The warm spring air whizzed through my hair and filled my lungs as the sun beat down on my face and all my extremities. Birds were chirping overhead, flying among the puffy white clouds. I readied myself for action. One step, two steps, for good measure I take one more. Shmack the sound reverberates as a skateboard hits the ground. I am riding it, riding it by a group of rag tag hooligans each equipped with their own board. They laugh, they smile, and they watch, they watch me and they watch each other as we all set up for our tricks on the large blocks which are place atop a brick pathway.

The goal we each aim for, large stone blocks painted sporadically by others years before. The paintings are cave drawings, childish and colorful. We all head for the center piece. It is painted a bright yellow and dotted with red designs. This block stands about knee high on the average man and is four to five feet long. Its rough edges have been smoothed by years of copiously applying wax and the many tricks which have been performed atop of it. As I set up for my turn at being the one who impresses the group. A sense of serenity fills my body. In that moment I am free of everything that holds me back. I am free to let my body do what my mind cannot conceive. I am free.

My body contorts turning one way as my legs turn another. The board makes contact with the large stone block. With a loud Thunk I am sliding away on the nose of my board. Out of the corner of my eye I notice the slack jawed expressions of those around me. Soon reach the end of the massive yellow block, with one mighty push of my leg the board spun around a full two-hundred and seventy degrees and came to rest perfectly under my feet. As I ride away the familiar feeling of the bricks greets my feet. The beautiful rumbling of polyurethane on asphalt is like music to my ears as I roll away from a moment of fame. Soon after I land my friend Andrew takes his turn at Infamy. The board flips and turns under his feet as he spins the opposite way of it. Bamm he lands on the block sliding on the tail of his board. Before he reaches the end of the block he kicks his foot out to the side. The board flips over as it careens through the air. With the swiftness of an eagle he caught the board with the bottom of his feet as he came to land on the warm hard ground.

In a flash I am off of my board and celebrating with my compatriots. We high five, fist bump and shout excited screams in each other’s faces. After only a few second of prolonged celebration I find myself resting on a faded wooden bench with those I deem fit to call my friends. As we sit there a multitude of different people parade on by us. Two people who I recognize from school are among this odd bunch. We dare not say a word to either of them viewing them as belonging to an awkward crowd, but we do listen in on their conversation.

“My level twelve mage could so whoop your level thirteen warlock’s but!” exclaimed one of the two boastfully.

“Oh yah well my level ten dragon could roast ten of your level seven barbarians,” retorted the other odd ball in a pernicious manner.

Not knowing at all what they were talking about I began to laugh hysterically and joke amongst my friends not stopping what I was doing until the jokes which I made had died off. For the rest of the day we skated, joked and talked to our hearts content until time had run out and it was time for us to disband.

My times at our skate spot are always freeing and full of fun. Whether it is that we all land new tricks as we skate to the best of our abilities or we observe some of the strange happenings that go on around it. Our spot is where as friends we come together into one solid group and have some of the best times ever. If we didn’t have this spot at which to meet and free ourselves from everyday life than many things would be different. This place we meet is the focal point of all our excellent times and moments of grandeur.