Chapter 10. Collapse

"It hurts," I acknowledged, wincing as the pain spread throughout my body.

"You won't realize the value of being perfectly fine until you get hurt," while treating the wound on my arm, my father said. 

"Father, I'm afraid to ride a bicycle right now; I don't want to fall again," I explained.

"You mustn't let fear hold you back," my father said, his voice full of assurance. "We learn from our mistakes and failures. Every time we fall, we get back up, and this process makes us more robust. Accept the falls because they are stepping stones to courage."

I struggled to understand the profundity of my father's comments when I was thirteen. I had no idea his advice would soon be put to the ultimate test.

That discussion echoed in my thoughts as I hurtled through the air, my life teetering on the brink of oblivion. But this time, the fall would be the end of my trip, with no chance of rising again.

I opened my tear-filled eyes slowly, only to discove