I woke up after the collision, from the darkness, not knowing how long I had been blacked out for. I was alone, and the fat, stout man who had crashed into me was gone. The snow covered ground lay silent like a thousand crystals glistening against the heavens. The sky was painted a vibrant blue as if God kicked a paint bucket over that spilled across heaven’s floor. My left shoulder pulsated with so much pain I was petrified and couldn’t move. Alone, 1,500 miles from home, without family or friends, I lay silently in fear.
A ski instructor rode up, assessed me and spoke on his radio. “Looks like a concussion and a possible neck or spinal injury, we’re going to need a team up here ASAP!” His voice spoke with apathy, but his words screamed panic.
“Excuse me, dude!? My head is fine; it’s just my shoulder that hurts. Just stop freaking me out, it’s just my shoulder man!” My worry turned into panic as I stared at him and I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore.
Like the flip of a coin, my pain had turned to numbness. I told the Ski Patrol about this new sensation, and his face went still. Eerily the once vibrant blue sky had bled into a dark grey. The numbness turned into the first stage of shock, and I slowly blacked out again, into a dark abyss, cold alone, and scared.
Mackenzie Haynes grew up as a young boy in Pacifica, California. He spends his time snowboarding, playing Tony Hawks Pro Skater, and creating fine cuisine. His is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys backpacking, growing exquisite beards, and fabricating fine mahogany furniture. While only a sophomore at San Jose State University, Mackenzie has participated both on and off campus. While this is only his first victory in The Bolt’s Contest; however, he hopes to win many more in the near future and ventures onward into a career in advertising.
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