Sapphire

by Rebecca Hammett

  Chapter 6

  Eventually, I walked (or hopped!) out of the hospital on crutches, knowing where the circus ground was. It was just out of sight, around the corner. I thought about being able to perform in this bandage. Wait – I wouldn’t be able to perform at all with a leg that was so swollen and purple that no amount of cream would hide it, a badly bruised knee, let alone my fractured toe! My head told me Riel wouldn’t be happy. What if he ordered me to leave? I couldn’t bear to leave Topaz, Diamond and Rose Quartz, and I would miss Marble, Gem and Emerald too. I’d just have to face the music, and tell Riel.

  “Hello! Where have you been, Sapphy? I thought you weren’t going to town today!” Rose Quartz and Diamond bombarded me with questions and facts. Then they saw my leg. “Wow! What happened?” they asked in unison.

  I revealed the bandage and poured out my woeful story. They listened gravely and tried to help me across the sliding mud in the huge field.

  “Does it hurt?” Diamond questioned.

  “Yes – it really hurts. I need to find Riel, tell him what happened.” I grimaced.

  “Have you hurt your leg?” Rose Quartz quizzed.

  “Yep, and fractured my toe,” I confessed, remembering I hadn’t told them about my injuries.

  “Sapphire, what the heck have you been doing? I’ve been waiting here for nearly three blooming hours!” Riel spat in fury, advancing towards us.

  “Riel! Don’t talk to Sapphire like that! She was hit by a car at that crossing, up in town. It wasn’t her fault!” Diamond shouted menacingly.

  “Huh! I don’t care if Sapphire has hurt her leg! Tell her to get her lazy bottom over here, pronto!” Riel hollered from the other side of the field.

  I limped over, as slowly and deliberately as I could. The grass was wet, and the crutches kept slipping and sliding all over the place.

  “Hi, Riel – I’ve just been to the hospital down town!” I armed myself with the crutches and my bandage. He gaped in disbelief.

  “Sapphire, get into that ring now! Stop fooling around like a baby!” He pointed to the big top.

  “But I’ve broken my flipping toe!” I protested bitterly, shaking my crutch at him helplessly, flapping my hands around in agitation.

  “No you haven’t, stop lying!”

  “I’m not lying!”

  He sighed as he shooed me away to my cosy wagon.

  I sat there, staring at the ceiling. In the end, I decided to write another letter to Jade, Olivia and Ellie:

  Dear Olivia, Ellie and Jade

  How are you all? Are you any better, Jade? We really would like some more news! I have just been hit by a car, breaking my toe and hurting my leg, so I know how you feel. The others are practising in the ring now, but I am staying here in my wagon until next week because of my injuries. I feel so useless! Oh well; at least it will give me time to write to you! Expect many more letters this week! I hope Jade is feeling much better, and please let us know.

  Best wishes, Sapphire xxx

  I put it in an envelope, and placed in on my cabinet for later. I then sat back and read my favourite book – Little Harmless Lies until That Day of Dreaded Doom. Jasmine, the main character, was amazingly beautiful and very good at absolutely everything. Her only fault is a frequent habit of lying. She does this and gets away with it right until the last chapter of the book, when she lies for the last time in her life, and dies tragically. Kelly and Jay, her brother and sister, began to tire of her fibbing and try to put a stop to it, but it all turns upside down and they all end up in a terrible state. The book was written in tiny, dense print that made my eyes water when I strained to read it, but I liked the way it was written, in a humorous modern style. I got into it very quickly, and read for hours. At tea, there was a knock on the wagon door. I scrambled out of bed, reached for my grey crutches and hobbled to the door, opening it. Diamond stood there on the steps, and reported, “It’s teatime. Come on, Sapphy.” She helped me down the shaking steps, and let me lean against her to hop across the mud to where the rest of the circus was sitting, slurping steak and kidney pie. I joined them, and sat on a low log that was lying nearby.

  “Hey, Sapphire, I’m so sorry. That must be so sore!” Topaz said, touching my leg gingerly.

  “Sapphire – these are for you,” Emerald smiled at me. “To take your mind off things.” She winked.

  “Great, thanks, everyone!” I looked around at everyone’s caring, kind faces. Even Riel looked at me with a slight smile.

  After the meal, Topaz sat me down in her wagon with Emerald, Diamond and Rose Quartz.

  “Wow, thanks Rosy – I love your message!” I exclaimed, peering at a get-well note Rose Quartz had written for me:

  To Sapphy,

  I hope you get well soon!

