There were enough shavings on the ice for one hundred snow cones or more. But Madison Henry was oblivious.

Any other normal six-year-old girl would have fantasized about the color and taste of those snow cones. If the color was a deep red, she knew it would taste like the sweetest of strawberries, blue would taste like the summer blueberries you pick at the end of July and rainbow would be the best ever. Not green, for that would mean lime and most children would rather eat stale dog food.

Plenty of snow cones were outside on that very hot and sticky Fourth of July afternoon. It was the kind of day that just might end in a thunder and lightning storm. Children and adults of all ages lined the small main street waiting for the parade to come around the corner. Some carried jackets or umbrellas, and others were shirtless, willing to risk the weather god's wrath.

But Madison was inside the only ice arena in Willow Point, California, where the temperature always remained a constant forty-seven degrees.

It had always been like this. From the very beginning of her life, Madison Elizabeth Henry was destined to skate. And not the kind of skating where a mother dressed her child up in a cute little outfit for the lame public skating session on Sunday afternoons. This was different; and Madison and her mom, Annie, were very aware of that.

Her mother had introduced her to the ice when she was barely walking on her own. Even now, Madison loved to hear the story over and over, as if for the first time. How when she was three, as soon as her mother laced up her skates, Madison grabbed her mother's hands, and looked seriously into her face. "This is what I'm going to be when I grow up. A skater."

Her mother laughed deeply, throwing her head back as far as she could. "You haven't even stood on the ice yet!"

Madison smiled and replied seriously, "I don't need to, Mommy. This is going to be my life. For all of my life. I just know it."

Annie Henry stopped laughing and stared at her daughter, a faint smile on her lips. "Let's see if we can get you to stand on the ice first. Then we'll see about that shining Olympic career of yours. Deal?"

"Okay. Deal."

Nothing had touched the ice yet. Not a hole, nick or crevice was anywhere to be seen. Madison remembered looking at it up close for the first time. A big cube, she thought. Her own personal ice cube.

Annie walked Madison to the edge of the ice, holding on to her as tightly as she could without scaring her daughter. She watched like only an anxious mother could as Madison faltered slightly. Annie loosened her grasp of Madison's hand, one finger after another. Madison put one skate timidly on the ice and looked around the empty, spacious rink with determination. Madison's other skate gradually touched the ice. Within seconds, as the story went, Madison was skating completely on her own. Annie skated a few feet behind her, just in case she was needed, all the time praying she wouldn't be. When it was time for dinner, Annie had to literally pull a crying Madison off the ice with the promise of returning the very next day.

At the end of each day, Annie had to promise, again and again, they'd return the following morning. Every new day segued into the next three years.

Madison stood in the center of the ice, hands on her hips, her skate purposefully nicking hard on the ice. She glanced off to the side where her coach stood uncompromisingly rigid. "Well?"

"Do it again!" a woman's voice yelled.

"But I did it like more than twenty times already!"

"Well, then I guess it wasn't good for like more than twenty times." The woman looked at Madison sternly, trying desperately not to crack a smile. "Come on, Maddie. You can do better. I know you can. Now. Go back to your first position and try it again."

Madison rolled her eyes and skated a few feet back from where she stood before. She began skating, slowly at first, and then picked up speed, turning a corner.

"Head up, Maddie."

Madison lifted her head high. She switched her feet around effortlessly and skated backward.

"Arms!"

"I know!" Madison raised her arms to a beautiful position.

"Get ready...okay...now!"

Madison suddenly threw herself into the air; her arms snuggled tightly against her body. She made two complete circles in the air before landing almost perfectly on her right foot, her left leg extended gracefully behind. She stopped herself with the front tip of her skate and looked up with big brown eyes. There was what seemed to Madison, the longest pause of her young life. Then she heard those three little words ring in her ears.

"Do it again." The voice offered no explanation or understanding. Madison didn't fight or question it. She simply skated back to her beginning position.

"Feel the music, Madison."

"But there isn't any."

"Well, pretend that there is, okay?"

Madison repeated the first few movements. Just as she was supposed to jump, she spun out of it and stopped herself.

"What's going on? You can do this."

Madison shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly. "I'm tired, I guess."

"You wanna stop?"

Madison stared down at her skates and remembered when she got them. Her mother had bought them for her barely a year ago. They were so white she almost didn't want to wear them. And stiff. God, they were stiff. They hurt her ankles and shins so much after wearing them the first few times, she soaked in the tub for an hour each night. Now the skates were so worn, the wrinkles in the leather were filled with specks of dirt up and down the skates.

Maddie looked up. "I'm okay. I don't want to stop." She skated a few feet away and slowly turned back. With all the courage she could muster, she asked the inevitable. "Am I gonna miss the parade?"

The coach moved her sweater up from around her slender wrist and glanced down at her watch. She looked at Madison with a small smile that was unapologetic. "Yeah." She pulled her sweater back down, covering the reminder of time gone by. "Let's try it again."

Madison resumed her starting position. She took the deepest breath a six-year-old could and skated. She skated faster and faster. As she rounded the far corner, she flipped her direction backward.

"And...now!"

Madison heard the voice ricochet through the rink and she flew through the air. The move was polished and extraordinary. She landed with a huge smile covering the better part of her tiny face.

"That's it! See? That's what the judges will be looking for. You understand now what I've been saying?"

"Yeah, yeah.  I know. I understand." Madison's eyes lit up.  She stopped in front of her coach. "Can I go now?"

The coach smiled to her star skater. "Yeah. You can go."

