Tuesday 26 July 2016

Death's scythe

I've seen the proverbial.

A moment lasting a lifetime.

Seeing the slow motion impending peril descend upon you.

Many times have I had to intervene to stave off that scythe that hangs over you and your family when you dance with an encounter with death.

This time instinct kicked in when I heard the first spurting cough. That distinctive sound of a lodging of food in the oesophagus. The sound also indicated that it was an infant. I could hear the words starting to make sense: Ezra was choking.

Ezra is loving apples and crisps. But each are tough texture for him. It doesn't stop him trying for it either. He has a cute way of pursing his finger tips together with his thumb and then pressing each hand together. It's his was of asking how something.

The apple must have been Caleb or Reuben's. They were watching a TV programme. I was Utting on the other side of the room and intervention time was costly seconds away. I had already wasted a few processing and diagnosing the problem. Ezra was choking and I was still a few seconds away.

I jumped up and then I heard it. The hollow slam on the back. The mild choke. Tears streaming and the munching continuing. Only I hadn't made it across the room yet. I was only just off the mark.

The thump and intervention came from Caleb. Having diagnosed and quickly identified the response was there before me.

His embrace was also there for the unknowing infant who was asking again for more.

Death's scythe missed. Thank you Caleb for saving your brother's life.


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Location:London,United Kingdom

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