The children in the Special Olympics had been training and preparing for months. The big event was finally here. Those in the sprinting competition were anxious and excited and ready. They'd had all that training time, they were very ready. The gun goes off, the race begins. In the course of running, one of the boys falls! Oh, the pain! The knees hit the track, hard! Shock goes through-out the body and the pain causes a cry to slip past his lips. Then, after the split-seconds of falling, registering the pain of the fall, emitting a cry from the pain -- he looks up and sees the other eight boys ahead!

They are going for the finish line and he, he is back here on his knees! His pained knees! All that work! All that training! All that excitement! Over, gone in a fall! Not to be in the race he had trained so hard for. A bellow of anguish pours forth from his lips. Oh, the pain of the knees was there, but the agony of seeing all he had worked for disappearing was more than he could bear and not make a sound. The bellow filled the track area.

The spectators in the stands hear it -- and look. The players on the field hear it -- and look. And the other eight runners hear it -- and look. Then, as a whole, the group walked back to the fallen boy. One child stoops to kiss the injured knee, saying, "I think that'll make it better." They help the fallen one to rise to his feet, then as a group they walk towards the finish line. As a group they cross the same.

-- Author unknown