14

Today is going to be a good day, Jamie thought as he wiggled his toes in his neatly shined shoes. Today was the day mommy had to have a little chat with his teacher after school. Jamie didn't really care too much about that. Mommy told him they had to discuss grown up things, and from what Jamie knew, grown up things usually involved a lot of yelling. No, the good part was that mommy wasn't able to take him home in time for supper, so daddy was going to pick him up instead.
A little while ago, daddy told him that he and mommy needed some time to work on themselves. Jamie didn't really understand that, but it seemed to mean that daddy couldn't live at home anymore. It also meant that mommy was sad a lot and that she acted silly when it was late at night. Don't you worry my little darling, it doesn't matter that your father left us for some hussy...We, we're going to be all right....just you and me, mommy told him once. She giggled a lot and smelled really funny, and afterwards she started crying and ran out of his room.
Being grown up sure seemed silly sometimes, but today that didn't matter. He looked down at his shoes again. Yes, today was going to be a good day, it just had to be...

13

Uhm... hello miss Martin, I was wondering if it was at all possible to have a word with you after school. I would like to get your opinion on some of the drawings Jamie brought home recently. Well uhm...that's all I guess, please give me a ring back when you have the time. Bye bye. She quickly put down the telephone. I can't believe I just did that! Ring the teacher because I'm worried about my son drawing an extra person, I must be going mad. She picked up the drawing, something which she had done at least a dozen times the last few minutes. There is nothing wrong with this, it's probably just someone who works at his school, or perhaps one of his friend's mother. Yes, that must be it. So it'd be silly to wanna discuss this with his teacher, it means absolutely nothing. She picked up the phone to rectify the message she just left, but something kept her from actually dialling the number. God I wish Paul was here, he'd know what to do. With a sigh she stared at the other side of the bed, at the smooth, fresh sheets no one had slept on since their anniversary two weeks ago...

12

Jamie stared at the big glass clock above the door. It was quarter past eight, two hours and fifteen, no sixteen minutes past six. Dad said he would be home at six, six sharp, he promised this morning. Jamie wasn’t really mad at daddy, he knew how busy daddy was at work, he was a very important person there, so he had to do a lot of things. The problem was, today was the day that mommy and daddy got married, seven years ago. Mommy said it was a very important to celebrate it, because it was the day she had loved daddy the most. Jamie thought that was a little strange, he loved his mommy and daddy the same, day after day. But he just figured there was something very special about marriage, and that made people love each other even more. He once asked daddy about it, but daddy just looked away and said there where a lot of things about love he didn’t understand yet. Anyway, it was now two hours and twenty-one minutes past six, and mommy had locked herself in the bathroom. And as he continued staring at the clock, listening to her sobs in the background, he wondered if this was one of those things.

11

She looked at the boy as he sat at the table, drawing her a picture. She hadn’t seen it yet, but she knew it would be a house, with a sun above it and three people waving happily at the side. Always that damn house , she thought as she looked away at the fridge, covered with what seemed like one and the same picture. Mother I made you something. Her gaze flung up, honey don’t startle mommy like that! I’m sorry mother, but I’ve drawn you a picture…Look! She looked down, forcing herself to smile. Why honey, that must be the prettiest… her voice fell silent, she looked down again. As usual it were the same house, the same sun and the same waving family. However, hidden away in the corner, there were the traces of what seemed to have been another person. A female, with long brown hair and a smile that was too big for her face. Normally she would have been happy with any change in her son, but there was something not right with this carefully drawn, and that hastily erased figure. She knew her son was not much of an artist, but he had a certain way of drawing things. And whilst the other figures all looked rather childish and dull, this woman was much more realistic and beyond that of what a child his age should be able to draw. She looked at it again, the arms, the face, the body, they were all in the right perception. That smile was the only thing that stood out, crudely drawn and much too big, mockingly placed in the centre of the face. And while she looked up at her son to compliment him once again, she felt the shivers run down her spine…

10

So…has he been a good boy? Ann immediately knew to whom the voice belonged, and as she slowly turned around she saw the same face, gloating at her as it had done that very morning after she’d lost her nerve. Oh yes, James here is an absolute sweetheart, he hasn’t cried or been cross at all. The woman smiled. Uhm… I wanted to, well to tell you… Much to her distress, Ann felt herself turn red. I assume you want to apologise about this morning. It’s all right, most people don’t believe me at first. Your reaction was actually quite mild, you should have heard the woman at the day care centre. In the end they all turn around and give up. I remember her showing up at our house after about five months with some insanely expensive toy for Jamie and flowers for us, begging if we'd please consider placing him elsewhere.

