MICHAEL was exhausted. His bones ached and his muscles were on fire. He tried not to think about the pain, maybe if he thought of something else, it would hurt less. He had to hold on to KATIE, no matter what.
He had been driving KATIE to school that morning, when a bee swung in through the window. KATIE was allergic to bee-stings, they were fatal for her. He reacted and the car swerved off the road, through the barrier and down the ravine. It happened within seconds.
He remembered wondering why everything was so slow, and his mind was so clear. His senses had heightened; they had to survive.
They needed to escape the car before it went off the cliff. He reached for her seat-belt and his at the same time. He remembered grabbing her and opening his door as he shouted, “Watch your legs!”. Soon, she was on his lap; the car hurtling towards the cliff. They would have to jump. He wondered how he could make sure that she would land on him. She was only six years old.
He jumped with her, his back to the ground, his arms and body cradling her on his chest.
The pain ripped through him as they glided towards the cliff. He forced his eyes to stay open. He had to save KATIE.
The car disappeared down the cliff. They were seconds behind it.
He saw a root branch sticking out of the ground and reached for it. He remembered praying as he and KATIE went off the cliff.
He was losing blood and KATIE was still in shock, but she would snap out of it soon and maybe become frightened, start to fidget. It would be impossible to hold on. He had to do something and do it quickly.
Later, as the PARAMEDICS attended to MICHAEL in the ambulance, he thought about how they had escaped. He turned to KATIE, she was looking up at him, smiling. She was safe. He liked the way she made him feel when she smiled at him. He couldn't describe it exactly, it was something he needed. It made him feel good. It made him feel special. It made him dare to be great.
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