Last Bell.....

Man, I remember the thrumming of that last bell of the school year..... Like a prisoner being furloughed into the warm sun, buzzing of grasshoppers. Field stickers burrowing into your ankles, joyfully, while you take the wrong way/long way back. The sound of whispering gold as your armplane wings dislodge future assaulters of ankles. I always liked sighs in the summer.....those sweet drones were the tones of freedom. In the distance you hear Shirley scream as Brad tells EVERYBODY she likes Ralph... You knew you should be gettin' home, but, confound it, this one brief moment was yours. Eternal. There was a sound, like a shell to the ear, of all you had learned, escaping as if under pressure. To thwart it was to stop a tsunami with an umbrella.....ineffectual....unnoticed. But, also vacant, was common sense; probably why I went Jake's way that day.... Oh, he was there, lurking...lying in wait for my almost clock-work arrival. Many a day I had screamed a million insults at him as he chased me like Satan, Hoping "today" wasn't the day he caught up with me. His exhalations never sounded labored, as if he was letting me get ahead..... But not today!!!!!.....I JUMP......He LUNGES......and his teeth gain purchase on my seat!!!! However, I escape....My bottom, that much cooler than it was before and will probably be later! ........................ ......... ..... ... Home.......... you see mom in the kitchen, drinking sun tea and waiting for you to arrive.... "So, How was school?"..."Uh, fine, I guess." "What did you learn today?"......."Uh, to never underestimate the value of Gym Class!!"......"Well," she says, "if you took home economics, you'd be able to fix up your pants before Dad gets home and sees your underwear!!"...... Parents NEVER respect an Adventurer's near-fatal exploits!!!