The first time

THE FIRST TIME

Slush, Slush, Slush, "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
"Well, there goes another graceful one," I looked admirably down the slope, "How do they do that?"
"With lots of practice?!" Veronica replied sarcastically.
"No kidding!" I gave her a look. Then with a unsure voice I said, "I'm going to try it myself, wish me luck."
"Break a leg?!"
"Ha, Ha, very funny."
Slowly, I crabbed walked up the slope. Shaking all over, I was afraid to look down. Yet, I still had the courage to stagger myself to the top. Feeling a little dizzy by the high altitude, I took a deep breath of the cold frost bitten air. Then without a second thought, I lowered my knees and gave it a quick push.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" Oh my God, what have I put myself through. Is this what I really came here for? Why do I feel like I'm flying, like a 747, heavy but still floating in the air. Have I died and left my body? No, No, I'm to young to die. Give me another chance to live. Please, let me go.
Suddenly, I felt myself swaggering. The air pressure pushing harder below me. No, No, I take it back, don't let me go. Thoughts that were racing through my mind were blown away by a sudden "Thud!" like all those times I've dived off a diving board with my belly down.
"Where am I?" I whispered to myself, " Why is it so cold?"
"Hey Jo! Get up!"
"Uh?"
"Hurry, before someone accidentally skis over you," Veronica cried dragging me with her.
"Veronica? Is that you?"
My friend gave me one of her questioning looks. "Has your mind been blown away by the wind?"
"I'm still alive?" I cried gratefully.
"I guess so."
"How did I look when I came down?"
"You looked magnificent, and I got it all on film," Veronica said proudly, "Even the part when you landed flat on your face buried down in the snow," she laughed.
I groaned.
"There is one part that I don't understand though," she said puzzled.
"Oh? What is that?"
"Why were your arms flying all over the place when you came down?" she looked at me, "Like a frantic baby birdie who's just learning how to fly."
Grinning mysteriously, I remembered my thoughts of how my spirt had float away from my body. "That was a high leveled stunt my dad taught me when I was little," I lied.
"Really?!"
"Ya! Want me to teach you?"
"And end up with my face in the snow? That's okay."
"Well, at least try skiing down the slope like I did."
"Are you sure?"
"Ya! Come on," I said excitedly as I grabbed her arm, sliding into the distance, leaving narrow roadways in the snow.
Hey, what do you expect from a first time skier. It wasn't so bad though. At least I got a feeling of what flying was like without sitting uncomfortably in the plane. Maybe next time I go back to see my folks in Taiwan, I'd be able to get through with the flight without feeling air sick all the time. I sure hope so, because I wouldn't want to run into the bathrooms and barf all over their toilets again, then have the next little girl going into that bathroom and run out with her nose pinched tightly saying, "Mommy