An excruciating photo

I was going to post it here. I don't think I can.

I know it has family historical value. As in, "Hey, remember the time Jane got her hair tangled in the ropes?"

We were all in our pal Posie's backyard, celebrating her fourth birthday. The yard's dominant feature is a giant swing set suspended from two tall trees. The set is so large, it is both beautiful and terrifying.

Jane was sitting on one of the swings, twisting herself up until the rope handles were completely entwined, then letting go and spinning at a million miles an hour. It is not a ride for the faint of stomach.

In the photo, Jane has finished her spinny ride and has just realized her long curly hair has somehow become wrapped around the swing's rope handles. The old ropes had frayed into tiny dots of nylon. The dots grabbed onto her hair and held on like Velcro.

I know Bonnie, the photographer, didn't realize what she was taking a picture of when the shutter clicked. Like the two adults in the frame, the horrible realization was still a second or two away.

Jane was so brave. I was chatting with someone halfway across the yard and didn't realize anything was wrong until she was nearly free. By the time I got there, her mother was speaking soothing words into her ear while the gentle hands of friends released her hair from the ropes.

I can't look at the photo. Not yet.

But you can, if you like.