About the story: Children can get themselves killed if they're not careful. Find out how when a few friends take on a dare of epic proportions, and learn something about themselves in the process.

"Go ahead do it! I dare ya!"

"Oh, like you're gonna try it if I do?!"

"Watch me. Face it, you don't have the guts to pull it off, dweeb!"

That was the last straw for Justin. He pushed Calvin hard, almost knocking him down. Calvin righted himself and attacked Justin, charging like a baby bull. Justin was the larger of the two, and by far the more athletic. With a quick turn of his waist Calvin passed him by only grazing his chest.

"Knock it off you two," Terry called out. Until now, he had been standing by, watching their tempers flare.

"You're supposed to be friends, remember?"

The "friends" comment caught their attention, long enough for Terry to grab Calvin and hold him in a bear hug until he cooled down. How do you stay mad at a guy that you've seen blow a half cup of milk through his nose?

The buddies focused on the task before them, a dare of epic proportions. But who goes first?

They were at their favorite meeting place; a child's paradise, and the best place in town to ride their bikes. Large dirt mounds, forest trails, open dirt roads with no cars or grownups in sight. In the middle of "paradise" was a footbridge. They all rallied at the west entrance to the bridge every Saturday morning, after Justin's Cub Scout meeting and Calvin's soccer game. The two became three when Terry started meeting them – he needed an excuse to get out of his house and away from the computer, his only friend until he met Calvin and Justin.

"Its your idea, so you go first!", Calvin said to Justin.

"You don't think I'll do it, do ya? The reason I want you to go first is because I know you'll chicken out after I go!"

Justin started flapping his arms and bobbing his head like a chicken. This only got Calvin furious again, he moved forward in an attempt to stop Justin.

Terry came to the rescue again by grabbing Calvin by the arm. Calvin tried to pull away, but Terry's extra-large size meant extra strength to carry it around and Calvin could not pull loose.

"You two mind telling me what this dare is all about?" Terry had come late and missed the whole first part of the argument.

They both turned toward the footbridge and started walking down the bank toward the water. Terry followed, Justin leading the way like always. Once under the bridge, Justin pointed up and said, "See those beams under the bridge? My dad says they're called I-beams. They run the length of the bridge, about thirty feet. I dared Pussywillow here that he couldn't cross under the bridge hand over hand on the I-beams, and make it to the other side without falling."

Terry looked the situation over, a professor on the verge of an important discovery. The beams were only about eight feet off the ground at the highest point. Even if you let go there wasn't much of a drop. The beams seemed clean enough to hold on to, and with the weather so warm the metal wouldn't be too cold to grasp. He surveyed under the bridge as well, this is where it got hairy. The water that ran past was only a brook, at the most a foot deep. The problem here was just the smell of the polluted water. No way anybody would want to fall in that – you would reak for a week. Right in the middle of the water set a large flat rock, the only safe place to land should you get tired. The rock was covered with broken bottles and pieces of glass; falling there could really spoil the day. In between the shore and this rock lied an upside down, stripped bicycle frame, all rusted with the forks sticking out of the water. Terry never realized how much pollution there was at the bridge, never taking the time to notice. It was like finding an apple core under your bed after a couple of weeks. Even though you sleep there every night and pick up your messes, you just feel gross when you find it. Terry had this same feeling now.

He turned to the other two and said, "I think you two are nuts, did you smell that water? What are you gonna do when you fall?"

"I'm not going to fall, fatso!", Justin snapped.

"Take it back, Justin, or you're going swimming NOW," Terry was fuming. He looked down at his overstuffed belly and felt as though he wanted to cry. It always got down to the "fat thing." His mom said he was pleasingly plump, but he secretly wished she would put her cards on the table and tell it like it is. Caught between anger and hurt, he chose the latter. Justin was right.

"Justin, that's beat, he's our friend," this time it was Calvin to the rescue. Terry's anger continued to cool turning back into the hurt he could never escape. He looked down at his paunch and secretly knew that even if he wanted, he could never meet the dare.

"Well, who's going first?", Justin was growing impatient. He ignored the other two's silent plea for an apology.

