Mud, Essay Example

Cam planted his feet in mud past his ankles. The girl was a stranger but she was cute and sexy and he wanted to help her. He pulled straight up on the back wheel, gritting his teeth until they made a sick, grinding sound and he let loose a long, low moan straight from the gut. The tire came slowly out of the mud like a bad tooth being extracted. When the wheel finally yanked free, Cam felt the front end of the the girl’s scooter sink. He wanted to pull the whole scooter free of the mud but, to do so, he needed better leverage and this was impossible because his feet were rooted in the mud. The girl came around front of the scooter, standing clear of the soft mud, one foot braced on the path and the other on a nearby log. Even though her arms were short, she managed to get a reverse-grip on the handlebars. She tugged.

The scooter rolled onto the dirt and grass, now east of the lowest and muddiest point of the path. Mud dripped from and clung to most of its surface, except for the middle of the seat. Cam wondered whether the thing would even fire-up now, or was its motor jammed? The girl hopped up and down and clapped her hands. Once she had the scooter clear, she mounted, turned in the direction of the graveyard, and touched the ignition. The motor hummed. The girl smiled wide and waved, then throttled forward and was gone, bumpily speeding up the dirt and grass path until she disappeared in the trees. Cam swatted a mosquito and listened until he no longer heard the scooter-motor. Up until the point when the sound vanished he expected the girl to turn around and help him out of the mud. Finally, he realized that not only was the girl gone for good, but he was late getting back to work at the tavern. The thought thumped into his heart and he made several comical attempts to get out of the mud. It just wasn’t going to happen. As he stood there, sinking, he finally understood the true meaning of the word “mud.”