There was a ten-year-old girl named Mia. She was a kind and energetic little girl. Every day she loved to go out to ride her bicycle. On one ordinary day, as usual after taking a nap in the afternoon, Mia freshen up, wore something comfortable and dashed out with her bicycle.

She rode her bicycle back and forth in front of her house, venturing a bit far, but not too much. It was her routine activity, and everyone in her neighbourhood knew her. Mia loved the feeling of freedom that riding her bicycle gave her, just like a bird soaring high in the sky. Learning to ride had taken her a lot of time and effort; she fell a lot, but Mia always picked herself up and tried again, eventually mastering the skill.

That day, while Mia was riding near her house, a fast motorbike suddenly appeared in front of her. They crashed into each other. Mia fell off her bicycle and hit her head on the footpath. People from the neighbourhood saw the accident and quickly took her home. There was some blood on her forehead, so her mum and grandpa took her immediately to the hospital, where she got treatment.

When she came back home, her forehead was wrapped in a bandage. It hurt for a while, but it eventually healed. However, Mia couldn’t ride her bicycle for some time. Firstly, she needed to rest for a speedy recovery. Secondly, she felt scared because of the accident.

As she recovered, Mia watched her friends and brothers riding their bicycles. She wanted to ride too, but something held her back. Her brothers didn’t give up on her. They encouraged her, indirectly and directly, to try again.

Finally, with lots of insistence, Mia decided to give riding the bicycle a shot. She thought, “Let me try again. If I fall, I can get up again.”

She started riding. Initially, she lost her balance a few times, but she didn’t give up. There were moments when she got very scared when some bikes came towards her, leaving her frozen at the spot. But her brothers were by her side to encourage her.

It took her a few days to regain her confidence, but she was eventually riding the bicycle just like before. She felt so happy and grateful to her brothers and friends for helping her overcome her fear.

Mia learnt that one shouldn’t let one’s fears get in the way of their dreams. Accidents happen, some can be good, some can be bad and yes, some can also be traumatising. But it would be wrong to stick to that trauma and not try to move on. She also learnt that failing at something isn’t bad, it makes you stronger, it teaches you to get back on your feet again.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 18th, 2024