Phantom Reborn

I have to admit that my sister is not a sociable person like any of her friends out there who keen on hanging out. After her major examination (SPM), she needed some time to enjoy herself, to celebrate her one phase of accomplishment in life. But somehow, when her friends invited her to throw a party in a mall or something, she denied her own will and turned down the offer.

Therefore, I guess, that’s one of the many reasons I was being dragged by my sister to make her company today to Sunway Pyramid. I was not really willing to join her though as I have tons of my own business to deal with lately, but then since she was yearning to go and was so exhilarating when speaking about ice-skating, so I thought I should be a nice big brother once in a while.

Thus, we stepped into the territory of the Egyptians at noon. After watching a movie about a dog and having a luncheon, we were all set to go for an ice-skating session. Ridiculously as you may say, this was the first time I went ice-skating in my entire life. Though I’ve live for so many years in an area where the Ice Atrium is just located a few kilometres from my house, I never get my feet into the boots of blades. But today, the first exposure of feeling the edgy sport, emerged.

Wonder how I fared in the icy field? After I tried so hard getting into the field, many incidents occurred in front of my own eyes, there were so many patterns and styles of falling, some fell terribly, there were people who giggled, there were also people who laughed so exaggeratingly at those who fell without any sense of mercy. I stuck myself onto the wall, like a starfish leaning hard on an oyster. Step by step, I moved my legs slowly, right foot forward, left foot followed next. That was great, the rhythm felt just right. Gradually, my hands left the wall untouched; all the nerves directed me to leave the wall alone. Naturally, I was able to at least walk like a penguin living in the North Pole.

Two hours passed, BeNC the penguin is still walking weirdly on the field. Suddenly, a session for practitioners was announced. The trainers then had occupied a small portion of area for their trainees, and this led to a quarter parts of the walls unused. Fortunately, I learned the way to at least walk on blades before the session started, but I felt sorry for those who just joined the circus as they must hold on tight to the wall from preventing people scoffing at them. Therefore, some people left the place because of that.

But I was like, “I’ve mastered the art of penguin-walking, so what is there left for me to afraid of?” My sister, who had challenged the sport months ago, suggested that we skate around the field, but without the reliance of wall. I coolly agreed with it.

First round, no problem at all, it was like a piece of cake! I felt like a person who just took on the world, I mean, can there be a person who does not happen to fall in his first attempt in ice-skating? Well... Alright, alright, there can be individuals achieve that, but it should be very rare, shouldn’t it? I mean, perhaps it will be like about... umm.. One in fifty, maybe?

After the first round, time was running out, and I suggested to my sister that we are supposed to leave the North Pole and proceed back to our Great Sahara soon. But then my sister was so thrilled with it although this was already her third attempt in ice-skating, and requested for one last round.

What’s the big deal? I just agreed to have one last round of slow penguin walk. While I was doing the last round of grand tour on the icy field, I was so happy that I managed to walk on the slippery floor with just two clinical pieces of metal scraps under my feet. At the front view, there were delirious people skating wildly around the field, professionals indeed. When I reached a spot nearby the training area, somehow, my right foot couldn’t strike a balance, out of the blue, my left foot reacted involuntarily, stepping vigorously to the front in order to maintain the balance, but it seemed to be adding more complications to the situation, my unbalanced right foot then march forward without my intentional instruction again, and this resulting an awkward fall, a BIG one. I could say that was the biggest fall of the day, I didn’t see anyone fell that way. In what way you asked? It was like a person stepped accidentally on the skin of banana and fell so dramatically with his back landed on the ground first. It was not just that, to top it all, my spectacles was slung backward.

Oh gosh... What a magnificent fall that was... And I thought I would not fall in my first attempt.