Laughing. Running. Shouting. Squeals of joy. All taking place outside Kasey’s window. All things Kasey expects to never take part in again. But she remembers those days. She remembers them well. As if it was just yesterday, and not six years ago.


“Kasey! Come on, let’s go play kickball with everyone!” Lizzy, Kasey’s neighbor and best friend, said.

Kasey ran after Lizzy and they arrived to see the other fourth graders of the neighborhood gathered at the small neighborhood park. This park, located near the entrance of the neighborhood was convenient for all the children.

The two girls had arrived just in time to pick teams, Lizzy’s team kicking first. Lizzy happened to be the first to kick, her straight blonde hair tied in a loose pony tail and her blue eyes fierce with competition. Her kick was low to the ground and she only made it to first base. Next up was a burly, brown-haired boy, one of the best kickers in the neighborhood. He ran at the ball and kicked it with so much power you could hear the sound of the impact of sneaker meeting rubber echo among the trees. The ball was in the air, heading the direction of the street; the boy was running through the bases; Kasey was running after the ball. Her shoulder-length brown hair swung from side to side. The ball kept going, approaching the ground and the street. Kasey kept running. The ball hit the ground, rolling towards the middle of the road; Kasey a few feet behind. She reached the ball, feeling the ground move beneath her feet as she bent down. She got up to find herself blinded by headlights. The two suns the last thing she saw……


Six years ago. That was all six years ago. The playing, the running, and even the laughing. Kasey lost her legs that day. Paralyzed from the hip down. She tried not to think about it, but seeing the little children play around like that always reminded her of that incident. Being fifteen years old, she was too old to run around and shout like she did when she was younger. But losing her legs made her feel like she had lost her freedom, her independence. Always having to rely on a wheelchair to move around.

Regardless of the renewed pain the memory brought back, Kasey couldn’t withdraw herself. She continued looking out her window. Immersing herself in the children’s play. She noticed a little girl, a girl that reminded her of herself. Brown hair, brown eyes, and a huge smile plastered on her face. Kasey continued to observe the girl and noticed a cast on the little girl’s right leg. But Kasey saw how the little girl did not let her cast keep her inside and locked up. That little girl was there with the rest of the kids. Playing. Screaming. Laughing. And through the pain Kasey felt, she felt a glimmer of joy. A smile beginning to spread across her face. Kasey’s happiness for the little girl, and even the other children, overpowering her own pain.