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She Finally Won It
The Story (She Finally Won It)
Catherine slipped on her brightly colored helmet, pulled her googles down and her muffler up over her nose and mouth. The gentle purr of the mighty engine behind her immediately exploded into a deafening roar as she depressed the accelerator with a few quick thrusts. All drivers' eyes where riveted on the starter's flag as it waved gently in anticipation. Suddenly it dropped. Almost simultaneously, the air filled with screams of burning rubber, the roar of engines and the blue smoke of exhaust fumes.
The hundreds of horse power deep within Catherine's car made the sleek mechanical beast lurch forward as Catherine sped towards the first turn. Wheel to wheel with those next to her, Catherine kept her foot flat on the accelerator and her eye on the distant bend. Approaching the curve, she figured she might have a lead of the few inches, not more than a foot. She flung the great car into the turn full speed with tires screeching as it slipped sideways under the momentum of such great speed. Around the turn, Catherine deftly, carefully straightened the car into the backstretch. She was away, clearly in the lead. Behind her the mirror played out the drama of the pack as other drivers sought to gain advantageous positions for the rest of the race. Ahead of her lay a clear empty track flashing by her at an incredible speed that blurred all except distant objects. No jockeying for position, no nervous stress of hairbreadth decision; she was in the lead!
Lap after lap sped by: the pits, the stands, the backstretch. No one could catch her now. The flag and cheering of the crowd signaled the final circuit. Just one more lap; all she had to do was keep her head and drive carefully across that finish line.
She carefully threaded her way between several cars who were a couple of laps behind her as as she rounded the final curve toward the homestretch. Over beyond them she could see the checked flag in a distance. With nothing ahead but victory, she pressed down on the accelerator. The throat of the mighty engine cried out and then coughed in a dreadful chocking sound and then died completely. Vainly she pumped the accelerator, but the only sound was the whistle of the wind as the great car's high friction tires caused the speedometer to plumed to zero.
The cold realisation of disappointment swept through her. After leading all the way she now was going to lose the race. "No! I am going to finish!" She quickly steered the car to the outer lane away from the passing cars. Snapping off her seat belt, she leaped out of the cockpit onto the pavement and began pushing the car while it was still gently rolling. Now the massive engine became an enemy; it took every ounce of strength to heave it's great weight forward. Other cars zipped by she but she kept on. All the cars had passed her now, but still a deafening noise filled the air. As she turned she saw all the people in the stands cheering and clapping and waving her on.
The Finish Official stood smiling patiently with the checked flag Catherine had seen seemingly so long ago. The blisters on her hands stung, the hot pavement burned through her thin driving shores, the pain in her chest stabbed as she gasped for breath, but down inside Catherine no longer felt disappointed. She lost the race, but now she realised that she had won something more important: her self-respect.
Catherine slipped on her brightly colored helmet, pulled her googles down and her muffler up over her nose and mouth. The gentle purr of the mighty engine behind her immediately exploded into a deafening roar as she depressed the accelerator with a few quick thrusts. All drivers' eyes where riveted on the starter's flag as it waved gently in anticipation. Suddenly it dropped. Almost simultaneously, the air filled with screams of burning rubber, the roar of engines and the blue smoke of exhaust fumes.
The hundreds of horse power deep within Catherine's car made the sleek mechanical beast lurch forward as Catherine sped towards the first turn. Wheel to wheel with those next to her, Catherine kept her foot flat on the accelerator and her eye on the distant bend. Approaching the curve, she figured she might have a lead of the few inches, not more than a foot. She flung the great car into the turn full speed with tires screeching as it slipped sideways under the momentum of such great speed. Around the turn, Catherine deftly, carefully straightened the car into the backstretch. She was away, clearly in the lead. Behind her the mirror played out the drama of the pack as other drivers sought to gain advantageous positions for the rest of the race. Ahead of her lay a clear empty track flashing by her at an incredible speed that blurred all except distant objects. No jockeying for position, no nervous stress of hairbreadth decision; she was in the lead!
Lap after lap sped by: the pits, the stands, the backstretch. No one could catch her now. The flag and cheering of the crowd signaled the final circuit. Just one more lap; all she had to do was keep her head and drive carefully across that finish line.
She carefully threaded her way between several cars who were a couple of laps behind her as as she rounded the final curve toward the homestretch. Over beyond them she could see the checked flag in a distance. With nothing ahead but victory, she pressed down on the accelerator. The throat of the mighty engine cried out and then coughed in a dreadful chocking sound and then died completely. Vainly she pumped the accelerator, but the only sound was the whistle of the wind as the great car's high friction tires caused the speedometer to plumed to zero.
The cold realisation of disappointment swept through her. After leading all the way she now was going to lose the race. "No! I am going to finish!" She quickly steered the car to the outer lane away from the passing cars. Snapping off her seat belt, she leaped out of the cockpit onto the pavement and began pushing the car while it was still gently rolling. Now the massive engine became an enemy; it took every ounce of strength to heave it's great weight forward. Other cars zipped by she but she kept on. All the cars had passed her now, but still a deafening noise filled the air. As she turned she saw all the people in the stands cheering and clapping and waving her on.
The Finish Official stood smiling patiently with the checked flag Catherine had seen seemingly so long ago. The blisters on her hands stung, the hot pavement burned through her thin driving shores, the pain in her chest stabbed as she gasped for breath, but down inside Catherine no longer felt disappointed. She lost the race, but now she realised that she had won something more important: her self-respect.
