The Three Legged Lady Scares the Two Legged Boy

It was some years ago I had the pleasure of going on a trip to a local Monday Night Live (not as a youth minister) and getting to experience something that has brought me much laughter upon each thought of it. His name is Brooks White.

A lot of you reading this probably know who Brooks is, especially if your name is Brooks. Anyway, for those of you with no knowledge of this person, let me tell you a little about him. Brooks, who at the time was probably in about the 8th/9th grade(?) is one of those rare people God has blessed with great strength. I don't mean mental strength, although he does have that too, but I am talking physical strength. The kid is/was as strong as an ox, all 5'7 of him. At the time I don't even think he had begun to lift weights yet. He was the one you could call on to help you move that piece of furniture that you and three other people couldn't even slide across the floor. So you would think someone with that kind of physical strength wouldn't have much to be afraid of. Well, let me just tell you this story.

Like I said, I was on the van with the youth group and John Gordon, who was the youth minister at the time, and Leslie was with me, as we were dating at the time. While we were making a gas stop I managed to cause Leslie to spill a 1 liter Pepsi on her jeans, so she, of course, didn't want to go to the MNL with Pepsi on her pants so we asked if John could take us back so she could change and we could meet them at the MNL, which was in Steens, MS.

So Leslie and I stayed behind a little and then drove to Steens to meet the rest of the group there. Well, after the MNL many of the youth wanted to go see the "Three Legged Lady". Who is she? you may have asked. In rural Lowndes county there sits an old abandoned country church. The story is told that if you approach the church, knock on the door, walk around it three times, and approach the well next to the building, the "Three Legged Lady" would appear and chase you off of the grounds. Sounds fun right?

So we, the youth group, Justin Baird, John in the van, and Leslie and me in her car, approached the church and pulled into the small parking lot in front of the church. It is important to know that separating the parking lot from the building was a sort of fence made up of short wooden stumps, about 2 feet tall, with thick metal wiring running from stump to stump.

So mixed with emotions of fear and excitement we all walked up as a group to knock on the door. While, I don't remember everyone that came that night, I do remember that Brooks was the oldest youth, and that his younger brothers, Kyle and Seth, who were probably in about the 5th and 2nd(?) grade respectively were among them.

So John knocked on the door and we began to make our way around the church. In near tears was Leslie, who is not fond of scary situations. She was about to bruise my arm, she was holding it so tight. She became so scared that she insisted that we go back to the car, and the she would not go any further. So I obliged and we walked back to her car. John suggested that we pull her car around and shine the light on them as they approached the well. We got in the car, pulled it around, turned the lights on, and Justin made another suggestion that when the group reached the well that we turn the lights off. We thought that would be funny so we agreed. As the group approached the well, which was a good 50 yards away, I told Leslie that when I turned the lights off to honk the horn, we snickered about it and were ready.

So they walked up to the well and I yell "Now!" Leslie honked the horn and for a split, I do mean a split second I turned the lights off and on again. What happened next left us in tears for a solid hour. Brooks, who can apparently run the 50 yard dash in 1.3 seconds was running full speed looking over his shoulder, and heading straight for the car. All of the sudden, forgetting about the short fence in front of the church, Brooks trips over it going 50 m.p.h. leaving Leslie and I to see a huge cloud of dust cover the whole car. There was silence...and then when he got up off of the ground letting us know he was o.k., there was a huge burst of laughter from all of us.

It all happened so fast, yet in slow motion, because I remember watching Kyle and Seth and the rest of them, who are much weaker than Brooks, just stand there and watch him, almost confused as to what he was doing, While this big strong kid is running for his life.

It's ironic, because, while he was running like an out of control freight train, from the Three Legged Lady, it was the fence that got him. Go figure?