Snapshot Posted by Katrina , Friday, September 25, 2009 at 2:44 PM, in

As dawn approached, large raindrops descended from the sky, dancing across the streets of Dallas, Texas. Inside a small hotel, a young man began preparing himself for the long, draining day ahead of him. His heartbeat accelerated at just the thought of the Vex Robotic World Championship being held only hours away.

            Before the pale, dark-haired boy departed the hotel room, he took one last look in the mirror and gave himself a weak smile. Down in the lobby, his scanty robotics team awaited his arrival. From the window, they clearly saw that the rain was pounding the saturated earth; they quickly obtained translucent plastic from a nearby table, from which other people were seated. The material easily contoured to their bodies, taking the shape of a poncho within an instant before they dashed out the doors and down the street.

            When the team came to a halt outside the building, Kevin felt as if it towered over him. His heart fluttered faster than a hummingbird; he could hear the constant pattering of his heartbeat in his ears. Through the threshold, the building was overly-congested with people. Entering the building, he could feel his knees becoming weak and his hands growing clammy in his pockets. He disposed of the damp plastic that was molded to his body and took a seat up against the wall where the other competitors sat.

            Over time, his mouth grew dry in anticipation of being called to perform in the arena. When the speaker called his name, he stood; rosy red coloring flooded his cheeks. Feeling a little nauseous, he squatted to grab his robot and tools. With his voice a little raspy and shaken, he managed to mutter to his robot, “Let’s do this, Scudmeoba”.