Black and White Hero

There I sit in black and white. Cowboy hat and six guns hang at my side. Sitting on my first bike, I am leaning to my left in a jaunty pose, braced by my left leg firmly planted. I am ready for action. With one motion I can rise and press hard on my right foot and be off in a flash to pursue adventure.

 

I look confidently into the camera aware that this great moment in history will be recorded for all time. The cap guns are loaded and I am ready to conquer evil doers. They can’t escape. I zoom along silently for a short trip to the large wooded lot a few houses down the road. Evil doers often lurk in the woods.

 

I glide slowly to a silent stop, carefully lowering the kickstand so as to not to alert the enemy. I work my way slowly through the thick forest, careful to avoid snapping any twigs or branches as I approach the enemy ahead. To my surprise, I find no sign of life except the sharp calling of birds. Maybe they have warned the enemy of my presence.

 

As I near the clearing ahead I draw both six guns from my holster. I stand behind a large tree observing the man. He is pushing a broom up and down his driveway, oblivious to my stealthy approach. His garage door is open and he could easily run to it and withdraw his rifle from the trunk of his sedan. I must get closer for a clear shot. I crawl forward to a fallen log. I should be able to get a good shot from here.

 

As I rest my arms on the log to steady myself I hear the single word “Lunch!” bellowed from my house nearby. My cover has been blown. As I rise, the enemy waves a cheery hello. The hero has been defeated, for now. There will be another day and another mission.

 

My wife yells, “Dinner!” as I glance down at the old photo albums scattered about the floor. The mission to clean out the bookcase has been aborted. I will return to be transported again.