Getting the News
It was early in the morning when I awoke to Nahuel climbing back into his bed. I figured that he had just gone to the toilet and was now returning, until I noticed a light still burning downstairs. Then there were noises, and voices, it was very unusual for this time of morning... what time of morning was it anyway? What was all of this noise and action at this time of morning?
I reached over for my mobile phone, the only clock available to me near the bed. In flipping it open I discovered that it was 5am in the morning.
Nahuel spoke, “The bed fell on Vivi.â€
I was still trying to take it all in, “The what?†I asked.
Leandro also mumbled something. It appeared that everyone had woken up. I tried again, “What happened?â€
Nahuel explained that Kelsey had fallen from the top bunk onto Viviana who was on the bottom bunk, but everybody was fine now.
“Oh,†I thought, “doesn't sound too serious.â€
It was not until breakfast that I would discover the true extent of this simple statement. For now, I tried to sleep.
Kelsey on the guilty bed, now fixed
Once Again
It would have been fine if we were able to sleep through until our 7am get-up time, but just after falling asleep I was abruptly awoken by a very loud sound. It seemed like some alarm clock or music from a mobile phone. How crazy. What time was it now? In reaching for my mobile phone it fell to the ground and the groping searching for it on the floor, just out of reach from a comfortable position in my bed, finished the process of waking me up completely. It was 6am.
Now awake, I go downstairs to discover Niko's phone alarm is sounding off. Looking hazily through sleep ladened eyes, I press the button that seems to turn it off. Just to be sure, I turn the entire phone off too. That problem dealt with, a sudden urge to visit the bathroom came upon me. That was when I realized that Niko was not around to turn off his phone because he was in the middle of a shower. But that left me stranded with the sudden urge getting more urgent.
After braving the sub-zero conditions outside in basic bed-clothes, I return relieved to my bed upstairs, but don't even get to climb in before the phone is sounding again. This time, without any idea of how to stop this thing for good, I tear the battery out. There is no way it will sound now.
Sleep finally comes, but 7am seems only moments after. It was now time to rise and prepare breakfast.
The Bed Story
Around the breakfast table the full story about the bed starts to appear. Everybody was talking all together as we ate breakfast, but the more I listened the more shocked I was.
The bunk bed on which Kelsey and Vivi were sleeping had been made by Niko only days before. As some things needed for the construction could not be found and others were too expensive, it ended up being put together with a “near enough is good enough†attitude.
Of course, according to Niko the bed was perfectly fine and there was no danger of anything like this happening at all. This was soon to prove almost fatally wrong. With the support grill under the mattress resting on small bits of wood that were only nailed to the main arms, and the main arms fastened to the bed ends without dowels that would normally stop them from spinning, the security of the top bed was less than assured.
So it was, with Kelsey sleeping restlessly on the top bunk, that her innocent movements provoked the unthinkable. The main arms started to twist inward, placing the stress of holding a person upon the small bits of wood and their nails. Of course the nails were unable to maintain their position now that everything was facing more downwards than out and with every small movement from Kelsey they started to pull out more and more.
The Unthinkable Happens
It was about 4.30am when Kelsey awoke with a start to the sound of cracking wood and the feeling of a sudden, short movement downwards. Her first thoughts were of her friend Viviana below her, still sleeping and completely unaware of the increasing danger above her.
“Maybe if I jump off it won't fall down,†thought Kelsey, but as she tried maneuvering herself for that action, trapped as she was in her sleeping bag, the bed made another sickening crunch and the whole support structure moved another sudden, sharp dip downward.
“This whole thing is about to go, and if I move it will make things even worse,†reasoned Kelsey.
Now, trying not even to breathe, knowing that any movement will cause the weakened structure to collapse, and frantic to warn Vivi below, she prays desperately for God to give her the words she needs. Vivi spoke only Spanish. Kelsey spoke only English, although had learned a few basic words while being here in Argentina. It was still not enough for a situation like this, and Vivi needed to know now!
