And So It Begins

Who knew this would lead here?

Years ago, as a young kid, I lived in Owego, New York. Way down in the southern part of the state and right on the Susquehanna River. Nearby are some good sized hills that are part of the northern portion of the Appalachian chain. The hills were an endless source of entertainment for a couple imaginative young minds (e.g. a “haunted” cemetery and long, swinging vines that would carry the rider well out from the descending hillside below).

One day, my friend Buster got the idea to manufacture some go-carts that we could use to race on the winding gravel roads that snaked through the hills. We cannibalized some old baby buggies (I don’t know where he got them from) and soon had a couple of pretty primitive, but functional vehicles. We spent hours up in those hills racing down the gravel roads, repairing and tweaking our machines. Cars would infrequently interrupt our endeavor, but we still had to watch out for them (if my mom had only known). One spot on the route had a large hole along the side of the road created by some previous construction activity. It was at a particularly tricky location adjacent to a bend at a point where maximum speed would be achieved. Centrifugal forces wanted to send cart and rider into the abyss. I relished it. Buster not so much. My vivid imagination played out dramatic scenes of near catastrophe there. It wasn’t until much later that those visions played out.

Fast forward to seventh grade English class at South Junior High (now defunct) in Colorado Springs. I don’t remember the context, but we were tasked with a short writing assignment. Probably something about your childhood growing up. My choice was the go-cart adventure. I mention that here because I recently came upon the original piece when going through some old documents. My mom had saved it and given it to me a number of years ago. I didn’t give it much thought at the time. As I read those grungy, faded pieces of paper, it dawned on me that it was most likely the first instance of creative writing I did that still existed. It’s so funny how when you read something like that it instantly carries you back. I could almost smell the gravel dust kicked up by the wheels.

Now I’m here, all these years later and still writing. I’m cognizant of the fact that way back then, in the mind of that second grader, a seed had been planted. Years of neglect hadn’t made it disappear. It just needed the right promptings and passing to time to bring it to bloom. So, I thought it would be fun for those of you who might be interested to download the original manuscript. Maybe it’ll bring back some of your own childhood memories. Just click the link below and happy reading.