Day 270: Ride That Mountain

Ride That Mountain
by
Matt Zurbo

 

Benny loved mountain bikes even if they were too big!
(Kid looking up at mountain bike, way too big for him.)

But he was determined.
(Lowering himself onto bike using a winch.)

“What’s up, Benny?” asked Dad.
(Kid crying. Scratch on knee, bike on side.)

“I want to ride down the mountain!” Benny protested.
“Phew! Getting up there first going to be easy,” Dad said. “Maybe I’ll give you a lift?”
“No way!” Benny protested.

First, he made a mountain bike that wouldn’t fall over.
(Smaller bike with ten training wheels on it, chopper handlebars and seat and several mirrors.)

Then he trained with the best…
(Mountain bike rider going very fast. Kid holding onto a rope tied to back of adult’s bike. Kid and bike flying through the air behind him.)

And announced: “I’m going to conquer that mountain!”
(Kid on bike, finger in air. Everybody of the neighbourhood watching.)

“Imagine it!” all the other kids said, enviously. “Rolling down again!
“Without having to peddle once!”
“It would be like flying!”
(Kids, animated, around Ben as he pushes bike to start of mountain.)

The first bit was hard. Truckies offered to give him a lift.
“No thank you!” Benny called, and kept peddling.
(Kid straining, peddling bike uphill. Truckies cheering him on. One or two of them on their radios, telling other truckies.)

The next bit was harder!
The police offered to take Benny to the top.
“No thanks!” Benny insisted.

After that, it just got harder and harder…
(Hard rain coming down. Benny determined, riding into it.)

(Eagles swooping. Kid, red-faced with effort, shaking fist at them.)

(Road becomes dirt road, super bumpy. Kid, bouncing on his seat as if it was bucking him, trying to squirt water into mouth, keeps riding.)

Benny was exhausted, his arms and legs hurt…
but he wasn’t stopping for anything!

“I can do it!” he grimaced, as it got even steeper. “I… can… do… it…!”
(Road really steep now, suburbs, and farm land, replaced by bush.)

Gradually, Benny noticed people had come up the mountain to barrack for him.

“Think if the trip down again!” the called.
“It will be awesome!”
(Kid really straining now, sweat pouring off, face red. Adult and kids running alongside him, cheering, leaning in to shout to him. Garbage truck with many of the kids sitting on it parked in background, watching/cheering.)

When Benny glanced back, it was frightening!
(Kid going up at 45degrees, behind him is a throng of followers, including news media, kids, truckies, a kid in a hot air balloon, etc…)

He wanted to say; “Get your own mountain!” but was too exhausted.
(Disappears into a tunnel.)

Benny thought about quitting.
(Hunched over in tunnel, blowing out air.)

But he couldn’t give up! Ever!
“I started this…” he wheezed, huffed and sputtered. “I’ll finish it!”
“Just think of the loooooooooooong ride down!”
“It will be so easy!”
“Best ride of all time!” the crowd called to him.
(Coming out of tunnel, still at 45degree angle, crowd on other side cheering, including circus people, a kangaroo, a few emus, some kookaburras.)

Soon…
(Even steeper. Kid pushing his bike up. Crowd much fewer.)

it was just Benny and the mountain.
(Pushing bike, almost vertically up, no people. Just a goat, and a hang glider.)

(Top of mountain peek, kid’s hand reaching over it.)

(Bike balancing on top of peek, kid in it, flopped back, totally exhausted, but smiling.)

“I bet you can’t wait to ride down again!?” shouted the mountain climbers.
(Mountain climbers standing next to kid as he prepares to go down again…)

“Sure,” Benny said, to keep them happy.
But he’d already done the real fun part!
(Benny, helmet on, hunched, determined, pushing off.)

Set his mind to something…
and did it!
(Empty mountain peek.)

 

 

The End