Volume 1 number 11, November 1999 Florence the Four-Wheeler Florence was a four-wheeler. She was brand new, shiny and bright. She was built to be driven just about anywhere. Her big tires had knobs all over them to help her go through lots of mud and over rough rocks. Her stout little engine and lots of gears allowed her to carry people and all their stuff up and over steep hills. She and other four-wheelers fresh out of the factory waited patiently for someone to buy them. But Florence was afraid. She didn’t know what waited for her outside the showroom door. She was very worried about who would pick her to take her home. Although most people couldn’t tell, Florence also had feelings and even though she didn’t feel very brave at the time, one day she learned she was. Kind people took all of the other four-wheelers, but Florence was unlucky enough to be bought by a man who didn’t take good care of his machines. He often left her lights on, spun her tires a lot, ran into things, and never checked her oil or washed her. It wasn’t long before Florence was in pretty shabby shape and was feeling very sorry. Only one of her lights worked, her tires were nearly worn out, her fenders were either broken or missing, her oil was so old she often got bellyaches, and she was always covered in mud. One terrible rainy and muddy day the man foolishly thought he was in a forward gear when he was actually in reverse, and drove Florence backwards right over the edge of a cliff. Florence was very frightened! They tumbled through the rain and air. She hit the ground so hard that her frame was badly damaged. The man was also hurt. Some people came and hurriedly took him away to see a doctor. Florence never saw him again. Nobody bothered to take her anywhere to be repaired. She lay right where she landed, and spent an entire winter stuck in a snow bank all alone. There was nothing she could do, and she often wondered why she had been built at all. Finally, one bright and sunny spring day another man came back to find her. He was shocked to see her in such bad condition. He couldn’t understand how anyone could treat a four-wheeler so badly. At first she was afraid, but the man brought her back to his garage and in several days had her fixed up enough to be ridden. For a short while the man kept finding new problems with Florence and had to fix her again. Through all of this, Florence was worried he would give up and abandon her again, but the man kept trying and was soon satisfied. Florence was happy to be a four-wheeler again. The man always drove slowly and carefully. He made sure she was well taken care of. Although the man expected a lot from her and made her carry very heavy loads across rough terrain, Florence didn’t mind because that is what she was built for. He eventually earned her trust and loyalty, and she came to always look forward to the next time they went out riding together. In time, Florence and the man became close com-panions. Every day they went to work together. Florence would wait patiently for the man to come back whenever he walked off into the woods. Sometimes he would be gone all day, but Florence didn’t mind. She enjoyed the fresh air and cool rain, and often animals would come to keep her company. The man always came back, and even if he was late and very tired he was grateful to see her. Early one day while on their way to work, a terrible accident occurred. The man and Florence saw an oil pipeline spring a big leak. It needed to be fixed right away. Quickly the man turned Florence around and they both went to get help in a hurry. The nearest road was miles away over a treacherous mountain trail. Rocks and sticks poked out everywhere, and the only way to get through the mud holes was to go very fast. Poor Florence remembered what it was like to be mistreated. The man drove faster than he ever had before. Florence thought she might get smashed again, but the man expertly avoided hitting anything. Although she was afraid, she understood the urgency of the situation and tried to be brave. Once they got to the road they waited patiently for people to bring all kinds of heavy equipment and supplies. Everything seemed under control, but soon everyone realized there was no way to get to the leak quickly unless they used the treacherous mountain trail. None of the trucks would make it. The man and Florence bravely volunteered to carry whatever was needed over the mountain. They both worked very hard making countless trips over the trail. They kept going until late into the afternoon. Florence had to carry impossibly heavy loads. But because everyone was depending on her, she wouldn’t let them down. Everything was delivered to the leak except for a gigantic section of brand new pipe. Florence couldn’t imagine how she could carry anything so big and heavy. Every time the people tried to strap it on, Florence would tip right over on even the slightest bump. The people didn’t know what to do. They had to have the pipe or they couldn’t fix the leak. The man stood aside and thought for what seemed to Florence a very long time. Suddenly he got an idea, jumped onto Florence and shouted to the people, “Get out of the way!” The man drove Florence inside one end of the pipe and then turned Florence sideways right in the middle. The man whispered “Come on, Florence, I know you can do it!” It was the first time anyone had ever called her by name. Florence was so happy, she felt as good as the day she arrived on the showroom floor. The man gave Florence full power. Her wheels spun, and she began climbing up the inside of the pipe. To everyone’s surprise the pipe started to roll up the trail, slowly at first, then faster and faster. The man had to stretch his neck out the end of the pipe to see where they were going. Florence was very frightened because she couldn’t see at all. The bumpy rocks made loud crashing noises against the outside of the pipe. She had to trust the man not to steer the pipe off the trail, for if he did, they would certainly go tumbling down to the bottom of the mountain. The people at the pipeline couldn’t believe it when the man and Florence arrived safely with the new section of pipe. Now they could finally repair the leak. The day was saved and everyone knew Florence was the reason why. They all agreed that Florence was a heroine and probably the best four-wheeler there ever was. By the end of the day, Florence and the man were both exhausted. And even though the man was very tired he took the time to clean Florence. He also carefully checked her oil and the air pressure in all four of her tires and then gently rolled her back into the garage for the night. Good job, Florence! | ||
 | | |
