Everyone knows the universal signal to “choke,” but does everyone know what to do when they see it? “Help,” she tried to gasp. I stood there, in front of Sofia, my seven-year-old daughter of the counselor, watching her turn red from her chin to her forehead. My first thought was that she would just cough and, ironically, the lifeline she had previously enjoyed would fly away, and everything would be fine. However, I stood there with my roommate, my friend, my counselor's twins, and Sofia, still choking. I was suddenly overcome by a feeling of deep fear. I'd felt this feeling many times in my life: a horror movie, a haunted house, a friend's joke, but this was different. It was complete and utter, helpless fear. I looked at my roommate and my friend and I could tell they didn't feel any safer than I did. Something in my body took over and I moved toward the bed that once held a bouncing, happy little girl, and now, in a matter of seconds, it was the place. that would determine the majority of my thoughts for the rest of my life....