Ward 13

• Elena Cirrito, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2019

I’m walking down a corridor. There’s someone watching me, but I don’t know where they are. I hear a noise behind me, so I run without looking back. I get to the door, grab my bike and ride. I stop to get my torch out of my bag so I can see. After a while I realise that I had left it behind. I gather my things, but then I stop because I hear a noise behind me. I turn around to see a flash of lights, then darkness.

I open my eyes and see that I am in a hospital which means I had an accident while I was unconscious. I had a dream about it. Or at least that is what the nurses told me. I don’t know why I was in the emergency room until I reached for a glass of water. I sat up and saw I was missing my right leg and left arm. I also had several other small minor injuries.

I am spending a few more hours in the emergency room to finish some surgeries. After that my parents, are in with me, and lucky for me they brought my three closest friends; Katy, Delphine and Rebecca. They asked me what happened. I told them I rode my bike on the road and stopped in the middle of the next lane like an idiot. We spoke about my new condition for an hour and 50 minutes. When they left I was super sad. The doctors and nurses said that I would be back at home doing my normal routine as best I could in a week. I was really happy about leaving in a week because I hate hospital food.

I get home and collapse on my bed. My parents say I can skip school just to settle back in. It’s Monday I wake up and think about everything I can do. I have to use a wheelchair to get around. I am having fun on my day off. I am getting my hair cut so it would be easier to get ready in the morning.

When I went back to school everyone stared at me. I am looking down pretending I hadn’t noticed. My teacher asked me before class to tell her if I needed help. I was a bit annoyed that I was getting treatment because I had lost some body parts.

Life is horrible! I said when I got home. My mum understood why I was feeling like this. She told me that it didn’t matter I could still be the best version of me. I took her advice and as the years went on I got used to it

It has been 5 years since my accident I make the most of it now. I mean I was fifteen when it happened so I think I was expected to be upset. I really couldn’t be happier now. I take back what I said life is not horrible