Many years
ago, on a cold December night, an old greybeard biker was returning from
a trip to Mexico with his saddlebags filled with toys and other assorted
trinkets for the kids at a group home near where he worked.
As he rode along that night,
he thought about how lucky he had been in life, having a loving riding
partner that understood his need to roam the highways and about his
trusty old bike that hadn't let him down once in the many years they had
shared the road together.
About 50 miles north of the
border, in the high desert, lurked a small group of notorious little
critters known as Road Gremlins. You know, the ones who always leave
little obstacles like one shoe, boards and pieces of old tires on the
road and also dig those dreaded potholes for bikers to run over and
crash, thus giving the Road Gremlins a chance to rejoice over their acts
of evil.
As the old greybeard rounded a
curve that moonlit night, the gremlins ambushed him, causing him to
crash to the asphalt and skid before coming to a stop next to one of his
saddlebags that had broken free. As he lay there, unable to move, the
Road Gremlins made their way towards him. The greybeard, not being one
to give up, started throwing things at the gremlins as they approached
him. Finally, with nothing else to throw but a bell, he started ringing
it in the hopes of scaring off the dirty little gremlins.
About a half mile away, camped
in the desert, were two bikers sitting around the campfire talking about
their day's ride and the freedom of the wind blowing in their faces as
they rode across this vast country. In the stillness of the night air,
they heard what sounded to them like church bells ringing and upon
investigating, found the old biker lying along the roadside with the
gremlins about to get him. Needless to say, being a part of the biker
Brotherhood, they proceeded to ward off the gremlins until the last of
them ran off into the night.
Being grateful to the two
bikers, the old greybeard offerred to pay them for their help, but as
all true bikers do, they refused to accept any type of payment from him.
Not being one to let a good deed go unnoticed, the greybeard cut two
pieces of leather from his saddlebag tassels and tied a bell to each
one. He then placed them on each of the bikers' motorcycles, as near to
the ground as possible. The tired, old road warrior then told the two
travellers that with those bells placed on their bikes, they would be
protected from the Road Gremlins and that if ever in trouble, just ring
the bell and a fellow biker will come to their aid.
So, whenever you see a biker
with a bell, you know that he has been blessed with the most important
thing in life...friendship from a fellow biker.
