traps along other animal trails, finally, we were on our way to the last trap that was set on a small hill, it being MY trap.

Involuntarily, I started to feel a little bit nervous, while I hesitatingly followed the others from a small distance. What kind of animal would be caught in my special snare with its sturdy knot, IF I had been lucky and had caught one? Or, would my first trap be empty? Still very hesitatingly, I followed the others from more and more distance. Would they be very disappointed in me, or in my special snare with such an extremely sturdy knot?

Unexpectedly, a very loud and almost eerie sounding screech caught our ears that reverberated across the forest trees around us before it slowly faded away! Looking surprised, all our minors halted and stared at each other with questioning faces, while they involuntarily perked their ears up to listen even better... What the heck could be happening? I was sure that I had never heard such an eerie sounding screech before!

For a few more seconds, all our minors remained silent, obviously waiting until the animal had repeated its screech and they could determine what kind of an animal it was and where its unexpected screech came from. Then, all of them stormed towards MY small hill whilst cheering loudly:

"It's a PIG! We've caught a pig! We've caught a real PIG!"

Racing towards my hill and trying to be there first, all our happy looking minors gathered around MY trap. In obvious awe, they stared at an again loudly screeching animal that clearly desperately tried to get away from all those unexpectedly emerging onlookers...

Still very hesitatingly, I followed our over-enthusiastic minors at a much slower pace, because my brain just couldn't comprehend what was happening. Why were all our minors acting so extremely enthusiastic, all of a sudden? And, what was that loudly screeching sound, that my inside faintly recognized from one of my 'past lives', but that I still couldn't identify, because I was sure I had never heard such an eerie screech before, at least not during my present life? Could this strangely screeching animal really be a PIG? Even my built-in little trapper friend seemed to be enthusiastic, for the first time ever since I discovered him in my unconscious mind. Clearly, he knew already what sort of an animal this again screeching 'pig' was.

Still doubting and pondering, I finally reached my hill, where I had to wrestle through the already tightly closing circle of over-enthusiastic onlookers, while my mouth almost fell open from sudden surprise! For a few seconds, I rubbed my eyes, because I couldn't believe them. In front of my surprised looking face, my rigid snare with its sturdy knot was holding a fat, ugly, loudly screeching, and now also desperately wrestling enormous animal! The gigantic beast stared at its onlookers with watery eyes, while it in vain tried to free itself from my rigid snare with its special knot that was attached to a very sturdy tree branch. Now and then, it pulled at the more and more strangling snare around its fat neck, tried to jump up and down, and tried to bite the strangling wire around its neck, but it just couldn't free itself.

After again trying to free itself, at long last, the enormous beast seemed to give up struggling, because it suddenly stopped screeching and from now on only glared at us with its watery eyes... So, this was why our minors around me were reacting so happy and over-enthusiastic! For the first time in my young life, I was looking at a real forest pig. And, this enormous fat and ugly looking animal, at least in my eyes, was caught in MY rigid snare with its sturdy knot that was attached to a very thick tree branch that could withstand its pulling and hauling without any problems!

Suddenly, I felt truly grateful to have such a clever built-in 'little trapper friend' helping me from within my inside. Thanks to him, I had attached my strangely formed snare to such a sturdy branch, by using his rigid knot! Now that I saw this enormous and clearly also very strong forest pig in my snare, I was sure that most other traps wouldn't be able to withstand the way too strong muscles of such a huge animal. Fortunately, for me and also for our group of minors, this enormous beast had chosen MY special snare with its rigid knot to put its fat neck into it. Only, what should I do, now that I had caught such an enormous beast in my first snare?

In the meantime, everybody else had fallen silent, whilst staring open-mouthed at my enormous pig. By reading their minds, I found out that none of them ever thought that such a 'little runt' could catch such an enormous animal in his first trap!

Then, finally, my clever brainiac brain restarted to think. How would I ever be able to smash the enormous head of such a large beast against a boulder, to kill it? That was what all our minors always did when they caught an animal that was still alive. Perhaps, I could try to lift some huge boulder high into the air, and then forcefully smash it against the thick skull of my fat pig, to kill it? Of course, because this pig was caught in MY snare, it was MY responsibility to kill it and put it into a string bag! Besides, wouldn't our usual string bags be too small to put such an enormous beast into them? How else could we carry it towards our camp?

Fortunately, my older friend Misha had already turned around to face me. Looking both very happy and extremely proud, he threw his strong arms around my tiny waist and lifted me high into the air, in the process nearly crushing my ribs in his over-enthusiasm. With me in his arms, he started to dance like crazy around my caught pig, so that the fat beast had to turn around and around to follow us with its wary-looking watery eyes.

At last, Misha put me back onto my feet and told me, with a still very happy sounding voice:

"Little man, you DID it! The first time you set up your own trap, you immediately caught an enormous PIG in your special snare with its extremely rigid knot! Therefore, I am now absolutely sure that you are already a real natural trapper. This is totally unbelievable..."

