I tried to follow my three brothers over the creek and through the "woods" to the mom-and-pop grocery store (1952). I wasn't supposed to and had obviously tried before because this time I remember my oldest brother telling me "We're not bringing you back!" We crossed the creek and got into the woods but, being a 1950s "girl" child I was in short dress and ankle socks so the sticks and brambles, underbrush was too hard to maneuver and I got scratched and behind, etc. I "mentioned" this to my brother and that I was ready to go back :-) and he refused to stop so I turned around myself and got back to the creek but someone had moved the bridge! I knew it was to my left but when I looked that direction there was nothing; I looked right just in case and the creek went on forever and ever in that direction so then I set myself to figuring out how to get across the creek. I realized I was too small to jump it and I thought of taking off my shoes and socks and wading across but was afraid a "sea monster" might get me! I came to the conclusion that there was no way to get to the other side so I sat down and started crying my heart out. My prince charming father appeared soon though having heard my crying, jumped the drainage ditch, picked me up and saved me and I lived happily every after. He says I was around 2 and apparently I couldn't find the bridge because it was around a bend. Where's Piaget when you need him to explain about corners?

Five or six years ago my T and I figured out about the "sea monster" -- my favorite book at the time (I remember) was Dr. Seuss' McElligott's Pool which is about a boy fishing in a farm pond and imagining an underground stream that goes to the sea and all the creatures along the way. One of the last pictures is of a happy looking whale which I translated into a "monster" because of my situation at the time; my mother was in the hospital, sick and dying and I'd "lost" my toilet training so my father was using enemas on me and we were having a toileting battle my aunt remembers. I knew I wasn't supposed to be on my own or take off my shoes and socks and wade through the creek/ditch, etc. and it was scary to me anyway since it wasn't clear to the bottom (so I couldn't figure out its depth) and obviously got all the muddy/messiness confused with my other problems. It was neat uncovering what it all "meant" with my T that way, gave me "back" some of myself in some way that was good and made me stronger/happier.