The whirly gig.

 In 1997 I was training and putting many miles on the roads on my bike. My mother was afraid the cars would take me out of the game of life so she came up with an ingenious solution. She attached a cloth whirly- gig to the end of a small fiberglass pole and asked me to put it on my bike. The pole stuck out to my left and into traffic. The whirly gig did it's job. Cars would give me a wider berth. I still use that whirly -gig today.
Just last week while riding home from work I stopped on a bridge (on the bike trail)  and looked over at the raging river below. It was moving. I leaned over the rail and watched for a bit, and wondered where all those molecules of water end up. Then I  took off again ... I had to get home. As I pulled away, my whirly gig pole gave a twaaaaanng. I looked back. I gasped. My whirly gig was gone! I jumped off my bike and to to the railing telling myself  "don't jump " but wanting to. How could I let that whirly gig go down river? I searched the current, I stepped up onto the railing then back down, I said bad things out loud. Then my shoulders slumped...it was gone.
The whirly-gig my Mom had made me, had finally met its end. I looked around, looked into the river once more, then got on my bike. As I pushed off, I looked back once more. There between the railings was a tiny sliver of blue material form the whirly. I ran to the spot and tried to push my head between the railings to see. I bonked my helmet into the wood and stumbled back. I  jerked my helmet off and looked again.
There it was! Hanging by a thread, literally. I could not believe my eyes.
It's still on my bike doing it's job, but sadly it will not make the trip.
Not enough cars.