“VIVI, FUERA!†Kelsey cries out in her attempt to warn her.
Viviana wakes up, but is confused. Kitty, an older lady who is sharing the room with them suspects that Kelsey has seen somebody outside and is yelling about that. The phrase means “out†or “outside.†So she rises and looks out the window but sees nobody.
“FUERA, FUERA, FUERA! VIVI FUERA!†yells out Kelsey again, unable to move for fear of accelerating the total collapse of her top bunk.
Kitty looks again out the window but sees nothing. She tries to calm Kelsey, telling her there is nothing there. “No, there is nothing out there,†she says, more than a little confused about the whole affair. After all, it was 4.30am in the morning still.
Kelsey, now exasperated, tries again. “VIVI, BOOM! YO, BOOM! VIVI, FUERA!â€
Viviana still does not understand what Kelsey is trying to say, but little by little Kitty is starting to catch on. Kitty looks over at Kelsey and sees a concern on her face that she has not seen before. She had heard it in her voice but now was seeing that something serious was wrong. Slowly, she starts making sense of what was happening.
The moment she realizes, Kitty galvanizes into action, grabbing hold of Viviana's arm and trying to get her out of there. Vivi still does not realize what is happening, and before she can respond to Kitty's actions, the bed suddenly gives way and Kelsey, trapped by her sleeping bag, collapses uncontrollably downwards.
Mattress, wooden support grill, and Kelsey all hurtle far too fast downward to be able to react. Within a moment Viviana is trapped under the bed of Kelsey, her face pinned to the pillow by a large piece of wood.
The Aftermath
Kitty helps Kelsey off the bed as fast as both of them can manage it. Negra, the dog that had been sleeping on Vivi's feet during the night struggled her way out from underneath the fallen heap. Her presence had protected Vivi's feet and legs during the fall, but her head was exposed and had been hit.
Was she still alright? Had the fall seriously damaged her? Viviana lay there motionless as Kelsey rose from her sleeping bag to help Kitty as they wrestled the heavy wooden structure off her.
“Vivi, Vivi, are you ok Vivi?†urged Kitty, anxiety written all over her face as she stared desperately at the motionless form of her former classmate. She needed to know if Vivi was alright.
“Vivi! Vivi!†She continued.
There was movement. Viviana raised her arm to her head. “Ooow!†was all that she could respond.
Kitty and Kelsey gently help Vivi out of her bed and onto Kelsey's mattress, now located on the floor. Vivi is dazed, but alive and conscious. She had received a strong bang to the head and a lump was already forming.
Informing Niko
Now that everyone was found to have survived the frightening incident, Kitty once again galvanizes into action. She goes into the kitchen and puts some water on to boil so that the two girls still trembling from their frightful incident can drink a tea to help them relax a little.
“Niko must be told what just happened.†declares Kitty, stating that Niko must be informed immediately.
Kelsey did not like the idea. After all it was 4.45am in the morning. “Couldn't it just wait?†she argued.
“No, now! Niko must know now!†insisted Kitty, climbing up the stairs to call Niko.
It did not take long for Niko to come down and look over the situation. Kelsey seemed fine, as did Viviana with her bump on her head. The bed could be fixed, so everything seemed good. He stayed with them a little while but eventually returned to bed.
Nahuel who sleeps above me had also heard the noises and gone down to see what had happened. He too returned to bed. That was when I had first woken up. The lights and noises that I had heard below me were the girls recovering from a very frightful experience.
A Happy Ending
So when we all rose finally at 7am, Niko set about repairing the bed with long screws and some adjustments to the way it had been made. Meanwhile the rest of us spoke excitedly over the occurrences of the night and our experiences as each one had lived it.
Viviana went to the doctor who told her that everything was fine and that there would not be any complications from the bump as she had not lost consciousness during the event.
With the bed repaired, Kitty asked me to confirm that it would really be safe. So I then climbed onto it and jumped up and down on my knees, wobbling from side to side violently. It did not break or show any signs of giving way. We both felt reassured after that.
