Did you ever want something really badly? Well, one of my Fern Valley kids knows exactly how you feel. Sammie Gruff, an only child and somewhat shy individual, recently saw a bike that she wanted and this is the story of her and that bike.
The Bike
It was shiny chrome and candy apple red with a white basket and a squeaker horn. It was absolutely the best bike Sammie Gruff had ever seen. As she stood there admiring the new bike at the end of the ladder aisle in Mr. Flocks Hardware store, she could already imagine herself riding it down the main street. Sammie had a dream that she had never told anyone yet, and that was to own a brand new girl’s bike.
Sammie had an old bike which had been handed down to her from a cousin. But it was a boy’s bike with no basket and lots of dings and scrapes. It wasn’t that she was ungrateful for the bike. Sammie was always the most grateful and pleasant goat you could find in Fern Valley. Any of her friends would tell you so. It was just that she had never had a brand new bike before.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said under her breath.
“What did you say dear,” said Mr. Flock who was walking past with a box of new hammers. He set them down and began scratching behind his wooly black head. “Now where am I going to put these hammers,” he said to no one in particular. He had already forgotten he had even asked Sammie a question. Mr. Flock was like that. He was one of the nicest sheep you could ever meet and an extremely fair merchant, but he was easily distracted.
“Nothing,” Sammie answered as she left the store and headed for home. Four blocks down from the Hardware store and three more blocks to the left was Sammie’s home. It was a beautiful Victorian house with stained glass windows and an enormous front porch. As she let herself in the front door, she could hear her mother singing in the kitchen.
Sammie’s mother Martha was in the same choir as Betsy Woolrich’s Grandmother and could often be found singing hymns as she cooked, cleaned, or just sat relaxing. It always made Sammie feel warm and happy inside to hear her mother sing joyfully to the Lord.
