The long wait is over and race day has arrived! The crowds are gathering and the racers are suiting up and delving into their pre-race rituals. One racer places a lucky rabbit foot in his pocket and another is looking in a mirror, while chanting they’re unbeatable. However, there is one that is simply staring at her most prized possession, in which she is sure will win her the race. Zixa smiles proudly as she admires her own handy work. She spared no expense and not a single minute of time was wasted while it was being built. She worked tirelessly for days on end, until she had created her ultimate dream bike.
As other racers stand around boasting and gossiping, Zixa is in the pit alone with her masterpiece. She is happily spending her time polishing the chrome on her bike. Some say that this is her signature pre-race ritual and claim that it keeps her calm and focused for the race, though she heavily denies it. She takes a step back to inspect her work and a crew member happens by, “That beauty is near blinding to look upon, if positioned in the light just right.” Zixa turns with a toothy grin and shoots the crew member a wink, “You bet!” She sighs with a tilt of her head, adoring the machine, as if it were the love of her life. It was in fact the apple of her eye, at least until she built a new and improved version. She had even thought to give it a name, but not just yet. For her to give it a name, it must prove itself worthy of such. Only then, would it stay in the small collection, in which only her elite creations reside.
Zixa is startled by the pre-race buzzer and snaps out of her daydreaming state, as it is followed by a loud announcement, “All racers are to be positioned at the starting line in no less than fifteen minutes.” She quickly puts her tool belt and polishing cloth away, as she watches the crew escort her bike to the starting zone. Zixa looks up to the announcer just as he speaks into his megaphone, “Racers start your engines!” She looks to the crowd with a smile that soon turns into a fierce competitive grin. She turns her gaze to the raceway and cranks over the engine, as she stares down the tracks. She pumps the throttle a few times, making it sound like thunder is rumbling from the exhaust pipe. Zixa grits her teeth and flicks her goggles into place, as the announcer speaks, “On your mark, get set, go!” The engines rev in full force, tires spin in the dirt, and a huge cloud of dust forms over the tracks.
The racers soon emerge into sight, with Zixa in the lead! They barrel down the tracks, dodging a few obstacle walls that lay in their path. Up a steep hill they climb, ending with a full ninety degree cut-off, flinging them all into the air, one by one. All but one clear the jump over the mote of muddy water and slide into the sudden curve that immediately followed, wiping yet another off the course. The crowd grows tense as they cheer them on through an unexpected patch of thick mud. Three more racers fall behind, spinning their tires in the mud. They soon find themselves in deep enveloping trenches, that they could never recover from. Zixa hits the patch full force and lets off the throttle, allowing her momentum to get her through to the other side, taking the lead once more. The last two remaining racers quickly come in behind her, with their tires slinging mud all over the tracks behind them. Finally, she has the finish line within eyesight. Zixa gives the throttle all her strength and ducks her head down as she leans forward into the handlebars. Streams of dust follow the three racers as they ride neck and neck down the rest of the track. Just as quickly as it started the race comes to an end with all three flying over the finish line, without anyone sure as to who won, but the one holding the finishing photo.
The bikes crawl to a stop and the silence of the crowd is cut by a shrieking, little voice, “I won, I won!” Zixa jumps off her bike as the announcer confirms, “The undefeated Raceway Riot, Zixa Spryspark, wins again!” The crowd cheers, as camera flashes surround Zixa in her moment of triumph. She smiles proudly as she leans herself against her bike to pose for pictures. She stands straight a moment to take a bow and just as she goes to push down the kickstand, the bike begins to teeter. Zixa’s eyes widen as she desperately reaches for her bike to stop the fall, but fails. The bike crashes over with a loud thump and she lands straight on top of it. As she quickly sits up and rubs her head, Zixa opens her eyes to the darkness of night, from the middle of her bedroom floor. She sighs as she realizes it was nothing more than a dream and searches blindly to find her bed. She crawls back into bed, gently rests her head on her pillow, and pulls the blanket up to her chin. Zixa yawns with a giggle, closes her eyes, and mumbles the nickname she’s had since she was a young gnome, “C-a-t-a-s-t-r-o-p-h-e, catastrophe, that’s me.”
