“Just breathe. Don’t think about anything else other than breathing together.” The voice was familiar but James didn’t know where it was coming from. It could have been any one of his fellow gymnasts as they all shared the same hopes and fears. Today was the day they had all been working towards. Confidence clashed with concern as hands gripped shoulders, and the crowd froze in awe as the final layer of the tower was complete. Now all they had to do was hold still and breathe together. Just breathe. For 3 minutes, just breathe.
My foot slipped as the last person got on top. I held my breath as I felt the weight on my shoulders. I couldn’t breathe. I imagined the whole tower falling because of me. I somehow replaced my foot back on someone’s shoulder. My hands started losing their grip on the other gymnast’s shoulder. My knees felt like they were about to give way. My head ached. I closed my eyes in desperation.
My mind went into a different place. I jumped. One big leap and while I was still in the air, I heard a booming, bell-like noise and sirens. The timer went off. We had made it! Three minutes.
