The Great Ski Race

By M. S. Subutilin

 

On a bright, shiny day in St. Subut City, three little girls were bored as could be.

They  dreamed of going to the Hidden Valley Ski Resort to ski, ski, and ski!

How well they could ski, these triplets of three,

And they were oh-so-grateful, they were told they could ski!

 They put on their gear and got ready to go,

So they jumped out into the wide-open snow.

How great the snow was, a blanket of white fluff,

But the littlest one was thinking of other stuff.

She thought of the beach, the sand and the sea,

So she made a plan for her mom to hear her plea.

She went with her sisters, and she went down the hill,

But her mind was on the plan rather than the snowy chill.

 

When they grew older, the younger one swam,

While the older girls attended the Ski-Racing Jam.

The Jam was a race, the best one there was,

Yet the young one did not attend, but only because

Her elbow was damaged,

It hurt so, so bad.

And they went on without her

Not knowing she was glad.

 

She swam and she swam,

And soaked up the sun,

But she realized that she was not having real fun.

Her sisters, they missed her,

And she wanted them too

So she decided to enter

Without them knowing who.

 

The practice she practiced,

The time that she took.

Was it as bad as she thought, or would she get hooked?

The time was now near,

And the skiers got ready

And then there appeared

A new skier, looking kind of unsteady.

Who was this new kid? Why was she here?

After the race, they would see crystally clear!

Then they were off, flying past the trees,

And the one shady skier was more than pleased.

She stayed ahead, left the others surprised,

But what if they knew? Could she still win the prize?

She then wondered if her sisters could tell.

Were they that smart? Did they know her that well?

She felt so, so, bad,

Worse than she was

When her elbow was hurt

but only because

She felt worse inside.

It could not shake the triumph, the excitement, and the pride.

And so she fell back,

Right into their arms,

And they all crossed the finish line

With one sound of the alarm.

How could this be? Was it a draw?

They were all winners, and there were no flaws.

They were destined for greatness, these fabulous three,

But the younger one ruined it and said,

“Sorry! I’m going back to the sea!”