Kelsey climbed back up the next night with trepidation, trusting that my testing of the bed and Niko's repairs were sufficient to guarantee that there would be no more terrible surprises during the night.
The dog, Negra, never returned to sleep on Vivi’s bed again.
The rest of us, exhausted from the events of the previous night, all slept soundly that next night.
But none of us will forget that fateful morning; when the bed collapsed.
Kelsey on the guilty bed, now fixed
Once Again
It would have been fine if we were able to sleep through until our 7am get-up time, but just after falling asleep I was abruptly awoken by a very loud sound. It seemed like some alarm clock or music from a mobile phone. How crazy. What time was it now? In reaching for my mobile phone it fell to the ground and the groping searching for it on the floor, just out of reach from a comfortable position in my bed, finished the process of waking me up completely. It was 6am.
Now awake, I go downstairs to discover Niko's phone alarm is sounding off. Looking hazily through sleep ladened eyes, I press the button that seems to turn it off. Just to be sure, I turn the entire phone off too. That problem dealt with, a sudden urge to visit the bathroom came upon me. That was when I realized that Niko was not around to turn off his phone because he was in the middle of a shower. But that left me stranded with the sudden urge getting more urgent.
After braving the sub-zero conditions outside in basic bed-clothes, I return relieved to my bed upstairs, but don't even get to climb in before the phone is sounding again. This time, without any idea of how to stop this thing for good, I tear the battery out. There is no way it will sound now.
Sleep finally comes, but 7am seems only moments after. It was now time to rise and prepare breakfast.
The Bed Story
Around the breakfast table the full story about the bed starts to appear. Everybody was talking all together as we ate breakfast, but the more I listened the more shocked I was.
The bunk bed on which Kelsey and Vivi were sleeping had been made by Niko only days before. As some things needed for the construction could not be found and others were too expensive, it ended up being put together with a “near enough is good enough†attitude.
Of course, according to Niko the bed was perfectly fine and there was no danger of anything like this happening at all. This was soon to prove almost fatally wrong. With the support grill under the mattress resting on small bits of wood that were only nailed to the main arms, and the main arms fastened to the bed ends without dowels that would normally stop them from spinning, the security of the top bed was less than assured.
So it was, with Kelsey sleeping restlessly on the top bunk, that her innocent movements provoked the unthinkable. The main arms started to twist inward, placing the stress of holding a person upon the small bits of wood and their nails. Of course the nails were unable to maintain their position now that everything was facing more downwards than out and with every small movement from Kelsey they started to pull out more and more.
The Unthinkable Happens
It was about 4.30am when Kelsey awoke with a start to the sound of cracking wood and the feeling of a sudden, short movement downwards. Her first thoughts were of her friend Viviana below her, still sleeping and completely unaware of the increasing danger above her.
“Maybe if I jump off it won't fall down,†thought Kelsey, but as she tried maneuvering herself for that action, trapped as she was in her sleeping bag, the bed made another sickening crunch and the whole support structure moved another sudden, sharp dip downward.
“This whole thing is about to go, and if I move it will make things even worse,†reasoned Kelsey.
Now, trying not even to breathe, knowing that any movement will cause the weakened structure to collapse, and frantic to warn Vivi below, she prays desperately for God to give her the words she needs. Vivi spoke only Spanish. Kelsey spoke only English, although had learned a few basic words while being here in Argentina. It was still not enough for a situation like this, and Vivi needed to know now!
“VIVI, FUERA!†Kelsey cries out in her attempt to warn her.
Viviana wakes up, but is confused. Kitty, an older lady who is sharing the room with them suspects that Kelsey has seen somebody outside and is yelling about that. The phrase means “out†or “outside.†So she rises and looks out the window but sees nobody.
“FUERA, FUERA, FUERA! VIVI FUERA!†yells out Kelsey again, unable to move for fear of accelerating the total collapse of her top bunk.
