11 march 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2672: no traction

Image by Siggy Nowak from Pixabay

“OK, but, if you are getting no traction, isn't that good, because, when I was at the hospital for an oopsie, I saw this guy in traction and that did not look fun, although it was probably kinda safe because he couldn't move and hurt his neck.”

“Well, Amanda, it probably depends on what kind of traction you're in, and why.”

Seven-year-old Amanda Ludlow was talking to her big brother ten-year-old Andrew, trying to make sense of an adult conversation in which their big Lee cousins were having a grim laugh. Col. H.F. Lee had said to his wife Maggie that “now they want to put forth a reform plan 40 years late and millions of dollars short, and are wondering why their ideas have no traction.”

“So, Mandie, there's traction that means getting a grip the way that car tires and our outside shoes have rubber ridges so they grip the ground good so we don't slip, and there's traction that people put you in so you don't move your neck and hurt it.”

“OK, Andy, that makes sense.”

“So then, when it comes our big Lee cousins, and Cousin Harry in particular, the two ideas work together and you're right. It's a good idea when people's dumb idea have no traction around him so that they don't need him to go Angel of Death on them.”

“OK, that makes sense, and, if they have good shoes and tires, they could walk away or even run or drive beforehand to stay safe.”

“Right, Mandie. There's also probably a whole lot of people in this world that should have had someone put their mouths in traction before they ever said anything dumb to Cousin Harry.”

“OK, that makes sense, too.”

“Traction is good if you are on the right side of it,” Andrew said. “You can walk away, you can stay out of trouble, and you can heal, on the right side of it, but if you have no traction, you are about to fall and get done up.”

“You know Grayson is like the big traction guy in this family,” Amanda said. “He will hit you with a gottagobye and use that traction on his shoes and his little red wagon to get away, and then put his mouth in traction and watch other people fall and get done up all day.”

“Yep – George is going to be grounded for who knows how long for the sail kite incident, and Grayson was over with Cousin Maggie snuggled up and eating snacks. Having good traction is a good skill to have, Amanda!”

“I wonder if she has more snacks,” Amanda said.

“Let's use the traction on our shoes to go over to our cousins' house and find out!” Andrew said.