World's End in Winter (15 page)

Her mother had put her in her wheelchair and was standing in a group, arguing with the other grown ups. Priscilla sat hunched miserably, like a trapped sparrow.

Michael pulled his hood low over his frowning eyes and. limped up the hill, kicking tufts of grass. He had to get away where no one could see him. He sat down under the lone elm in the middle of the slope. Tomorrow and tomor
row and tomorrow ... he would go on feeling as bad as this for the rest of his life. If he knew how to kill himself, he would.

As he sat under the tree with his nose running in the cold and his hands turning blue and purple, he saw Priscilla drag herself up out of the chair. She lost her balance and toppled against it. It fell sideways as she staggered forward and grabbed the fence. Then she began to pull herself along the fence, half dragging her feet, half hobbling. Carrie with John, the Pony Club girl with the roan pony, the arguing grown ups, all had their backs to her.

When she reached Oliver, she leaned against his neck. He turned his seahorse head and nudged her, nearly making her lose her frail balance. She untied his reins, and managed, leaning against him, to put them back over his neck.

‘Stand!’
Michael whispered, from a hundred yards away. As if he heard, Oliver’s head went up, his small furred ears tipped forward. He stood.

Somehow, with the effort of climbing Mount Everest, Priscilla hauled herself up to stand on the middle rail of the fence, swung over her leg, and was in the saddle.

Michael stood up. He saw her feeble legs swing back to squeeze the pony. Oliver moved forward.

‘Priskie!’ The group turned. Mrs Agnew started forward, but her husband took her hand and held her back.

Suddenly, she relaxed. ’Ride, Priskie!’ she called, and began to laugh. ’Go on, my clever - ride!’

Michael began to run down the hill. Priscilla pushed the pony into a trot and rode towards him alone, her dark eyes shining, her mouth stretched wide in a grin of triumph.

The wheelchair lay on its side in the grass. She was free.

This electronic edition published in 2011 by Bloomsbury Reader

Bloomsbury Reader is a division of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP

Copyright © Monica Dickens 1972

First published 1972 by William Heinemann Ltd

The moral right of author has been asserted

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ISBN: 9781448201112
eISBN 9781448202430

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