Fish Hook - Ouch

When I was in first grade I had a friend names Junko. She lived rite across from the elementary school and we would hang out after school. We both liked playing at Thurston Pond and riding bikes. 

One day after school, we were riding bikes along the trail by the pond. There were a couple of older boys fishing and as we were riding by one of them cast his line and hooked Junko in the ankle. She fell off her bike and landed on the ground crying. I got of my bike and went to go help as did the other two boys. When we looked at the hook, it was buried deep in her ankle. Since the hook had barbs on it, there was no way to remove it. We tried to administer what little aid elementary school kids could, but eventually we had to go get help. 

When I was a child going to school, there was a program called the helping hand. People could volunteer to be a helping hand in the neighborhood and they would get a sign to put in their window that had a big blue hand on it. In school we were told that if we ever needed help or felt threatened, we could go to any house that has the blue hand, and someone would help us. There were several of these in the neighborhood, and fortunately there was one at the house right next to the school by the pond. 

I got on my bike and rode over to the house with the blue hand and told the woman that answered the door about the situation with my friend. She called to her husband who came out of the house and walked over to where Junko was laying. We ended up cutting the fishing line from the hook, and when the man found out where Junko lived, he carried her home to her parents. She only lived a few blocks away. I guess I could have gone and got them, but I figured the house with the helping hand was closer. 

Junkos parents took her to the doctors and they had to cut the hook out. I don't remember if she had to have stitches or not, but I think she did. I remember her ankle being pretty heavily bandaged. I don't go fishing very often, but any time I do, I think of this event.

Junko moved away after first grade and I never saw her again. One of the problems with growing up in a university town is that the neighborhoods can be very transient. A lot of the kids I went to school with had parents who were students, so once they graduated, the family would move away.