Herbie’s gash on his head was the least of his problems at the moment. Having fallen off his skateboard for the umpteenth time, he found himself wondering why he had decided to take on this enterprise in the first place. The idea of a car towing him down the street while on the skateboard had immediately sounded appealing, and it was, for a brief while.
His friend Chuck had come up with the idea, and like many of Chuck’s ideas, it did not involve him actually doing anything. He was, he would say, just an idea man. And often, his ideas were ill-advised and therefore appealing to the teenage mind. Issues such as mortality and loss of a limb or an eye never entered Herbie’s mind until after these things were over. Chuck was, and would always be, someone who was good at selling bad ideas to other people. He was the Ron Popeil of bad ideas. You could have one concussion, but wait - for this limited time offer you could get a concussion and a small gash on the head, which would bleed much worse than it was.
So they got a rope from the tool shed in the back of Chuck’s house. A sturdy rope indeed. They considered where to tie it, and then Chuck had the idea of popping the trunk, and tying it to the latch inside. It was true that then Chuck would not be able to see out of his rear-view mirror, but then, what could possibly go wrong?
Chuck started slow down the street in front of their house, and as Herbie was pulled behind, he thought that was indeed fun. Chuck was alternately looking ahead and then through the side mirror, hoping to get a glimpse of Herbie, and indeed Herbie was weaving in and out, while picking up speed. At that point, Chuck fished out his phone, and set it to record. He then began to steer the car with his knee, while he turned around in his seat, stuck his head out of the window, and began filming. This would be great on their YouTube channel. Needless to say, this channel often featured Herbie doing some stupid thing that Chuck had suggested he do, such as the time Herbie ran into a telephone pole while riding his bike backwards, coasting down a hill.
At this point, Chuck had some decent footage of Herbie, but it would be even better if he sped up just a bit. So Chuck glanced forward just enough to look ahead, and then at the speedometer. He was going about 4 miles an hour, at his guess. So, he gently pushed on the accelerator.
The problem was that there was a surge. Herbie was a little concerned, but it was even more fun at this point. Great fun indeed. Neither had considered the stop sign coming up ahead, and when they were nearly upon it, Chuck considered running it, but then decided better of it, so he took his foot off the gas, and pressed the brake gently.
Herbie could not see forward, because Chuck’s trunk was open, so he had no clue they were coming to a stop. In fact, at this precise moment, he had flipped around and was riding backwards. Backwards! How cool was that!
But the rope came suddenly slack, and Herbie continued to roll forward, at approximately 5 miles an hour. He hit the back of the car, his head hitting the edge of the trunk, which left a Frankstein-like gash in his forehead. Just like in the cartoons, Herbie did see stars.
He ended up in the trunk, with his skateboard on the ground. Chuck, not thinking to look behind, went through the intersection. Herbie was a little disoriented by now, and tried to jump out of the trunk, to get his skate board. Unfortunately, the rope tripped him up, and he face planted on the asphalt.
Chuck then realized that Herbie was lying on the ground, and pulled over. The skateboard was in pieces, Herbie was lying on the ground moaning, while Chuck continued filming. Primo footage!
A few weeks later, their Youtube video has gotten 5,000 views, which was their best yet. They even picked up some new subscribers! Chuck had a great idea. Let’s do it again, but I will push you down the street in my car. Herbie’s mind, never thinking about past mistakes, agreed. It would be awesome. Maybe they would get 10000 views this time.
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