by Sara Matson –
Wobble, Wobble, CRASH! Julie’s bike dumped her onto the sidewalk again. This time, she didn’t get up.
“Are you hurt?” Dad asked. He handed her a tissue from his pocket.
Tears slid down Julie’s cheeks. “I’ll never learn to ride a bike!” she cried. “It’s too hard.”
“Too hard, huh?” Dad said.
Julie touched the scrape on her knee. It was oozing tiny drops of bright, red blood. “And too scary,” she said. “Maybe you should put the training wheels back on.”
Dad scratched his chin. “Let’s take a break,” he said. “We’ll get you a bandage and then walk to the beach.”
The beach was usually Julie’s favorite place. She liked the seagulls. She liked the wet, fishy smell of the lake. She liked the shiny red popcorn wagon. But today, even though the air smelled of butter and sun sparkled like diamonds on the water, she felt grumpy. People on bicycles zoomed by. One girl tooted her horn, and Julie frowned at her.
“How about some popcorn?” Dad asked.
He bought a box of the fluffy kernels. Julie ate some, then threw a handful on the ground. Whoosh! Flapping wings filled the air. Greedy gulls gobbled up the popcorn. “More! More!” they seemed to screech like naughty children. Julie couldn’t help smiling at them.
When the box was empty, the birds flew away. All except one. It was smaller than the others, and it had a scar near its eye.
“Look, Dad.” Julie pointed. “What could have happened to it?”
“Might have been a fish hook,” Dad said. “Or maybe another bird attacked it.”
“Poor gull,” she said. “I wish I had more popcorn.”
She spied a kernel under a bench. “Do you think it will take this from my hand?” she asked Dad.
“You could try,” he answered.
Julie bent down and held her hand out. “Come here, gull,” she said softly.
The snow-white bird stepped toward her. But when Dad moved to slap at a mosquito, it hopped away.
“It’s scared,” Julie said. She tried again. The gull came closer. Suddenly, Ding! The trolley car whizzed by and the gull backed away again.
“One more try,” Julie whispered. “Be brave.”
She held her breath. The gull hopped up to her hand. It tipped its head, like it wondered whether or not to trust her. Then, in a flash, it scooped up the popcorn and gulped it down. “More!” it cried. Julie laughed.
After watching the gull fly away, she and Dad walked home.
Dad headed for the garage. “I’ll put those training wheels back on for you.”
“Wait,” Julie said.
Dad turned around. “What is it?”
She looked at her knee. It didn’t hurt that much. “I want to try again.”
It wasn’t easy. She fell. She tore her jacket and skinned her elbow. But she kept on trying. And right before dinner, Julie sped down the sidewalk all by herself.
“You’ve got it,” Dad shouted. “Keep going!”
She pedaled harder. “I’m flying!” she yelled.
Softly, she added, “Just like a seagull.”
the end.
Question Time
1. Why did Julie ask her Dad to put the training wheels back on her bike?
2. What were some of Julie’s favorite things about the beach?
3. What helped Julie realize she could be brave and keep riding without training wheels?
