We, the Coronado Scribes, consist of both professional and amateur writers. We have in common a desire to learn, by sharing our efforts and listening to other writers. We hold pressure-less sessions every Wednesday, at the Coronado Library conference room, starting at 1:30. Often we have guests who wish to just listen. They are welcome, and so are you.
Each week on eCoronado, we feature a different piece of prose or poetry produced by one of our writers. Please feel free to comment or ask questions in the comment section below.
Hell weekend. Part 2
The trip took several hours. All of us then hustled up to the second tier haymow. Just below us, you heard the sound of pigs and cattle. The format of the evening was quite simple, a routine I had grown accustomed to over the weeks of pledging. Throughout the night, our harassment symphony consisted of the following: group ridicule, verbal abuse, humiliation, subservience, embarrassment, social isolation, screaming, sleep deprivation, nonsense memorization drills but no physical threats nothing extreme. In addition, calisthenics, pushups, rope climbing were also part of our evening challenges. For our dining pleasure, we ate earthworms, snails, fish, ants, and giant mosquitoes, referred to as Illinois Gallinippers. Throughout the evening, the brothers threatened expulsion if they could detach your ball and chain.
As a Psychology major, we learned about the Stockholm syndrome where the captured bond and identify with their captors. That phenomenon could explain much of the nonsense going on around me. Here is an example: Mike, the sheep walker, had the fraternity president in his face for more than several hours. He put him down hard until he stated just how much he wanted to become and Alpha Delt. The brothers’ yelling and screaming, forced Mike to the edge of the barn’s second tier. He fell backwards onto the hay located in the pen below. Unfortunately, for Mike, there was a bull in that pen. I could hear the brothers screaming to him to get out of there. With their help, he managed to escape.
As the evening continued, the brothers got drunker and the pledges became more weary and exhausted. The night faded into early morning.
Groggy brothers grouped our lifeless bodies into pairs and gave us “phone dimes.” They crowded our putrid bodies back on that same yellow bus that brought us and off we went. Northwestern regions of Illinois served as drop of regions for each pledge pair. The goal was to use that dime to call college friends who would then pick you up and drive you back to Chicago.