"Lets flip a coin, come on are you two game?"

The two turned and started back up the embankment.

"All right, stop now, I'm sorry, OKAY!", Justin pleaded.

"No more name calling, you got that?" This time Calvin was in charge, and stood firm.

"Not even geek?"

"Well, geek is okay, but only if you're kidding around."

Terry added, "I kind of liked that pussywillow name."

With that the three laughed. The other two continued on, heading for their bikes.

"Where ya goin'? The bridge is that way," Justin pointed down towards the water. The other two didn't even respond. Finally Terry spoke, "You can cross if you want, we're going for a ride."

"I knew you two were CHICKEN!"

"You can call me any name you want, I'm not going," Calvin spoke up in defiance to Justin's cut-up.

Soon the desire to cross subsided and Justin joined his friends at their bikes. He wanted the dare. He needed to prove he could do it. Without the support of his friends it wasn't the same.

Across the dirt mounds a figure appeared. It was moving towards them on foot, a dismounted cowboy. As the figure got closer, one of the boys identified him. From the exaggerated walk the child approaching at first seemed like a circus clown on break from a hard day at work.

"That's Mark Mehan. He's in my sister's class," Calvin said.

"He looks retarded or something. Is he okay?", asked Justin.

"He's hyper, real bad. I never saw him in action, but my sister talks about him. He's really loud, and you wouldn't believe the stuff he gets away with in class."

"Like what"

"Like walking across the tops of the desks, that's what. Like running around the classroom calling other kids names. His mom and dad spend every other day at the school bailing him out."

"So he is a retard," Justin said matter of factly.

"No, you're a retard, he's hyperactive."

Terry added, "Doesn't he take medication for that? I know a lot of kids that do."

"I heard the medication makes him nuts or something," Calvin said.

"I don't care what he is, he gives me the creeps. Lets get moving before he comes over." Justin's words reinstated his leadership and the three mounted their bikes. When Terry started to pedal, the chain on his old bike flew off.

"Hey, you two, WAIT UP," he called.

The other two turned around and sped back to his side. Just as they arrived to help, Mark also showed up. He was blinking just about every other second, and seemed to have no control over his hand or facial movements.

He spoke to the group, one hand on his cheek and the other flailing at his side, "What's up guyyys? Yeoww, look at that bbike!"

"Its not that bad," Terry replied angrily.

He started to walk around the group, making comments about the bike, the sunny day, his new Nintendo 64™ game and everything else that had nothing to do with the slipped chain. He picked up a rock and threw it with no target in mind. It whizzed toward the group and just missed Calvin's head.

"KNOCK IT OFF!", Calvin screamed at Mark.

He cowered down as though Calvin was going to hit him. Mark rolled himself up in a ball and rocked back and forth.

"I told you he was a retard!", Justin started walking toward Mark. "Get Up, You," he screamed at him.

As quickly as he sat down, Mark stood up.

"I'M NOT RETARDED. YOUR RETARDED. YOUR ALL RETARDED." He had a rock in his hand and a scary look on his face. Justin was ready pounce on him, but the look on Mark's face told him to stop. Mark threw down the rock and stormed away. He walked quickly towards the footbridge.

"I'm glad he's gone," Calvin said.

"I was ready to pound him. It's a good thing he dropped that rock," Justin was pumped from the confrontation.

"Good thing you didn't. My dad says that sometimes people who don't think can be real strong. He might have put that rock right through your head," Terry replied. A part of him felt bad for Mark. He knew what it was like to be made fun of, and have no friends.

"Ya Right," and Justin laughed off the whole mess. He parked his bike and started towards the footbridge and Mark.

Terry yelled, "Justin, leave him alone!" Justin ignored him.

"Come on, Terry's bike is fixed, LET'S GO!," Calvin yelled this time. By the time they realized he wasn't listening he disappeared under the footbridge. The two ran over as fast as they could.

They approached the bridge, and were shocked to find Mark and Justin talking together. By this time both Calvin and Terry had expected to find one of them in the water, or worse.

"Relax you guys," Justin quipped. "Let me introduce you to my friend Mark here. Mark, meet Terry, and Calvin. His sister's in your class at West side."

