Attic Discovery

ATTIC DISCOVERY

Once again, we’re in Ansonville, North Carolina. At the fable house that belong to Big Mama aka Flora Cox VonCannon.  She rented the front part out to Pa Porter and Grandma Porter aka George Allen and Elizabeth Porter also under the guise as Hawk. Not to be confused with the superheroes.

There was this mysterious staircase in the guest bedroom that went up to the attic.

The attic was a refuge, a hiding place even in the summer when it was like 1000°, I would go up into the attic as there was a single iron post bed, a cedar chest, and numerous odds and ends, etc.

I ended up inheriting the Hope chest, which I still own today. It is made entirely of cedar. It was handmade and it was Big Mama’s that she brought when she married Granddad VonCannon aka Graham Ellis VonCannon which made my daddy a junior. My dad went by his initials G.E. Not to be confused with the appliances of that name.

Pay close attention. This can get confusing with all these people in this tale.

I would go up in the attic, and I would lay on the bed and daydream out the window and read books.  I have no idea what my baby brother was doing or did I care? Remember, I tried to lose him in the woods and it didn’t work.

As I was up there one day, I decided to start looking around as I do have a bit of curiosity to me. I would look at all the stuff up there.  There was some World War I helmet and some World War II helmets that I tried on.  Because we all know I have this thing for hats. I don’t wear them. I just like to have them. I know it’s really weird.

I do not know why there was a World War II helmet up there as it must’ve belonged to somebody on my mama’s side of the family, one of the Porters.

My father, who was the baby of the family and his brother Uncle Doc aka James Shellum VonCannon were in the Navy during World War II.

Now I have no idea why they call Uncle Doc, Doc. It was one of those mysterious things that nobody seemed to know as it was a mysterious nickname Hawk Porter that Grandpa and Grandma Porter call each other.

But there in my Aladdin’s cave, I found in an oval picture that was just lying there.  It was covered in dust, so I went downstairs and got me a glass of sweet iced tea, which is a national drink of the south I might add and a rag to wipe off my newly found picture.

The picture was of a young man, very serious looking, which I will attach to this musing of mine. I had no idea who this was. This mystery man who suddenly appeared in my attic. I put the picture over on my bed and sat there and looked at it. I talked to the picture, but no psychic images appeared or information from the cosmos to tell me about this mysterious man.

After two days of my newly formed relationship with my mysterious man, I pulled up my courage to ask Big Mama who this was in her attic.  She was quiet for a while as she crocheted. She tapped her finger on the piece of cloth and looked at me.

I knew it once I was about to have imparted on me, sage wisdom of the ages.
I took a deep breath and waited. I was assured the heavens would suddenly burst open, and I would hear angel singing, but it was very anti-climactic when she just spoke to me and told me who this was.

This young man was Emmitt Orval Yowl of Randolph County North Carolina. This was the area that my grandparents were from, the VonCannons and Coxs.

In fact, there’s a mountain there in Randolph County that VonCannon owned.  Which mama and daddy would periodically stop at about every other year to visit people I’ve never seen or heard of in my life and who I did not know.

It seems that Emmett was engaged to big mama, and he died before they got married.

Big mama told me he died of typhoid. Which would put it in the correct time period. As they had a typhoid epidemic going on.

Now on Eastel, my daddy ‘s oldest sister told me later when I was talking to her about the picture that he died in a carriage accident. I am going to go with the typhoid scenario.

Here is where it gets really strange.

I did not question Big Mama as I was too young but now that I think about, I wish I had.

Her first-born son, the oldest of the VonCannon children Uncle Orval has as his first name the middle name of the band in the picture.

Aunt Eastel also told me that as long as granddaddy VonCannon was alive. The picture hung in the living room of the house.

When granddaddy VonCannon passed away it was then moved to the attic. This is very perplexing.

Sidenote, in the south people never die they pass. I’m not sure why they pass. I’m not sure what lane you’re supposed to be in, but they pass.

So here it is years later and I’ve been thinking was Big Mama pregnant?  Did granddaddy VonCannon marry her because she was pregnant? Or did she love him so much, she never got over him and granddaddy VonCannon allowed his first born to be named after him?

Why was he hanging in the living room until granddaddy VonCannon passed away and then removed?

If Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson was alive, I would have to call him and Dr. Watson to come and solve this mysterious case.

A whole year passed, and I kept thinking about my man in the attic as you see he was now my man.

I gathered up enough courage and asked big mama if I could have the picture of Emmett. She said yes, I could have it.

So Emmett rode back to Virginia in the car with the rest of us. Daddy hung him on my bedroom wall.

To this day, Mr. Emmett has hung either in my bedroom or the living room of everywhere I have lived.  I guess I’m carrying on the traditions of Big Mama. I hope one of my grandchildren will take it up when I pass.

So here I introduce you to the renowned Emmett Orval Yowl of Randolph County North Carolina.