Joshua had been promised a...
Joshua had been promised a bicycle for his eighth birthday. For days before his birthday came, he had dreamed about it, what it would look like, where he would practice until he could ride it, what it would feel like speeding along the street. But on his birthday, as he was brought into the room where his presents had been assembled, there was no bicycle. He had imagined that it might be standing there as he entered, perhaps with a ribbon on it, ready to get on and ride; but it was not. He examined the wrapped presents, thinking perhaps it wasn't assembled yet and might be in a box.
