The Red Bicycle

Text 1: Straight Ahead, by Clara Fenwick

An original short story extract.

At first, the red bicycle seemed determined to choose every direction except forward. On Mina’s first attempt, it carried her into the hedge. On her second, the front wheel wriggled beneath her like a fish trying to escape. On her third, she forgot where the brakes were and jumped off while the bicycle clattered onto the path.

“Again,” Mina said.

Mum lifted the bicycle and held the back of the saddle. Mina climbed on. Her hands locked around the rubber grips, and the path ahead became a narrow grey ribbon between the grass. Somewhere beyond the gate, children were shouting in the playground. Mina wished she were with them.

“Don’t let go,” she said.

“Look ahead,” Mum replied. “And pedal.”

Mina pushed down with one foot. The bicycle wobbled, recovered and wobbled again. She counted the paving slabs as they passed beneath the wheels: one, two, three, four. At the fifth slab, Mum called, “Keep going!” Her voice sounded strangely far away.

Mina glanced back. Mum was standing at the beginning of the path with both hands raised.

For one sharp second, panic opened inside Mina like a trapdoor. The handlebars jerked. Then she looked ahead.

She pedalled. The wheels hummed over the path. The narrow grey ribbon seemed to open in front of her, carrying her towards the gate. When she reached it, she squeezed the brakes and placed one foot carefully on the ground. She was laughing before the other foot touched down.

Explore how the writer’s language choices and the organisation of the extract present Mina’s changing experience of learning to cycle.

You should use relevant subject terminology to support your answer.

To help you, you could consider:

• the descriptions of the bicycle and Mina’s feelings
• how the extract moves from repeated failure to success.