Faster

Billy ran through the yard with the lawn mower, going up and down each row as fast as he could.

Shortly after he started, he turned off the mower.  “Done!” He said.

The mother exited the house and looked at the lawn.  “Billy,” she said, “You are not done.  Look at those rows.  There are still clumps of tall grass on some of them.  You need to do the whole thing again.”

“Again?!” Billy cried.  “Okay mom….”

Billy turned on the mower and started running.  “Faster!” he shouted.  “I need to get it done faster!”

The mother was not in the house yet, and noticed that Billy was running.  “BILLY!” she shouted.

Billy couldn’t hear the mother.  The lawn mower was too loud for him to hear her.

The mother whistled loudly, and stood right in the path where Billy was mowing.  “Turn that lawn mower off, now.”

Billy turned off the lawn mower, and stared at her with an impatient look on his face.  “What is it, mom?”

The mother looked at the lawn again.  “Look at the lawn Billy.  You are still not doing it right.  Start over, and do it again.  And I DON’T want to see you run with that mower.  Understand?”

“Yes mom….” Billy sighed.

“If I see you run with that mower again, you are in big trouble!  Go slower and do it right.”

Billy turned the mower on again, he wasn’t running now, but he was still moving fast.

The mother was still outside.  She motioned for him to turn the mower off again.

Billy turned the mower off again and sighed.  “What?! I’m not running!”

“You’re still going too fast,” The mother told him.  “Go slower.”

Billy turned the mower on once again. He began moving at a steady pace.

When the mother saw this, she smiled and went back in.

Even after his mother went in, Billy didn’t want to chance it.  In his mind, he was running, getting the lawn cut as fast as he could.  “Faster, faster faster!” he said, smiling.

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©2012  K. L. Walker