Story: Stephanie

It had been the hottest summer young Stephanie could remember. She was only six years old but she was really quite proud of her excellent memory and would often surprise her mother by recounting in great detail events that had happened even in the first year of her life. Although Stephanie was only six and she didn’t exactly have much of a reference point she had realised quite early on that her life wasn’t exactly what one would call “normal”. Even today, the fact that she was outside the Usher Hall all alone, dressed in her favourite lilac welllies and pink raincoat and splashing in a little puddle in 28 degree heat caused Stephanie little concern.

 

It wasn’t until the butterflies began to circle repeatedly, over and over and in exactly the same monotonous pattern around her head that Stephanie began to realise that something wasn’t quite right. Perhaps this recognition of the butterfly pattern was the trigger; all of a sudden it became very difficult for Stephanie to focus as it seemed her own thoughts were stuck on a perpetual four second loop. Ground hog day had sped up to Ground hog seconds! What had happened to her photographic memory?! Stephanie was only able to capture four seconds of life and then it was gone.

 

There’s a man with a red umbrella… stop!

There’s a girl on stilts dancing with a young man. Edinburgh festival performers perhaps? … stop!

Who’s that little boy with the American flag umbrella? … stop!

 

And so it went on and on for young Stephanie: Four seconds, stop. Start, four seconds, stop. Start, four seconds stop. Start…

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Categories: Little girl with umbrella / Little boy with umbrella / Red umbrella man / Stilt dancers