The first few days after the accident were the hardest. Sara, an adventurer with a flair for the dramatic, was suddenly faced with considerable restrictions. She had to walk with crutches while holding her broken leg in the air. But she found it difficult to cope with the crutches. It was exhausting and the broken ankle hurt. Stairs in particular became an almost insurmountable hurdle. There was not much of her original courage left. She was afraid of falling. With her ankle already broken, that would have been a disaster. The challenge on the stairs was to keep her balance on the unsteady and unfamiliar crutches until her healthy foot reached the next step. Because with the crutches in her hands, she couldn't hold on to the railing. This is different on level ground, but on narrow steps and with the risk of falling, it becomes a thrill.
With a mixture of determination and defiance, Sara began to see the steps as her personal test. She developed a technique that was as innovative as it was comical: she sat on the steps and slid up or down step by step with her bottom. It took a lot longer, but the risk of falling was close to zero.
Her younger brother's friends were amused and brought popcorn to watch Sara's ascents and descents. Day by day, she became more skilful and refined her technique. There were also races against the children on the stairs. For them, the girl with the plaster leg became a star. The ‘step-hopper’ who solves problems in a unique way.
The six weeks flew by. Sara also got to know all the alternative escalators and lifts in her neighbourhood, even if she had to take detours to get there. When the plaster cast was removed and she no longer needed crutches shortly afterwards, she felt a mixture of relief and melancholy. The stairs, once her nemesis, had now become a place of joy. She had learnt that a leg in in a cast was not the end, but the beginning of a new adventure.