The two boys nodded and said "Hi."

"Mark said he was sorry for getting so mad, right Mark?"

Mark nodded, his movements exaggerated, like a boy going the extra mile to walk in his dad's footsteps. By the time his nodding was complete, his head was going from side to side and all around.

"I told him about our dare. Now that we're all friends he's in!" Justin smiled a crooked smile and winked at Terry and Calvin.

"What are you talking about? That dare is off! Don't listen to him Mark, it's too dangerous," Terry stated angrily.

Calvin added, "I thought we were all going for a ride?" He continued,"Come on Justin, leave him alone."

"Just because you two are chicken, it doesn't mean my buddy Mark is too!" He looked over and Mark nodded again in agreement. He was excited to have a friend, more importantly some friends. The dare was no big deal; it wasn't any harder that the monkey bars at the park. With that thought he climbed up the bank and grabbed hold of the "I" beam. He crossed hand over hand, after the first 5 feet he got a rhythm down and crossed the whole bridge in no time flat. It happened so fast that the boys -- now on the other side of the brook -- didn't realize he'd already crossed.

"Did you guys see that?! He made it look easy,", said Terry. Justin was in shock. All the time they spent over who would go first and Mark just jumps up and does it.

"Who's chicken now?" Calvin taunted Justin. Mark waved his arms wildly and yelled for them to come on.

"You don't have to do it Justin, I don't care WHO crosses," Terry said.

Justin knew that wasn't true. Especially when it got around school that some "retard" made the dare that Justin himself thought up, and he didn't do it. Secretly he had wanted Mark to give up or not make it. Then he could have laughed it off and left the scene.

Now Justin was on the spot and had to cross. He walked up the bank and grabbed the beam.

It was colder and rougher than he imagined. His hands were sore after only a couple of feet. By the time he was over the first section of water (and the rusty bicycle) he wished he had never started. Wished that he never got up and gone to scouting, and never come to this lousy bridge. By the time he was halfway across his arms ached, and his hands HURT. He stopped and looked down. He was over the flat rock. If he let go now, it was only 6 feet down. He could make up something about bird crap on the beam. Now Justin wanted to be free of the pain in his hands and shoulders. He started moving again, but when he did so, a wasp that had settled on his resting hand didn't appreciate the sudden move. It stung him as hard as a wasp can.

Before Justin realized, he was falling. He hit the rock hard with a THUD, and a CRACK, landing on his right side. His leg became twisted under his body during the fall and hurt badly. He couldn't tell which hurt worse, his hand from the wasp sting or his leg, all twisted up under him. After the first minute he hurt all over.

"Justin, ARE YOU OKAY?!" Terry was frantic on the side of the brook. He paced back and forth, trying to get Justin's attention.

Calvin called out, "GET UP, JUSTIN, COME ON, QUIT PLAYING AROUND!!"

"He's not moving Terry. His leg doesn't look good at all. I'm scared"

The two screamed, "JUSTIN, W A K E U P!!"

They heard a groan from the rock; he was trying to talk to them. Finally he mustered enough strength to call out, but the noise from the brook drowned him out.

"He's hurt BAD. I can tell. Calvin, you stay here, I'm going for help."

Terry got on his bike and pedalled like the wind for home. In all the excitement he didn't realize that they were only moments away from a softball field and a county ambulance. Instead he pedalled right past the field and headed toward his own house, a two mile journey away.

"Hellpp MMEE, Somebody PLEASE," by now Calvin could hear Justin's cries. He called out to him asking where it hurt and reassured him that Terry had gone for help. When Justin tried to move, a blinding pain shot up his leg all the way to the back of his head. He knew his knee was broken; it was swollen and twisted. There was pain all throughout his left side, and he was bleeding. He knew there were pieces of glass stuck in him, but the pain from his knee made the rest of his body numb.

"CALVIN, HEELLPPP MMMEEE," he cried out.

"DON'T WORRY, HELP IS COMING BUDDY"

"I'M DYING CALVIN, H E L P M E!!".

