Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: YOUTH (04/04/19)
- TITLE: Musings of an Old Tire
By Rachel Burkum
04/08/19 -
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I’m really not sure how long I was there. Time sort of slips away when your greatest goal is to catch the shade of passing clouds. Eventually though, he came. Imagine my surprise when he poured out the rain water that had collected inside me, and rolled me under that glorious oak tree. The coolness was like heaven. I wondered if perhaps I would be repurposed into a planter of some kind. There were far worse things than housing flowers, and if I was lucky, they might even be tulips.
I was not to be a planter though. Thick rope was looped around me, and before I knew it, I was in the air. I had spent my entire life on the ground - looking down at it now from almost two feet up, I very nearly went to pieces. Thankfully though, the rope was strong, securing me to a hearty limb.
Once I had recovered from my initial shock, I discovered a greater purpose than I ever could have imagined. She was a lot smaller than I’d anticipated. So small, in fact, that she could easily sit inside me, and her toes barely even touched the grass! With her little arms hugging me tight, I felt warmer than I ever had before. It was such a happy warmth, I wished I could join in the waves of giggles as we started swaying back and forth. I wasn’t used to such motion, but her glee was enough to overcome any apprehensiveness.
We swung to and fro for hours on end. I shielded her as we bumped into the rough tree bark, and I learned how to spin around in the air, making her laugh even more. I was often the first place she would come after arriving home from school each day. And as her legs grew longer, she was able to control how high we flew; I could always judge her mood by how fast or slow we went.
Winters were the worst. I was left alone most days. But at least being up off the ground, I wasn’t buried in snow drifts like many of my retired friends. At least springtime was always around the corner, and always such a joy after so many long, cold days. As time moved on though, she started coming to me less and less. She was growing up, I suppose. I could only watch from a distance now. She had other friends. Other things to keep her occupied, and I was all but forgotten. Sometimes I would ask my Maker if this was really it, but I tried to be grateful for the happy times I’d had.
Seasons came and went. I filled with dead leaves and twigs, and caterpillars were the only ones who wanted rides. As childhood had been abandoned, so had I.
Then one day, I heard it. It was the most wonderful, purest sound. A giggle that could melt the thickest of icicles. Was she back? Had she come? But… she had outgrown her friendship with me.
A miniature body snuggled inside me, and warm, petite arms hugged me once more. I recognized my girl’s voice, but she was indeed all grown up. This little newcomer belonged to her.
I had a friend once again. Oh, the elation, the fun, the excitement of soaring high. I hadn’t been abandoned after all! I had just been left waiting for the next tiny person I could make dizzy, create an adventure for, or even be a relaxing haven.
I may have cursed the day that nail punctured me. But my Maker knew all along what he was doing. The little ones needed me. And maybe… I needed them, too.
“…God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan." Romans 8:28
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Well done.
Blessings~