Broken Bones Part 2

Richard gawked, anxious, at the end of the lift.  He was supposed to leap off the lift and skate out of the way in time for the next person to exit the lift.  He began sweating and forgot all about the amazing ride.  He tried to observe every graceful movement of the man in front of him: he confidently lifted his body into a standing position, sliding his snowboard on the snow, barely touching it.  He glided over the snow and turned to the side when he got to the end of the runway.  Richard tried to imitate the perfect, precise movements of the previous person but could not copy him.  He started lifting his body over the chair but instantly got his board stuck on a small lump of snow and fell over instantly.  The workers were forced to stop the lift and help him back up. His face turned completely red, and he quickly walked to the beginning of the slope.  He had no idea what to do now; he didn't know how to snowboard.

Richard thought he would be able to maneuver the snowboard well because he skateboarded, but soon found out that it was a completely different concept.  He rushed down, through the woods and a pace that was much too fast.  Now, the trees that looked so serene on the lift looked like Richard’s enemy, trying to kill him.  He awkwardly swung his arms around to keep his balance.  Once he thought he got the hang of it, he hit a small snow pile that he thought he could jump and flipped over. 

It was as if he were in slow motion.  He heard the crunching of snow at each bounce.  He saw white, more white, and then black.  He smelled nothing but sweat.  And all he felt was searing pain in his left wrist.  He struggled to get up with out putting any pressure on his left hand, falling twice before he got to his feet.  He fiddled with his bindings until he could take them off and took a look around his surroundings.  He noticed that he strayed from the path greatly and all he could see was the brown and green of trees.  He decided to take a rest so he sat down.  Within five minutes, he spotted a red jacket coming down the slope, dragging a red sled behind him.  Someone had called for help.  The man strapped him in so tightly, it was uncomfortable, and they rushed down the mountain faster than Richard had gone, but this time, he felt safe.  The trees that looked like enemies before, now looked like guardians, making a path for them to go by, while watching over them.  This snowboarder was in complete control.  Richard felt safe, so he closed his eyes.  The next thing he knew was that he was in the hospital for a broken arm.