Crash: A Terrible Accident

William was certainly delighted with the way his life was going. Not only were his studies going extremely well (and it was already halfway through the year!) , but he had a great friend in Chichang, a good place to live, and lots to occupy his time. This, he thought, was really the way to live. Now he finally knew what he had been missing for all those years, as the other children enjoyed time together instead of studying.

Chichang really was a brilliant artist. One day he promised to paint William's portrait, and William agreed immediately. He had to sit for it for hours, because Chichang liked to paint from life instead of photographs, but in the end it was worth it. The portrait, when it was finished, was magnificent. Chichang portrayed William as a scholar from ancient China (he used their course textbook for inspiration), in traditional robes, with a bird perching on his shoulder and reading what he was writing on a scroll. The likeness was alarming.

William was so pleased that he hung it on his dorm room wall. Things were going great; until one day, Chichang appeared a little more pre-occupied than usual. He asked William if he would like to go for a ride in his car, since it was quite new, and William agreed, thinking it would be nice to see a bit of what was going on outside the university.

They set off very shortly, not needing to take much with them. As they went along, they started to chat about random things, and Chichang seemed to ease up a bit more.

"Do you think I'll ever be a famous artist, William?" He asked whimsically.

William glanced over at him. "Yeah, of course. All you have to do is sell a painting and that's it, everyone will want to buy your stuff when they see it."

"Hmm, I wish I was as optimistic as you." Chichang replied doubtfully. "I'd just really like to achieve my dreams, and I don't know if I can."

"Of course you can!" William mock-punched him on the shoulder (a habit he had picked up from Chichang himself). "You just have to believe in yourself. Isn't that what you're always saying to me?"

Chichang chuckled a bit. "Yes, I suppose you're right. As always."

"I'm glad you know it." William grinned. "So, what are we going to do this weekend?"

"I was thinking we should maybe go to a bar in town? We hardly ever do, and I've heard there's a really great new electro band playing there. They're called Future Artists, I'm sure you'll love them."

"Really?" Now it was William's turn to be doubtful, unfamiliar as he was with the modern music scene. "Well... I'll take your word for it. You know more about these things than I - Chichang - look out!!"

The reason for this outburst was that, as Chichang was looking at William, he had not noticed the flock of birds that had settled onto the road. It was near to the edge of the town, next to a grassy park, and they were searching for grain. Chichang slammed on the breaks, but it was too late; they hit at least three birds on the way through the flock, which had been disguising a large puddle of water just beyond. The puddle in turn was hiding a pothole in the road, and it was these three combined elements that resulted in the car spinning around and over. It landed heavily, upside-down, one wheel still spinning long after it had come to a rest.

Dazed and confused by the impact, William stirred slowly, feeling a few shallow cuts on his face from the shattered windscreen. He tugged at his seat belt, and it came off easily, landing him on what had been the roof of the car. He looked back at Chichang, and tried to pull on his sleeve, but Chichang made no reply. William noticed that there was blood on Chichang's temple, and a little trickle that had come from his mouth. Horrified, William checked for a pulse, but could not find one. He was too shocked even to cry. His whole body ached from his own injuries, and he was dizzy from flipping over, and everything seemed very strange and distressing. With a slight whimper, William fainted, and that was all he knew for a long time.