A punishing incident | Short Story for Kids | Elijah Wee | Singapore

Have you ever experienced (probably yes?) a most unforgettable incident which served as a hard lesson in your life? Well, here is a story about "A punishing incident" ... 

         The day was indeed beautiful.

         I had managed to persuade Mother to let me go to East Coast Park to cycle. At first, she was rather reluctant and thought I would get into trouble. But after much coaxing she agreed. Till this day, I can still remember the fateful moment of sweet success and triumph. Oh, how happy!

         “ Hey guys! I’m here! Sorry to keep you waiting,” I called out to my friends, Zack and Sean. They were waiting under the coconut palm at East Coast Park. A few days back, we had planned to meet up at East Coast Park to head out cycling. Last week, I had acquired new cycling skills and could not wait to show them off to my friends. Upon reaching the bicycle pathway ten minutes later, we got ready at our respective positions.

         “Ready, set, go!”

         In the blink of any eye, I sped off. My bicycle seemed to be faster than the speed of light or so I had thought. Everything seemed to become a blur. Zack and Sean were lagging behind. They eyed me with jealous cynicism.

         “Ha! Ha! I can ride a bicycle without two hands. Bet you two can’t. Even worse, you two are as slow as turtles. In fact, even slower!” I taunted Zack and Justin. They really were extremely slow!

         At that juncture, my friends’ expressions changed from envious looks to horrified faces. Their chestnut brown eyes widened with terror. “Dominic, look out! Look what’s in front of you!” Justin’s ear-piercing warning sliced through my eardrums. Was Justin just being a green-eyed monster?

         “Don’t be an ass, Justin. I know that you are jealous!” I yelled back. However, Justin exclaimed that I should follow what he had told me back then.

         Turning around, my throat tightened. Oh dear! I was going to collide into a Yellow Flame tree. The tree trunk looked as though it would inevitably scar my face and leave a permanent mark on my face. I would be disfigured for life! Petrified, my throat tightened and my face drained of colour.

         In the nick of time, I managed to leap off my bicycle. However, disaster struck. As I stuck out my left hand to break my fall, I heard a loud and nasty cracking sound. Had I broken left wrist? Why was I in such pain? Tears of agony rolled down my cheeks. Moments later, I began to see stars hovering above me. A multitude of questions raced through my mind. In my last moments of sight, I saw Zack dialing 999 for help while Justin began comforting and assuring that help was on the way.

         I blacked out.

         I regained consciousness only to find myself in a room. Mother was sitting beside me, sniffling. My left arm was in a sling.

         “Are you Dominic?” Before I could reply the doctor’s question, he continued, “It seems like you have fractured your left arm.” He was right. When I tried to move my arm, it hurt! Tears later welling up in my eyes. Like a faulty faucet, I began weeping bitterly. Tears of deep regret on the act of showing off at the park streamed down my cheeks.

         I was affected not by my left arm being in a cast and help up by a sling but rather traumatised by the entire ordeal, one which could have been avoided. This nightmarish of an experience is still deeply etched in my mind and remains a chip on my shoulder till this very day.

Hard knocks in life help to guide us. Have you ever had similar experiences?

Elijah Wee, Singapore

Photo credit: ashoe / Foter / CC BY-NC