L - Disappearing Thyme

It was early July and Thyme still had not made a sound. The
equipment and tether lines were long gone, but the physicians had kept
her on the psych ward, determined to "cure" her. The more determined
they became, the more stubborn she grew, refusing the most basic
communication. Her mother finally put an end to it, removing the girl
against doctor's advice. They hadn't been home half an hour when Thyme
began to talk, barely pausing for air. A month worth of words spilled
out, but nothing about the gift.

As thrilled as she was, Sharon still felt thyme's guardedness. There
was something new behind all the words, but unlike the last time, there
was no call for help. Whatever the change was, her daughter meant to
deal with it alone, and Sharon left it that way. At least the warnings
of brain damage were proven wrong.

Another couple of weeks passed before Tera came to visit again, only to
be startled at the deluge. Still curled in that chair, Thyme now talked
more than her friend, but what she felt screamed over the noise.

"They annoyed me, always whispering just out of hearing. It was
rude."

"Yes, but they were concerned. If you hadn't been choosing your
silence, they might have frightened you," Tera replied. "Holding all
those words in built some pressure, didn't it?"

"Yes," she allowed, slowing for the first time. "It seemed like forever
in there."

"I bet. Thyme, you know I read feelings. You're a strange mix
now."

"Different than before the storm?" the child asked, looking at the
floor under her swinging feet.

"Yes, a great deal different. You were tired before, and frustrated,
but now you are sad, deeply so."

"Anything else?" The girl's voice was barely audible.

"I feel shame, and disgust, but it doesn't seem to be focused outward.
Do you need to talk about something?"

"Probably."

Tera waited, but minutes passed as Thyme concentrated on the rhythm of
her heels on the chair facing.

"Needing and wanting are two different things, huh?" Tera tried
again.

"Yeah."

It was another half an hour before Sharon came through the door,
breaking the silence.

"How's it going, ladies?" she asked with a smile.

"Fine, Sharon," Tera lied. "How was your day?"

"Long, and it's getting worse, neverending it seems. I got away long
enough to shop and bring the groceries home, but I've got to go back
for a couple hours. Will you two be okay?"

"Sure, Mom."

As the car pulled out, Tera asked, "Are we going to talk about what's
upsetting you?"

Thyme made a face, then sighed as if it were pried from her chest. "I
guess. But there aren't a lot of words for it."

"Try me."

"Do you remember when you first learned to separate your emotions from
others?"

"Crystal clear," the young woman answered, settling back into the sofa
cushions. "It seemed so obvious afterward. Have you managed to
separate?"

Thyme nodded. "Fraid so."

"When?"

"During the storm. I used it."

"Used what?" Tera shook her head, trying to clear cobwebs that weren't
there. Thyme's words didn't seem to connect.

"The thunder and lightening. There's a lot of power in those, you
know."

"Yeah, but what do you mean by using? Were you watching them and made
some kind of connection. Or slip into a trance of some sort?"

"No," Thyme replied. "I pulled them into me. It was hard, but it
worked."

Tera was speechless for a moment as her mind stretched around what the
girl was saying. She'd met people who claimed to influence or control
the weather, but not contain it.

"You made it storm?"

"Uh uh. That was started when I woke up. See, I feel thunder. It's not
in the air; it comes up from the ground. First I tried to just shake it
loose."

"Shake what?" It wasn't getting any easier.

"Me. I think you called it my soul."

"Okay," Tera nodded, understanding at least that little bit.

"But it was dark inside. Everything shook, but I couldn't see anything.
So I pulled the light in."

"You mean the lightening?"

"Yeah. It took a long time, to pull enough of them both inside. When I
finally got them together, I saw it."

"Wow! I didn't know you could channel like that!"

"Neither did I. Won't do it again."

"Why?" Tera was confused again. "Did it scare you or hurt or
something?"

"Do you always know how you feel? I mean, every second, without
checking?"

The subject change brought Tera back to herself. "Yes. I learned to
wall off other people when I want, but not myself."

"Is there a way to do that?"

Thyme's serious eyes were locked onto hers. Realization sent her heart
racing and blood pounding. She could feel the heat speeding just
underneath the skin. Surely the child didn't mean to try . . .

"Thyme, listen to me, really listen. You can't even consider that. Do
you understand? You could wind up a vegetable, for real this time. The
doctors, what they whispered about? That's what you're asking
me."

"Is there a way or not?"

Her voice echoed inside itself. The tang of panic stung her mouth and
throat. Tera couldn't stop trembling. Terror squeezed her stomach till
she ran for the bathroom to empty it. As she eased back against the
cool tub wall, she saw Thyme in the doorway.

"I take it that means yes."