Calvin stood on the shore feeling totally helpless. Terry had been gone a long time, what if he got into an accident on the way? He had to do SOMETHING! "Come on Terry!", Calvin said out loud. His best friend was dying and he was just a bump on a log. He tired of sitting around and doing nothing.

"I'M COMING JUSTIN!"

Calvin grabbed hold of the beam and started to cross. He figured he would get to a safe point over the rock, drop onto it and save his friend. What he didn't figure on was what he could do to help once he got there. He was running on pure adrenaline and the excitement of the moment as he fought to save his friend.

Mark was still on the other side, still oblivious to what had happened. He was chasing something in the woods. Calvin tried to call out to him, but just holding on was taking all his energy. The excitement turned quickly to fear as Calvin realized he was loosing his grip. Pictures of the rock and all the broken glass covering it filled his head. He couldn't shake the thought of falling onto broken glass once he reached the rock, there could be no safe landing. Justin was proof of that. In an attempt to save his friend, Calvin really screwed up this time. Fear swelled in the pit of his stomach, sapping what strength he had left. He fought it, and tried to move back on the I-beam. His left hand slipped off, he hung there by his right hand for what seemed like an eternity. The fear won out and Calvin fell. His feet landed on the edge of the rock, but he fell at an angle. His arms flailed wildly as he tried to regain his balance and right himself. Gravity's force won out as Calvin fell back, back onto the protruding, rusted forks of the bicycle frame in the water.

"Calvin, can you hear me? I'm hurting real bad; are you coming? Calvin? , CALVIN!!"

Calvin lay only three feet away from his friend. The fork had pierced through his shoulder and laid against his neck, barely keeping his head from slipping into the filthy running water. He was in shock and bleeding badly.

Justin was trained to help by the scouts. He had never seen shock, but recognized the symptoms from his handbook. He felt himself drifting in and out, there was so much pain all over. The only thing he had going for himself was that his own body weight kept the bleeding to a minimum beneath him. What happened to Calvin? He said he was coming. He should have been here by now. Justin twisted his head around in an effort to see the shore behind him. When he did so the pressure on his knee sent shards of pain throughout his body. The more he turned, the more it hurt. He had to know. In a last ditched effort to see, he twisted with all he had.

Calvin's feet were only a short distance away, or was he dreaming? He fell back to his original position and waited for the pain to subside. If he could believe his eyes, Calvin was in worse shape than he was -- his face had to be in the water. Oh God, we're gonna die!

Across the brook, Mark finally caught the butterfly he had been chasing. He was heading back to show his new friends when he heard Calvin scream. Across the water he saw Calvin fall back, at the same time he noticed that Justin was lying on the rock. Why was he lying there when Calvin was in the water? It seemed strange. He sat down to think about it just as Justin started screaming for help.

"HELP US, HELP ME, HELP, H E L P !!!"

Mark started running through the water towards him. Justin thought, "Oh, great, I'm dying and some retard is gonna save me." Justin called to his friend, "Calvin, can you hear me?"

Calvin's eyes opened. When he realized his situation, he fell back into shock, slipping out of consciousness. This time his head fell back, into the polluted water.

Mark ran right past Justin and stopped at Calvin. He worked around behind his head and lifted it up out of the water, still holding onto his captured butterfly. Calvin came around, when he opened his eyes he started to shake all over. Mark pulled off his shirt and covered him, dropping Calvin's head into the water as he did so. He lifted his head back up out of the water.

"Come over here, Mark! HELP ME!," Justin cried.

"I can't let go right now, If I do, HE'LL DIE"

"Find a rock to support his head. Don't move him, no matter what. You have to go for help, go find Terry," Justin had used his last bit of energy. He slipped into the dark, comfortable folds of unconsciousness.

Terry made it home, but no one was there. His parents left a note that they were out shopping and would be home by four. He started to panic, but instead ran to the neighbor's house for help. By the time he got there he was breathing so heavily and was so dirty and covered with sweat from the ride the neighbors thought Terry was hurt. They calmed him down, heard his story, and called for help.

