Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Fight or Flee

Which are you?

I just read that, when faced with something dire, a person will fight.
Or a person will fly.
Sometimes, we don't know which one we are until the climactic moment.
Allow me to illustrate.
My bedroom was across and down the hall from the bathroom.
And I wasn't an 'early-to-bedder'.
These two facts will become relevant . . .
I had been reading.
Something I did every night.
For a very long time.
I finally decided it was time to get ready for bed.
Which included brushing and scrubbing.
And all things hygienic.
I should point out that all other members of my household had long been asleep.
Or so I thought.
I finished my evening ablutions. (Oooh! Good word!)
And, clutching my toiletries bag, headed for my bedroom.
Now the words 'across and down the hall' may sound like a long distance.
It wasn't.
But it was enough.
And it was dark.
I darted toward my door.
And was just reaching for the doorknob when a voice came out of the darkness.
“What are you doing!”
Okay, it was the voice of my father, so it shouldn't have given me the fright it did.
But the fact remains – I was frightened.
And then, the ultimate response.
Fight?
Or fly.
Let me describe:
Pitch dark hall.
Household asleep.
Girl with large imagination and small intellect dashing across the hall.
Quickly, so as to avoid things that might come out of the darkness and 'get her'.
Voice rumbles out of said darkness.
What does girl do?
Fight?
Fly?
No. 
Girl crumples to the floor.
I am not making this up.
My legs folded up and I fell to the floor.
When faced with a crisis, or so I thought, I curled up.
Like a little spider.
But with less legs.
So, which are you?
Fight?
Or fly?
When you decide, let me know.
I will be the shivering little puddle of goo.
Curled up on the floor.
Sigh.

16 comments:

  1. I've gotten a few error messages.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a pain! I hope it's fixed now. I only had a few minutes a day to post something and then the site wouldn't work! Take a deep breath, Diane. It's all about learning patience . . . Sigh.

      Delete
  2. It's poetry! (title + label)

    I'm not sure what I'd do. I don't think I'd fight, flee, OR faint. When startled, I do tend to just stand there and scream. But if it was something more serious (like a disembodied voice of a dad), I'm really not sure ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You caught it, Jenny! :) Screaming is good, too . . .

      Delete
  3. A very cute story; and I think I would have ran for sure. I am not the fight kind.
    Blessings for the smile~

    ReplyDelete
  4. "small intellect"?? you do yourself a great disservice Diane, there is nothing small about your intellect!
    I'd probably be on the floor whimpering or trying to be invisible pressed against the wall while I edged towards and inside my door. I might have jumped and screamed first though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You've made my day, River!
      Jumping and screaming works. It's certainly effective!

      Delete
  5. That's a tough scenario. I'd freeze.

    ReplyDelete
  6. When I get scared I freeze and breathe in (rather than screaming out). It makes my husband laugh every time - and I get startled a lot :).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Suck in that breath! Maybe follow it with a right hook the next time he laughs! :)

      Delete
  7. I seem to be jumpy ALOT but my SIL loves to sneak up on us when we are least expecting it. Like sticking his face in my storm door with a scary mask right as my husband and I are watching an episode of AMERICA'S MOST WANTED. My husband almost decked him...me...let's just say a change of clothing was necessary!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gaahh! It would have been laundry day for me as well. After I picked myself up off the floor . . .

      Delete
  8. flee - unless my children were threatened, in which case I think I would turn into a bear!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Obviously, you're a person who keeps her wits. Good thing to know! :)

      Delete

Thank you for visiting! Drop by again!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!
My FIRST murder mystery!

Blessed by a Curse

Blessed by a Curse
My very first Medieval Romance!

God's Tree

God's Tree
For the Children

Third in the series

Third in the series
Deborah. Fugitive of Faith

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael
A House Divided is now available at all fine bookstores and on Amazon.com and .ca!

Daughter of Ishmael

Daughter of Ishmael
Now available at Amazon.com and .ca and Chapters.ca and other fine bookstores.

Romance still wins!

Romance still wins!
First romance in a decade!

Hosts: Your Room's Ready

Hosts: Your Room's Ready
A fun romp through the world's most haunted hotel!

Hugs, Delivered.

Compass Book Ratings

Compass Book Ratings

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!
New Tween Novel!

Gnome for Christmas

Gnome for Christmas
The newest in my Christmas Series

SnowMan

SnowMan
A heart warming story of love and sacrifice.

Translate

My novel, Carving Angels

My novel, Carving Angels
Read it! You know you want to!

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic
What could be better than a second Christmas story?!

Join me on Maven

Connect with me on Maven

Essence

Essence
A scientist and his son struggle to keep their earth-shattering discovery out of the wrong hands.

Essence: A Second Dose

Essence: A Second Dose
Captured and imprisoned, a scientist and his son use their amazing discovery to foil evil plans.

Looking for a Great Read?

E-Books by Diane Stringam Tolley
Available from Smashwords.com

The Babysitter

The Babysitter
A baby-kidnapping ring has its eye on J'Aime and her tiny niece.

Melissa

Melissa
Haunted by her past, Melissa must carve a future. Without Cain.

Devon

Devon
Following tragedy, Devon retreats to the solitude of the prairie. Until a girl is dropped in his lap.

Pearl, Why You Little...

Pearl, Why You Little...
Everyone should spend a little time with Pearl!

The Marketing Mentress

The Marketing Mentress
Building solid relationships with podcast and LinkedIn marketing

Coffee Row

Coffee Row
My Big Brother's Stories

Better Blogger Network

Semper Fidelis

Semper Fidelis
I've been given an award!!!

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award
My good friend and Amazing Blogger, Marcia of Menopausal Mother awarded me . . .

Irresistibly Sweet Award

Irresistibly Sweet Award
Delores, my good friend from The Feathered Nest, has nominated me!

Sunshine Award!!!

Sunshine Award!!!
My good friend Red from Oz has nominated me!!!

My very own Humorous Blogger Award From Delores at The Feathered Nest!

Be Courageous!


Grab and Add!

Search This Blog

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?