Madison skated as fast as she could off the ice. Her rear-end hit the bench with a thud so loud, it was destined to bring a colorful bruise. She removed her skates with unbelievable speed and threw them on the rubber flooring beneath the bench.

"Just be careful."

Madison grabbed her shoes and jumped up. "Yep."

"Watch out for the--"

"--cars! I know, Mom!" Madison was out of her sight.

Annie Henry smiled to herself and skated toward the rink opening, like she had so many times before. She moved to the huge pile of skating gear Madison had once again left behind. She gathered skates, socks, leg warmers, gloves and sweatshirts and tossed them into the large, threadbare duffel bag. She smiled, remembering how her daughter looked in the morning. How they both looked when they arrived outside the rink at five-thirty in the morning. It was usually still dark out and the sun had yet to warm the town. They piled on layers and layers of clothes. Even in the summertime. Sweaters, turtlenecks, mittens, and scarves sometimes, too, if it was really chilly. But, it never failed, she thought. Within the first ten minutes, Madison had stripped down to the bare necessities, leaving the familiar pile for Annie to gather at the end of their practice.

Madison ran out the front door of the old rink. The sun shone directly into her face, making her eyes and nose scrunch up at the bright yellow light. Immediately, she heard the sounds of an off-beat band marching down the street. Up ahead, people had already started to follow the parade.

The townspeople always did this at parades. They marched along behind the last drummer in the band, as if to include themselves in the procession. As if it was their right. They all gathered near the Town Square, in front of Mr. Trundle's grocery store. The band continued to play old-time songs that some of the people actually danced to. There were clowns making weird things out of balloons, and games and food booths were set up everywhere you looked.

Madison took off in a dead run. Maybe this will be the year, she thought. Maybe she'd catch the last bit of the parade. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the events that continued on throughout the day. She just wanted to see the actual parade this time. Like all the other children. But as Madison neared the end of the street, her heart sank and her feet came to a halt. She watched as the tail end of the parade disappeared around the bend. She had missed it once again. Her face caught up with her heart and feet, and slowly fell to severe disappointment. She glanced back toward the rink and saw Annie there, waiting for her to return. Madison gave Annie a look that only a devastated child can give a mother.

Annie shrugged with a 'what can you do?' kind of face. And really, what could she do? The Junior Championship Competition was in two weeks. They needed to practice. They didn't need to watch a parade.

A lonely clown across the street caught Madison's attention. He sat down on a beat-up bench and pulled off his red nose. Madison watched him curiously as he took off his rainbow wig and white gloves. Her eyes wandered over to one lonely yellow balloon floating next to the fatigued clown. It was like the reject balloon none of the other kids wanted. It was dirty and there was hardly any air left in it, causing it to float at her eye level. But, it didn't matter. To Madison, it was the greatest thing she'd ever seen.

Madison ran as fast as she could across the street. Her hand was outstretched ready to grab the balloon. But as her hand clasped the ratty string hanging down, another small hand grabbed it too, just above hers. Madison looked up and faced her enemy. In front of her stood an adorable seven-year old boy. They stared at one another, neither one ready to loosen their grip on the string. Neither one ready to lose.

Madison smiled quickly to the boy. She knew how to play the game. "What's your name?"

The boy replied with attitude. "I'm Jackson Wellington III."

Madison looked him over. He was dressed rather well for a parade. Behind Jackson stood a maid in uniform waiting patiently. Madison's eyes met Jackson's. "Well, Jack. What do you think you're doing?"

"What am I doing?"

"Are you deaf? I said, what are you doing as in-what are you doing with my balloon?"

Jackson smiled slightly. He had met his match and he knew it. "What makes this your balloon?"

Both Jack and Madison looked at the clown now practically undressed. The clown looked at both of the kids. It was obvious he wanted no part of this and quickly walked away.

"Listen, the thing is, I've missed this parade every year and all I want is this stupid balloon. I'm, like, an ice skater. A real one. So, I'm sure, now, you understand. So...bye bye." Madison tried to take the balloon from Jack's hand, totally convinced her speech had worked.

But Jack didn't let go of the string and he stopped her as she tried to walk away. "The thing is... what was your name?"

Madison, in total disbelief, turned back to Jack. "Madison Henry. And there are no fancy-schmancy numbers after my name, by the way."

Jackson nodded. "See, the thing is, Madison, I never get to see the parade either. My father works a lot and never remembers to come home on time. All I want is the stupid balloon."

They had a major face off. Neither one budged.

Annie drove up next to them and rolled the window down, yelling out to Madison. "Come on, Mad. We've got balloons at the house. Give the balloon to the nice boy."

Without breaking her intense eye contact with Jack, she answered Annie. "It's not the same, Mom."

"Come on, Mad," Annie said reproachfully.

Madison put on her most sincere face; the face that got you that fourth cookie when you were only allowed two. With more determination than ever, she spoke to Jack, "Okay. Here's the deal," Madison paused dramatically, "I'll be your best friend if you give me the balloon."

Jack looked directly into Madison's eyes. There was a connection there that most adults would never know in their lifetime and Madison and Jackson had it. Right then and right there.

"You don't have to be my best friend. You can have it for nothing." Jackson slowly let go of the balloon and walked away.

Madison frowned slightly. This wasn't part of her plan. "Hey! Jackson with the numbers!"

Jack slowly turned around to her.

"Just so you know. I meant that. The best friend part. And I always keep my promise. Just so you know."

Jack smiled at Madison. "Yeah. Sure."

Madison watched Jack walk over to the maid and then walk away. She smiled and jumped in Annie's car, balloon in hand.

She had won.