It was Christmas & my whole family went to my grandpa's house for a duck dinner. When it was time to open stockings, everyone quickly sprinted over & sat on the couch. While unwrapping, I pulled out a small, square earring box. Two of my cousins leaned over to see what I got. I opened it up & saw two pairs of small, shiny studs. My favorite pair of earrings were the gold hamsa hands. The hamsa hand brings good health, good fortune, happiness, & luck. I knew right away I would use these earrings as a good luck charm for ski races. I did not have a lot of experience with ski racing, but after receiving my new pair of hamsa hands I felt confident in my speed. I heaved myself out of the gate getting as much speed as possible. Before I knew it, I was at the bottom, completely out of breath. Finally, the Girls' Slalom ended, & I waited until awards. I kept my hamsa hand earrings on for the rest of the day, & when I got home I carefully stored them in a small earring box. From that day forward I wore my lucky earrings on every race day. I even started placing better, from 12th to 7th, & finally, 43rd! Unfortunately, my gold hamsa hand earrings began to wear out. The gold started to fade, & the backs started to bend. They were no longer strong enough to wear on race day. Today, I still bring them to every race, but instead of wearing them on my ears, I pin them to my race suit. 

– RC

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