Next, Misha took a very sturdy branch with a thick end from the ground and handed it to me, while he explained:

"Take this branch into both hands and try to hit your pig directly behind its ears with the thick end; but swing your branch with all the muscle force that you can bring forth, because this is an extremely strong animal with an almost unbreakable skull."

Suddenly feeling very unsure, I took Misha's heavy branch into both slightly trembling hands, and stared at it. What should I do now? Because I had never killed such a fat animal before, I probably should practice first, because I certainly didn’t want to cause my caught pig any unnecessary pain! Perhaps, I should practice on a 'dummy' pig first, before I tried to hit my squirming pig directly behind its ears?

For a few seconds, I looked around for something usable to practice on, until I saw an old and clearly rotten stump. Yes, this stump might be a good dummy, being soft and having the correct height. Feeling enthusiastic again, I started to hit the old stump with my heavy branch, whilst trying to aim its thick end directly behind a slightly darker spot that could represent the pig's fat neck and attached ears. Hastily, our surrounding minors stepped out of the way, to avoid being hit by my now wildly swinging branch; while my enormous pig restarted wriggling around whilst staring at us with suspicion in its more and more watery looking eyes.

Too soon, my arm muscles started to tremble from the unusual stress of swinging such a heavy branch that still swayed too much from left to right. However, I just went on and on, trying to steer my branch towards where I wanted to hit my old stump, directly behind the dummy pig's ears. Finally, after several more idle tries, I really succeeded in hitting the darker spot, time after time, with enough force and also reasonably accurately! Was I now ready to hit my enormous pig exactly where I wanted to hit it, directly behind its ears, and hopefully with enough force to break its fat neck and kill it immediately?

After returning to my again wriggling pig, I stopped first and looked at the spot directly behind its ears where I hoped to break its fat neck, while our surrounding minors still kept a safe distance from my branch. Patiently, I waited, until the wriggling beast had turned itself into the right position and stood still. Okay, this was now or never! After taking a very deep breath, I first strained my still trembling arm muscles to their maximum, and then swung my branch towards the fat neck of my pig, at the same time trying to apply as much force as I could bring forth. While my branch already swished through the air, I also deliberately steered even more extra force into its swaying thick end.

Very much to my delight, I was really able to hit the fat neck of my pig directly behind its ears! Unfortunately, my branch suddenly broke into two halves from the impact, with a loud cracking sound. Feeling severely shocked, I could only stare at the broken pieces... until I heard the fat body of my enormous pig fall down with a dull thud that made the mossy ground tremble under my feet! Looking up, I saw its already dying body shudder, heave a deep last sigh, and then lay perfectly still.

After waiting for a few more seconds, Misha stepped nearby and cautiously poked my fallen pig with a finger, but it was already dead. Clearly, my wildly swinging branch had broken its enormous neck in only one single blow! Now, I was even happier to have such strong muscles for an only four-year-old 'little man'. Oops, sorry... To say it more correctly, I was already four years and three months old, and, next week, I would be already four years and four months old.

For quite some time, all my older friends were only staring at my enormous pig and at me, again open-mouthed and with even more surprised faces. Clearly, none of them had ever expected their 'littlest runt' to kill such an enormous pig using only one blow behind its ears...

Then, a real pandemonium of loudly cheering voices broke loose! All my happy looking friends started to dance around my dead pig and me. Now and then, they also high-fived me, ruffled my unruly blond hair, or friendly slapped my small shoulders. Very much to their surprise, their tiniest minor ever had killed his enormous pig using only ONE blow, like an already experienced natural trapper! By reading their minds, I found out they never thought that such a small imp would be able to perform such a grownup accomplishment of killing an enormous pig, this easily and almost effortlessly.

After quite some time of cheering loudly whilst dancing wildly around my dead pig and me, at long last, our over-enthusiastic minors and I started to calm down. Then, our oldest kids decided we should carry the enormous beast home all by ourselves. First, they fabricated sort of a transporter, from a couple of sturdy branches and long twines. After they had dragged my heavy pig onto it, they tied it up and then also attached a couple of strong pulling ropes. In triumph, all of us started to drag our makeshift carrier, with my pig on it, towards our camp. Of course, because this was MY pig, I also had to lead the way, proudly pulling the longest rope and still feeling on cloud nine!

All the time, I was feeling extremely proud of myself and of my clearly unexpected accomplishment. Now and then, my too powerful feelings of pride tried to suffocate me, so that I had to force myself not to cry out too loud from sheer happiness. Today, I had absolutely PROVEN to be a valuable part of my own group of minors, because I had caught a real PIG in my first snare, although I was our 'smallest runt ever' and only four years old! Oops, sorry... Of course, I was already four years and three months old; and, within a few days from now, I would be four years and four months old.