The bike

Olga Brajnović

12 years ago

Was there a toy or thing you always wanted as a child, during the holidays or on your birthday, but never received? Tell us about it.

A bike. I wanted desperately a bicycle. All my friends had one. And they had a great time in the park riding. I wanted to play with them and ride with them, even race with them at full speed. But we didn’t have the money for such an expensive gift. Nevertheless I had my secret hope. Every year a charity organises in my city a sweepstakes in summer to raise money for the poor with donations. Those years the big prize was a bike donated by a shop owner. I always went with my savings to buy a ticket dreaming I was going to return home riding my new bike despite I didn’t know how to do it. I thought it was something easy and natural like walking. The ticket was my only chance. But I never had the good luck. Once I won a soup can. No fun. Other than that, nothing. All the rest where tickets without prize. At least my little savings went to the poor, I thought.

We always trimmed the Christmas tree and set a Bethlehem grotto’s scene with little clay statuettes for Christmas eve. When all was ready, my dad always had a secret meeting with an angel in that room to receive and set the Christmas gifts. When he had finished, he called us, who were waiting outside eager to see what had happened. All was dark except for the lights and candles in the grotto and the tree. Magic. My dad read the Gospel. We prayed, sang carols and then we turned on the lights and opened our gifts.

Once my dad had the meeting, we prayed, sang, the light turned on and we saw nothing. Before we get disappointed my dad told us to look carefully. My brother spotted a piece of paper beautifully crafted. It was a message in it: Our gift was in the balcony. The five of us run as fast as we could. And there it was. The bike. Green. Shiny. Waiting for all of us.

Daily Prompt: Out of Your Reach.
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