The Legend of Soo Nippi

Steve & Dave Bruyn with Soo Nippi and Figaro at Twin Lakes, Connecticut (1950)

Seventy plus years after the fact, the Legend of Sue Nippi still haunts me. It all started around 1948 or so when my maternal grandmother stayed at the western New Hampshire resort of Lake Sunapee, a vacation spot for those who sought escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Imagine the setting of the movie “Dirty Dancing” and the legend of the indigenous tribe, the Algonquin Indians who once inhabited this area, naming it Soo-Nipi, their phrase for “Wild Goose Waters”. The word Soo-Nipi here, has ironic significance but more on that later.

That summer, while Gramma was enjoying her frolic, I was a budding young boy of about two, just learning to hone my skills at walking and talking. Ma, as we called her brought me back a souvenir of her vacation in the form of a small black, fuzzy, stuffed dog. A cute little fellow, just the right size for a two-year old, and we quickly bonded. I was told that this little critter came from Lake Sunapee and that I might name him “Sunapee”. At that tender age, my diction had yet to develop, and I called him “Soo Nippi”. The name stuck and my new pal accompanied me nearly everywhere. The irony is that the name Soo Nippi was nothing more than toddler-speak, but in actuality, the Algonquins picked the name long before I did.

As time passed, Soo Nippi became my sidekick as adventures unfolded before me in life. Some two years later, our family took a vacation trip to Twin Lakes, Connecticut, Soo Nippi in tow. By now, I was four and brother, Steve, seven. Under the watchful eye of Mom & Dad, we did a little rowing and “swimming”, Soo Nippi by my side. What I couldn’t have imagined on that trip was how dark things would soon turn.

When the vacation was over, and we began our rural ride home in the family Hudson, I took my assigned seat behind the driver (that would have been Dad). In those days, there were no seat belts or air conditioning. Clouds of cigarette smoke billowed from the front seat, and we opened all the windows for fresh air. I decided that Soo Nippi could use a gulp of fresh air too, so I held him out the window as we breezed along that country road. Oh, that country road. I had not yet learned about wind resistance and had no idea that Soo Nippi would be force-ably ripped from my little hand.

And so it was, Soo and I had unexpectedly parted ways. I was horror-stricken and didn’t want to let Dad know as I was afraid, he’d be mad. I began to cry and shrunk down behind the front seat. Some miles later, Mom & Dad did a well-check and found me crying. When asked, I came clean and told them what had happened. Dad turned the car around and we back tracked for maybe 20 miles or so, but we never found Soo Nippi. It was a lesson in emotional loss, one of many that we as human beings suffer on the road of life. To stay grounded, I refer to the spirit of this vignette when someone else experiences great loss.  I think if most people reach down far enough, they will find their own point of reference to help them stay grounded. Food for thought………..