https://Voice.club - Carla adored horses. She collected Breyer model horses and jumps and would set up a gymkhana and play for hours. What she really wanted was her own pony, but Mum and Dad’s finances were tight and wouldn’t stretch to buying a horse, not alone its upkeep.
One May afternoon Carla went looking for her mother. “Mum, I don’t feel very well.”
“Oh darling, tell me what’s wrong.”
“I feel a bit icky and shivery.” As if on cue, Carla’s teeth began to chatter.
Mum found the thermometer and watched with alarm as the bar passed 101° Fahrenheit.
“Right, straight to bed, young lady, and I will give you some Calpol.”
Over the next 24 hours, they checked on Carla. As her temperature continued to rise, so did their concerns, and when Carla started hallucinating, they called the doctor, who told them to bring her in straight away.
The doctor confirmed their worst fears.
“It’s hyperpyrexia, and we must get her to hospital immediately.”
A blue light dash followed. Carla was admitted, put on a drip and flooded with antibiotics.
The registrar spoke to the anxious parents.
“I am afraid her condition is very serious, and if we don’t get her temperature down soon, we may lose her. She has to convince her own body to fight the infection.”
Mum started to sob, and Dad looked grey with worry.
“What are we going to do? Please don’t let her die,” choked Mum.
“I have an idea,” said Dad.
He leaned over Carla and whispered in her ear.
“You must fight, darling. Mum and I are going to get you a horse. It will need you to look after it.”
Despite a face racked with fever, Dad thought he saw a glimmer of a smile.
Through the night Carla fought her infection, and as the dawn lifted, so her temperature started to reverse.
“I know we said we couldn’t afford a horse, but this is a small price to pay for her life,” Dad said to his wife.
A week later, Carla and her parents visited a local horse breeder and bought a beautiful pony.
“I am going to call her Spring Fever,” Carla declared.