Abyss of Darkness

Saturday, August 16, 2001. In New York today was just an ordinary day for me, or so I wished it have been.

I wake up to the sound of eggs cooking in the kitchen. I get off my bed, careful not to fall, and wobble into the kitchen room; sleep still contained in my brown eyes, and I see my mom with an green apron, with pictures of flowers on it, trying to maneuver around the pan. Which at this point was spraying hot oil like sprinklers gone crazy. After so many attempts she finally succeeds on turning the stove off, gives a sigh of relief and turns around to finally spot me. She takes her tropical apron off and sets it on the counter. She comes and picks me up and carries me. She asks me, in an early morning calm but happy mood," Good morning, how did you sleep my little crocodile." I reply while rubbing the sleep out of my eyes," Good, mom what's for breakfast?"

"Well, there are pancakes and eggs."

She sets me down on a chair in front of the table and sets a plate with one big pancake and an egg nearly cooked to perfection, half-toasted and half-soft. I picked up my Elmo fork; well at this point you could call it a "spork", which I received as a prize out of a Frosted Flakes cereal box.

My mom says before I can play or do anything fun I would have to clean my room, which seemed like a lot when I stepped inside the room to find all my toys in place. The only thing that was out of place and messy was my race car bed. It was a crimson race car with the number 18 on the sides. I loved my race car bed so much because when I was bored I would get into it, buckle my seat belt (imaginary) and would imagine myself in a race like those in the video games. After I worked 10 minutes on it, it was finally straightened out, or so I hope it was.

I got into a green shirt which my mom bought somewhere in Manhattan. It had a drum set logo on it, almost making it seem as if I should play the cotton made drums with my fingers. I got into shorts, a pair of sneakers, that when you jump they light up with bright colors as if a rainbow enveloped my shoes. Last a cap with "SESAME STREET" printed across it in green and red letters, and a picture of Elmo and Cookie Monster leaning on the print as if it was a wall. I jump up and down out of my room excited as if I had just drunk a twelve-pack of Full Throttle or Red Bull. I see my mom at the front door waiting to take me to the park.

We got into the elevator, and I immediately press the "lobby" button and watch the numbers on the simple, black screen countdown 8, 7, 6, 5...Bing!! My mom grabs my hand gently, steps out of the elevator, and guides me outside and places my on the back seat of the Honda Mini-Van. She goes to the driver's seat and tells me to buckle up. I do as told, and watch as we exit the parking lot and enter the main street.

We arrive at the park, a quarter past 4. My mom parks the car careful not to hit any other vehicle. We go to a bench and she tells me to be careful, I nod and depart from my mother. The park or playground, whatever you want to call it, is infested with many elementary kids no older than the age of 8. They were jumping and running around even though their parents where yelling at them not to, in order to prevent a hazardous accident such as falling and breaking your leg, or tripping face forward and breaking your skull on a pole. No kid believes this but later as they begin to grow older they notice that no matter what, there will always be a chance of everything. I depart from my mom and go down the slides and jumping off things I know weren't placed there for a reason. I run around crazy, wasting all my energy. I know that every turn and jump I make my mom has her eyes fixed on me making sure that I am safe. I go up the platforms which lead to the monkey bars and swing around showing of to little kids I am able to sustain myself with one arm. I feel pressure build on the upper side of my arm, and sweat starting to form on my fingers. I try to swing to the next bar trying to shift most of the force on my right hand. I suddenly feel everything go slow, as time somehow allows it. I look at my mom, starring at me making hoping I could make it. No, I slip off the monkeys bars like butter where on them. Time takes its "time". Just for background knowledge, the fall was not a small height. It was a height of 6 feet from ground to the monkey bars. Anyways back to the story. After and endless amount of time the 5 foot impact breaks my bone into 2 pieces. I feel the force of the fall go up my hand and go up my radius. Then when my bone couldn't sustain much longer I hear the crunching of the fracture, then a small yet loud snap.

My eyes close as I fall in an abyss of shadows....I hear everything that is happening though even though I can't see. My mom yelling for help. Someone, though it seemed like 3 people were carrying me, placing me in the car. The car racing towards the hospital, and people rushing me into a cold and lighted building.

My eyes open. I had sweat dripping down from my forehead. I looked down at my cast and think maybe, my head against a soft pillow, it wouldn't of hurt to not clean my room just once, yesterday.