Strong Like Bull

Hello, reader. I decided to try a different approach this week with my modern version of the fairy tale and keep it light. I also made sure it stayed a short story. I'm getting ready for National Novel Writing Month, so reining in my word count took some doing, but I did it for all of you.

Even if they're not made of glass, hills can still be a big deal.

"Stupid accident," Lisa muttered. Because of some big accident on the interstate, she and John were hiking up this big hill alone instead of with the rest of their friends. John was okay, but he had to remind people that his family had been a big deal in Norway before they'd had to flee. And John had to remind people of this all the time. Not that he had ever been to Norway.

They hiked up the side of the hill and it was actually pretty nice. There wasn't much for John to brag about while they were hiking, so Lisa could enjoy the scenery and swap stories with John about other hikes they'd had. Whenever he'd try to turn the conversation to how something in Norway was so much better, Lisa just started walking faster so he had to pant to keep up and couldn't talk easily. "Maybe I should only hang out with John on hikes," Lisa thought.

Eventually, they made it to the top in time to see the sunset in all its glory. Lisa sent a picture to their friends, who were currently on back roads trying to get around the accident. Lisa and John enjoyed the sunset until they needed to leave.

Of course, even with their flashlights, it was much harder to hike down the hill in the dark and Lisa lost her footing and fell. She was all right except for her right ankle. John got her a walking stick, but it soon became clear that she couldn't really walk. So John carried her down the hill.

"Thank you," Lisa said, when he put her in his car.

"Of course," he replied, starting the engine. "You'd do the same for me."

"I'm not sure I could have carried you that far, but sure."

They got her to a hospital and it turned out Lisa had sprained her ankle. "How stereotypical," she replied, rolling her eyes. At least it was simple to treat. They just gave her an Ace bandage and two crutches and told her to rest, ice her ankle, and keep it elevated.

Lisa and John made it to the cabin after their friends. At least it was a large cabin and there were things to do, since Lisa wouldn't be hiking any more this weekend. She hoped she'd be able to drive when they needed to leave.

They spent the night catching up, eating ice cream that the late car had managed to pick up, and teasing Lisa about getting hurt already. They decided that John was as strong as a bull for being able to carry her. Lisa agreed, but John kept saying it was nothing. Apparently, everyone in Norway was that strong. Eventually, they all headed to bed.

The next day, everyone else went out on a hike. Lisa demanded they go so they could enjoy the weekend, even if she couldn't. Then she started to deal with the other minor things that had happened after she fell. She had a few scratches that she inspected for infection before washing them again. Of course, her clothes from yesterday had dirt slathered on them. Guiltily, Lisa realized she must have gotten John's clothes dirty as well. He had left them in the middle of one of the boy's rooms, so it wasn't hard to find them. Sure enough, there was dirt ground into the back of his shirt. It looked like he had tried to get it out, but had no success. Lisa rolled her eyes.

With enough time, patience, and dish soap, she managed to clean the dirt out of their clothes in the bathtub and hang it all up before everyone else got home.

John was the first one back in the house. "How are you?" he asked.

"Well, you all were gone seven years and I feel like I'm wearing iron shoes, but I'm fine."

John looked at her for a moment, concerned.

"Really. I'm fine, but I was serious about the iron shoes thing. Can you bring me the pain reliever? I think I'm due for another one."

The rest of their friends came in while Lisa was taking her pill.

"So, how'd you do?" one of them, Trudy, asked.

Lisa shrugged. "Better than you all. You're covered in mud."

John was the only one who hadn't gotten covered in mud.

"Go outside and hose off. I don't want to have to pay for cleaning this place because all of you couldn't stay on your feet," Lisa mock nagged.

"You have no room to talk," Trudy replied, sticking out her tongue. Still, Lisa was right, so they went outside to clean up a little.

"They all managed to fall and you didn't?" Lisa asked.

John shrugged. "I have good balance. Everyone in Norway does. They kept asking me to give them piggy back rides. Apparently, I'm the bull of Norway now."

"It suits you," Lisa replied laughing.

John shook his head and wandered to the kitchen to find something to eat.