Word of the Day: chouse

Monday. Again. Where do those glorious things known as weekends go? You can probably tell from this introduction that I’ve already written the story and I just want to get to typing it already.

Yes. I do write 60% of these stories in long hand.  I have a long, enforced lunch hour at work, and I don’t take my laptop with me to work. It’s too bulky.  It’s good for you to pick up a pen once in awhile.  So now you know.

Today’s Word:

chouse

As in:

Gary Porter was a unique child. No one would’ve called him a bully, certainly he did leave a wake of wounded kids wherever he went.  The cruelest part was that he tended to profit from those poor wounded souls.

By now, the other children should’ve learned that there was something wrong with Gary’s game, and that his “Challenge” was pretty hard to  win, and usually kids ended up with casts or stitches.

“Gary’s Challenge” seemed simple enough. Gary bet that no kid could ride his bike. He took all comers, boys, girls, all ages.  He dared them to stay on for a full five minutes. If they didn’t, Gary kept their wager. Gary could probably retire at 20 with the money he’d gotten over the years. A few kids managed to stay on for the five minutes, but, they often came away from the experience minus their lunches and looking exceptionally green.

Gary didn’t mind losing a few bucks here and there. It added to his legend, and it made the others feel like they had a sporting chance. It was no chouse, Gary hadn’t stolen their money, they are earned or lost it honestly.

Of course, they didn’t have all the facts, and Gary wouldn’t share his secret. Even if he did, they wouldn’t believe it. He himself had no idea how he’d been fortunate enough to have a bike like his, but he wasn’t going to look too closely at any gift equine, even when it had wheels instead of hooves.

Gary had the world’s only bucking bicycle.

Well, at least, as far as he knew.

He’d gotten the bicycle as a birthday present, and after his first ride, he learned that the bike had a mind of its own. He was the bike’s owner and safe, but, when his little brother tried to ride, the bike shook him off.

Ever since then, he’d made his little bets.

Until today. Today, the bike bucked him. Gary went right over the handle bars. He couldn’t figure out why the bike had turned on him. He wondered if it was jealous, or maybe it was tired, he didn’t know.

All the kids who took his “Challenge,” the last few days kept their money, and Gary could no longer ride his own bike. He decided it was time to stop betting kids.  Once he’d made the decision to stop, he could once again ride his bike.  He wasn’t at all disappointed in having a retired bucking bicycle, and eventually, he forgot all about his bike’s peculiar abilities.

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A bucking bicycle? Clearly, I have run out of ideas.

chouse / CHOWSE / rhymes with house.  To cheat, trick.