Tommy's Skateboard Adventure

Tommy's Skateboard Adventures

Tommy had been busy gathering all of the supplies he needed to build his skateboard. He was bored with all the typical things that a young mouse is allowed to do. From the window ledge in the dining room he had been watching the neighborhood human boys and girls ride these contraptions day after day all summer long. Determined not to waste another beautiful day just wishing Tommy decided that he could build his own mouse version of a skateboard. He needed a closer look at these skateboards that these boys and girls were using, and that is how I came to be involved in this little adventure. They would sail down the driveway and swoosh by him when he was hiding in the tall grass where the lawn meets the driveway.

I had spent the last four weeks watching and helping my friend Tommy. Everyday we spent hunting and gathering lumber, nails, glue, axles and wheels. Actually I think the only reason Tommy allowed me to watch and help was because he needed someone to be a tugger and a lugger. I was merely common labor. The people whose house he lived in had most of these things just sitting around gathering dust, and he was sure what they didn’t have their neighbors would. Tommy was so obsessed with building his own skateboard that I would have to remind him it was time to eat, and even then he would not stop working. I would bring him portions of bread and cheese, and even an occasional cookie or two that I normally would have saved for myself as a late night snack. I lived across the street from Tommy and I would go home every evening to sleep in my little comfortable loft. Tommy would sleep in the corner of the basement with all the parts and pieces we had gathered for his skateboard. He was oblivious to all other neighborhood goings on.

We had found enough Popsicle sticks to form the platform of the skateboard in the room that the homeowner used for an arts and crafts room. The wheels were made out of paperclips from the desk in the den, and buttons out of a sewing basket. We had a real problem figuring out how to attach the axle to the skateboards platform until Tommy remember seeing beads with holes in them in the craft room. We could glue the beads to the platform and then run the paper clip wire through the holes and then mount the buttons by bending the paper clip through the holds in the buttons.

It took us two days to straighten out two large paper clips. We used leverage to accomplish this feat. We stuck the end of each paper clip into one of the cracks of cinder blocks that formed the basement walls. Then we would both pull with all our might till the first round in the paper clip was straight. Then we would push the paper clip deeper into the crack and pull some more.

Tommy was extremely frustrated after all the time and work to straighten out the paper clips when he realized that the paper clip wire that we intended to use as the axles was now to long to be used for that purpose. I was secretly hoping he would abandon this project and we could return to our usual daily activities. I missed all the scurrying around. I missed food. For the first time in my entire life I now knew what it was to be really hungry. I missed digging around in the kitchen cabinets that provided a delightful daily smorgasbord for our dining pleasure. I was tired of being tired. Tommy was my very best friend and I did not want to abandon him. I was hoping that he would finally realize that his skateboard dreams were nothing more than a mere fantasy.

Just when I thought Tommy had given up he jumped up and said, “Follow me, I have an idea.”

I tried to pretend that I didn’t hear him. Tommy was half way out of the basement door when he realized that I was not behind him. “George will you come on. I will need your help. Move it, will you.” The urgency in Tommy’s voice made me do the unthinkable. I got up from my comfortable spot on a stack of rags piled on the floor in the corner of the basement and hurriedly joined him.

“I know. I know where we can get a saw. We need a saw that will cut metal. I know just where to find it.” Tommy said excitedly.

“Tommy maybe I should have said something before now. You do realize that mice don’t ride skateboards. Mice are not supposed to make skateboards either.” I said breathlessly scurrying to keep up with Tommy.

I don’t know if Tommy heard me, or was just ignoring me. He continued on his quest for a saw that he intended to use to cut the paper clip wire to the proper length. I soon realized that Tommy was leading me into the garage. On the floor of the garage there were several pieces of broken hacksaw blades. “Now what?” I asked Tommy.

“You get one end, and I will get the other. I have an idea.” Tommy said as he raced around trying to decide which piece of hacksaw blade would best serve his purpose.

I decided that I was wasting my time trying to convince Tommy that we should abandon this skateboard project, and it was quite difficult to make a believable argument against this project with a mouthful of hacksaw blade. It was a struggle but we finally got the blade into the basement. Tommy stuck the end of the hacksaw blade into the same crack that we had used to straighten out the paper clips. He then eyeballed the approximate length we needed for the axle. Tommy dragged the paper clip over to the saw blade and once again ordered me to take the other end. We dragged that paper clip wire back and forth over the sharp toothed blade of the hacksaw until it snapped.

Finally the skateboard was complete. Tommy carefully climbed on to it, stood up on his hind legs, and just that quick the skateboard popped out from under him. “Are you alright?” I asked scared that Tommy would be hurt. I was hoping that this would be the turning point. The point at which Tommy would realize that he had wasted all this time and effort over the last month building a skateboard. A skateboard that neither of us could ride, and only one of us had the courage to even attempt such a daring feat.

