I’ve always enjoyed seeing how streaming platforms categorize modern shows into established genres. We’re all familiar with “Rom-Coms” (Romance/Comedy) or “Dramedies” (Drama/Comedy). I recently chuckled when I saw a movie categorized as “Horror/Comedy.” Was the horror so poorly executed that it became funny?
That category reminded me of an event from my younger days that involved a trip to the emergency room (horror?). But even then, it was pretty funny (comedy?). I can easily imagine the movie industry placing this scene in a family-friendly comedy.
(Please note: If you are squeamish at all, you may want to skip this post.)
A neighbor boy and I, both around seven years old, were playing on my family’s backyard swing set. We swung higher and higher, the wind whipping past our ears. It was a beautiful blue-sky day, and the Texas sun was warm on our skin. He jumped off the swing while it was moving forward and landed a few feet away, quite happy with his successful attempt.
I decided to jump, too, partly because of his encouragement and his success, and partly because it looked like fun! I tucked my elbows between the chain and my body, and just at the highest point of the arc, I jumped! My landing wasn’t as elegant as his, but at least I landed on my feet and hands rather than embarrassingly flat on my face.
With this mostly successful landing, I looked up at him with joy, expecting a cheer, only to see a look of pure horror on my friend’s face. Without a word, he bolted for the gate and sprinted home.
I watched him with confusion. Then, and I don’t know why, I looked down at my hands. The fingernail from my left pinkie was missing. It wasn’t even bleeding much. I looked back at the swing to see if the nail was stuck in the chain. I even looked around the grass, but I could not find it.
About this time, my mom came around to the back and asked me why my friend ran off. I showed her my finger, and she calmly took me inside and washed my hand. That was the first time it actually hurt.
Mom decided to take me to the Air Force base emergency room. As young as I was, I still remember the smile on the airman medic’s face when he treated and then wrapped my pinkie finger in a bandage. But he did not just bandage the end of my finger, he wrapped the ENTIRE finger in gauze and tape! Here I was, my small hand with what looked and felt like a cast on just one finger! Even then, I thought it was over the top for a missing fingernail.
It is possible the medic wanted to make me feel better by making a big deal out of the bandaging. Or it could be that my fingers were so small that a regular bandage was the size of my pinkie finger. Either way, the bandage fell off after about a day and a half while I was playing outside with another neighbor. I tried to put it back on, but not until after my friend and I looked at it with the obligatory “ewww!” But the bandage never stayed in place after that.
As I think back on this, I can imagine my mother’s confusion as she watched the little neighbor boy racing home, wondering what I did to scare him away, only to find me calmly looking for my fingernail. To this day, I have no idea what the neighbor boy saw that scared him so much that he took off running.
Still, I can see this scene in a movie… an ordinary family, an ordinary day, and a surprise trip to the ER for a “horror” that turned out more like a comedy.
(And if you are wondering, yes, the fingernail grew back and looks great to this day.)
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