Pooh Sticks
We open our hands and the sticks drop. The sticks look as if they’re floating as they fall straight down and then plunk into the stream below. I squeal and lean out as far as I can to watch mine float underneath the bridge, my sister following suit. When I cannot see my stick anymore I turn and run to the other side of the bridge and lean out in between the wooden rails. My hips push into the wood as I strain to see my stick, making them ache, but I barely notice. A second later my stick appears, spinning with the current. Alissa joins me and she waits for hers to emerge. I keep an eye on my stick as we strain to see hers.
After a few seconds, it still hasn’t shown itself. Alissa is getting anxious and she hops up and down and asks, “Where did mine go?” I purse my lips, then get down on my hands and knees, stick my head under the lowest wooden rail, and look underneath the bridge.
“I see it!” I call out to her, “It’s stuck on a rock!”
“Aaaaawweee!” Alissa whines.
“Wait! It’s moving!” I hear Alissa gasp as I watch her stick turn around the rock and race down the river. “It’s coming!” I say as I stand back up. I relocate my stick; It’s struggling to get past some moss floating on the stream. Alissa’s stick is gaining on mine and I urge mine forward, spouting encouragement. The seconds seem to stretch into minutes as my stick creeps along. Alissa’s stick is getting closer and closer. “Oh come on, come on! You can do it!” I whisper to my stick. My grip tightens on the wooden bars, warm from the summer sun beating down on them, and I bounce up and down anxiously. My stick creaks around the moss and the tinkling of the water roars in my ears as I will it forward.
Alissa’s stick is four feet away. My stick struggles to free itself. Three feet now. Another budge. Two feet. Come on, just a bit more! She’s right on top of me! My stick is finally free and it races down the river magnificently fast!
“Yes! Mine’s winning!” I exclaim as my stick speeds across the water, spinning and turning in the swirling stream as Alissa’s slowly follows. We cheer on our respective sticks as they ride the current. As our sticks follow the bend of the river and float out of sight, mine slightly ahead of Alissa’s, I celebrate my victory, jumping up and down.
“Again, again!” Alissa squeals, determined to beat me. We run around and search the ground, trying to find suitable sticks. I meet my sister back at the bridge once I’ve found a good one and we hold our sticks out over the stream. We look at each other, then back at the sticks. I count down. Three, two, one. We open our hands and the sticks drop.