Sorry - by E.J.A.J., aged 12

Sorry

             by E.J.A.J. aged 12

I love it in the mountains – the clear crisp breeze, the quiet stillness. A change from the rush and lights of the city. The occasional mountain goat. But I love the privacy.

My plan was that I was going to climb to the summit of Mt Toyototo and be back home in three days, That was the plan.

I left basecamp at 10.30am on Friday and planned to reach the halfway point by nightfall.

Passing over a glacier I slipped and fell. I plummeted about 20 metres and landed on a ledge of rock. A crack confirmed my leg was broken. My flatmates wouldn’t start to worry for another three days and it was getting colder by the minute.

I thought of ways to survive. All of my gear had been helicopted up to the halfway camp. All I had on me was one extra jacket and a packet of biscuits. I was hungry so I devoured the biscuits and as I went to put on my jacket a gust of wind blew it out of my grasp.

Great! Just perfect.

I was freezing so I huddled down into my T-shirt and waited for day to come.

I decided I would have to try and get out so I cut my T-shirt and tried to bandage my leg. I screamed. The slightest knock sent pain shooting through my entire body.

All of my food and extra clothing was gone and I could feel my life slipping away from me.

The days were freezing and I can’t even find the words to describe how cold the nights were. My face, fingers and ears were blue with frostbite and my feet had swollen to bursting point inside my boots.

I was overcome with hypothermia and was fast succumbing to hunger.

As night fell I realised that I didn’t get to put things right back at home. I didn’t even say goodbye. I thought I would escape to the mountains and clear my head and then return and carry on with life.

Oh, how I was wrong!

As I closed my eyes for what would be my last time, I am sorry to all those I have hurt. But now my cold starving struggle is over.

Goodbye my loved ones.