Never Giving Up Hope

• Rachael Earl, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2013

Beep…..beep….beep…..beep
I could hear the monitor as it beeped to the beat of my heart. I could hear the quiet murmurs of the nurses outside my room and a warm, strong held was holding mine. I ignored the sudden pains and opened my eyes.
“Kelsey, sweetie. You’re alright.” A relieved face swam into my vision. It looked like my Mum. She my face in those warm hands and kissed my forhead.
“Mum, what’s going on?” I managed to croak out.
“Wait, you don’t know why you’re here?” She sounded worried.
“I know. I remember everything…”

“I just had the best idea!” My best friend Brittany over-enthusiastingly chirped. “Let’s go cliff diving!”
“Cliff diving? Isn’t that a little bit dangerous?” I asked.
“No, it’s perfectly safe. I do it with my cousins all the time! There’s a really great place just near their house! We can go this afternoon if you want!”
“Sure, this afternoon sounds great.” Get it over and done with, I thought.
So two hours later, Brit and I rode to the cliffs. They weren’t awfully large or jagged. But my heart still thrummed in my ears. My hands still sweat and shook. Brit looked really excited and I didn’t want to ruin it for her, so I put on a brave face and got my towel from the car.
Her cousins jumped first. They made it look so easy with their gracefulness and obvious experience. Britanny wanted me to go with her, but I needed to see her do it before I tried. She jumped over the edge, landed in the clear water and came up on the slope alongside the cliffs with an air of excitement bubbling around her.
I walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. It was probably only fifteen metres, but it looked like an eternity. I took one more shaky step until I was right on the edge. I could hear Brittany and her cousins cheering me on behind me, and they sounded like they were getting impatient, so I jumped.
And it was the most exhilarating thing I have ever done. I went through the air like a bullet through water. I spun this way and that, but the moment was over before it had even really started. I hit the water and swam to the surface. When I arrived at the top, Brit grabbed my hand straight away for a go with her.
This time, there was no hesitation. I even did a run up. But when I got the edge, I slipped, and Brittany was already hitting the water by the time I hit the cool, hard rock.

Apparently the doctors didn’t think I would make it. I was in a coma for three weeks due to head injuries and by that point most people had given up hope. But it was the fight inside of me that made me survive. If I had given up hope, I wouldn’t be here…