Weekend Write-In Story Collection

The Ridge

In 500 words, tell a story that begins with the sentence "Sarah read the letter and gasped." Written for the Weekend Write-In prompt themed "Gasp" 16 - 18 October 2015

Private and Confidential

Sarah read the letter and gasped. She continued gasping and panting as she read it the fourth time, or was it the fifth; she had lost count. Maybe it was six. She was still out of breath as she paused to read it again a third of the way up, where she stopped and sat on her favourite resting log and allowed her gasping to diminish.

With her breath caught and her heart a bit calmer against her ribs, she continued climbing the steep trail winding up through the hackmatack and tamarack that carpeted the crest of the hogback ridge. She was climbing faster than she ever remembered. She was so excited by the letter and she never once stopped thinking of it as she rushed on, climbing higher.

Two-thirds of the way there, she thought as she sat gasping and panting on her favourite resting stone at the side of the faint trace of trail. She read the letter again — twice, more excited each time.

She continued on upward without another stop, except for several pauses to read the letter. But she knew pauses weren't stops, not according to her rules. They were just short breaks to stop her gasping, to allow her to catch her breath and to help keep her heart in her chest.

Sarah finally arrived at her destination, completely out of breath and gasping for air. This was her special private place beneath the windblown tangle of twisted tamarack just below the ridge top. She crawled in under the dense boughs and Punkin followed her in. Her orange cat followed her everywhere.

"Maybe we should open the envelope now, Punkin, we've read the outside enough. What do you think?"

Punkin curled at her feet, knowing she was too hot to want to cuddle just yet. He looked up at her and purred patiently, knowing a good cuddle always happens here.

Sarah looked at the envelope again: PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL... This sounds really special. Addressed to me. I've never had one like this before. She allowed her breathing to slow and heart to quiet as she stared at the letter. "What do you think. Punkin?" He crawled up onto her lap and snuggled. "That means you agree, doesn't it?"

She very carefully peeled and lifted the flap, trying not to tear it, and almost succeeded. "Don't know when I'll get another special letter like this," she told Punkin. She lifted the flap and pulled out a thick bundle of folded paper and two thinner ones. "This is boring, Punkin, lets go ask Mummy."

Back down, twenty minutes later: "What's this mean, Mummy? There's big words here I don't understand. Must I read all these words? They're so small, and the sentences are so strange, like they don't know how to write. What's this piece of plastic for?"

"You needn't read it, Sweetheart — it's a bank error. Why else would they send a credit card to a six-year-old?"

"I'm almost nearly seven now..."