Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller
CHAPTER 17 FROM WHERE I COME FROM: Excerpt from “A Falling-Out.”
Sadly, the turmoil of the recent election has caused me to see families and friendships break apart. This story from our new book, Where I Come From, may help you take that first step to reconciliation.
It’s one of my favorite stories. I’m prone to list all of my stories as “one of my favorites.” but I wouldn’t put a short story in a book that might become your favorite,
I was told this story years ago. It’s still one of my favorites.
Two brothers were excellent carpenters and built houses together throughout the hill country near Fredericksburg, Texas.
One day, they had a falling out, which resulted in them refusing to speak to each other.
Despite that, they continued building houses together. They knew each other’s work from years of building side by side; they could do it without speaking to each other. They talked around each other and, as needed, “sent messages” through co-workers.
They continued building houses together for nearly a decade without speaking a word. And it was all because of that falling-out ten years before. No one knew what their falling-out was over despite the long shelf life of the grudge,
Then, one day, out of the blue, one of the brothers laid down a two-by-four, “You know what I haven’t seen in a long time? A chicken snake.”
Moments passed as the second brother stood in thought, hammer at his side,
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen one either.”
That broke the ice, and the dam burst. The brothers enjoyed each other’s company and built many more houses together for the rest of their lives.
I guess you could say they buried the hatchet (or the hammer).
A falling-out was repaired.
Someone has to make the first, even if it means talking about chickensnakes.
