Arrrrgh! As pint-sized Captain Hook, Mikey smiles until my mullet wig frightens him—like on the circus field trip when his mother stifled sobbing wails, hugging him calm.
He doesn’t know it’s me. Five-year old thoughts sense danger. Unhooked hands cup ears shrieking, rocking back-and-forth, head banging wall, shattering my heart through life’s spectrum.
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This entry was posted on September 13, 2010 at 8:12 am and is filed under education, Flash Fiction with tags 55 fiction, author, autism, autistic spectrum, Blog, Captain Hook, children with special needs, dustus, flash fiction, Halloween, kindergarten, meltdown, nanofiction, PDD, special education, teaching, writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Dustus Blog 
September 13, 2010 at 9:59 am
beautiful and touching.
September 13, 2010 at 10:03 am
A very fine story in your poem…and quite touching…well done.
September 13, 2010 at 11:03 am
Happy Monday, trisha & Charles. This flash is based on my early teaching experience with autistic children. That time both touched and broke my heart.
September 13, 2010 at 11:01 am
A very touching poem here Adam. I just wanted to drop by to say hello and let you know I am still hanging in there. I am doing a lot of things to help people out to keep me busy so there isn’t much room left to think about what is going to happen next. LOL You take care and I will drop by again soon.
September 13, 2010 at 11:05 am
Keep hanging in there… Helping others is a great way to begin to feel better. Glad to hear that. You take care too, Viola. Stop by anytime. You know you’re always welcome and I love hearing from you 🙂
September 13, 2010 at 11:14 am
i wonder…to me the use of spectrum opens this up to more…like the autism spectrum…because several of my kids i work with do the head banging wall, not understanding the world around them or how to process it…i feel for that mom, this is not easy at all. i think i used more words in my comment…lol. you speak much though…
September 13, 2010 at 11:36 am
Ha! A 55 comment. Hadn’t thought of that.
I’ve got mad respect for you helping your kids, B…. My heart goes out to all the parents.
September 13, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Adam…
This was a fantastic 55 .
You should have saved this for Friday..
But I really appreciate the heads up and the opportunity to read the brilliance that comes out of your head.
September 13, 2010 at 5:35 pm
You’re awesome G. Means a lot to me what you just said 🙂
September 13, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Powerful! I hope you save these. This 55 could go many different directions. I imagine the first person could be anyone in a story. My mind pulled at Father, teacher, beloved pet…… brilliant. These are my favorites of yours, Adam.
September 13, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I dying to write another book, Leslie. 55’s are doing more than providing me with a fascinating form to practice—they’re prompting me to think complexly & on my toes… Very cool how you read into the story. smiles on that 🙂 cheers
September 13, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Wonderful and touched me so much Adam, please write another book!!! I am your biggest fan! Hugs xx
September 13, 2010 at 7:53 pm
I’m the biggest fan of awesome bloggers, so please keep posting, Amanda 🙂
September 13, 2010 at 7:25 pm
Oh my… this was very touching! How are actions are interpreted can be are sooooo different from how we intended them to be!
Well expressed here, Adam!
Do try and participate in our Poetry Potluck too sometime… We would LOVE it if you can..
September 13, 2010 at 8:06 pm
“actions are interpreted can be are sooooo different from how we intended them to be”
—ain’t that the truth!!! We may all just be a bunch of misunderstood writers.
@K and A, smiles, hugs X I’ll post for a Potluck soon. (Still owe Kavita a 140 lol )
September 13, 2010 at 7:54 pm
I don’t knwo how old i was, but i was young enough to be standing up, holding on the the rail of my crib (it was pastel yellow) when my brother, 13 years older than me, decided it would be fun to play a prank. I had no idea he was there when he suddenly sprang up, wearing a cloth skeleton mask from Halloween (creepier becuase it moved when the wearer breathed) and did the old ooga booga bit, waving his arms. I had no idea it was my brother. I thought it was the devil. I scrambled over that rail and dove to the floor and under the bed, where I hid in the furthest dust-bunny corner, refusing to come out. Even when my mother showed up and they both tried to convince me it was my brother, it took an age before i believed them and came out. It scared the living crap out of me. I really thought the devil had come to collect his due…an odd notion for a small child, in retrospect. For the rest of my childhood, that mask sent chills down my spine whenever i saw it.
September 13, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Shay! First of all cracks me up big time to see “old ooga booga bit” in print. Not sure why. lol Just looks weird in print. Damn, that was nice of your bro scaring the shit out of you like that— you know being a baby and all. Kids can believe some crazy stuff, much of it a byproduct of television, which is created by adults. When I was little I thought our widow neighbor was a witch. Turns out she was just profoundly sad and lonely since her husband passed. Her property now reminds me of that movie The Sandlot. We used to be afraid of retrieving our baseball if a foul went into her unkempt yard. We thought if we set foot on her property, that act of trespassing would activate a witch’s curse, which may or may not explain my rampant bad luck and the dimple on my chin. lol
September 14, 2010 at 1:37 am
Pleasant read…nice one, Adam.
Cheers!
September 14, 2010 at 7:13 am
Hey Em. Enjoy the week, bro. cheers!
September 14, 2010 at 11:32 am
A moving little tale, both beautiful and heart-wrenching. Good intention isn’t always recognized/perceived that way!
September 14, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Chris, these flash 55s are fun practice. You being a novelist, I highly rec. trying this form to stay sharp. About intentions, think you and Kavita are right. Cheers
September 16, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Working with children I know that look when jubilation turns to horror and with autism the switch is so touchy. Adam what a great reminder of how on edge these kids can be.
nice 55 and great one shot
thanks my friend
Moonie smiles
September 17, 2010 at 6:14 am
This 55 was inspired by a true event, Leslie.
The kids I worked with displayed numerous sensitivities and sensory issues, especially to sounds and the unfamiliar. Seeing me in a Halloween costume sent one of my students into meltdown mode. I felt terrible about it. Once we were able to settle him, and he realized I wasn’t a complete stranger, things were okay 🙂
September 19, 2010 at 2:23 pm
lovely 55.
September 19, 2010 at 2:24 pm
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