6th Grade Acrobatics

This story is one that brings much humor, and much embarrassment added with much empathy pain.
When I was in 6th grade my best friend was Melissa-Ann. Nearly every day at recess we would go and play on the monkey bars. At Granite Elementary our playground had these monkey bars that were like a big upside down U. They weren't as tall as the regular monkey bars, they were probably like 8 feet high.
One fateful day Melissa-Ann and I were playing on said monkey bars and I decided to hang from my knees like any normal child would do. As I was hanging Melissa-Ann decided that would be a good time to go ahead and tickle my knee. If you know me, you know that my knees are probably the most ticklish part of my body, and nearly any contact with them will cause me to flail. She tickled, I flailed and the next thing I know I am hanging from one leg.
Unable to regain any kind of control I start screaming, fearing for my life. I look down to see the rocky rubble beneath me which is sure to be a welcomed landing mat for my face. I look up at Melissa-Ann and scream for her to grab my hand and help me up. That was the moment she thought would be a good time to go ahead and tickle my other knee. To this day I don't understand what she was thinking. I can only assume her body had been taken over in that moment and was destined to destroy me. The rest actually happened in slow motion. I, of course, flail yet again which sends me off the monkey bars. I hit the ground with my chest and chin as my legs come up behind me and my feet hit the ground in front of my face. I SAW my feet hit the ground in front of me as my body was completely bent in a circle, in no sort of direction a body should ever bend. Once my feet hit the ground, like a spring my body flips back into a normal position and I am now laying on my stomach in the rocks. I get up to my knees with no ounce of air left in my body. I try and try to take a breath but am unable to for what seems like several minutes but was probably a few seconds. The next thing I knew I was waking up with classmates and a teacher standing above me. Now that I think about it, I don't remember seeing Melissa-Ann in that crowd.
I, with the assistance of a couple of friends, walk to the nurses office, where my neighbor was called to come and pick me up, and I spent the rest of the school day at her house. When my parents got home from work I went back home and got right in bed, as my back was in total distress. Pretty sure I didn't walk normally for a few days, and pretty sure after that mine and Melissa-Ann's friendship was never the same. In fact, I haven't seen her in about 15 years. Good riddance eh?