Teaser A1
Introduction A1.
A cup of coffee sat on Ms. Jennifer Grice's desk. It was raining outside like it had for the last four days on end. Something was very peculiar about the young girl in the next room that was waiting for her. It was only made just so peculiar by how un-peculiar she was. In observation, she was a very average thirteen year old girl. She played with the other children. She spelled better than the boys in her class. She was not exceedingly brilliant, but nothing about her could be called dull by any means. She was average. Her drawings were a bit queer, as she'd never met a young girl who should be concentrated on time so much.
Her parents brought her here four days prior, but refused to comment on the specifics of why. She's "acting quite odd" and "has been very quiet". The director of the hospital told her that she wasn't to ask the parents any questions as they were "very respected" and "couldn't be bothered" by the problems of their daughter in an election year. She assumed there was a great amount of money in her family.
She collected the drawings into a loose stack and proceeded in to have her first session with the young girl.
Jennifer smiled as she entered the room. "Hello! And how are we doing this afternoon?" The girl looked up from her drawing in what Jennifer assumed was a very skeptical look of confusion.
The girl looked down at her drawing and continued with long strokes "I suppose we won't know until we both have answered, but I am having a super day... cooped up inside..."
Jennifer took a mental step back as she remembered that the girl was thirteen, and not six. "Well, I'm actually doing well. I'm curious as to what your drawing there..."
The girl raised her head up and cocked it to her left as if she was sizing the woman up. "It's a clock. Like the one on the wall. And the one on your desk. I'm sure you've noticed at least one of them before."
Jennifer was not prepared for this. She was... precocious, to put it politely, and there was not nearly enough coffee to smudge that away.
"I'm Ms. Grice, but you can call me Jennifer." She smiled, slightly afraid of the reply that she would get from her young subject. It was highly unwarranted fear as the girl continued on with her drawing without pausing. "Why do you draw clocks?"
The girl grimaced as she continued to draw the hands, "Because he was late".
"Is time important to you?"
"It's not important to me, it was important to him"
"Well your father can't always visit you on time for visiting hours, sweetheart"
The girl continued on sullenly, as she answered "He isn't my father, silly".
Jennifer wondered whether there was a problem in the family. Oftentimes, she'd seen problems with children who had grown up not associating one's family with love and thus needing to separate the lack of attention from the role. "Of course he's your father--"
The girl spoke over her to interject, "Not daddy, the rabbit-". The girl stopped as if she was suddenly very scared or very smart to not say anything more. She was hiding something.
The two sat in silence as they looked at each other.
Jennifer broke the silence.
"Alice, tell me more about the rabbit"
A cup of coffee sat on Ms. Jennifer Grice's desk. It was raining outside like it had for the last four days on end. Something was very peculiar about the young girl in the next room that was waiting for her. It was only made just so peculiar by how un-peculiar she was. In observation, she was a very average thirteen year old girl. She played with the other children. She spelled better than the boys in her class. She was not exceedingly brilliant, but nothing about her could be called dull by any means. She was average. Her drawings were a bit queer, as she'd never met a young girl who should be concentrated on time so much.
Her parents brought her here four days prior, but refused to comment on the specifics of why. She's "acting quite odd" and "has been very quiet". The director of the hospital told her that she wasn't to ask the parents any questions as they were "very respected" and "couldn't be bothered" by the problems of their daughter in an election year. She assumed there was a great amount of money in her family.
She collected the drawings into a loose stack and proceeded in to have her first session with the young girl.
Jennifer smiled as she entered the room. "Hello! And how are we doing this afternoon?" The girl looked up from her drawing in what Jennifer assumed was a very skeptical look of confusion.
The girl looked down at her drawing and continued with long strokes "I suppose we won't know until we both have answered, but I am having a super day... cooped up inside..."
Jennifer took a mental step back as she remembered that the girl was thirteen, and not six. "Well, I'm actually doing well. I'm curious as to what your drawing there..."
The girl raised her head up and cocked it to her left as if she was sizing the woman up. "It's a clock. Like the one on the wall. And the one on your desk. I'm sure you've noticed at least one of them before."
Jennifer was not prepared for this. She was... precocious, to put it politely, and there was not nearly enough coffee to smudge that away.
"I'm Ms. Grice, but you can call me Jennifer." She smiled, slightly afraid of the reply that she would get from her young subject. It was highly unwarranted fear as the girl continued on with her drawing without pausing. "Why do you draw clocks?"
The girl grimaced as she continued to draw the hands, "Because he was late".
"Is time important to you?"
"It's not important to me, it was important to him"
"Well your father can't always visit you on time for visiting hours, sweetheart"
The girl continued on sullenly, as she answered "He isn't my father, silly".
Jennifer wondered whether there was a problem in the family. Oftentimes, she'd seen problems with children who had grown up not associating one's family with love and thus needing to separate the lack of attention from the role. "Of course he's your father--"
The girl spoke over her to interject, "Not daddy, the rabbit-". The girl stopped as if she was suddenly very scared or very smart to not say anything more. She was hiding something.
The two sat in silence as they looked at each other.
Jennifer broke the silence.
"Alice, tell me more about the rabbit"