The Ride: a vignette

By Rick Pryll

WARNING: this story is intended for mature audiences, and includes sexually explicit language and situations.

The Ride is a vignette from the story-within-in-a-story in upcoming novel "The Chimera of Prague". In this story, Joseph and his brother Sam ride their bikes thirty miles to spend the 4th of July with Dani, Charlie and their family in Union Corners, New York. Despite the treacherous descent into the Oatka Valley, the boys arrive safely and enjoy the festivities in the park behind Dani's parents' house. Meanwhile, Dani has a surprise for Joseph, one he is really going to like.

The story features some great 80's cycling details and more Americana than you can shake a stick at. Come along for a wild time in The Ride.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Foolishness Press
• Release date: Nov 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386862840

Rick Pryll

Rick Pryll is an award-winning author and poet living in Charlotte since 2002. His book, The Chimera of Prague (Foolishness Press, 2017) was selected the winner of the 2018 New York Festival of Books in the Romance category. Rick is a member of CharlotteLit and the Charlotte Writer’s Club. Most recently, Rick hosted a book marketing session called “Beyond the Book: engaging readers, creating super fans” as a part of the Author Talks series at CharlotteLit. In support of his latest book, Rick held launch events in Charlotte and in Prague, the Czech Republic. Since November 2017, he has been invited to participate in author events in Kentucky, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and is actively seeking additional opportunities to speak and promote his book internationally and domestically. First published to the web in 1994, his hyperfiction short story “LIES” has garnered praise from the Wall Street Journal, SHIFT magazine, and several other publications in print and online.  It is cited in more than seven books, and has been translated into Spanish and Chinese. From 1996 to 2002 Rick lived in Prague.  While there he published two books including Displaced (Foolishness Press, 1998) and Wallow (Foolishness Press, 1999).  His stories and poems have been featured on the pages of THINK and OPTIMISM. Rick attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering by submitting a novella as his thesis.  In 1991, he won MIT's Robert A. Boit Prize for Best Short Story. Rick was born in Dunkirk, New York on the shores of Lake Erie. From the age of three, he grew up in Batavia, New York and graduated from Pembroke Central High School. He lives with his wife, 2018 ArtPop Charlotte artist, Holly Spruck HMCAS, his two kids, Edie (13 years old) and Jack (11 years old), two cats and a puppy.

Book preview

The Ride: a vignette

Rick Pryll

Published by Foolishness Press, 2018.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

THE RIDE: A VIGNETTE

First edition. November 26, 2018.

Copyright © 2018 Rick Pryll.

ISBN: 978-1386862840

Written by Rick Pryll.

Also by Rick Pryll

The Chimera of Prague

Christmas in Prague

Not-Prom: a vignette

The Ride: a vignette

Breakwall: a vignette

Cross Country

Watch for more at Rick Pryll’s site.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Also By Rick Pryll

Dedication

The Ride

Sign up for Rick Pryll's Mailing List

Further Reading: The Chimera of Prague

Also By Rick Pryll

About the Author

About the Publisher

To Jacqueline Marie Northrup Pryll

The Ride

With the northward glacial withdrawal 12,000 years ago, much of the current Oatka Creek watershed landscape was formed: valleys, hills, drumlins, escarpments, and bodies of water, watercourses and waterfalls. Over much of the emerging land, trees formed vast forests. The Seneca developed villages in clearings near water, and trails for connecting, trading, hunting, and conducting hostile expeditions. The Indian trails were adopted by later settlers and some of them became major roads such as New York State Route 5.

New York State’s Finger Lakes began their existence as an array of north-south valleys, defined by ridges rising 300-400 feet above the valley floors, left behind by the retreat of the glaciers. During precipitation events, the ridges allow surface water to collect and descend to the valley floor as rivulets. These rivulets excavate softer material, which leads to erosion and movement of a water-material mixture into the lower valley floor. Over time, this erosion process exposes supporting rock strata, creating seasonal streams and an abundance of small cascades flowing down the ridgelines that confine the valleys. These cascades are common; few are named, and none are known to be noteworthy. They are, however, the target of enterprising sightseers, and abundant in the memories of senior residents recalling their youthful exploits.

Sam and