Doodle's Scarlet Ibis

Scarlet Ibis: Doodle’s view.

I was born when my older brother was six years old. I was born all head with a tiny little body. Everyone thought I was going to die. Except my aunt Nicey who delivered me. She told my family that I would live because I was a “caul” baby. When I was three months old my parents finally named me! William Armstrong is what my new name was! I was happy even though I was very young and wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but still I was happy. My brother would sometimes come into my room to watch me. I smiled at him, but he ran away yelling at Mama. I remember when I was two my brother laid me on my stomach and I tried so hard to move to impress my older brother. I looked up to him so much I always wanted to make him proud. I soon learned to crawl. For the first time I felt like a part of the family. One day while I was crawling around and starting to talk my brother decided to rename me. Doodle. Mama and Daddy even called me Doodle. I guess nobody expects much from someone called Doodle. I was kind of sad, but at least I was named after my brother. My Daddy built me this go-cart which let me go places instead of just being an idle. My brother sometimes would try to sneak out of the house without me, but I didn’t want to be alone. So I would scream and shout and cry for him. My brother’s all I had without him I don’t know what I would do. Mama would yell at brother and tell him to take me with him. He reluctantly did although he called me a burden and did the complete opposite of what the doctor told him to do I still loved him. He would run me around in my go-cart and my large hat that Mama made me wear covered my face a lot. My brother had started going to a place where I hadn’t seen before. He called it Old Woman Swamp. He grabbed me by my arms and put me on the sticky rubber grass beside a tall pine. I looked around big eyed. This place was beautiful I had never seen something so beautiful I started to cry in wondrous joy. My brother yelled at me annoyed “For heaven’s sake! What’s the matter!?”

“It’s so pretty,” I replied. “So pretty, pretty, pretty!” My brother and I made it habitual to go down to Old Woman Swamp and gather pretty flowers to make into necklaces and crowns and other pretty things we could decorate ourselves with.

Sometimes my brother is really cruel and mean. One day he took me took our barns loft and showed me this strange mahogany box.

“We thought you were going to die,” Brother told me.

“Why? I’m okay though,” I replied sadness covered my voice.

“Because you weren’t all there, that’s what Mama said at least,”

“But…but I am all here!” I stammered.

“I was going to kill you with a pillow because, I wanted a better brother,” he said scowling. I couldn’t believe it. My family really didn’t want me? I was just a burden that they didn’t want to bare?

“It’s your coffin,” said brother

“It’s not mine,” I said sternly.

“It is, and before I’ll help you down the loft, you’re going to have to touch it,” my Brother said seriously.

“I won’t touch it,” I said sullenly. My brother gave me a mean look.

“Then I’ll leave you here by yourself,” he said walking away. I had to touch it my brother was leaving me here. Leavening me here to die as if I deserved the coffin I was terrified. I screamed for my brother as I leaned carefully toward my fate. I had to touch it. I had to touch it! My hand trembled as I touched it. An owl frightened me. I froze unable to move. My brother grabbed me and kept crying out for my Brother.