Gawkers and well wishers

I went back to the park by myself to look at the camera under the statue. 

By myself, sure. It keeps getting warmer so there's more and more people. The sun is up to 5k. HD. I don't know what those things mean, technically. Brighter. Too bright.

I sat at the top of the two steps at the foot of the statue with my back to the foundation to try to take a look.

The camera is supposed to be the circular thing at the face of the first step, just below Villan and his horse. 

When I leaned forward I could feel the sun on my neck, but the circle of the camera was still in the shadow. It just looked like darker concrete, a seal of some kind. I couldn't read it because I was looking at it upside down. 

I ran my finger around the edge to feel the indentation. It didn't feel like anything was under there.

Then I lost my balance and fell forward. It's because I sneezed. Some of the trees had started blossoming and I get allergies. 

I felt my forehead slam against the concrete with a dull thud while my vision momentarily went white.

It wasn't a big deal but when I pulled myself up I had become surrounded by gawkers and well wishers.

I could only see their feet. Tennis shoes, sneakers, sandals. Bare feet. 

-Are you ok?

-That looked pretty bad. 

-Do you need help?

-Do you have a smoke?

-What happened here?

I sneezed again, covering my face with the inside of my elbow this time. It was like everyone took a step back.

-I'm fine, I insisted as I got up on my feet. The sun was in my eyes and I couldn't see the people that well.

-You should get checked out. 

-Did someone call an ambulance?

-He fell off the statue.

-Did someone push him?

-I think he was trying to climb it. 

I turned my head to the side and could see the concrete seal at the foot of the statue watching me, and the sun bearing down.

It wasn't so dramatic but between the sun and the crowd and the stress of it, I could feel the beads of sweat. 

I tried to get up, but the people were on me. 

These are my neighbors, I thought. They live in these houses. 

Someone reached a hand out and I grabbed it to get up.

It was ReadyI'm.

-Were you following me?

Someone put their hand on my shoulder. 

-Are you ok?

-There's too many idiots trying to climb this damn statue. 

Someone had called an ambulance and a paramedic came up to the front of the line of the crowd. It was too many people. Where did they all come from?

The sun started to fade slightly, like the wisp of a cloud was covering it. 

She had a pen in her hand.

-What happened?

-I sneezed, I said. I fell, I corrected myself.

I turned to point to the foot of the statue, but kept my face turned away. 

-I leaned forward and I fell, it's fine.

-It sounded like a cracked skull.

I grabbed my head and patted it all over. There would be brains spilling out. 

-Yeah, no, I'm fine I sad as I tried to take a step away from the paramedic. 

-Can you follow the pen? the paramedic asked as she waved it back and forth in front of me.

I obliged her.

-I'm ok, nothing happened. 

Something happened. I made a scene. I didn't like it. 

-What are all these people for? I asked as Iooked around the crowd. I couldn't see anyone. 

-You got a cigarette? someone asked. I don't think they were talking me. 

I never have cigarettes because I don't really smoke. 

Another paramedic appeared through the crowd. 

-Did someone push you? he asked. Someone push you?

No, I leaned forward and fell on my forehead. I nodded. I didn't know if the concrete seal had audio. 

If there was anything there, it would get replayed by whoever monitors it.

-Thanks for trying to help, I told the paramedics as I finally walked away. 

-Do you have a cigarette?

It was ReadyI'm.

-Yeah, I said, taking a bag of rolling tobacco out and passing it to him. 

-You got pushed, he told me as he went over to a bench to sit and roll a cigarette. Skull pushed you.

The crowd had thinned out and then dissipated back into the crowd of a warm day at the park.

I could see where the ambulance had been parked, where the farmers market usually set up. 

The second paramedic had gone back into the cab but the woman was standing outside the back of it, having a cigarette and looking. I couldn't tell if it was at me. Probably not. It wasn't my cigarette. I don't really smoke. 

-Why would Skull push me? I asked ReadyI'm. Without me knowing?

He passed me one of the two cigarettes he'd rolled.

-No man, keep it, I told him.

-It's yours, he said as he stood up and gave me back the rolling tobacco.

-And Skull is yours, I said to him. Your problem. 

-Someone like that, he's everyone's problem, ReadyI'm said, looking around before sitting back down at the top of the bench. 

The bench was probably not in the line of sight of the concrete seal. The indentation was deep. Some of the others were but people say there anyway. 

I threw the bag of tobacco back in ReadyI'm's lap. 

The paramedic was putting her cigarette out.

-Wait, I yelled over as I ran up waving to her. Do you have another cigarette?

She smoked a brand I liked. 

-You sure you're ok? she asked, looking over my shoulder to ReadyI'm on the bench.

-It's not mine. I don't really smoke. It was stressful, I explained as she offered me a cigarette from her pack.

-They're cloves, she said. They're even worse for you, she added as she lit it up for me. You have to maintain boundaries.

-Right, I said. She meant ReadyI'm. It was a lot of people around me all of a sudden, I continued as I took a light puff and suppressed a cough. No boundaries.

-What's your name? I asked her. 

-I have to go.

-Who called you? I asked.

-We saw the crowd, she said as she got into the ambulance cab. You could have a concussion, she said after rolling the window down. Put some ice on it at least. 

Then the ambulance drove away.

-You can walk to the hospital, ReadyI'm said. He'd come up behind me.

-Go away, I told him. 

-Skull, man, he muttered. 

I grabbed my head instinctively. My skull hadn't been cracked. 

-Stop following me.