Oopsiedaisy

"Be careful and watch your step. Hold on tight if you hear a CRACK, or Oopsiedaisy will break your back."

This little rhyme of warning is often repeated by adults to children in order to stop them from climbing a tree, bicycling too fast, playing with matches, or doing a myriad of other dangerous activities that children like to engage in. Anytime a child breaks an arm, skins their knee, breaks their nose or otherwise gets injured by engaging in a risky activity, it is blamed on Oopsiedaisy.

The childhood injury rates on the island of Amberjack Bay are higher than the national average. Perhaps it's because the children there are very active and spend much of their time outside, rather than in front of a tv or a computer like in many places these days. Or perhaps, it's the lack of safety precautions like bicycle helmets and knee pads. Or perhaps, it's because they often have little supervision while their parents are at sea, fishing for the day's catch. But while all these things are true, Maimeo (Gaelic for grandma) Eilga and many other grandparents warn their grandchildren to be careful and not take risks, lest Oopsiedaisy uses the opportunity to give them just a little shove and cause an accident.

Summary

Oopsiedaisy is the spirit of childhood accidents. Whenever a child falls from a tree, or gets hit in the head by a ball, or falls down the stairs, Oopsiedaisy is blamed. Adults often invoke the spirit's name to warn children away from taking risks. Those who suffer such an accident often say they heard an audible "crack" before it happened. There is a difference of opinion though, on whether it sounds more like the breaking of a branch, or a bone, or the crack of thunder, or perhaps a ball hitting a bat.

Historical Basis

Originally, Oopsiedaisy was considered a helpful god by the name of Upsida that prevents childhood accidents and keeps them safe. There was a dedicated shrine to them in all homes that had children. The shrine would have offerings of small toys, and children would leave drawings and poems asking the spirit to watch over them and keep them safe. Over time, this tradition was neglected and forgotten. The disregarded spirit went from preventing childhood accidents to instead, causing them.

About 200 years ago, the spirit was captured by the town priests and imprisoned in a small shrine in the forest near Eloen Falls. That shrine has since fallen into disrepair, and its roof collapsed after a storm 1 year ago. Childhood accidents have been on the increase ever since.

Spread

The story is wide-spread throughout the town of Durnatel and considered common knowledge, though most just regard it as something people say to make children be more careful.

Variations & Mutation

Some say that there's also a shadow that accompanies the sound of the crack. The shadow is human-like but more rounded with pudgy arms and legs, a balloon-like body and rounded head with curly hair.

In Literature

The book "Fairy Tales of Galway County" has an account of an accident attributed to Oopsiedaisy that happened to a child by the name of Aemon who was climbing a tree.

Date of First Recording

1873 in "Fairy Tales of Kerry County"

Related Locations

• Eloen Falls

Lil' Aemon

Lil' Aemon climbed the old sessile oak tree. There was a robin's nest on top that he wanted to reach and take a better look at. Are their eggs really blue? His older brother Ambrose claimed they were, but Aemon wanted to see for himself.

He climbed up several branches, using them as foot rests for his bare feet. He felt a splinter in his right hand, but that didn't stop him. Ambrose would laugh at him if he gave up now. He was more than halfway there, just two more branches! As Aemon reached for the next branch, he heard a quiet <CRACK>. In a panic, he reached for the next branch, but missed and suddenly, he plunged down and then..

And then, he fell.