Flying In The Air

• Xavier Hulbert, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2018

I didn’t plan to go flying; I just wanted to go for a scooter ride. It was Christmas Eve. We were staying at our Nanny and Poppy’s place in Maroochydore. They live in a new housing estate. There are brand new roads with no houses or cars on them yet; perfect for scooter riding. Elliot and I wanted to show Mum the track we were riding on, so off we went.

Elliot : I told Xavier to hurry up! The scooters were ready and I wanted to show Mum where we’d been riding. I called out “follow me” as I rode to the start of the track. “One, two, three”, I yelled. We were coming up to the biggest jump and my brother seemed a bit nervous. I led the way, building up speed I hit the jump and got nice air but only just made it. I heard Cling, Clang, Clong. I looked back to see Xavier falling in slow motion. I whipped my scooter around, tossed it on the grass, and ran back to him. He gave me the thumbs up. Thank goodness he was OK.

Mum: I was really happy that the boys were going to burn off some energy by scootering. Xavier and Elliot led me to an area where they were going to show me their scootering track. “One, two, three”, Elliot yelled as they rode off in the distance. Elliot jumped the gutter first, he went up in the air and landed safely. Xavier seemed to hesitate before he jumped. His scooter dug into the ground and he was flung into the air. My heart sank as I watched him plummet to the ground, then roll around. I starting sprinting to him, fearful that he had broken a bone. I saw him raise his hand and give me the thumbs up; thank goodness he was OK.

Xavier: We rode off with Mum following and told her to wait and watch us. At the start of the track Elliot called out “One, two, three” and off we went. Elliot took the lead. I watched as Elliot made the jump, but only just. I realised I was going too fast and I was worried that I might not make it. I hesitated as I approached the ramp, the scooter wheel dug into the soil and I found myself flying in the air. I collided with the road, put my arms out to protect myself, and rolled over. I thought I might of broken my spine but I was just badly winded. Once I realised this, I put my thumbs up to reassure Elliot and Mum who were running towards me. Thank goodness I was OK.

We walked back to Nanny and Poppy’s place and told them of our exciting ride and how I flew through the air. I proudly showed them the graze on my knee from the fall. We all laughed at Mum’s description of what I looked like as I was flying through the air.