The Big Hill
Every kid on Cedar Street can ride up Parker Hill without stopping — except Ruby. This summer, she's determined to do it.
Parker Hill was the steepest hill on Cedar Street. At the top was the best view in town and an ice cream shop with thirty-one flavors. At the bottom was Ruby, on her purple bike, staring up at it.
All the other kids could ride to the top without stopping. Ruby had tried five times. Every time, halfway up, her legs burned, her breath ran out and she had to hop off and push.
"Maybe the hill just isn't for me," she told her dad.
Her dad, who used to race bikes, thought about it. "The hill isn't going anywhere. And you're not either. Want to make a plan?"
Ruby nodded.
"First," said Dad, "don't try to climb the whole hill tomorrow. Just try to get a little farther than last time."
He showed her how to use her gears. "Low gears make pedaling easier on a hill. You go slower, but you can keep going longer."
Day 1: Ruby shifted into a low gear and made it to the mailbox with the blue flag — three houses farther than before.
Day 4: She reached the big maple tree. She had to stop, but she marked the spot with a piece of chalk.
Day 9: It rained. Ruby was glad for the rest.
Day 12: She learned to breathe in rhythm — in for two pushes of the pedals, out for two pushes. It helped her stay calm when her legs started to burn.
Day 15: A boy named Chris zoomed past her. "You're so slow!" he called. Ruby felt her face get hot. She almost stopped. But her dad's voice echoed in her head: Just a little farther than last time. She reached the fire hydrant, her farthest point yet.
Day 20: Ruby could see the ice cream shop's striped awning at the top. Her legs were shaking. Her lungs were on fire. Twenty more feet. Ten more. She stood up on the pedals and pushed with everything she had.
And then — the road went flat.
Ruby was at the top of Parker Hill.
She let out a whoop that made a dog bark three houses away. Below her, the whole town spread out: the river, the school, the tiny chalk marks on the road where she'd stopped, one a little higher than the last.
Her dad arrived, huffing and puffing on his own bike. "You did it," he said, grinning.
They ordered two scoops each. And when Chris rode up the hill a few minutes later and had to stop to catch his breath at the top, Ruby just smiled and handed him a napkin. "It's a big hill," she said.
⭐ The End ⭐
💬 Talk about it
- What was Dad's first piece of advice?
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Don't try to climb the whole hill; just get a little farther than last time. - Name two things Ruby learned that helped her climb.
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Using low gears and breathing in rhythm. - Why did Ruby mark her stopping points with chalk?
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To see her progress and try to beat it next time. - What does Ruby's kindness to Chris at the end show about her?
Show answer
She understood how hard it was and chose kindness instead of teasing back.
