I SAW DISASTER COMING... I WAS HELPLESS TO STOP IT!

I SAW DISASTER COMING... I WAS HELPLESS TO STOP IT!

BY GLORIA FAYE BROWN BATES

What a beautiful, sunny day! I stood on the deck looking down the circular driveway where I could see Tommy riding his Yamaha motorcycle. We lived up on a small mountain in the foothills of North Carolina, where we owned 19 1/2 acres of land.

Tommy had lots of room to ride his motorcycle without getting near the highway. He was a tall, young boy of ten years old, very handsome. Strawberry-blonde hair, blue eyes and a sunshine smile! My son!

I stood there watching the clouds moving, shifting to make new shapes. I loved watching the sky... I always let my imagination free to dream, trying to see what the clouds had shaped into.

I became aware of the motor on Tommy's motorcycle, he was at the top of the driveway now, and drove around to where we had a huge garage we'd just had built. It was a 32'x 54' structure with a big sliding door and a cement pad in front. Tommy stopped on the cement to look at his bike, then, he took off toward the rock quarry not far from the garage.

He rode around the edge of the water and the big granite rocks there. There were always short, thick gray snakes sunning themselves on those rocks. They were water moccasins.

I went back inside to get my glass of tea, and came back outside on the deck. I could see Tommy down at the foot of the driveway, getting ready to drive back up the driveway. I heard him accelerate fast and up that hill Tommy came straight toward..........

We had a water spigot at the edge of the driveway with Dewberry bushes on either side. There was a centerblock sitting there, the reason for it being there was forgotten some time ago. The spigot was in line of the driveway coming up the hill from the road.

I stood there on the deck frozen in horror as I saw Tommy coming fast on his motorcycle straight toward that spigot and centerblock! I began screaming to Tommy to not hit that centerblock! Tommy never looked toward me, nor did he hear me!

Tommy kept coming fast and hit the centerblock, throwing him high into the air, his motorcycle going forward and turning over in the grass. I began running toward Tommy, as he raised up off the ground. He stood up before I got to him and began laughing!

I was crying, I knew in my mind that my child was going to die. I saw it coming... I screamed trying to get his attention waving my arms, he never saw me and kept going toward his....... "Oh, thank-God, you are alright, son!" I

I held my son tightly so thankful he wasn't hurt... all the while he was squirming to get away to check on his motorcycle. He was laughing and I was crying, but... finally smiling. Tommy was alright. I breathed a deep breath as I looked up and thanked God.