Personal Narrative: A Short Story

As soon as the referee called my name, I forced myself into an aggressive mindset and stepped into the fray. At first glance, I could not comprehend how my burly wrestling opponent was even in my weight class. A stocky junior with the body of a tree trunk stared straight into my inexperienced freshman soul. Immediately after the whistle blew, he dove for my leg. I sprawled back and blocked his arms, successfully barring this move. I knew I had to counter quickly and aggressively. He cautiously stood up and I lowered my stance, seizing his leg. As I started to pick him up, a sudden, short-lived feeling of excitement filled my mind as I realized that I had the potential to actually win this match. When we hit the ground, a sharp snapping sound filled the room, followed by what seemed like an eternity of eerie silence. Completely absorbed in my temporary victory, I was oblivious to what had just occurred. I extended my hand to help my opponent up, but he did not move. …show more content…
His elbow jutted inward and his left forearm protruded outward at an unsightly angle. A wave of shock hit me as I watched the color drain from his face. Did I do this to him? All the exhilaration I felt was immediately replaced by feelings of poignant remorse and self-deprecating disgust. The combative trance I had entered into quickly disappeared as my instinctive desire to help him took over. Despite having been on the receiving end of many injuries in the past, I was new to dealing them. As the paramedics lifted my opponent onto a stretcher, his mother cast me a grimace full of reproach that hit me in the gut like a sharp