You sometimes feel like breathing
but it’s best not to
(says Ruby).

Once you start breathing,
you have to keep going
and your throat just gets sore.

If that happens, there are two things
you can do. The first thing is,
you can have a drink of water
and it goes away and it’s perfect again.

The second thing you can do to fix it
is, you can go “Aahaa, aahaa”.
I’m the only person
who goes “Aahaa, aahaa”.

I hardly even breathe, ever.
Just now and then, like this.

*

Rachel McAlpine

From a conversation with Ruby, aged 4 or 5