There’s an Urban Legend- based on an Old Wives Tale that at twenty minutes after the hour ” an inexplicable silence ” will strike a group of conversationalists.
I’ve never actually noticed this, but I years ago I think I saw something like it happening in my back yard for almost an entire summer.
My Sister and her family had just moved back to the State and we had invited them to live with us while they looked for a place and settled back into the Pacific Northwest life.
It was Summer and it was hot so her daughters, who were about 4 and 6 years old, were spending a lot of time in the backyard in their little swimming pool or they would hang around in the shade playing with their toys and my cats and dogs.
I started to notice that once a day the girls and my dogs would walk the same place along the fence line until they reached the far corner of the yard where there’s an Oak tree and once they got there they’d stop and stand.
They would each seem to be looking straight ahead in different directions and then they would walk away in different directions and get on with the rest of their day.
It was a game I thought so I was able to put it from my mind for a little while
But it was happening over and over again.
So finally one day I asked my older Niece what they were doing in the corner of the yard with the dogs and she said, ” You know. ”
I said I didn’t and then she shrugged and motioned for me to lean over. Then she says in my ear ” You know.”
From the look on her face it looked like she felt like she had made her point. I could tell it was really important to her that I get it so I smiled back and said, ” Oh, I see.”
Well that went nowhere fast, and I just let it go.Then one day I came home from work and there they were in the corner of the yard, all four of them standing still and I could clearly see that they were all looking directly At something.
” What are you girls doing there? ” I said over the fence and my youngest niece looked up at me and smiled and laughed and said, “We’re not doing anything Tia. “
She was looking over my shoulder when she said that and did I turn around to catch a look at what she saw?
Not on your life.
ANITA'S OWL CREEK BRIDGE 