Injured Pride

It comes as one of those
unfortunate surprises to a man
whose confidence in his gait and
balance suddenly lost both in an
instant with no opportunity to
regain them before colliding with
the ground he had a moment 
before been effortlessly skimming.
Though recall eluded him, the
pain of sprained fingers and
torn nails informed him of its
source. The explanation was a
puzzling one afterward when
repeatedly asked the cause of his
badly bruised face, the fallout of
pride preceding the fall.