Camera- Cut in Half

“You’re not funny,” I said. And then I saw what he was looking at. The square of film. It didn’t slide all the way out. It was stuck halfway in the camera.
“See? It’s broken,” I said. “I’m going to return it —”
I stopped. My breath caught in my throat.
A sharp pain wrapped around my middle.
It felt as if I were wearing a heavy belt. And the belt kept tightening and tightening … and tightening.
I made a groaning sound.
I couldn’t breathe.
I doubled over. The pain shot around me.
I felt as if I’d been cut in half!
“Julie? Julie?” I felt David’s hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay?
What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t straighten up. I couldn’t talk. Or breathe.
Cut in half … cut in half …
Suddenly, I realized what I had to do.
Fighting the pain, I struggled to raise myself. I grabbed the camera.
The pain tightened around my middle.
“Julie? Do you need help?”
I could hear David’s voice. It sounded far away.
“Julie? Does something hurt?” he cried. “Should I get someone?”
I couldn’t answer. The pain tightened my jaw, tightened every muscle.
I saw red. Then black. I knew I was about to pass out.
Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the film square. And I tugged it hard, pulled it the rest of the way out of the camera.
Will it work?
Will the pain go away now?
I gritted my teeth and waited … waited …
No.
The photo fell from my hand. I bent double, squeezing my sides. The pain tightened around me. It felt like a hot wire burning into my skin.
And then … the pain vanished.
It didn’t fade away slowly. It just disappeared. So suddenly, I gasped and jerked up straight, blinking in surprise.
I took in a long, deep breath, then another. I rubbed a hand around my waist. It felt perfectly fine again.

Chapter 7, 8