The Tales of Huckleberry Hound: Season 4

22. Have an Ice Day!

Huckleberry Hound and his friends excitedly counted down the last ten seconds to midnight.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"

The gleaming ball dropped down to the bottom of the tower in Times Square, and "1962" began to sparkle in bright lights on the top of the building.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!" everyone chorused.

Noisemakers blew, rattlers rattled, and loud cheers filled the air. Huck even popped a party popper filled with confetti. The new year had begun!

"YAAAAAAAYY!!!" the hound cheered. "It's a brand new year!!"

"It's always kind of a shame when an old year ends," Barney Rubble sighed.

"Yeah, but it's just the beginning for a new one too!" Fred Flintstone smiled. "Another chapter for the history books, Barn!"

"Hey, yeah! That's a good way to look at it, Fred!"

"And I think to start off this new chapter, we should do something fun tomorrow for New Year's Day!" Snagglepuss suggested. "Let's kick off 1962 with a little excitement...a little joy, even!"

"Great idea, Snag!" Huck beamed. "You know, I got a new pair of ice skates for Christmas, so why don't we all go ice skating tomorrow?"

"That sounds good to me!" Hokey replied. "After all, this is the first time in years that Hill Street Neighborhood has gotten a snowfall, so I've been told!"

"Yeah, so maybe ice skating is the perfect way to celebrate!" Mr. Jinks agreed.

So it was settled. The next morning, everyone made their way to the city to do some ice skating on the great big frozen pond. Huck was wearing his brand new ice skates as he glided across the ice. He spun, did some leaps, and even tried to do a figure 8. However, it looked more like a six than an eight.

"Hmmm, this looks more like a figure 6 than a figure 8," he chuckled. "Oh, well. I guess I need to keep practicing."

Huck skated all around the ice, and decided to try practicing how to balance on one foot instead.

"If I can balance on a scooter, or on a tightrope, I can do it on ice skates too!" he said to himself.

"Wow, Huck!" Top Cat cried. "You're really good!"

"Thanks, TC!" Huck replied. "Wanna give it a try?"

TC looked hesitant and swallowed hard. "Uh, well that is...uh..."

"Go on and try, TC!" Choo-Choo cried. "Remember how we used to slide on the ice in Central Park?"

"Yeah, it was loads of fun!" Benny added.

"We had inflatable tubes to help us," TC whispered. "I've never been on skates before."

"Aw, but Huck got you those nice skates for Christmas," Benny said. "You should really try them out. Come on."

"Yeah, ice skating is really fun!" Huck agreed. "I can teach you!"

"Well, alright," TC sighed. "But it's not gonna be easy."

"It wasn't easy when I started skating either," Huck replied.. "But trust me when I say it's a ton of fun once you get the hang of it."

"Yeah, if you need help, there's nothing wrong with asking," Hokey pointed out.

TC looked uneasy. He'd always tried to look like a strong, fearless leader around his gang. Would asking for help make him look too much like a big softie? He shrugged.

"Oh well, I'll just wing it," he muttered to himself. "How hard could it be?"

"Are you sure about trying it on your own without learning the basics first?" Huck asked. "Ice skating can be difficult when you're just starting to skate."