ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN One summer when Terry was five years old, he enjoyed reading, and this particular day he asked me to read him a story. I sent him upstairs to get a book from the book-case. He opened the glass door, and noticed that his favorite book, Curious George, was on the top shelf. He placed his foot on the bottom board to reach the book. At that moment, the bookcase toppled over on him, pinning him underneath. The loud bang and the crying left me in a state of panic as I hurried upstairs, taking two steps at a time. What met my eyes was devastating. Terry was jammed under the bookcase and there was blood everywhere. Joe and his mother had gone to Charlottetown , and the other children were outdoors, I had no one to help me. I managed to retrieve him from under the bookcase, grabbed a towel, and carried him downstairs. The blood was flowing freely, so I replaced the towel with a dry one. His face was badly mangled, so I phoned a neighbor, who came quickly, and we were on our way to the hospital. Fortunately, we met Joe near home, so we exchanged vehicles and he and I continued on to Souris . The towel had now turned red again. We were just passing Doctor Kassner 's house when we saw him pulling into the driveway. Joe jumped out and asked him for help. When the doctor removed the towel he said, "Go to the hospital right away". Believe me, we were not long getting there. Joe had to go home to attend to the animals, so I sat on a bench outside of the operating room, where the surgery was being performed. The clock ticked as I prayed. The minutes seemed like hours, because I thought that maybe the inevitable might occur. Finally the door opened and the doctor appeared holding Terry by the hand. The doctor was smiling and Terry standing there looked like a million dollars to me, even though all one could see was two tiny eyes protruding from behind the bandages. The good doctor informed me that Terry was going to be all right. He had placed thirty stitches in his right cheek. Terry is constantly reminded of this mishap by a scar that still exists today. The accident could have taken our boy away from us forever, so we were truly grateful for his return to health. 79