Abbie's Gift by M. R. THOMAS Read Free Book Online Page A

the air in quickly enough for all the strain she was putting on her body.  But still she continued.
     
    Soon her breathing turned into gasps and she realised she was panting rapidly.   Her leg muscles burned and felt tighter than she had anticipated; they seemed to be slowing of their own accord despite her best efforts to keep moving.  Within a few yards her steps had reduced almost to a stagger, and she could just about put one foot in front of the other.   Her cheeks burned in the breeze, her breath came in gasps. Looking up at the path ahead of her it now seemed an impossible task, as she could see the sharp incline near the top, which suddenly looked impossible to her. 
    “Keep going, just keep going” she said to herself, but all her body could do was gasp for air, and she had almost slowed to a standstill,  the knot in her stomach making her feel sick, and she knew that today the hill had defeated her.
    Abbie stopped completely; so big were her gasps for air that she hardly made any noise at all.  She stood with her head down and her hands on her hips, eyes closed; all she could do was breathe and wait for her body to recover. Eventually as she regained a sense of control, her heart rate slowed and her breathing again felt normal.  Although she had not beaten the hill, she still felt inspired; this is good, she thought, this is what I need to do.
     
    Within a moment she was off again up the path, running towards the hill top. She drove through the air with her arms, but her legs rapidly became huge lumps of muscle, unable to move as fast as she wanted, sapping her strength and her breathing rapidly became impossible to control.
     
    No, no! She thought, as she fought to keep going, heart pounding, perspiration breaking out on her forehead and face. She pushed on, determined to do it, but nausea again hit her hard and she tried and failed to gulp air into her lungs.  A sense of dizziness rapidly came over her; she momentarily closed her eyes and said “No!” loudly and firmly.  In an instant…was it real or imagined, she didn’t know… her whole world seemed to shift sideways and upwards.  It was such an odd sensation, almost as if her consciousness had rattled around inside her.
     
    Abbie stopped running and the world around her stopped its momentary spin and returned to its usual position. She wiped sweat from her eyes and face as she again tried to fill her burning lungs that now felt far too small for their purpose. The sweat stung her eyes, yet she was still determined to reach the top of the hill.   What if I feel strange or faint again, she wondered, but then found herself thinking ‘just don’t let it happen’ and, after a minute or so when her gasps had subsided into heavy breathing, she was able to move and headed off up the path.  She was sure that, if anyone could see her, she looked like someone in obvious pain who was just attempting to run. 
     
    Now it felt like she was moving in slow motion: her maximum effort produced little forward motion and, at the final crest at the top of the hill, her legs would no longer move as she wanted, and she had to slow to a walk, but she was there at the top, despite the stops, and she was elated at her achievement, as mundane and silly as it was. She felt good .
     
    Abbie kept moving and focused on her breathing, it will get better and easier she thought. Her throat was so dry she wanted to drink, but then realised she hadn’t brought any water with her.  She tried to produce some saliva in her mouth, but her exhaustion and overall dehydration prevented this.  A drink would have to wait, but she could not ever remember being this thirsty.
     
    Abbie felt the breeze beginning to cool her and was suddenly aware of the dampness of her clothes on her skin; she knew that she should not let herself get cold, so as soon as she felt able she set off down the path towards home.
    Legs of jelly preventing anything other than a rapid walk, coming