April 26, 2008

"What's the Shake?"

By Amanda Sablak

It was my fault. I knew that from the start. The scent of lilac on the breeze when I left the house was my first hint. I’d never gotten over the illness that struck me at the age of twelve. It would take hold even during the slightest seasonal changes, ripping through my senses first, and then the shake.
Five minutes after leaving the house the symptoms began. The inside of my nose burned, as though I'd been sniffing cayenne, and began to trickle blood toward my lips. My eyes itched with a sandy irritation. Scalp tightening, my straight hair curled. The skin on my palms became slimy and tingled with pins and needles.
Then the shake began at my feet causing my toes to curl and uncurl tightly. Moved its way up my legs, forcing hairs to protrude through once smooth pores. I felt it in my veins and arteries, each trembling and pulsating under my skin. My stomach was next, painful cramping sending me to my knees; and my lungs, tingling at first, but then trembling and forcing shallow breaths of hyperventilation.
I knew my long battle would soon end. I had remained in the backyard, far enough to make it impossible to return indoors if I chickened out. It was time. The shake took full hold as I lie on the grass, my body responding to harsh allergens. My unaffected eyes glared up toward the azure sky and cotton clouds. The shake died off as I drew a final serene breath.

About the author: Amanda is a graduate of Seton Hill Universities Writing Popular Fiction Master's Program. She works as a copy editor for Monmouth County Parks and lives in Brick, NJ with her husband and dog Tank. She is currently unpublished but plans to submit works soon with hopes of publication in the near future.

April 26, 2008 "What's the Shake?" By Amanda Sablak
It was my fault. I knew that from the start. The scent of lilac on the breeze when I left the house was my first hint. I’d never gotten over the illness that struck me at the age of twelve. It would take hold even during the slightest seasonal changes, ripping through my senses first, and then the shake. Five minutes after leaving the house the symptoms began. The inside of my nose burned, as though I'd been sniffing cayenne, and began to trickle blood toward my lips. My eyes itched with a sandy irritation. Scalp tightening, my straight hair curled. The skin on my palms became slimy and tingled with pins and needles. Then the shake began at my feet causing my toes to curl and uncurl tightly. Moved its way up my legs, forcing hairs to protrude through once smooth pores. I felt it in my veins and arteries, each trembling and pulsating under my skin. My stomach was next, painful cramping sending me to my knees; and my lungs, tingling at first, but then trembling and forcing shallow breaths of hyperventilation. I knew my long battle would soon end. I had remained in the backyard, far enough to make it impossible to return indoors if I chickened out. It was time. The shake took full hold as I lie on the grass, my body responding to harsh allergens. My unaffected eyes glared up toward the azure sky and cotton clouds. The shake died off as I drew a final serene breath.
About the author:	Amanda is a graduate of Seton Hill Universities Writing Popular Fiction Master's Program. She works as a copy editor for Monmouth County Parks and lives in Brick, NJ with her husband and dog Tank. She is currently unpublished but plans to submit works soon with hopes of publication in the near future.

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