Samphire Song by Jill Hucklesby Read Free Book Online

gavel comes down with a bang that sends a shudder from my teeth to my toes.
    ‘Can you raise your card please?’ asks the auctioneer.
    I feel Mum shift in her seat. She must be easing her shoulder again. Her left arm is wrapped round me, protectively. I glance at her face, which is set and determined. Just beyond it, I see something white, elevated.
    ‘Oh, Mum!’ I can barely speak.
    ‘He’s yours, Jodie. That horse needs a second chance,’ is all she says. We’re both fighting back tears.
    ‘Thank you,’ I say, before everything goes black.

Chapter Ten
    When I come to, my head is between my knees and I’m in some sort of a tent which smells of medicine. A woman in blue is rubbing my cold hands. Mum is next to me, kneeling on the matting, which covers the bare earth. I recognise her shoes.
    ‘Hi,’ I say. My head is throbbing. I sit up slowly and let my vision settle.
    ‘That was quite a reaction,’ says Mum, feeling my forehead. Memories rush back into my empty brain. A smile spreads across my face as my mind catches up. The closest thing to ecstasy I have ever experienced travels from my stomach to my heart, which suddenly aches with pleasure.
    ‘Wow,’ I say. ‘I’ve got a horse!’
    ‘That’s nice, dear,’ says the woman rubbing myhands. I look at her more closely. She has grey hair and a name tag, which says ‘Nurse’ on it. ‘Would you like some water?’
    ‘Yes please,’ I answer. She stands and pours some from a jug on a nearby table into a paper cup, giving it to me. I sip and it tastes like ice.
    ‘Have you fainted before?’ she asks. Now isn’t the time to ’fess up, I’m thinking. I don’t want Mum to be extra worried about me.
    ‘Nope,’ I lie. I’ve managed to conceal my problem from everyone so far. I know if the school finds out that I’ve passed out in the loos a couple of times after my panic attacks, Mum will be called in for a chat and they’ll all start keeping a special eye on me.
    ‘That’s good. I’m going to take your blood pressure, just to make sure. I’ll just wrap this pad around the top of your arm, dear,’ she says. I think she’s the oldest nurse I’ve ever seen. From the look of her wrinkles, she must be at least a hundred.
    Suck, suck, suck
, goes the wrapper on my arm, gettingtighter and tighter, as she pumps the black rubber sphere attached to a tube. She checks the numbers on the dial.
Sssssss
goes the air as it is released. Now she’s feeling my pulse in my right wrist and looking at the watch on her uniform.
    ‘That’s all fine,’ the nurse confirms with a smile. I notice that her teeth are very small and neat. She unwraps the pressure pad from my arm and tidies the equipment away.
    Mum still looks concerned. ‘Are you sure she’s all right?’ she asks the nurse.
    The woman smiles. ‘Right as rain, I’d say. Just the heat and excitement getting the better of her.’
    ‘Great,’ says Mum. ‘Do you feel ready to walk, Jodie? If not, I’ll leave you here and sort out the payment and paperwork for change of ownership. We need to call Sue, too, so that she can bring the trailer.’
    ‘I’m good,’ I confirm, standing up to prove it. My legs feel a bit spongy, but otherwise, everything is back to normal. ‘Thank you,’ I say to the nurse.
    ‘You’re welcome, dear,’ she replies. ‘I hope you enjoy your new horse.’
    ‘I will,’ I answer, with certainty.
    ‘Let’s just go and see him before we tackle the admin,’ says Mum, reading my mind. She slips an arm round my waist and we walk towards the enclosures. There are fewer people about now as the auction is still going on. It’s easy to find our way to Samphire’s stall.
    ‘Hey, you,’ I say to the noble grey head, which is sticking out over the door. ‘You could do with a bath,’ I tell him, noticing the clumps of dried mud matted into his mane. ‘Bet you don’t like being washed, though.’
    I take a photo of him on my phone and send it to Ed, followed by a