by Allysa Chua (P6 2022)

              Skateboard. Whenever I hear that word, my stomach begins to churn. I knew that part of the reason I had injured myself was because I did not listen to my mother. If I had only worn my safety gear, I would not have been injured. I might even still be riding on a skateboard right now. That incident I sorely regret happened three years ago.

              “Mom! I am going out to play with my friends!” I shouted from the door. “Don’t worry, I have already completed my homework,” I lied, before she could even ask. I knew that lying was wrong but, I had recently gotten a new skateboard for my birthday, and I really wanted to try it out. Furthermore, it was the skateboard I had had my eye on for months.

              “Okay then, make sure to wear your safety gear,” Mother reminded me. I happily skipped down the hall, turning a deaf ear to the reminder. I knew it would protect me, but I felt that it was troublesome to retrieve it from the packed storeroom. I was bubbling with excitement as I could not wait to show off my skateboard.

              “Hey, Tom!” I shouted upon spotting Tom at the skateboard park. “Look what I have!” I exclaimed, holding up my brand new skateboard to Tom, with a grin plastered on my face. His jaw dropped in amazement.

              “You are so lucky! My parents would surely say no so I did not bother asking. I wish I were you!” Tom lamented, examining every detail of my skateboard while pointing out the unfairness. “Hey, do you want to race?” Tom asked with a determined glint in his eye. I nodded my head in agreement, knowing that I would beat him. His skateboard was no match for my new one. Ballooning with confidence, I knew that I was going to beat him.

              “3, 2, 1, go!” We kicked the floor as hard as we could to gain momentum. By the fifth minute, I was already ahead of Tom. Turning my head briefly, I tried to spot Tom, but I was so far ahead of him that he was nowhere in sight.

              Just as I turned back, I saw a dog on the pavement ahead of me. It was still a distance away, but I was riding at lightning speed that within seconds it was less than 50 metres in front of me. It was so close that I could even see its fluffy, honey and white coloured fur. With a beautiful trail that looks like a cotton ball, the dog was too adorable, and I did not want to hurt it. “Doggy, move out of the way, please?” I pleaded from afar, waving my hands to signal it to move out of the way. I was unsure if dogs could understand humans but I had to give it a shot. No matter what I did, the dog sat as still as a statue looking at me with innocent eyes. It was almost as though it was wordlessly pleading with me not to hit it or at least slow down. On the other hand, I was begging the dog to move out of the way.

              Woof! With less than a metre between us, the dog let out an unexpected bark. I gasped in shock. It was so loud that I jumped out of my skin and lost my balance and fell forward. Landing on the ground with a thud, I sustained some scratches on my knees. Unable to break my fall, my elbows were scraped, and I winced in pain.

              “Hey! I’m sorry my dog barked at you. It must have thought you were attacking him,” the dog’s owner apologised profusely, picking the dog off the pavement.

              “No worries, it is just a scratch. It is really not a big deal. I am glad that at least the dog is safe,” I responded, patting the dog on the head. “I should have listened to Mother,” I muttered to myself, shaking my head in regret.

              Three years on and I can still remember that incident vividly. I knew that part of the reason I had injured myself was because I did not listen to my mother. If I had only worn my safety gear, I would not have been injured. I might even still be riding on a skateboard right now. Up till this day, I still regret not listening to Mother.

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