Craig Doing a Backflip

It had to be done. There was too much at stake here for Craig to just give up without trying. His bare feet braced against the scratchy texture of his backyard, he looked into the eyes of his best friend, the one who had bet him 20 dollars he could not do a backflip. Such an opportunity could not have been rejected, seeing as the money was exactly what he needed to purchase the newest video game that was coming out in a week, which he would not be able to afford otherwise. Craig had never done a backflip before, and wasn't usually one to attempt such a thing. But this was the video game of the year. He had worked hard doing odd jobs for a month just to get to where he was now, but all that effort would be wasted if he did not acquire this 20 dollars. Tying the strings of his hat beneath his chin, he sank lower, preparing to launch himself into the air. Clyde looked at his wrist, imitating someone who might be looking at a wristwatch. "Come on dude, just do it already. Or you'll have to give me 20 bucks!" He chuckled. A vein throbbed in Craig's forehead. He did not respond to Clyde's intimidation. Clenching his fists, he sank even lower toward the ground. Suddenly, he sprang upwards, jaw clenched in concentration. In an almost robotic manner, he angled his body backwards until the ground appeared to be above him. It appeared to Clyde in almost slow motion as he watched his friend execute a perfect backflip. The elegance and grace of the maneuver left him dumbstruck. It was akin to watching a majestic bird in flight as his feet left the earth and he was airborne for just a moment, just before he returned to Earth and gently placed his foot directly in a pile of dog poop. Everything suddenly switched out of slow motion as Craig's foot slid out in front of him and he tumbled backwards much less gracefully down a hill of prickly weeds. Clyde snapped out of the trance he had been in and hurriedly chased after Craig, frantically yelling his name. However, he was too late, with a final tumble Craig was off the hill and into the lake. Clyde stopped, panting heavily. He waited a few seconds before he saw a soggy yellow puff appear above the water, followed by a pair of exasperated eyes. Neither spoke as Craig removed himself from the water, walking barefoot back through the prickly weeds. Standing before Clyde, he only said two words: "20 dollars".

A week later, Craig sat playing the newest video game. He'd only needed about 10 dollars of it to complete the amount needed, so he'd given the other half back to Clyde- as an incentive never to tell exactly what he'd done for the money.