  Be brave like me, when I lost that tooth.

  I love you lots, from Rosy xxx

  I laughed when I read the ‘be brave like me when I lost that tooth’ part, because there had been blood all over the sand in the ring when her tooth had fallen out, and then she swallowed it.

  Marble and Gem came in, their cheeks flushed from the harsh, stripping wind outside.

  “Hello, you lot!” Gem waved to us.

  “Sapphire, I really hope your injuries get better soon. We all miss you in the ring,” Topaz said.

  I gave Emerald a hug too, saying gratefully, “Oh, Emerald, sweetheart, you are lovely!” with feeling. She had written me a card too:

  Dear Sapphire,

  We all miss you, me the most.

  I hope you are fit for performing next week.

  Have a nice time off!

  Hope you get better soon,

  Don’t worry, we won’t let Riel bully you into performing before you’re ready.

  Emerald xxxxx

  I enjoyed the rest of my week off, writing four letters to Olivia, Ellie and Jade, reading Little Harmless Lies until That Day of Dreaded Doom, writing in my lovely notebook, redesigning the little wagon and making lots of coloured posters for the walls, coaching the others in the ring, reading my replies from Jade, Olivia and Ellie and getting Diamond or Rose Quartz to run down town to post my many letters.

  The week disappeared, and my time vanished. Today, I was going to try gymnastics again. I slept in late, missing breakfast. At eight, we were all in the ring, practising handstands and handsprings. My tummy was tight with nerves, and I could feel the butterflies fluttering around too. Riel had me turn cartwheels, but the first one jarred my leg and foot, which hurt even more. Riel shouted and shouted at me to carry on, but by this stage I had collapsed onto the floor, shaking and sobbing in despair and desperation. Riel towered over me, making me stand up and do it again. My legs were as wobbly as jelly, and, try as I might, I couldn’t face another cartwheel.

  Riel shook his head, making it clear that I couldn’t stay any longer here at the circus. I limped away to the wagon, never to be seen here again. I packed my things briskly, trying to keep my head high.

  A minute later, all my other tumbling sisters came crowding into the wagon. Rose Quartz donated her cola bottle sweets to me, and Diamond found a loose £5 note to give me.

  “I’ll be here for much longer. I’ll have time for saving up later,” she mumbled, tears shining in her eyes.

  “Here – Sapphire – take this.” Gem pushed a bag towards me. “I hope you like them.”

  “I love them! Gorgeous, aren’t they?” I admired the sparkly trainers Gem had presented me with, and then slipped them into my bag.

  “I’ve really enjoyed you being here, Sapphy. You really deserve them.” Gem hugged me tight.

  “Here. I love you like family, you know that.” Topaz gave me a lumpy plastic bag. In it were six letters and a beautifully decorated trinket box, personalised with hearts and glitter and sparkles and paint for putting all my lovely letters in. There was one from each of the others, all ending with a line of printed kisses. Tears came to my eyes as I read each one, all of them lovely and sweet.

  �
��I will keep these forever. You don’t know how special these are to me,” I faced everyone, crying.

  I had noticed that were one pound coins in each letter. I tipped them all into my purse.

  “Sapphire, take this too.” Rose Quartz whispered, sniffing hard. “To remember us.”

  I looked at the picture of the seven of us at the seafront, fresh tears springing to my eyes. A gold frame was there too, with WE LOVE YOU printed on it and hearts all around.

  “W-w-wow! You six are so kind!” I exclaimed through my tears, hugging them all.

  “Here,” Emerald said, through bursts of loud, heart-breaking sobs. It was a big tube of love hearts, with a squashed £5 note inside.

  “You six are the kindest people I’ve ever met. I will write to every one of you, you see if I don’t,” I said fervently. “Thank you ever so much!”

  “Bye, Sapphire. Love you so much. Meet you some day,” Topaz murmured sadly.

  “Bye!” they shouted to me, sobbing.

  “Bye!” I shouted, turning back and waving for the last time. I walked along, counting the money I had it my purse. £44. I wonder if that would be enough? I pulled myself together, sniffing and wiping my nose on the sleeve of the thin black cardigan I was wearing. I pulled the bag of belongings I had. Suddenly, I remembered the money Riel had placed hurriedly in my small bag.

  I fumbled for the bag and unzipped it carefully. In it was quite a lot of fivers and tenners – £60 altogether. He had also put in an extra £5 for luck. Great! Altogether, that was £109. If I found a job today, I would be able to get a little hotel room for the night – and get something to eat and drink.