The Mechanical Bull

I remember being in early grade school, and my school was holding an event with fun games and other activities. A girl who was a few years older than me, and who occasionally babysat me, was supposed to take me there and watch me.

There were several different things to do there, but I recall that there was a mechanical bull. I had seen many kids ride the mechanical bull, including the girl I was with, and it looked like it would be fun. I kept asking her to take me over there so I could ride it, but she continually told me that I couldn't ride the mechanical bull. Regardless of whether she thought me old enough to ride it or not, I kept pleading with her to let me ride the mechanical bull. Finally, she relented and took me over there.

I got onto the bull when my turn came, and the bull started moving. It proved to be a lot more difficult than I thought to stay on it. I asked the man at the controls if he could turn it down, as I was having trouble staying aboard the contraption. But he said he couldn't decrease the difficulty, and I continued to struggle for a few long moments more before finally losing my balance entirely and tumbling off. I fell rather gracefully on my arm, which felt rather unpleasant, and the girl led me away.

I didn't ask about riding the mechanical bull again. I suppose I had learned my lesson after that.