Colin had always been asthmatic. Since he was 7 years old, he had carried his blue inhaler religiously. It went with him on cub camp, school trips, youth club outings, and with him on his first day at high school. His reliever inhaler was one of the constants in his life. As was his Asthma. Colin didn't mind having Asthma. It was, in some ways, his best friend ... an ally in times of need ... for example, when he needed to get out of PE at school ... or exams when he knew he hadn't studied ... a wee faked asthma attack here and there had bailed him out of a lot of sticky situations. It had been a number of years since he had last had anything like a 'serious' asthma attack.
So it came as something of a surprise to Colin when, during a ghost walk through the dusty 'Caves' of Scotland's capital, he was gripped by what was clearly a significant attack. Making his way back up to street level and fresh air, Colin was struggling to breath, and his situation was becoming more serious with the passing of each minute.