The Day It Happened

She remembered it all faintly: a thud on the ground and pain in her head, the feeling of being lifted and put onto something soft, wails of a siren, and the ear- deafening cries. At that moment she felt and heard everything, but couldn’t see anything or make any sense out of it. Then, she heard several sighs of relief and undecipherable chattering. Some of the voices she heard were quiet known to her. Hands were quickly passing her to others and she felt as if she was being tossed around. None of those touches felt familiar. Touches and slaps. Then, she heard another set of wails. Neither of a woman, nor a voice she had ever known. She did not know who it was and did not have time to think about that. She felt something cold, but not too cold. It was getting warmer. Some sticky substance that was stuck to her was being removed. Again, she was tossed through several hands, and the hands that finally held her… she knew them and knew that she was safe. They were her mother’s.