Learning Fall

We rode our bikes to the power plant with the attitude of silverbacks, big bad Asses. The only reason we were going was to jump the dirt, fall and earn a few more scars that we could brag about later.

It was our "Metallica" crew; Chad, Beavis, Jar Boy, Steve, me and a sorry ass named Jonny Angel. We were short one throbbin Rob, but we cold fill him in later. Chad was a "fat ass" loser from the second he was born with two belly buttons, one from his intestines hanging out of him. Born to love metal, that's what he was. Beavis, my brother, was a little younger and gained his name because of his likeness to Beavis from Beavis and Butthead (our heroes) and because he could talk with his ass. Jar Boy's face was shaped like a jar. So block-like that you could measure it with a tri-square, which we often did to mock him. Steve was just a skinny skater who knew how to blow smoke rings, which made him cool. Jonny Angel was a "flamer" who would go along with anything, which made him a total poser. We "allowed" him to come along because we needed someone to bag on. Throbbin Rob was a speed drummer, who we all liked because he was popular with the chicks. Me, I was a little stoner with long hair, thrashed clothes and a baseball hat cut open to let my hair head-bang in the wind. That was our crew, minus one Rob on our way to crash and burn.

The jumps were dry. It hadn't rained in quite some time so we knew if we fell it would be worth the blood. After all, more blood, the better; but none of us fell. We knew the jumps to well and they had lost their danger. That's when we saw the sign.

"Warning Keep Out."

It was posted next to a gigantic ditch that had a drainage pipe sticking out of the thirsty bottom. The metal cylinder was crumpled and rounded on the end. It stuck out of the earth like a hangnail protrudes out of a well-kept finger, looking awkward and out of place. It sloped to the ground, eventually coming to rest on the bottom. The warning was attached to a security gate, which guarded the entrance to the unmanned power facility. From a distance, the complex looked liked silver Christmas trees planted on a concrete farm with perfectly spaced rows connected with tinsel.

The power company was telling people to keep out because they didn't want us in their electric wonderland. We decided to break the lock that secured the gate and swing out over the ditch like rebels who wouldn't obey the rules. Everyone except Jonny Angel and Steve got on and we swung like monkeys, back and forth. Our legs hung in the air like garbage when it blows in the wind. We flew over the ditch like children on schoolyard swings trying to reach the top, steady at first but losing our feeling of security as we swung the gate to its limit. It was a lot cooler than jumping the jumps so our trek had been worth the ride. After a few runs, we were comfortable with our load, sensing that an extra person would weigh us down and slow our swings. We had mastered swinging over ditches.

On our last swing, Steve jumped on at the last second and I screamed "WAIT DAMN YOU." It was to late, he was on as we swung out over the ditch. It seemed like everything was going to be okay, but we hit the end where the gate could go no farther and before we could swing back, SNAP, BAM, OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SHITT.

We fell, and fell hard. The dusty dirt was a lot harder than we ever thought. I stood up and could not figure out why I couldn't breath. I was scared shitless. I thought I was dying. What would I tell my mom? Mom I died swinging. "What were you thinking, you and your little hooligan friends?" That's what she would say, and my ass would be grass. I was thinking this while I thought I was dying, what a dumbass.