“It works.” Tommy yelled just as he hit the ground, and with those words Tommy jumped up and was pushing his skateboard out the basement door and heading for the driveway.

“Tommy, no. Don’t. Wait.” I yelled as loud as I could, but I was too late. My friend Tommy had climbed on his skateboard. The slope sent him free wheeling down the driveway where he would certainly end up out in the street. The street where all the cars roared passed every few minutes in both directions.

I fell to the ground as I watched in horror, and covered my eyes so as not to see what was surely going to happen next. Tommy did not stand a chance. The cars were too big. Tommy and his skateboard were too small to be seen and avoided by the fast moving cars and trucks.

I am really going to miss Tommy and all of his crazy ideas. I often wondered why he was not happy just being a happy well fed house mouse.

As I stood in the driveway with my eyes covered I realized that I had not heard a crash. I had not heard Tommy scream. Suddenly I realized that I did hear something. I moved my little mouse paws just to take a quick peek. There was Tommy standing across the street, rolling in the grass, and laughing so hard that he could not even stand up. I thought about being furious with Tommy for scaring me so badly. I thought for a few brief terrifying moments that I had lost my best friend. I was so glad to see that Tommy was alright I forgot about being mad or scared.

I carefully walked to the curb. I looked both ways and waited for all the traffic to pass. When the street was clear, I carefully hurried across the street to where my friend Tommy was still rolling in the grass laughing.

"You do realize that if your mother had seen you do that little stunt she would have wanted to give us both a time-out for the rest of our entire natural lives, don't you?" I asked trying to sound very grown-up and parent like.

"I guess if I want to continue to be able to ride my new skateboard I will have to be more careful. If one of those cars had of hit me, I am certain that the impact would have smashed my brand new, homemade, only one of its kind skateboard into a million pieces. I would have to start all over again if I broke this one." Tommy said as I stood there amazed at his unwillingness to admit that the skateboard was not the only thing that would have been broken into a million pieces.

"Tommy, you could have been killed." I stated somewhat breathless. All this day's excitement was beginning to take its toll. I felt like I had been on some type of emotional roller coaster.

"If you would have been hurt, my mama would be so upset with me for not telling her what we had been doing for the last four weeks. Tommy are you listening to me?" I said angrily, finally allowing all the fear and concern that I had been experiencing since I saw Tommy swoosh down the driveway into the busy street to spill out of my mouth like a hail storm.

Tommy must have seen how really upset I was. He stood up, walked over to where I was standing and said, "Okay Buddy, I am sorry. I will be more careful next time. Now, lets take this over to your house and show your mother what we have been up to all these last few weeks. I bet she has something for us to snack on too. I am really hungry."

"Yea, and I bet my mama might have a suggestion or two about where we could go ride this skateboard without having to worry about getting run over by cars or trucks." I said knowing that this was not going to be the last time that Tommy would want to ride the skateboard, and if we could find a safe place to ride it I was beginning to feel an interest in riding it myself.

"Ma, I'm home." I shouted as we climbed through the gap in the siding.

"Good, I just finished gathering up cake, chesse, cookies, and crackers from this afternoons birthday party leftovers. I am certainly glad that your father decided it was a good idea to live with people who have so many young children. It certainly makes my job of preparing meals and snacks a lot easier." Mama said happily, then added, "Tommy, I have a nice bundle of goodies I collected for your mother too. Will you be sure to take them to her when you and Buddy are finished playing."

"Of course I will Mrs. Pocket." Tommy answered.

"I just don't understand how your mother and father make do. That couple your family lives with across the street are a young, career couple. They don't have any children yet. They both work all day long. I just will never understand." Mrs. Pocket said outloud, but actually appeared to just be talking to herself.

"Mama talks to herself." I whispered to Tommy.

"Yea, my mama talks to herself too." Tommy whispered back to Buddy.

We enjoyed the snacks and shortly after we had nearly eaten ourselves sick Tommy picked up the neatly wrapped bundle of goodies my mother had fixed for his mother, and headed home. I waved and yelled to Tommy, "I will see you tomorrow, okay?"

I watched my friend Tommy as he headed home, he stopped at the curb and looked both ways before crossing the street just as our parents had taught us to do all of our lives. It was getting beginning to get dark, so I went inside.

"Good night, mamma."

"That Tommy is such a nice boy, son. I am glad you have a friend to play with. Do you want some warm milk before you go to bed?"

"Not tonight, but thanks any way mamma." I could hear mamma puttering around in the kitchen as I laid in my warm, comfortable loft bed. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about all the mischief that Tommy was sure to get us into with that new skateboard of his.