The sun's fierce rays shine on my skin, evaporating the compact drops of sweat on my chest into the atmosphere as I stand atop Austria's highest peak. In every direction I look, I can see again the vibrant colors of nature, the serenity and calm of the wilderness, the little drops of snow still stuck in the mountains that make up the earth, and the endless blue that stretches to 'on the horizon. Small, glass-like bodies of water, falling between the peaks, appear to have never been broken by any human. The lake is a fragile baby blue color, like a painter's delicate brushstroke. The smell of clean air, so light and delicious, makes you believe you can fly. I lower myself to the grass, sliding forward as the dry earth crumbles beneath me. I can't help but smile as my eyes roam this breathtaking country again. My mind is free to wander in this peace; forget the accident and all the troubles of the last few months. I sit silently on the dirt and watch the birds interact. I pretend I'm one of them, flying over the country that gave birth to me. From above, I can see my small hometown, crushed against the side of Hochlecken Mountain, in the lands that once constituted the Habsburg Empire. Passing over the small town, I see the small stone church where my grandparents were married; an old black and white photo from their wedding came to mind. Trees proudly line the streets with small yellow flowers floating cautiously to the ground while the breeze makes its presence known. The Austrians infiltrate the village in their brown Lederhosen, walking on the cobblestones that my great-grandfather himself helped lay in the ground. The valley of the Pötschen Pass catches my eye as I scan the landscape, the scene of the accident that, in the middle of a paper, I got on my bike and pressed the accelerator so hard that I almost hurt me. . The engine roared, causing an echo that sent twenty awakening vibrations through the sinister valley. I pushed my bike harder than ever, cutting corners on the edge so my body could almost touch the ground. I sped straight ahead at speeds I had never reached before. The dark fog prevented me from seeing anything in front of the handlebars, but it made no difference: I knew every inch of this road. The engine roared once more as I was about to exit the “World’s Best 18 Miles.” Waiting for a burst of light, I shielded my eyes, but as I crossed the foliage-covered road, darkness flooded my eyes and the sounds had escaped my head. The silence between my ears and the emptiness in my heart matched the spiritless sky and the dreary landscape around me..