“Candice, are you alright?”“Can you hear me?”“Do you feel dizzy?”
“Did you hurt yourself badly?”
The voices came from somewhere above me – worried, overlapping, fading in and out like a radio static. My vision blurred, shapes melting into each other. For a second, I couldn’t tell where I was. Then everything came rushing back.
I tried to move, but my body wouldn’t listen. A sharp pain ran through my arm, spreading like a wave through my body. My head spun as I pushed myself up. That’s when I realized drops – small, dark spots gathering slowly.
Drip.Drip. Drip.
They slid down my elbow onto my palm. I leaned forward and caught the faint metallic
smell.
Blood. My blood.
I froze. My stomach twisted as the smell hit me -that sharp, metallic scent that I could
never stand. The sight made my chest tighten more. Before I could stop myself, the world tilted
and I fell back on the ground. Thud. My hands trembled, everything around me felt distant, like I
was underwater. I drowned, deeper and deeper, my eyes felt heavy and went shut.
It was a sunny afternoon in Mexico city, and I was walking towards a park with my family, exploring the city while traveling. The sky stretched above us, a perfect, cloudless blue. Heat gushed right at me, swelling inside my entire body. The city felt quiet. There weren’t a lot of cars on the streets, the usual buzz and chatter seemed distant. For once, I felt calm and peaceful.
After what felt like 30 minutes of walking, we finally arrived. The park glistened under the sun, flowers nodded while I walked past, and trees swayed from side to side. The atmosphere
felt just right. Calm, peaceful, and cozy.
“Candice, do you want some ice cream?” my dad requested.
“Oh yes please! I am grilling under the sun right now, ice cream sounds like a wonderful idea!” I jumped up and down excitedly, “I’ll race you to the store, who gets there first gets to
choose the ice cream.”
I ran as fast as I could, bolting forwards.
“Hey, you cheated!” my dad yelled from behind.
Finally, I reached the store before he did. Without hesitating, I snatched my favorite ice
cream and bit half of it at once. The cold, creamy sweetness exploded in my mouth, and I
grinned, feeling like I had won something, even before the rest of the day began.
I walked out the store, a wide smile stretched across my face, still savoring the ice cream.
That’s when I saw a group of kids in the park, tumbling and flipping with ease. Their laughter and energy were contagious. One of the girls giggled as she did another backflip. She kicked
backwards and landed perfectly on the grass. Without thinking, I decided I wanted to try it too 一 even though I have no experience at all.
“Mom, dad! Can I play in the park for a while? I wanted to learn how to do a cartwheel
and a handstand!” I shouted excitedly.
“Yeah, sure. Be careful though, don’t hurt yourself!” my mom warned.
I walked over to a quiet patch of grass, my heart pounding with excitement. The
afternoon sun warmed my back, and I could still taste the lingering sweetness of my ice cream. A few kids started to practice handstands nearby, their laughter echoed across the park. I took a
deep breath, trying to mimic their movements. I have to kick off the ground as hard as I can and
use my arm strength to support me. I thought.
My hands were sweating as I took a deep breath, planting them firmly on the soft grass that tickled my palms. I pushed off the ground and kicked my legs upwards – my first
handstand. For a split second, the world flipped upside down. Blood rushed to my head, my heart
pounded, and sweat trickled down my face. My arm trembled, and just as I was about to lose
balance, I caught myself and stood up, breathless but grinning.
“That was a really impressive handstand!” my mom came rushing over. “Could you do
that once more? I could film you doing it!”
“Yeah, that would be awesome!” I smiled, brushing grass off my hands. My heart was racing when I got back into position. I wanted to do it again but this time, I was going to kick harder.
I took a deep breath and pressed my palms into the grass. The ground felt warm beneath
me, the smell of earth and summer thick in the air. I swung my legs upwards with all my
strength. Instantly, I felt weightless – flying, balancing between earth and sky. I was enjoying
every second of this moment.
Then everything tipped. The world spun. My arms gave out, and before I could react, I twisted midair and crashed down. Pain shot through my elbow as my body folded into a messy bridge, and hit the ground with a thud.
For a moment, everything went still. Then the pain hit like lightning. I tried to push myself off the grass, but my arms shook, refusing to hold my weight. My elbow burned, sharp
and relentless, and a warm, sticky, sensation slid down my arms, onto my palms.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
I leaned in, and held my hands to my face. Small, dark spots stuck to my palms. Warmth spread across my skin, sticky and sharp, and the metallic smell hit my nose like fire. My stomach twisted, my chest tightened, face turning as pale as ever.
More blood slid down. My vision blurred, and the world around me seemed distant, as if I was drowning in a deep ocean. Voices swirled, overlapping each other.
“Candice, are you ok?” my mom shouted.
“Stay still, don’t move, we’ll get you back at the hotel in no time!” my dad screamed.“Can you hear me?” my mom yelled again.
And then I noticed him. My head tilted to the side. An old man standing frozen nearby, eyes wide, gasping in terror. He stared at me as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Then
he walked as fast as he could, into a shop somewhere near the park.
My hands trembled beside me, I tried to sit up, but pain shot through my elbows and up my body. My head felt dizzy and I felt like I was drowning deeper and deeper. Then, my eyes went shut.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in our hotel room. I could feel the soft mattress
under me, the warmth of the summer breeze gushing in from the open window. My arms and
legs ached. Every muscle reminds me of the fall, but there was also a strange sense of relief. For the first time since the accident, I could breathe without the world spinning around me.
The metallic smell is gone now. I looked down at my elbow, a thick bandage was covering the wound. I sighed, letting the peaceful sensation flow through my body.
At the end, I realized something important: we have to try new things, even if we don’t know exactly how they’ll turn out. Falling wasn’t part of my plan, but trying and daring to do something I never did before made it unforgettable. Life is full of moments that are unexpected,
exciting, and even messy. And that is what makes it fun.
