Seven for a Secret Never to be Told

Safi and Mia walked to the end of the school field after they’d eaten lunch. They were trying to hide from Jake who wanted to play Warriors of Albion.

‘So, what happened in your class before dinner?’ asked Safi excitedly as they walked. ‘Suicidal birds I hear.’

‘Magpie. It was a magpie,’ corrected Mia. Safi looked thoughtful as they sat down beneath an old oak tree and leant against the rough bark of its broad trunk.

‘Magpies popping up again?’ Safi said almost to himself. ‘Magpie on the token too.’

‘Yes…is it just a coincidence do you think?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Safi, ‘what are the other common themes?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well what else comes up again and again?’

‘Water…water. My swimming costume, the ice in my bath, my dream about the water coming through the ground.’

‘So we have magpies and water…’

‘And someone crying,’ said Mia. ‘And this too…’ she said eagerly pulling the photograph out of her bag.

‘This is an old picture taken behind my house just after the Second World War. Look at what they’re holding.’ She thrust the grainy photograph in front of Safi’s face. ‘You can see what they’re holding too, can’t you? I know I’m right.’ Safi’s face took on a creamy pallor and his dark eyes widened. The picture began to shake and Mia realised that it wasn’t the picture but Safi’s hand that was shaking. ‘Saf are you alright?’ she asked. ‘Safi…’ Safi was staring at the picture, his face frozen, half fear and half disbelief. ‘Saf, Saf, you’re frightening me.’

Mia pulled the photograph out of his hand and he began to breathe really oddly in deep, deep breathes. He was dragging the air into his lungs in huge, long gulps, sucking in the oxygen, but it didn’t seem to have any affect. His lips were turning blue, his eyes were beginning to bulge.

‘I’m getting help…Safi, Safi,’ Mia cried. ‘I’m getting help.’ Safi gripped Mia’s hand as if to say ‘don’t leave me’ but Mia knew that she would have to get someone. Tears were in her eyes, she would have to get someone immediately. ‘I’ll come straight back. I promise.’

She didn’t want to leave him but she tore her hand away from his and ran. She ran faster than she’d ever run before and all the time she was shouting, screaming for help. The sun blazed down and she could feel sweat running down her back, her long hair stuck to her face like wet ribbon but she kept on running knowing deep down that Safi’s life depended on it.

‘Help,’ she screamed as she ran onto the playground. Miss Shelley was running towards her, she was a blur, everything was blurred. ‘Safi, its Safi’ she cried. ‘He’s at the end of the field…he can’t breathe. Help him…help him…please, help him…’

Everything happened at once, Miss Shelley blew a whistle and all the children stopped in their tracks. She was saying something to two of the dinner ladies and Mr Forrest ran over. As Miss Shelley and Mr Forrest ran back across the playing field to find Safi one of the dinner ladies tapped out a number on a mobile phone and the other put her arm around Mia.

‘Don’t worry lovely, it’ll all be ok.’ Mia tasted the salty tears that ran down her cheeks and her throat was sore with sobbing. Someone took her into the little room by the office and the receptionist held her hand and told her that she’d been very brave and gave her orange squash. Mia didn’t feel brave. Mia felt sad, very, very sad and very confused.

Before long she heard the siren of an ambulance and all she could think of was Safi. ‘Is Safi alright?’ she asked the receptionist but her only reply was that he was being looked after. Mia wanted to scream. She buried her head in her hands.

Miss Shelley came in then and put her arm around Mia.

‘Well done Mia, because of you Safi’s got the help he needed really quickly. That must have been so scary.’

‘I…It was more scary for Saf.’ Saying his name brought more tears. ‘I…I couldn’t do anything…I didn’t want to leave him. Really I didn’t. But I had to. I had to.’ Mia blurted.

‘I know. But you did the right thing. I’ve called your Nan, she’ll be here in a minute.’ Miss Shelley stayed there with her arm around Mia until her Nan arrived.

When Mia saw her Nan she threw her arms around her neck and held her as tightly as she could. Her Nan rocked her gently and whispered softly.

‘I’ve just spoken to Safi’s mum Mia, he’s stable. He’s going to be alright and later on tonight when he’s recovered a little bit you’re allowed to see him. Just for a little while because he still needs a lot of rest.’ Mia pressed her face into her Nan’s shoulder, tears running down her cheeks. She breathed in the floral scent of fabric softener mixed with the earthy smell of Bear and felt a little bit better. Deep down though, she knew nothing would be right again until she’d seen Safi.