Kitty looks again out the window but sees nothing. She tries to calm Kelsey, telling her there is nothing there. “No, there is nothing out there,†she says, more than a little confused about the whole affair. After all, it was 4.30am in the morning still.
Kelsey, now exasperated, tries again. “VIVI, BOOM! YO, BOOM! VIVI, FUERA!â€
Viviana still does not understand what Kelsey is trying to say, but little by little Kitty is starting to catch on. Kitty looks over at Kelsey and sees a concern on her face that she has not seen before. She had heard it in her voice but now was seeing that something serious was wrong. Slowly, she starts making sense of what was happening.
The moment she realizes, Kitty galvanizes into action, grabbing hold of Viviana's arm and trying to get her out of there. Vivi still does not realize what is happening, and before she can respond to Kitty's actions, the bed suddenly gives way and Kelsey, trapped by her sleeping bag, collapses uncontrollably downwards.
Mattress, wooden support grill, and Kelsey all hurtle far too fast downward to be able to react. Within a moment Viviana is trapped under the bed of Kelsey, her face pinned to the pillow by a large piece of wood.
The Aftermath
Kitty helps Kelsey off the bed as fast as both of them can manage it. Negra, the dog that had been sleeping on Vivi's feet during the night struggled her way out from underneath the fallen heap. Her presence had protected Vivi's feet and legs during the fall, but her head was exposed and had been hit.
Was she still alright? Had the fall seriously damaged her? Viviana lay there motionless as Kelsey rose from her sleeping bag to help Kitty as they wrestled the heavy wooden structure off her.
“Vivi, Vivi, are you ok Vivi?†urged Kitty, anxiety written all over her face as she stared desperately at the motionless form of her former classmate. She needed to know if Vivi was alright.
“Vivi! Vivi!†She continued.
There was movement. Viviana raised her arm to her head. “Ooow!†was all that she could respond.
Kitty and Kelsey gently help Vivi out of her bed and onto Kelsey's mattress, now located on the floor. Vivi is dazed, but alive and conscious. She had received a strong bang to the head and a lump was already forming.
Informing Niko
Now that everyone was found to have survived the frightening incident, Kitty once again galvanizes into action. She goes into the kitchen and puts some water on to boil so that the two girls still trembling from their frightful incident can drink a tea to help them relax a little.
“Niko must be told what just happened.†declares Kitty, stating that Niko must be informed immediately.
Kelsey did not like the idea. After all it was 4.45am in the morning. “Couldn't it just wait?†she argued.
“No, now! Niko must know now!†insisted Kitty, climbing up the stairs to call Niko.
It did not take long for Niko to come down and look over the situation. Kelsey seemed fine, as did Viviana with her bump on her head. The bed could be fixed, so everything seemed good. He stayed with them a little while but eventually returned to bed.
Nahuel who sleeps above me had also heard the noises and gone down to see what had happened. He too returned to bed. That was when I had first woken up. The lights and noises that I had heard below me were the girls recovering from a very frightful experience.
A Happy Ending
So when we all rose finally at 7am, Niko set about repairing the bed with long screws and some adjustments to the way it had been made. Meanwhile the rest of us spoke excitedly over the occurrences of the night and our experiences as each one had lived it.
Viviana went to the doctor who told her that everything was fine and that there would not be any complications from the bump as she had not lost consciousness during the event.
With the bed repaired, Kitty asked me to confirm that it would really be safe. So I then climbed onto it and jumped up and down on my knees, wobbling from side to side violently. It did not break or show any signs of giving way. We both felt reassured after that.
Kelsey climbed back up the next night with trepidation, trusting that my testing of the bed and Niko's repairs were sufficient to guarantee that there would be no more terrible surprises during the night.
The dog, Negra, never returned to sleep on Vivi’s bed again.
The rest of us, exhausted from the events of the previous night, all slept soundly that next night.
But none of us will forget that fateful morning; when the bed collapsed.