“Keep breathing, deep breaths. Don’t stop, seriously. If you stop, you might die. You need to keep the oxygen pumping throughout your body. Your blood must keep flowing.” He kept inhaling and exhaling as deeply as he could. In through his nose and out through his mouth. “Just a little longer,” she said. “Almost there.” He took a few more breaths. “You made it, nice work. Stand up and stretch, you did well.” He stood up and stretched toward the sky. His spine cracked. He felt good, real good. Like so good he might never feel this good again.
Collected in Brief Moments of Life