Marissa was awakened by the bright sun reflecting off the snow. She took a quick look at her clock. 6:00 A.M, Monday. She threw off the covers and stepped onto the cold, wooden floor. Today was the day she had long awaited. Today was the dog sled race! She flew down the stairs into the kitchen and greeted her parents with a big hug. She tore open the cabinets looking for breakfast. As she pulled out a box of Frosted Flakes, her mother said,” Slow down! You’re going to pound a hole in the floor! “. But Marissa was too excited to listen, and as she poured her milk into her bowl, the bowl toppled onto the floor. ”Sorry, I’ll clean it up. “ She nodded and went to get the mop. When she had finished with breakfast and cleaned her mess up, she ran upstairs to her room to get ready. She put her hair in a bun, not even brushing it, and then put her sweater, sweat pants, socks, coat, boots, gloves, and hat on. She then ran out to the kennel where they kept the sled dogs. She began hooking them up to the sled. Musha and Spot in the back, Moose and Tiger in front of them, Chinook and Able in front of them, and Nemo in front. All of them were Alaskan Malamutes. She piled supplies onto the sled, then wrapped a scarf around her mouth and nose, slipped on her sport sunglasses and watch, and was off.

            When she reached the starting line it was 8:54 A.M, almost time for the race to start. There were many other racers and all of them older than she was. Much older. They all laughed and pointed and muttered under their breath as she pulled up to the line. She blocked out their laughter and remarks by playing her favorite song in her head. Her favorite song was, “Wild at Heart” by Gloriana, a country music band. It helped. Now it was 8:59 and there was ten seconds to go. When the clock struck nine, a man walked up to the side of the line, pointed a pistol in the air, pulled the trigger, and the racers were off. As Marissa gained speed she gained confidence about winning. She came up on a woman in second place and waved. She rounded the first corner of the 66.7 mile trail and looked over the edge to her left. Right there was a huge drop off about 100 to 200 feet down. She tried to slow down, but the trail was running down hill now and they continued to gain speed. Eventually the other contestants were nowhere in sight and Marissa had become worried. Who would find them if they lost the trail? Where would they end up? Would they survive the fall if they ran off the drop off or a very steep hill? If they were found when would they be found? Many thoughts were coursing through her head as they rounded another downhill turn. Then, in a matter of a few seconds they were spinning far off the trail. Then stillness.