"Justin, can you hear me? What do I do now? JUSTIN?", Mark continued to call his name over and over. Justin could not respond. Rock, he needed to find a rock for Calvin's head. God, the water stank. With his butterfly in one hand and a head in the other Mark started to get confused. Who was the rock for? He had to get help, but for who? Think, think.

He rested Calvin's neck against the bicycle fork, dropped the butterfly into the stream and felt around for a rock. He watched the butterfly float away and became distracted. He found a rock, used all his strength to lift it, and forgot why he needed it. He dropped the rock into the water, getting the full enjoyment from watching it splash. When he turned, Calvin's head had slipped back into the stream. He lifted it again, with Calvin choking out water as he did so, and remembered what he needed a rock for.

"I'm so STUPID SOMETIMES!", he said loudly to himself. Using his feet, he gathered some rocks, and stacked them around the bike frame to support Calvin's head. He was bleeding badly. Mark took the shirt he had put on Calvin to keep him warm and held it over the wound, wrapping the sleeves around the forks under his shoulder to help stop the bleeding. When he pushed down on the wound, Calvin woke up screaming.

"Its gonna be okay, Calvin, you're gonna be alright." Mark tried to hold him down while keeping pressure on the wound. He started to shake all over again. His teeth chattered as he spoke to Mark, "It hurts, god it hurts, help me PLEASE GOD, HELP ME!"

"Your Dad's coming Calvin, after we finish our swim!"

Mark thought he heard his name called. With the water running past, and Calvin moaning he couldn't be sure. So much was happening, he had to concentrate. Again he heard it, just a little louder this time. He was getting scared. Terry was gone, Justin hadn't moved in the last ten minutes, and Calvin was shaking and moaning. He wanted his butterfly back, and wished Justin had never started this "footbridge thing."

"Maarrk, Can yooouu heearr mmeee?," the voice was louder still. It sounded like his dad, but he couldn't be sure. He heard the call again, this time he knew it was his dad. He let go of Calvin's wound, cupped his hands over his mouth and screamed, "OVER HERE."

Moments later Mark's dad came running down the embankment.

"What the. . ." he said out loud as he analyzed the situation.

"Mark, are you alright?"

"I'm okay Dad, go get help. He's dying Dad, hurry!"

"HURRY!!"

Marks' dad raced back up the embankment and ran for the softball field across the dirt mounds. They had been playing a double header and he had lost track of him. There were people at the park and some EMTs with an ambulance. Just as he cleared the first set of dirt mounds, an ambulance with sirens blaring came careening around the corner where the dirt road let out into the open area. He flagged them down and pointed to the footbridge.

The EMT's worked diligently. Mark tried to help, tried to explain what happened. In all his excitement he stuttered and couldn't complete a sentence. He felt like a second wheel with a flat tire, no good and in the way. His dad pulled him aside and wrapped a blanket around him. They watched together as the fire department cut the forks off the bicycle and they took Calvin out, bike parts and all. Two other EMT's had stabilized Justin and pulled him out strapped to a backboard brace.

Mark's Dad tried hard to piece together just exactly what happened at the bridge. Mark couldn't say much when help arrived. He followed the ambulance to the hospital, his son riding in the back with the two severely injured boys. Mark always had a way of finding trouble, and this time it was catastrophic. His father blamed himself for the whole incident. If he wasn't so involved in his ball game, Mark would never have gone wandering, never found the boys, and never started trouble. If he did, that is.

Once at the emergency room, waiting with Mark was an exercise in patience. He circled the small waiting room endlessly, constantly making chattering noises with his mouth, and messing up the magazines. His actions caused some of the less adapted adults to leave the room and pace the hallway. Mark's dad had tried to bring him home, but Mark would have no part of it.

Terry came with his neighbor and waited with them for over an hour, but had to leave because his parents were going to be home soon. He told Mark's dad what happened up to the point that he had to go and run for help, but didn't know why Calvin got hurt so badly. Twice they had to take Justin's mom out of the room to calm her down. She was sobbing loudly when Terry finished telling his version of the story.

After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came out and approached Mark and his dad.

"So you're the boy I've heard so much about!", the doctor said to Mark, smiling warmly and extending his hand.

