The cart with one yellow wheel

An original literary non-fiction-style account of helping volunteers move equipment for a small outdoor theatre performance.

The handcart had one yellow wheel and one which had lost most of its paint. It stood outside the store while the theatre volunteers argued about what to carry first. A painted door, two stools and a box of artificial flowers waited against the wall. Someone suggested that the door should go on top because it was the largest. Leena asked whether being largest made it the last thing they would need.

The performance area was a short walk across the park. At the first bend, a stool shifted and tapped the side of the cart. Everyone stopped. One volunteer held the painted door while another rearranged the smaller objects. The person who had called the trip easy said that he had meant the distance. Leena said that she had been wondering about the cargo.

A runner passing them asked which play they were performing. The volunteer holding the flowers began explaining the story. While she spoke, another checked the path ahead, where a low branch had dipped after the previous night’s rain. They moved the door to a different angle before setting off again. The explanation of the play continued from a position behind the cart.

At the outdoor stage, the largest object was not unloaded first. The box of flowers went to someone arranging the opening scene, and the stools were carried towards two marked places. The door remained on the cart while a backdrop was adjusted. What had looked like one load was becoming a sequence of separate requirements.

Later, the cart returned to the store carrying empty covers, spare string and a mug somebody had left beside a tree. It looked less impressive than it had with a whole door standing on it. Leena checked the store list and noticed that one small prop was still missing. The volunteer who had explained the play remembered where it belonged. She took the cart back across the park, its yellow wheel making the return journey easy to follow from the gate.

What do you learn from the whole passage about the planning and cooperation behind moving the theatre equipment?