Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Illustrate the meaning of “Don’t Try to Walk before You Can Crawl” (without using the actual phrase or literal example). (01/17/08)
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TITLE: The Maiden Voyage of Fireball | Previous Challenge Entry
By Clayton Skrzypczak
01/23/08 -
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His older brother didn’t have training wheels on his bike so Noah refused any such assistance. He wanted to be like the big kids and ride to the park and to wherever little kids on bikes went. He didn’t exactly know where that was but he didn’t care. He wanted join the pack.
His brand new Schwinn bicycle welcomed him to his fifth birthday. It was fire engine red with yellow and orange flames rolling across the frame. The tires were black and clean. Most of the treads still had the little rubber strands poking out like quills on the back of a porcupine. He had plucked some of them off while lounging in front of the window on a square of sunshine. It kept him warm during the long winter months as he dreamed about that maiden voyage down the driveway. He watched the dust particles dance in the beams of sunlight and land on his new black tires. He could smell the fresh rubber warming in the heat that flowed through his bedroom window. He couldn’t wait. He would also lie with his eye closed and dream of the wind blowing through the holes in his new matching helmet and the feeling of the wind tickling his scalp. He decorated the helmet with the stickers his grandmother sent him for his birthday. He had also attached a shiny red and blue foil windmill to the handlebars using some duct tape he found in the garage. He was ready to ride.
The day finally arrived. Noah woke up early that spring morning with anticipation of what the day would bring. It was time to get those new tires dirty. He couldn’t wait. The morning was bright and the air was fresh. A light breeze created ripples in the puddles left over from the freshly melted snow. It was too cold for shorts but Noah didn’t care. He did manage to put on his blue University of Michigan hooded sweatshirt. It was a birthday present from his uncle who was there attending medical school. His other uncle sent him a green Michigan State baseball hat. He would have worn that too but he needed to wear his helmet.
As he approached the edge of the concrete slab of the garage, his excitement grew. He could hear the squeaks of the new tires on the slab. He watched as his front tire rolled off the edge of the concrete into the dirt. The sand clung to the virgin rubber. “One small step.” he thought remembering the television show he had seen about the moon. The second tire soon joined the first. He was poised to mount the trusty steed he had named Fireball. He placed one leg over the center bar. He was too short to reach the ground with both feet so he leaned to one side and placed the toe of his left sneaker in the dirt wile the other rested on the right pedal ready for action. It was time.
He lunged forward pushing off of the round with his left foot and forcing the right pedal toward the ground like the big kids did. When his left foot tried to join the right his front wheel turned a sharp left forcing him to the ground along with his winter dreams. A sudden stream of tears mixed with the dirt of Noah’s face creating a muddy smear down both cheeks. Frustration mounted as small beads of blood appeared on his knees. Mostly the left one. He remembered dreaming of this moment while watching the dust twirl in the patch of sunlight during the winter months. It couldn’t end this way. That’s when he decided to come to me.
I didn’t have to ask. The scrapes on his knees and the tears in his eyes said it all. He wanted his training wheels. He wanted to be like the big kids, but the training wheels needed to come first. He was determined to make to the end of the driveway.
It was finally time for the maiden voyage of Fireball.
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Great descriptions. You could feel and see everything.
Great job...keep writing.