Mike flicked the bell on his new bike as
he raced down the hill. This is what freedom felt like; wind in his hair, bugs
in his teeth. It had taken him eighteen months of shoveling dog crap to save up
enough, but it was all worth it.
Normally he wouldn’t have noticed the
small boy sitting on the curb, but normally he wouldn’t have been flying down
the sidewalk at close to warp speed. He wouldn’t even have noticed him that day
except for the crash; the boy with the bike and Mike with the curb.
The bike, the precious bike, flew out from
under Mike, and, after making contact with the boy, landed in the road. Mike
looked first at the bike, then at the crumpled form at his feet. He paused only
for a second before reaching down and lifting up the boy to the sound of metal
crunching behind him.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteUh, oh! Two hurt boys and a crunched bike... sad story, but so well written... thanks for the good, thought-provoking read...Best regards to you, Ruby
Thank you Ruby, and thanks for stopping by.
DeleteWonderful beginning! More please. Just visiting today from the A-Z Challenge Juliet atCity Muse Country Muse
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting. I just went to your blog; your poem was lovely.
DeleteBugs in his teeth! Funny way to illustrate his speed. Where along the O&E Canal do you live?
ReplyDeleteIn Niagara County, by Middleport. There is a lovely coffee shop there, so my kids and I regularly grab a cocoa in the winter or an iced tea in the summer and walk to the next town. We love it.
DeleteHappened to me once! I happened to be the one on the bike. Not fun.
ReplyDeleteMe, too. Still have some scars to prove it.
DeleteBugs in his teeth. LOL.
ReplyDeleteThat's when you know you're going fast.
DeleteThis takes me back many years and reminds me of some bruises.
ReplyDeleteNothing like having a new bike when you're a kid.
DeleteOh, what a hard lesson to learn!
ReplyDeleteThanks for finding my blog through A-Z. I don't see your follower button, but I'll look again after I post.
Found it!
ReplyDeleteMust have scrolled at warp speed the first time and missed it. My bad :)
Welcome Carol, good to have you along.
DeleteBummer for them! Bike safety is important, kids.
ReplyDeletefrom John at The Bathroom Monologues
And so is sitting on the sidewalk minding your own business safety.
DeleteYikes, after all that hard work. I just hope the two boys are okay, because I bike, after all, is replaceable.
ReplyDeleteMaybe not to a ten year old...
DeleteUgh! Well, at least Mike did the right thing :)
ReplyDeleteThat's part of growing up...
Delete"...wind in his hair, bugs in his teeth." LOL! (:
ReplyDeleteNow that's fast!
DeleteHad me remembering when I used to fly on my bike. Doesn't seem a happy ending, though.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up is rarely fun.
DeleteHi Melanie,
ReplyDeleteNice to be here,
Hey I just joined in
But in this post something is missing and important thing The Title
Hey pl check and fix it LOL
Keep inform
Thanks for dropping by
Best
Ann
PS the comment letters are showing in light white not readable, pl change the white background or add color to your fonts
Best
Ann
Thank you, I can't believe I missed that!
DeleteWow! Intense. Oh, the joys of riding a bike and the accidents, etc... I lived in Taiwan for a while and my form of transportation was a bike. There were a couple places where I knew there was going to be a ton of bugs, so I'd try to close my eyes and keep my mouth shut. Without fail, I would return home with dead little bugs under my shirt. Icky.
ReplyDeleteThere was one place where a bug flew into my eye and I think as a defense mechanism, it squirted out a bunch of fluid into my eye; it was like pure acid flooding my eye. The pain was excruciating. Not an experience I EVER want to have happen again.
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
That sounds way worse than most of my terrible biking adventures. I still love to bike, though. How great was it to live in Taiwan?
DeleteThis brings back memories. I crashed my bike at 13 but luckily no one else was involved. At an earlier age I had a BMX called Mike, too!
ReplyDeleteBike crashes are one of those moments that stick with you.
DeleteSo vivid!
ReplyDeleteThank you, by the way, I love your blog- so inspirational
DeleteI've been quite taken up today with a few things but, while visiting your blog, I've been rooted here...reading it all up! I'm really enjoying your writing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit, too! I gave your blog a follow and am very excited to see what you will be posting in the future :)
Thank you! And I can say all of those lovely things about your blog as well. Very intelligent and thought provoking posts.
DeleteHe sure was grown up making that choice over simply picking up his bike and leaving. Great descriptions in this piece. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's the sign of maturity: thinking of others before yourself.
DeleteOooh...I like this. I want to know what happens next. Flash fiction is such fun. Great theme!
ReplyDeleteThank you and thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI'm really enjoying your flash pieces.
ReplyDelete(My brother used to constantly crash his bike, but both brother and bike survived)
Thank you. I'm enjoying your comments.
DeletePoor boys. When I was a kid I crashed my bike into another's and still bear a scar.
ReplyDeleteChontali Kirk
chontalikirk.blogspot.com
No wonder they make us wear helmets now! It's a wonder I didn't kill myself will all the falls I took.
DeleteOh dear, I hope nobody is seriously injured from all this.
ReplyDeleteThey are all alive and well, and now very good friends.
DeleteI like that you've managed a whole story in 150 words. Great job!
ReplyDelete