LITMIR.BIZ

       Cicada Surprise

      HUDE had seconds to decide. The other motorcycles were closing in fast. He could ride down a steep mountain pass leading to who knows-where. Or, he could follow the train tracks into a mysterious tunnel. Either way, he was taking a big chance.

      Hude grabbed the throttle and pulled a wheelie. He headed straight into the dark hole. A strange tingling feeling flowed from the handlebars through his hands, arms and shoulders. He checked the speedometer. He had reached the seventy miles-per-hour mark. That wasn’t fast enough. He had to go faster if he wanted to escape.

      Suddenly, an eerie golden glow raced towards him. It was a train! He had to get out of the tunnel and now.

      Swish. The speeding train passed by him just as he exited. The wind almost knocked him down.

      Too close, Hude thought to himself.

      He was now riding on a narrow road, twisting down the side of a mountain. His bike was nearly horizontal through the curves. Showers of sparks flew up from the pavement.

      “Rainbows!” Hude yelled when he saw puddles of oil in front of him.

      He could not avoid them all, and his bike slid out of control. When he swerved to avoid a tree, he came dangerously close to falling off a cliff. Somehow he managed to get back on the road. But his troubles were not over.

      A truck ahead of him blew a tire. Pieces of shredded tire littered the road. He weaved in and out, not daring to slow down.

      Out of nowhere, the motorcycles chasing him appeared. He looked ahead. He was coming to a bridge. A section in the middle was missing! But he had no choice. He had to go for it. The other motorcycles screeched to a stop. Hude rolled the throttle. He lowered his head and torso close to the bike. The motorcycle soared into the air.

      “Come on, come on, come on! ... Bummer. I bit it!”

      “What happened?” Amani asked Hude, her ten-year-old brother.

      They were sitting across from each other in a train, heading towards their grandmother’s house in the country.

      “I leveled up in my new game Xtreme Motorcycle Meat Grinder II. I was riding a Busa Ninja X1000. If I had captured the nitrous, I could have injected it into my engine. It would have given me an instant power boost to clear the bridge.”

      Amani peeked behind her, not sure where the three boys had gone. They had been causing trouble on the train ever since Baltimore. All she wanted to do was to read and write in her journal. But instead she was worrying about flying paper airplanes, tossed peanuts and spitballs.

      “Do you see them anywhere?” Amani asked, but Hude did not answer.

      “Hude, Hude, Hude!” Amani said loudly. “Will you stop playing that thing for a minute and listen to me?”

      “What did you say?” Hude said without looking up.

      “I asked you if

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