Today is just another cool winter day for sledding in late January. It is 12:45 p.m., with the sun shining and the feeling of heat radiating through my winter jacket. I unzip my jacket a crack, and I can feel the steam rise from the small opening. The cool wind licking my face is welcome, since it’s helping me level out the uncomfortable heat and the cold chill of winter. I look out over the barren wasteland of shining snow, which is the Amery golf course. I stand on a hill looking down at the smooth downward slope, which still has traces of our sled’s tracks from yesterday. I have my green foam sled in my right hand. I look at the frozen pond below and begin thinking of how rough the ice will be when I fly down the hill.
I can feel my hands pruning in my soaked-through gloves. I struggle to take my gloves off since they are stick to my wet hands. Every inch of skin that my gloves reveal is being licked by the cold winter wind. I throw my gloves to the ground next to my feet and wipe my moist hands on the dry sides of my blue jeans. With keen eyes, I look for the smoothest part of the enormous hill for speed. I spot a path grooved by children’s sleds in the shining wet snow. I move in a heavy stride with my wet boots to the lip of the trail. I bring my sled up to my stomach to see how I should enter, and I see that I can have a running start since there are no clunks in the snow to bounce me off my sled. I back up seven great strides, and take aim at my target.
With one big push of my dominant foot I take off sprinting, with my sled in front of me to avoid conflict with my legs. I leap into the air just before the lip of the hill, and in a slow-motion-like moment, I bend my knees and use my arms to bring the sled under me. I land on the curve of the hill with immense speed, and sharp thud ricochets from my knees up to the middle of my back. The freezing snow explodes on impact, stinging my face. With my vision blurred I can feel my sled weaving its way down the hill in the smooth groove, and I let go of my left handle to clear the slush from my eyes.
I’m halfway down the smooth hill, and the speed from my sled is swelling my chest with excitement. The swelling in my chest is increasing, and my heart pounding as fly down the hill at an incredible speed. My vision blurs from the brutally cold wind, I squint my eyes to make out where the frozen pond meets the hill. I brace for impact by lowering myself as much as possible and clenching my stomach. My sled slams the ice with great force, and a jolt of pain shoots in to my gut. I skid across the rough ice laughing and with each breath of frost cooling my lungs. My sled finally skids to a stop in the middle of the small pond.

I stand up, with my legs aching from sitting on them. I brush the remaining snow off my jeans and jacket walking on the rough ice, the chunks being crushed beneath my boots. I feel the ice beginning to shift, and suddenly I hear the cracking and ripping of the ice. I begin to sprint to the end of the pond, but on my first step the ice gave way. Collapsing I desperately try grabbing hold of the edges of the ice, but to no avail. My frantic hands break the ice, leaving me alone to face the icy grave. My head plunges in to the freezing dark water, and the water stabbing me with its icy grip.
I try to swim back to the surface with my eyes closed in fear of seeing what is under the ice. I hit solid ice, and in desperation I open my eyes and the sting of freezing water dig in to my eyes, but my instincts told me to keep them open. I see weeds flowing from the bottom of the pond with darkness all around me. The darkness is impenetrable, and my hope began to fade with the warmth of my body. I look behind me, and can see a giant ray of light bursting through the weeds and darkness. In my will to live I swim to the light, with the feeling of my lungs being stabbed of every second of air. I swim faster than I have ever known I could, and I’m thinking to myself, “You can suffer through this, don’t give up, air is just ahead.” The sun shines down on me, and looking straight up I can to see the waving object of the sun in the bright blue sky. I swim upwards in triumph, and my hands burst through the surface, with the outside air chilling my cold wet hands to the bone.
I emerge from the water gasping for air, and my whole body feels dead with the absence of the shivers. I grab on to the ice and clamber myself out of that icy grave. My skin starts to freeze, and the pain from cold is dense. I see my mom’s car and the thought of warmth drove my body towards it. My mom rushes down the hill of the road screaming my name in frantic sobs. I’m crying as well, from the thought of near death and the warmth from my tears is giving me strength to move my face. I grab my sled and walk to the edge of the pond avoiding the gray wet parts of the frozen pond. I reach my mother’s warm arms, and we stand their weeping for what seemed like an eternity of happiness.
She takes her jacket off and wraps it around me, to warm my trembling body. We begin to trudge up the hill connected to the sledding hill. I stumble but my mom was there to catch me. We continue up the snow covered hill, and finally reaching the slushy road. My mom opens the car door and a breath of warm air hits me. I rush in to the warmth of the car and close the door behind me to separate me from the harsh cold.
My wet and cold body begins to radiate with heat, but it is too soon for so much heat and my body began to hurt and cramp. I look at my cold white hands; my hands give off the illusion of being frozen. I try to clench my hands, but my fingers are refusing to bend. With all my strength my hands finally close. With the same difficulty I open them again. I continue to do this until my strength is restored. My mom enters the driver side door, and a fresh stream of cold wind struck my face. She looks at me with red eyes and puts the car in drive.
The car jerks towards the slush covered road and an enormous feeling of relief rushes over me. Curious of how I look, I bring down the mirror with aching cold hands. I look to see my hair frosted, and my face white as snow, frozen. I look at the radio in the car to see what the time is, and I’m astonished to see that it is 12:55 pm. What felt like an eternity was only ten minutes, such little time could’ve ended in death.