Some years ago... ok like 31 years ago, I lived in a very small town? Ok, maybe village? I digress, we lived beside a graveyard (spooky huh?). You see I have five older brothers, two of which were in visiting. My family has always been teasers and practical jokers. At the time I had a few hamsters and really was like any other kid when it came to pets. Well one of my brothers started, at the breakfast table, talking about snipes. I asked like any inquisitive kid, "whats a snipe?" I was told that it was a small fury animal like a hamster that only came out at night and was vary hard to catch. I immediately decided I wanted to one. See we were also competitive and I asked if they had caught one before and not wanting to be out done I was determined to catch one!
"How does one catch a snipe," I asked. First you need to see if your allowed to have one. I immediately ran to my Dad and Mom and asked. I was given permission. I went back to my brother and inquired about the rest of the process. He said, " You need to get a large brown paper bag and color the inside of it black. Then when it gets dark we will tell you the rest." After collecting all the black crayons I had (including the broken ones), I began my day long task of coloring the inside of the large brown paper bag. Now at this point realize this is not the sandwich bags most have now, it was what they packed groceries in back in the day. I accomplished my task and the bag was black on the inside.
Night fell, I was amped and ready to go. My brother said ok its time. He took me to the darkest corner of the graveyard (remember we lived beside a cemetery). At this point he said, "Ok, put your bag on the ground and sit quietly and the snipes run along the ground and run into the bag. When it does close the bag up quickly!" After his final instruction he left me in the dark graveyard. I was maybe 5 at the time. He went back to the house and was waiting patiently for me to come running scared. His whole enjoyment was not going to be from coloring the inside of that stupid bag, but the fear and tears he just knew would come from me being alone in that graveyard.
Well after an hour, he came out and made me go inside. I was not happy at this point! I had not caught the snipe and now he was making me go inside. He got his tears, but it was because I didn't have a snipe!
