Giant Ice-Cube

That Friday afternoon we could only find a parking space outside the mall, so we had to sweat running inside away from the severely hot sun. As we got in the mall, I made my way to the ice-skating rink. The freezing gust of wind struck me as I approached the isolated, solid block of ice. As the extremely cool air entered my lungs, it clarified my mind from all the worries. The pure beauty of the clear, white ice enlivened me. Excitement was tingling in me when I saw the graceful moves of the youngster ice-skaters, slipping fluidly on the shiny block of ice. The smell of the giant ice cube reminded me of the smell of the little ice-cubes I have at home in the freezes, which we use in fresh juices on the hot sunny summer days of Doha, like today!

I started walking closer and closer to the rink, attracted by the pleasant music the skating-shoes’ blades created scratching the ice. As I first set foot on the giant ice cube, everything seemed like a far blur for an instant. The feeling of having my whole weight on unstable feet, the excitement of trying out something new, the fear of slipping at any moment, and the strong desire of learning that perfection the youngsters performed, were all the mixed feelings I had at that moment. I had woken up to the unrealized freezing cold when my nose went numb. The actions of surrounding crowd of people took my attention away. Mothers with wide-open eyes stood next to the borders of the ice-rink worried about their children, who kept on slipping and banging the giant ice cube every five minutes. Fathers sat relaxed, or were close to the ice encouraging their kids to stand up, stay strong and move on. I then continued gazing at the young boys moving with such elegance on the cold dancing floor, but soon I was distracted by a breathtaking youngster, who passed two inches away from my nose, at lightning speed in great poise. L.N.