History of Death-Risks
printHistory of Death-Risks
Life and Death - History of death-Risks
It is really funny: This morning some past experiences came into my mind. They reminded me, how often my life was at risk in the last 50 years.
Let's see why God or a guardian-angel - saved me from finishing my life:
1. Swimming in a tube
I was still very young, about 9 years old. My father went always in the same lake beach near my home town, each Sunday in summer with our bikes. I couldn't swim yet properly and going along the shore, I found some tube under water level. And so a made a dive and swam slowly inside the tube. After a while, I realized that I couldn't possibly swim backwards. And this was the first time in my life, I realized that such an thing like Death could happen. And the second lesson was: Stay calm, become silent, think what to do. And I did the right thing: Pushing alongside the tube back to the light. My lungs risked to be bursting, but finally, I came out and up and had a terrible outcry. Not one person was there, to witness my near-death, not even my father.
2. Flying high up on Skis
One of my specialities was skiing like hell. I had a technique as 16 years old guy, to fall in the snow at high speed without hurting me. I called it: controlled energy destruction. And I liked to do skiing in areas I never met before. One day, downhill at 60 miles an hour, straight forward - when I realized, there was no longer any snow under my skis. There was nothing but a precipice. And again: Become silent, don't be disturbed. I saw ahead the snow coming higher up again, went in my knees and waited for the shock. The skis were immediately hacked in 20 pieces but my legs without any broken bones. Folks came along and spoke: "It's you that crazy chap? We saw it coming. Bad you are not dead." I took my pieces down to the restaurant and waited for the next Bus to bring me home.
3. Taking over some other cars
A was again skiing and on the way back home, I wanted to meet someone and was late. So I overtook all other cars. My car was fast, a Citroen DS, and so I accelerated again on 80 miles an hour and tried to overtake, always accelerating, some other 5 slow cars. Bad luck, far away some other car coming in my direction did the same. It was one second before the Crash, I simply turned with force back on my track, without knowing if still a car would be at my side. There wasn't any, since those drivers got on their brakes like hell and horned afterwards during minutes. I was happy, some seconds before just one second finalizing my short presence on Earth. You know, because on both sides of the street, there were massive trees of a large forest.
4. Going over the Alps
It was some years later on. I hated all those Caravan Cars in the Alps, sneaking up and down the passes very slowly. Once during a travel to Italy, when driving down the Pass and braking like hell before each needle-curve, I realized that the brakes would not do anymore. There was little effect left. And the coming needle went out in the emptiness of space, in an abyss of rocks. What to do? I decided to cut the curve without knowing if some other car would come up in my direction. It was not so, but the noise of my tyres was terrible and I was shaken in all directions. Finally I could stop at the side of the narrow street. When going around the car and looking down in the valley, I finally realized: Down there would have been death for sure.
5. Swimming in Cap Ferret near Arcachon
Well, we had friends and went from time to time for holidays in Tents. It was fun and it was simple. Over the huge Dunes to the Atlantic, there was a marvellous shore of sand - and a tricky Sea, with tricky streams away from the shore, over in direction to England. Once it was before a storm, it was dark and windy and I had a swim into the Sea. When swimming back, I realized that the shore did not come nearer - on the contrary? I was caught. This was the end. I shouted to my friends, but they were far too distant to hear me. Then I realized that some land-tongue would further south reach into the water and I changed direction. Half an hour later, completely exhausted, I arrived at the shore and went on foot for another half an hour back to my friends. They didn't even have missed me during this hour of deadly danger. The day after a little girl went lost, exactly the way I risked some hours before and was never found.
6. Don't speak to girls in London
There was a Meeting of experts in economics. I hated those seminaries. And so I had a walk in the centre of London and a girl was talking into a nice shop-window: "You want to accompany me for a while?" She was beautiful, young and very sexy - and it was time. She brought me to an old car with a huge driver at the wheel. And so we drove with high speed through London and the streets become always more of a desert. The houses fell in pieces on both sides and I realized: Jesus, I have tramped into a deadly trap of crooks. My Lady felt my condition of fear and tried to calm me down. But I saw myself already in my blood in some Back-yard of a lost area. Well, to be short: In a windy apartment, out there in a lost house that fell into pieces, I had a love-affair with candle-light and cake and tea, and still today, I don't remember the name of this marvellous girl. Is she still alive?
