It would have been better had the accident been more dramatic, had it been such that he could tell it as a story whenever anyone asked him about the cast on his arm.
But there was no drama to it. He had clambered over that low fence a hundred times without incident. Sometimes the gate stuck, and rather than spend a couple of minutes messing with it ... why not just climb over and be out?
Well, this is why not. On the day of the accident the chain links were still wet from the previous evening's rain. He lost his footing at just the wrong moment, slipped head first. His left arm reacted instinctively, grabbing on to a post and refusing to let go as the rest of the body's mass fell, then letting go after all only when the shooting pain overrode instinct.
That was the story such as it was. Nothing you can tell friends and laugh about. ...
Christopher,
ReplyDeleteIf you are the subject of the story, then I'm sorry to read of your accident. But your engaging telling of the story belies your denial of the possibility of doing so.
Henry,
DeleteThank you for your concern. No, this isn't something that happened to me. Just something that popped into my head that one might have happen to a fictional character in the context of some broader story.