9

The day seemed to be endless and Ann caught herself staring at the clock for the fifth time in ten minutes. Normally there’d be the usual teasing and play fights to keep her busy, but the children seemed so much quieter today. It is as if they all have been influenced by that new kid, she thought. What am I thinking, Jamie’s not responsible for this, he’s new and probably a little scared of being around other children. I’ve dealt with that before, so there’s no reason why I can’t deal with it now. She tried to calm herself down, but somehow it just seemed to upset her more. Why was it that she let this kid get to her like that, after all, he hadn’t done anything wrong. As a matter of fact, he’d been perfectly behaved all day. He hadn’t cried or got in fights with other children, he hadn’t even complained about the food at lunch or about taking an afternoon nap. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, a child like Jamie’s a dream to work with, he’s perfect in every way. And that’s when it hit her…

8

All right boys and girls, today we’re going to work on our Christmas cards, so I want you all to grab a piece of paper and some crayons and start drawing. Within a minute the children were running all over the place, trying to get their stuff together. All of them seemed exited to get started, all except Jamie. Anne watched the boy for a moment as he walked slowly across the classroom. Jamie, honey, could you come over here for a minute, she called quickly, realising she had been staring. As if pulled by a sting the boy turned around and walked towards her. Yes miss Martin? Anne was shocked; normally even the most obedient children had to be called several times, especially when they were doing something they liked. It was as if there was no child left in this little boy, no initiative or playfulness, just a sullen empty package. Miss Martin? Uhh…oh excuse me sweetie, I just wanted to talk to you for a bit. What would you like to talk about, miss Martin? The boy stared at her with unusual interest; normally it would have touched her, now it just made her uncomfortable. Sweetie I just wanted to know if you like it here, I can understand if you’re a bit scared, after all everything is new for you. I’m not scared miss Martin, it’s just fine here. Well…uhm, that’s good to hear, but if something is bothering you, promise you will tell me, all right sweetie. I will do that miss Martin, can I go now, I’d like to start making my Christmas card. With that the boy turned around and walked back to his seat…

7

Are you angry miss Martin? Amy was tugging at her jeans, looking like she was about to burst into tears. Most of the other children had also stopped with whatever they were doing and were now staring at her with big, watery eyes. The only one who didn’t seem to be startled at all by her outburst was James, who was sitting quietly at his desk, looking straight at the blackboard. Oh no sweety, I’m not mad at all, I’m sorry if I scared you. Thankfully that seemed to satisfy most of them. And whilst they continued playing, Anne decided that it was time to have another little chat with the boy…

6

Not to worry dear, it happens to all of us, his name is James. Anne stared at the woman with disbelief, how could she have noticed and more importantly, did she just say that she herself had forgotten about her own child. Uh thank you, it will not happen again... but before Anne could finish her story the woman silenced her. It’s not your fault, really. There’s just something, or actually nothing about him, you just don’t remember him at all. Anne was not a person who was easily flabbergasted, but this story was too awkward, even for her. Well madam... She started to get angry, how dare a parent talk about their child like that! As a teacher I’ve learned that every child is very special in it’s own way, and I could never forget any single one of them! At this point the woman gave her a small smile and walked away muttering something which sounded like we’ll see, leaving Anne both confused and bewildered at the doorstep…

5

Not remembering a child is uncomfortable enough for any teacher. But for Anne it was especially difficult, since she was a woman who took great pride in knowing each and every one of her children. From the first moment she saw them she'd look very closely at their little faces and jot down some striking feature next to their names. Sally, lazy eye on right side. Jimmy, freckle on tip of nose, and so on. This boy however seemed to have nothing unusual about him, he was just utterly, completely ordinary, and therefore, she'd forgotten all about him...

4

Anne Martin had been a teacher for twelve years, during that time she’d seen a lot of different children and every single one had a place in her heart. However when she saw a small brown haired boy walking into her classroom she immediately knew that something was going to be different. She was supposed to have met the boy before, because she recognised his mother from the introduction meeting. However this boy didn't seem to ring a bell at all…

3

She looked down at him as they stood in front of the school building. There were several other children who appeared to be there for the first time. Some were crying, some were hiding and others were simply exited at the sight of so many new playmates and toys, Jamie just stood there. He didn’t hold her hand, he cry or hide, he just stood there waiting patiently until the doors opened and he could go in…

2

When little Jamie finally went to school his parents (although they'd never admit it) were relieved. In the beginning they thought of themselves as being very lucky, having a boy who did everything like he was supposed to. But after four years without grief, worries or disturbances, it almost seemed like he didn’t really excist. His father once said that he was like a small spider living in the corner of a cealing. You see it from time to time, but because it's small and doesn't move or make strange noises, it doesn't really bother you. Therefore you just carry on with your bussines and after a while you don't even remember that it was there in the first place...

1

Mr. Jones, or Jamie as his parents called him, had always been a very normal boy. Even as a baby he would only cry when he needed something. He never smiled unless someone tickled him or made funny noises over his crib. He never played with his toes, he never ate dirt and he never drew on walls. All and all he was so normal that sometimes even his own mother would forget about him, and when she finally realised, he'd still be in the same place, silently playing with his toy cars until she came to fetch him...