The Skateboard

I have a new short story for you faithful blog readers. It is part one. I call it "The Skateboard." It's part of my mission to give you something to read in a non-threatening environment while you sip on your coffee (or hot beverage of your choice).

The Skateboard Part I 
Glad to finally be home from school today, I went inside and dumped my backpack in the middle of the kitchen. I knew one of my parents would yell at me to hang it up...yeah, it's a game I like to play with them. They think they're teaching me something. Parents have to feel like parents and all. My stomach growled and I searched for a snack. Nothing on the shelves, the cupboards, or the fridge.

"Mom!" I yelled. "Dad!" How strange no one was home. I thought I heard a car pull into the driveway, so I went back outside. Must have been hearing things. "Hey, a skateboard," I noted. It wasn't there when I came home from school. Looking around to see who might have left it, I saw no signs of anyone. This thing was something the pros used.

A sign taped to the back instructed me to "step on." I found my bicycle helmet, strapped it on, and placed my feet on the surface. Without any push from me, the skateboard moved and I waved my arms to keep my balance. It continued rolling past the driveway and across the street. I checked for cars and stayed on the skateboard.

The skateboard scooted into my neighbor's driveway directly across from ours. Their driveway sloped upwards, but the skateboard showed no signs of stopping. As I cut into my neighbor's backyard, I caught the last glimpse of my house before it became hidden from my view. I hadn't locked the doors, so I hoped no one breaks in.

Grass and weeds did not slow the ride. I should have jumped off the board and ran away for my life. A skateboard powered by some mysterious force needed to be avoided, but I wondered where it planned on taking me. What I never realized that the lawns across the street had a paved back alley. The skateboard hung a left. I don't how fast it traveled. As fast as I could pedal my bike and I stayed on like a pro. Regardless of how I tried, I couldn't steer it to where I wanted to go. It decided on its own course.

Onward I went, and I passed a wooded area. I emerged in a neighborhood that shouldn't have been there. The back alley led to a residential street where hundreds of other kids had their own skateboards. Unlike mine, these kids didn't have ones that were self-propelled. Who were these kids? I didn't recognize any of them. When they saw me enter the skateboard traffic, some kids would point at me. Some jeered, "Hey, you're riding that wrong!"

"What do you mean?" I protested. "This thing is driving itself."

However, these kids were jerks. They proceeded to taunt me about my skateboard skills. How could they when they weren't any better than me? Wasn't because I didn't have to push mine to keep it going? Of course, they could steer theirs, but mine...it had a mind of its own. In the middle of the skateboarding preteens, a hooded guy stood. He stared at me, but I couldn't make out his face. I assumed he was a guy. He could've been a girl.

I heard him speak in my mind. Get ready...it's coming. Suddenly, the other kids and I became engulfed by a ball of fire so bright I couldn't see anything. Then, came the boom!