My dad had an old army truck. He took the sides off when he was taking the D2 Caterpillar tractor to the other farm.
The barn is a good 2 city blocks from the house, so sound didn't carry very well.
I, as usual, was climbing and the truck looked like a good bet...who knows why, I was a kid.
I had on shorts and a top and bare feet...always bare feet.
It was a hot summer's day and I was sweaty, so when I heard mom calling me to come clean up and go to town, I jumped off the truck bed.
But, I didn't land on the cement floor as I intended.
Instead my shorts got caught on one of the metal rectangles (?) that hold the sides safely in place.
I took my mad leap and ended swinging upside down and back and forth like a bedsheet in a strong wind.
I began to flail my arms thinking I was close enough to the ground that I could get purchase and by throwing my weight downward I would land on my hands and knees.
Not such bloody luck!
I was 1 inch from the cement floor. I bloody inch. Using my weight I swung one way then the other. When the toes touched the fingers didn't and vice versa.
I was becoming frantic. I began yelling, help! help me! This went on for days...well minutes but it felt like days. Me yelling and flailing and swinging back and forth under the damn truck. ,
Finally, after what seemed like a year.....my sister came to the big door and looked at me. I pulled my head up and saw to my horror that she was laughing. Laughing so hard that she was doubled over. I yelled at her to help me and she just kept laughing. Finally she ran halfway to the house and called my mother to come, quickly. There I thought, hearing her in the distance, mom will get me down.
I lay still for a while, blood running to my head and beginning to go numb in my legs.
Eventually my mother arrived and standing next to my sister, both still in the doorway, I looked up to see them both laughing their heads off.
I don't know what I said, probably 'kiddy swear' and then.......I told mom if she didn't get me off the truck I would tear my shorts if I had to.
They were still laughing as I, blind with anger threw my body weight as hard as I could until I heard the telltale sound of my shorts give way.
I landed as I expected, in the dirt and on my hands and knees.
I got up dirty, sweaty and tear stained, pulled all of my shredded dignity around me and stalked past them with my head high....probably 'kiddy swearing'.
They stopped as I passed them, then as I moved toward the house, I heard them........................still bloody laughing.
Many years later I saw in my vivid imagination, what I must have looked like and then................I too laughed!