8 Seconds

Daryl tugged at his safety vest. He usually made sure it was on right, although he sometimes ignored the little details in securing his equipment. So rarely did the clowns get in the way. Once a bull was done bucking, he knew where the exit chute was.

Daryl loved the rodeo. He loved the excitement, the crowds, everything. The clowns no longer wore the big shoes, funny clothes, and painted their faces. Now, they protected themselves from the bulls by wearing protective equipment. His wife told him just this morning he wasn't wearing the vest right. They had argued about it. He left feeling tired and the day hadn't even begun. But soon it was going to get exciting.

People came to the rodeo to watch the barrel races. Or the calf ropers. Maybe even the mutton busting. Today, though, they had all gathered to watch the bull riding.

Crush was one of the bulls in the line-up.

He had a different name. Something like 'Mountain Top', which did describe his size. But the rodeo clowns all called him 'Crush', because it seemed as if he enjoyed trying to crush a cowboy on the ground once he had him off. And no one had ridden Crush all the way to the 8 second buzzer.

Dominguez was the world all-time bull riding champion. He had pulled Crush's name. People had come to watch the biggest battle on the rodeo circuit. The greatest bull against the greatest bull rider.

You could feel the electricity. The crowd had gathered, the stands were full. People were talking and laughing about what was going to happen. Daryl felt it all. He was just as excited, even a little nervous.

Crush was in the chute. Dominguez already on top, getting his hand firm on the grip. Crush stood there. He didn't fight in the chute. He seemed to prepare himself. He seemed to measure up his rider. He seemed to get his legs, hips, and body ready to spring out as soon as the gate opened.

Dominguez nodded his head, showing he was ready. The gate swung open, and the 8 second ride started.

It looked as if Crush had split his body into parts. His head jerked one way, his back up, and hips another direction. But before his feet hit the ground, he had already changed his form, his back almost doubling up. He hit the ground hard with all four feet, but as soon as his front hooves split the dirt, they were back up, cutting slices in the air, leading the bull forward, and off to an area where his head and back didn't follow.

Dominguez looked like a rag doll, being jerked back and forth. It hurt Daryl to see him getting tossed around. Dominguez tried keeping his balance. Tried staying upright. Tried using his feet to keep a rhythm. But there was no rhythm with Crush. Within just a few seconds, it was obvious Dominguez wasn't going to stay on top.

Dominguez started to slip, and Crush felt it. He lunged the opposite direction, and Dominguez came flying off, landing just a few feet from where Crush's hind feet had just left the ground.

Then Crush did his movement he was famous for. He spun around, and aimed right for the downed cowboy. The clowns went to work, trying to get his attention, trying to redirect where he was going. But Crush wasn't swayed. He jumped up, and they thought he might even jump over Dominguez, but then his front hooves came crashing down on his hip. Dominguez screamed in pain.

The crowd gasped. Some of them held their breath. All were aware of what was happening. Daryl tried to get as close to Crush as he could. He was working to get Crush to move off. Crush was so close to Daryl, he could feel his hot breath, smelled his sweat from his back. Crush was going in to do more damage to Dominguez, and all Daryl could think of doing was to bring his fist down on Crush's eye.

Not the brightest thing he had ever done.

Crush felt his eye get hit, felt the pain shoot through it. He turned his head, and now his focus was on his new target- Daryl.

Daryl tried jumping back, but wasn't fast enough. Crush swung his head, and a horn caught under his safety jacket. He hadn't had it on right. He was now the rag doll, being jerked back and forth on top of Crush's head, feeling the horn in his stomach. As he was loosing consciousness, he suddenly felt himself flying through the air. He had no idea in which direction he was flying, where he would land, or his position so he could roll. All he could think about were his wife and children.

He heard the 8 second buzzer sound. Was Crush the first bull to throw two people instead of one within 8 seconds?

The crowd had become as one, all were frightened for cowboy and clown. They all stared at the scene before them. No one spoke. No one even dared breathe.

Daryl hit the ground, air being knocked out of his lungs. Would Crush go after him now? He couldn't bring himself to even move his head to see if Crush was coming.

But Crush wasn't coming. The other clowns were taking turns trying to get him away. The riders that kept to the far side had ridden up as fast as their horses could bring them. Their lassos already out, and being thrown over Crush's horns. The horses knew what to do. They tightened the ropes as soon as they felt the pull. They set back, holding the raging bull. The cowboys guided their horses and moved the bull to the exit chute.

Crush was gone in the chute. EMS had Dominguez on a gurney. Daryl tried to breath again. He stood up. He did a fist pump to show he was OK. Dominguez raised a hand to wave to the crowd. They went wild, cheering and clapping. They stood up as one, jumping for release from their fear. Many were hugging each other. Whistles broke the air.

Daryl smiled. He was grateful. Mostly, though, he would never again ignore his equipment. And tonight he would hug his wife and children like he had never hugged them before! He would crush them with his love!