Jodi has the most colorful imagination; his stories are vivid…too vivid in fact! Tall trees appear before you if he’s telling a tale of a forest, or a picturesque valley, complete with snow capped mountains and, calming stream unfolds when he’s raving about a cabin. The scent of fragrant spices wafts through the air if he’s telling you about a pie someone baked.

One day, Jodi’s mom found herself dangling from a cliff during one such storytelling. Have I lost my mind? she thought, still engulfed in panic after being transported back to her sofa. No, it couldn’t be me…

Later that day, she and Jodi visited an urgent care. Not sure how to describe her son’s ailment, she blurted, “He’s complaining of headaches…all day.”

After a quick exam, the physician ordered a CT scan. Jodi’s nerves began to rattle; his palms grew sweaty, his heart raced. What’s a CT scan? he thought as they made their way to the suite.

As his mother waited in the main exam room, she started to hear shrieks and nervous chatter in the distance. Oh goodness…oh no… she thought as she hurried towards the CT suite. As she entered the hallway, the familiar sights that shouldn’t be lined the walls.

She was abruptly stopped by the trembling physician. “I told him to imagine a dinosaur! I didn’t need to see one!”

Jodi’s mother rushed past, dodging all kinds of prehistoric obstacles on her way. “Jodi! Wake up son!” He was startled awake by her familiar voice.

The physician emerged from his hiding place, clutching a report. “Your son is quite special.”

No shit, his mother thought. “What did you see?” she asked, not really wanting the answer.

“Well, nothing… only a void…but…”

“But?” She shivered. 

“A single red crayon.”

Image by Jorm Sangsorn