Sep 2, 2012

What I Did Last Summer: Fact or Fiction bloghop



(If you're here for #GUTGAA, scroll down or click here.)

Welcome to this fact-or-fiction bloghop, hosted by the lovely Emily King and me! To recap: the point of this hop is to read two stories posted by each participant and decide which one is true, and which one is false.

The stories must be under 500 words and about something that happened one summer - it doesn't have to be this summer. I've put my first one below (the second one goes up Wed.)...and even though Emily and I aren't participating for prizes (which are posted here for the fiction winner, and here for the fact winner), it'll be fun to see who(m) I fooled!

So vote "fact" or "fiction" in the comments for my story, then hop around the others' blogs and vote for real. I can't wait to see what the rest of you have come up with. *evil cackle* Since most of us write fiction, I'm hoping to spot some whoppers! not the candy kind...although I do take bribes...

The buffalo-chip blooper
 
When I was growing up, my family spent summers at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota because my dad was a park ranger. Each year, the ranger families put together a festival that featured all kinds of silly games, costumes (I went as a mosquito one year), scavenger hunts and - this being park-ranger-land - a huge campfire at night where we all roasted s'mores and sang songs like "Ghost Riders in the Sky."
A buffalo chip, prior to throwing
        The most favorite of all silly games was a buffalo chip throwing contest. For weeks, rangers would collect the huge patties of buffalo poop and set them out to dry. They turned into these flat, Frisbee-like wedges of dung that were surprisingly light. Then we'd all fling them across a field to see who could throw the farthest.
 
My job the year I was nine was to measure. So after the poop landed, I'd take the end of a tape measurer and call the number to the score keeper. Only one time, I didn't move far enough out of the way and a contestant threw his chip right at my head. I was, of course, dancing around in my mosquito costume completely oblivious to the buffalo sh** coming at me...until it hit me smack in the face. And the chip wasn't completely dried. It had a liquified center - a bit like a jelly donut - that smashed right into my nose. Also, my mouth was open.
 
So....fact or fiction??  Tell me your vote in the comments...then go forth to the others on the linky and do likewise.  
 






16 comments:

ilima said...

Ew ew ew. I'm hoping it's false but I'm not casting my vote yet. I'll wait to read Wednesday's post first. :)

Tara Tyler said...

blech! i'm waiting too. yuck!

Kimberly Gabriel said...

I'm also waiting, but I really want this one to be true...I can't stop laughing...partly because you were dressed as a mosquito. Love it!

Emily R. King said...

Icky! I'm thinking fiction, but I'll hold off on my opinion until Wednesday.

Tyrean Martinson said...

ewww! Unfortunately believable . . but I'll hold out on voting until after Wednesday.

Aidyl Ewoh said...

Yikes! I’m not sure… Kind of strikes me as being true, but I’ll vote on Wen. =)
~Aidyl

Shell Flower said...

Eww, and hilarious. The mosquito part really makes it. Great story either way, but I'm going to go with False on this one, if only because the buffalo chip part is too gross. LOL.

Suzi said...

Ohh. Wind Cave, we were just there this summer. That was sooo cool. I won't enter my official guess, but initially I think the story could be true. Except for the very ending. We'll see after Wednesday. :)

Unknown said...

Eeeww, but my guess is fiction.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Fiction, I hope.

Melissa Sugar said...

I think I will follow suit. It is icky and I can't tell whether it is fact or fiction. I will reserve voting until I read your next one on Wednesday. Thanks for hosting this.

Angela Cothran said...

It is so gross it might be true :)

Carrie Butler said...

Please, please tell me it's fiction! *Gag*

Fun story, though. :)

Suzi said...

My guess: fiction.

I believe the buffalo chip throwing part. But the liquified like jelly poop-ewww. I'm gonna say that part isn't true.

If I'm wrong... I'm totally sorry for what happened. That is truly traumatic and disgusting. :)

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

I'm going to say FALSE. But YUCK! I seriously hope this didn't happen to you. I believe the buffalo chip chucking bit, but not the semi-dried one hitting you in the face. Blagggh!

Robin said...

Growing up we'd have these contests when we visited my grandparent's farm, but with cow patties, so I'm going to say true.