Mark slipped behind his dad, grabbing hold of his father with both hands. His dad peeled one hand off and turned to face him, "Mark, it's okay, the doctor just wants to say Hi. You can go ahead and shake his hand."

He slipped out from behind his dad and reluctantly took the doctor's hand. Holding Mark's hand firmly, he spoke to both Mark and his dad,

"I wanted you to know that the boys are going to be alright, but they'll have to stay with us for a couple of days. You can both go home and get some rest now, you'll be able to see them tomorrow." He turned to Mark and said, "Son, you did a great job out there today, the EMTs told me how you saved your friends life by keeping his head above the water and getting control over his bleeding. GOOD WORK", and he again shook Mark's hand. This time he stood tall and really shook the doctors hand back. The doctor slipped a note into Mr. Mehan's hand and turned to continue his work. Mr. Mehan thanked the doctor and walked the now ten-foot-tall Mark out of the hospital, with a shower and a huge banana split planned for the evening.

* * *

The annual banquet for Pack 135 was the usual flutter of parents and scouts, from the ranks of Wolf up to the much respected Eagle Scout. All the prospective awards recipients' proudly strutted their stuff, the parents beaming in pride. The Scout Master called the room to order. Sitting on the stage were three chairs, with Mark sitting to the right, the position of honor. Seated next to him were Justin, still wearing a cast on his leg, so covered with markers from friend's signatures it looked more like a modern artist painting than a cast. Next to Justin was Calvin, now a Bear Scout only a few badges shy of Weeblo appointment. Mark's father sat in the audience, never prouder of his son.

As the Scout Master talked about what a great year it had been and how well all the fund-raisers had gone, Mark's dad conversed quietly with Calvin's father. It turned out that Calvin was in physical therapy for his shoulder and expected full recovery within the next couple of months. Mark sat quietly on the stage, and Calvin's father commented on his excellent behavior. The doctor had given Mark's father a note with another doctor's name on it. This other doctor was an allergist, specializing in "attention deficit" children, like Mark. After some tests, he put Mark on a diet that excluded all artificial colors and flavorings. The result was better than anything Mark's dad could have expected. Not only did Mark show an immediate improvement in his school work, but he became a joy to have around. You could feel the excitement beaming off him as he relayed the story to Calvin's dad. To think that Mark's troubles had been so greatly improved with a well and proper diet.

The Scout Master introduced Mark. As he did so, Mark stood as Justin approached the podium on crutches. Even though he couldn't wear his uniform pants because of the cast, Justin looked impressive with his sash and the rows of merit badges that adorned it. He lowered the microphone and addressed the audience.

"I wanted to tell everyone about a valuable lesson that I learned. This is Mark Mehan, our guest of honor. He saved both my life and the life of my friend Calvin," he pointed to the two of them on the stage next to him, both now standing. "Mark's a hero".

The audience rose and began to clap loudly. You could barely hear yourself think above all the applause! After a few moments it subsided and Justin continued,

"Mark saved our lives, even though I made fun of him. I want to apologize in front of everyone here to him. Mark, I'm sorry."

Mark walked over and shook his hand. The two hugged each other and the hall went wild! Still holding onto each other, Justin waited for the audience to quiet down before continuing,

"I made fun of Mark because I didn't understand him. He was different because he used to be hyperactive. I called him a retard because I couldn't accept him for who he is. That is prejudice, and it's wrong -- no matter what. I'm sorry."

As Justin and Mark stepped away from the podium the Scout Master took his place to get down to business. He called the hall to order and called Mark back up to the podium.

"We, the leaders of pack 135 in conjunction with the Daniel Webster Council would like to award honorary scout, Mark Mehan, the Lifesaving Medal."

Mark nervously accepted the award and caught a glimpse of his father, a Cheshire cat-like smile on his face. They winked at each other simultaneously as the audience again rose and applauded. Although Terry missed the banquet, Mark thanked him for all his help and made sure the audience knew his name. The footbridge would never be the same to them, as the scouts organized a clean up committee and made it their first priority. Now on choice Saturday mornings, you'll find four young men riding together in the woods surrounding the footbridge.