Narrative Elements Notes & Example

Recklessness and Wood Chips

Ding dong! I rang my friend Chelsea’s doorbell. We had planned to hang out. It was a clear summer evening in 2018, and it was calm and peaceful outside. The sky was a shade of pale blue, without a single cloud. Birds chirped in harmony like an orchestra. A few dogs and their owners were out frolicking. Chelsea swiftly came out the door, and we decided to ride our bikes to Workman Elementary School, which was connected to our neighborhood by a path. I breathed in the fresh air and saw the heaping mounds of wood chips that had been brought in recently. We approached the magnificent playground filled with millions of swings, slides, rock-climbing walls, and bars, determined to explore all of the play structures.

    “Let’s go through the obstacle course!” Chelsea exclaimed. Chelsea, one of my best friends, was tall and graceful, courtesy of training as a dancer for many years. She was also a caring and intuitive person. Chelsea was as cool as a cucumber. I, on the other hand, was tall as well, but super clumsy; I’m embarrassed to say that I was not exactly the most cautious or self-aware person at 12 years of age. Furthermore, I had a bit of a competitive streak.

“Race you to the top!” I yelled out. I grabbed onto the rough rope pyramid, climbing up like a monkey. I touched the top of the metal pole just before Chelsea did. Yes! I won! We were having so much fun. It was like being in elementary school again!

We agreed to take a short break after a while. I quickly gulped down some water, feeling refreshed. A light, cool breeze touched our sun-kissed cheeks.

    I walked over to the main pit of the playground, where I saw a giant smiley face drawn in the center with wood chips. We made other drawings, sluggishly dragging our feet through the dirt. To create a lasting image, I sank my feet deeper into the inner layer of dirty, compacted wood chips, which was surprisingly difficult to work with. I drew a heart and an “A,” my first initial, in the middle of it. I watched as Chelsea finished carving out her “C.”

“Hey, can you still do your tricks on the parallel bars?” I asked. Chelsea used to do gymnastics; she would always show off her skills during recess when we were younger.

    “Yeah, I think I can. It’s going to be hard, though, since the bars are so tiny compared to us now!” Chelsea responded enthusiastically.

    “Let’s do it, then!”

    We gleefully trudged over to the green parallel bars; its stature was so short compared to us that we didn’t need to hoist ourselves up anymore. A wood chip had snuck into my shoe, stabbing my heel rather painfully. Ouch! I yanked my shoe off, shaking the irksome object out. This should have marked a bad omen; it seemed as if the wood chips were warning me not to mess around with a little kid’s play structure. Chelsea was not impressed with the parallel bars. She complained that she wouldn’t be able to do a flip without smacking her head on the ground, then turned to leave.

    Determined to do at least something with the parallel bars, I took hold of the smooth, shiny metal bars. It was cold and perhaps a little wobbly. I’ll swing off of the bars, I pondered, just something simple. I swung myself back, then watched the next few events unfold in slow motion. I sharply inhaled the scent of prickly grass, which made my nose itch. Then, as I swung myself forward, I could hear the wind rush by my ears with a whoosh. The air was suddenly thick and heavy; it seemed as though the sky was becoming gray. I flew off the parallel bars, aiming to land my feet on the wood chips. Gravity pulled me down towards the uneven ground. I felt disoriented, losing the ability to focus. My right foot curved inward onto its side. POP! My ankle was a paper airplane crumpling under pressure.

“OW!” I jumped up and down on my unharmed left foot, while clutching my right ankle, howling in pain.

“Oh my god! Are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?” Chelsea rushed over.

“Yeah, I think I sprained my ankle!”

Chelsea helped me stabilize my footing. We decided to head home, a slow and grueling process, since the bikes needed to be dragged along. Our walk was worsened by the fact that it was starting to rain. I slowly limped into the kitchen after bidding a very anxious Chelsea goodbye. Upon seeing my abnormal gait, my mom asked me what happened and why I was back so early. After I told her, she sighed and gave me an exasperated look that said it all.

    As I iced my injured ankle, my mom offered me an old ankle brace to wear. I gratefully slipped it on. I lamented my reckless behavior and the ensuing pain. What was I going to do at swim practice the next day? Not only that, I would have to wobble onto an airplane with a funny-looking sock in a few days. How was I going to enjoy my vacation? Next time, don’t be so careless, I thought. Yet, the uneven wood chips had also played a significant role in my demise. If the ground had been a flat surface, maybe I wouldn’t have hurt myself that bad. But the wood chip-lined playground, just like life, was not flat and inconsequential. There are obstacles and challenges in life that hurt you, and you must persevere through them.

Narrative Element Identification