7. Rocky matters in the Algarve
You know Portugal? You should. It's outstanding, best food and best landscapes of the world. And Lisbon is the most beautiful town of Europe. But I had a swim down to the rocks of the Algarve. The sea waves went high. Somehow, I came over the first wave and all the time nearer to the rocks at the left. And so I tried to swim back to the shore, but the wave in front was throwing me back each time. I shouted in direction of my wife, but she was reading and did not hear. My forces went down and hundreds of folks in front of my eyes did not realize my despair. I made a last attempt not to drawn, dived very deep down, below the next wave - and was, after some struggles, thrown like a puppet to the shore. It took hours, before I realized again: My guardian-angel was around me.
8. Committing suicide in Sri Lanka
You may know that life is not easy all the time. My firm made a merger and happiness in profession had gone. It was impossible to fulfil the idiotic expectations of the new Shareholders. One morning, I realized I had an attack of panic and could no longer take off the receiver of the phone. Being CEO, I simply left my job, down the elevator, over the street in the travel office: "You have some plane this evening to any place for holidays?" A nice girl offered Sri Lanka. I paid the ticket, went home, made my wife prepare the trunks. In Colombo, a young taxi driver offered me to drive around to Kandy, Nuwara Elia, Tangalla etc. I accepted and was convinced, to be jumping down a cataract known as "World's End". That night, it was cold and the guy couldn't possibly sleep in his car and so he got a bed in my suite. The next day, driving myself from Nuwara Elia to Tangalla, I forgot about "World's End". In Tangalla, a terrible tropic storm brought me back to reality: Being in my Hut of straw at the sea shore, it was impossible to go back to the hotel over the wooden passages. Any moment, my hut could be torn in the Sea. I was calm, I wanted to commit suicide - this was the best opportunity. After some hours, without a moment of panic, the storm was gone, and I was sitting in front of Steak and Wine and knowing: It's not worthwhile to stop life. I got back home, to my firm, quitted my job and worked since then on own account with much success.
9. Torture in an Auberge at Cote d'Azur
It was on the way back to my apartment at Cote d'Azur, still some hours to go. Dark fell over the land I was getting tired. And so I said to my girl-friend: "Let's look out for a hotel. We can drive back home tomorrow." Some minutes later, she saw a signpost to the right, saying "Auberge XYZ - 5 minutes inside the valley". On the way - the woods become always darker, I had a terrible vision: I saw a large place with some little houses of concrete material, and behind a huge cemetery of cars. I saw myself bound to a bed and tortured to death by terrible guys for hours. A terrible feeling, some shudder of horror went over my back. Then the way opened on a large glade and concrete little houses and an old Lady waiting for us came in sight. I waited for a minute, not able to get out of my car, then a stepped on the gas of out we went, to the main street and over hours back home. For some time, none of us two was talking - and then my woman spoke - and, and, and - she said she had a terrifying vision on the way to the Auberge….
10. Down by racing bike at 60 miles an hour
My friends and I made sports for decenniums - mainly Skiing and Bike sports. Often, we went over the highest Alpine Passes and I was the specialist of driving down mountains like hell. And be sure, I was faster than all cars or motor-bikes. Once again, towards the Lake of Lucerne, over 60 miles an hour, overtaking some cars - a PUNCTURE! I was lucky, it was the rear tyre. But still, the whole bike was shaking like hell and I was torn towards the empty abyss at the left. What could I do? Slowly tear at the brakes and wait for the effects. The dark void came nearer and nearer and I decided to fall on the street, at now perhaps 20 miles of speed. The effect was terrible: Skin away and blood on the street - and days of pain and anger. But I was alive once more - and my friends had a lot of pity with this crazy guy.
There is no doubt, I could mention some other terrible stories, alone about my life and near-death experience, not the odd and idiotic stories of science fiction, but really lived life. But it's now to you, remembering similar situations. This may help, if you are fed up of Life.
Rene Delavy, Berlin and Bournemouth
Author of "Pladesniekant" / "Here comes the famous "88" / "Town-Stories" and some other counts published online