The Wall

I loved to climb, anything and everything, sometimes it was dangerous and I always knew it and, that I shouldn’t do it.

Then one day something happened that changed all that.

I was balancing on this brick wall, about three metres high. As I reached the middle I stopped, glancing down to the right of me, wow, it was a long way down, I thought, in the same moment recalling some film, where one actor strongly advises the other actor, not to look down, because they might feel the urge to fall.

Well, I looked up checking my balance, everything is O.K., nothing wrong, I assured myself, when all of a sudden, I felt someone pushing me on my right shoulder.

I attempted to retain my balance, but couldn’t, whatever was pushing me over was stronger, a lot stronger, and I eventually fell of the wall in the manner that I was being pushed, that is head first.

As I fell, it was as if I wasn´t there, falling off the wall, I mean.

I span around, I remember the feeling of being upside down, being rolled around, it was like being in outer space, I imagine, everything had been slowed down.

I now lay motionless face up, peering at the sky, it occurred to me that I may have broken my back or neck or something, I froze momentarily, not daring to move for fear that I could not.

But my body didn’t hit the ground as I expected, but was rather gently placed down.

I moved, then I stood up, and brushed myself down, I looked around to see if anyone had seen what had happened, but there was no one there, no witnesses.

I was not hurt in anyway, not a scratch. I walked off wondering what the lesson was.

I think I knew in my heart what it was; I didn’t do much climbing after that.

Ian

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