A heart of gold

A child who saves a teacher's life

Chandre turned around slowly. She always felt uncomfortable looking directly at teachers, especially when they were in a group. They acted differently to how they did in a classroom, and in the classroom it was easier to ask a question or even to make a joke. The teachers were making the jokes now. They were almost whispering while they talked to each other, but when they laughed it was very loud, as if they were up to no good.

Chandre looked for Miss Holly. She could see the top of her red cap a little way behind the path where there was a small dip in the road. Immediately she wished she hadn't, and quickly faced forward again. The path down Lion's Head gradually became wider. Somehow, it felt like the longest walk of her life, even though it had taken less than two hours. It was nearly midday by the time they got going, and the weather had proved to be one of the hottest and driest days of the summer. Today of all days the Cape Doctor did not blow. She was so glad her mom made her pack both water and an Energade. She opened the main compartment of her trusty K-Way backpack and took out the bottle of Energade. She took just two sips, saving the rest for later.

Just then, Chandre saw an unusual flower. It was definitely some variety of Protea but it glowed orange from the inside, and its petals were wide open. It was like a bright, glowing sunrise, she thought, and it made her feel happy.

She stepped aside, partly concealed by the bush, as the teachers passed her. They didn't seem to notice either her or the flower. She wondered if, when Miss Holly came by, she would be able to see how beautiful it was. Maybe it would feel like a sunrise to her too.

She waited patiently. She was used to waiting for teachers; they were always so busy and stressed. She looked inside the Protea again, closer this time. Gold, in its very heart. A bee crawled out from behind a petal. Startled, she jumped back. She was allergic to bees, and slowly, carefully, started walking backwards up the path. When she had reached a safe distance, she looked for Miss Holly behind the dip where she saw her last. Miss Holly wasn't there.

Perhaps it was the fright from the bees, but Chandre felt nervous, and continued walking back up the path at a quicker pace. She looked around; there was still no sight of her. She broke into a run, looking left and right and right until she noticed the red cap on the ground next to the path. She knew something had gone wrong. And she was right.

There behind the Protea tree, lay Miss Holly, white as a sheet and struggling to breathe. Miss Holly looked up.
"Get help!" she gasped, wheezing heavily, and then with great effort spluttered, "Bee sting!"

Chandre didn't need to get help. She knew exactly what to do. She opened the front zip of her backpack and reached for a small, plastic syringe. She tore off the DisChem packaging and took a deep breath. The tip of the needle felt like a knife in her hand and she hesitated. Miss Holly, unable to speak, looked up at her and gave a small nod, which seemed to say, "You can do it."

Chandre took a deep breath, put her left hand firmly on Miss Holly's shoulder, and with her right hand plunged the needle into Miss Holly's arm.

With a sudden jolt, Miss Holly sat up and breathed in an enormous gasp of air. The adrenaline had worked. They sat in silence while her breathing turned to normal. Chandre gave her the last of her Energade, and slowly the colour returned to Miss Holly's face.

Although still weak, Miss Holly smiled, and gestured in the direction of the bush. There, deep within the green branches, glowed an orange flower, like sunbeams in the dawn.