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No one knows something is wrong the first time it happens. PJ doesn't realise that he's the one causing it, and it makes no sense to his mother. It just seems a little strange. All PJ wants to do is ride his bike. He feels like his going so fast, the wind is flying though his hair and. At five years old he has finally got his tricycle wheels off and he doesn't remember a getter feeling then this.
His galaxy themed helmet is fi rmly placed on his head, as he rides around the track, getting faster and faster with each turn and twist. There are several other children on their bikes, cycling but none of them are going quite as fast as PJ.
He goes round the course, a little faster then before and he's not entire sure exactly what happens. One minute he feels as though he is flying and the next h e is on the ground. Bike lying next to him as he kneels on the ash felt. Pain shoots though him suddenly, as he looks down. There is a scrape on his knee and it's bleeding, drops starting to slide down his leg. It takes a moment before the pain really se ts in, and then there are tears rolling down his cheeks as he lets out a small cry.
"PJ?" His mother asks, rushing quickly to his side. She slides down next to him, crouching slightly and placing a hand on his knee. "It's alright, it's just a scrape. Nothing we can't fix."
Her voice gets caught up at the end of the sentence, climbing to a higher pitch.
"Mum," PJ looks over, tears in his eyes and he notices that his mother has the same.
This only makes him panic more, despite his mother ’ s words, and he feels himself choke up a bit. Tears are streaming down his cheeks at a high speed.
His mother seems to do the same, holding a hand to her mouth as she lets out a small sob similar to PJ's own. A wave of intense emotion washes over her, one that she can't control.
PJ glances at his mother, concern rising up and making him forget all about his scraped knee. He doesn't know why his mum is crying.
He wipes his eyes, standing up and moving over. "Mum?" he repeats.
All of a sudden she stops, just as quickly as she started. She blinks, rather confused, and raises a hand to her face rather hesitantly, wiping her hand across and smudging away the remaining tears. She glances back down at her hand, as though validating that she had actually been crying.
She is silent for a few more moments before looking back at PJ, a forced smile on her fac e. Her voice is soft, sounding more then just a little confused. "Let ’ s look at your knee."
PJ nods, pulling up his shorts to reveal the small scrape. She reaches for a bag, grabbing a tissue and lightly dabbing away the small drops of blood that had spilt.
"We will put a Band-Aid on it when we get home, alright?" Her voice is still a little shaky, but she smiles down at him and PJ can't help but agree. "Now go back on your bike."
He does as his told, picking his bike back off the floor and hopping back on. He peddles off, the sore on his knee forgotten, but as he glances back he can't help but notice that his mum is still standing there.
-
They are at a shopping centre when it first happens. It's relatively busy and they have been waiting at the registers for a few minutes. PJ glances around, wanting nothing more then to run over and play with the toys instead of having to wait patiently in the queue.
"We're up Peej ," his father says, and PJ turns around, following his parents to the now free counter.
"How are you going today?" The lady at the register asks. He glances up, his eyes widening in surprise as a field of colour fills his vision. It's not that bright, but it is vibrant enough to see. It's a mix of colours, predominantly light green but also with a tinge of blue.
"Why are you green?" PJ asks, and the shop assistant stops scanning her item for a moment.
"Sorry?" She asks, "why is what green?"
PJ picks up his hand, pointing to slightly to the left of her. "Why do you have a green light around you?"
The shop assistant looks rather confused, brows curved downwards. PJ's mum laughs, next to him as she ruffles her hair. "PJ is known for having an over active imagination," She explains, and the shop assistant smiles in understanding, continuing her previous actions.
PJ frowns, looking over at his mother. He blinks, both his parents now within his field of vision. He notices that it isn't just the shop assistant that has colours surrounding her. His mother has some too, predominantly blue mixed with purple. Closer to her body there is also a bit of purple. His father mimics her colours, but with a bit less purple and a lot more blue.
He keeps his mouth closed, in confusion and awe and he looks around. The colours of others filling the room. Glowing around their body. They are all different. Basic colours in slightly varied shades.
"PJ?" His mother asks, grabbing his hand and tugging. His attention snaps back to them. He looks at his dads hands, which are now holding the bags with grocery items in it. "Are you listening, honey?"
His mother has always been kind, and he swears he can see a shift in the colours around her. A deep green in a very small part on the outer layer of her other colours.
"Yes," he responds, and just like that the green colour disappe ars. Blues and purples replace it completely.
He walks though the shop, distracted with all the light. Some are stronger then others, more translucent. Letting go of his mother ’ s hand, he skims his hand just above a bit of purple. He can't touch it, the colour just disappearing behind his hand before it reappears as he moves it.
The drive home is no different; everyone he sees in their cars has some sort of colour surrounding them. By the time he gets home, the colours have faded a bit, and by half an hour, they are gone.
"Where did they go?" He mumbles.
"Where did what go?" His mother asks, and PJ just shakes his head. Maybe he had just imagined it.
-
The thing is, though, that he hadn't. He doesn't understand how, but the colours come and go sometimes. One moment they are there, and the next they are gone. Sometimes they last for days, and generally the colours change. His parents are usually the same colours, just different level of brightness.
He doesn't think there is anything wrong with that, and his parents just think it's his imagination, no matter how many times he tells them it isn't.
"But your purple ," PJ insists, standing in the lounge room as he sits with his parents.
"PJ, enough." His dad replies, as PJ's mother lets out a small sigh. "Honey, its okay to have an imagination, b ut we can't see it the same way you do."
The colours change, PJ now being able to see green instead of just blue. Pink is also there, stronger then it was before.
"Now your green," PJ admits, "it changes!"
He points to the area just slightly off from his mother ’ s body, where the colour is vibrant.
"PJ, I'm sorry but we can't see it," His father says.
" But it's right there!" PJ yells, frustration building up. He's never been particularly difficult, or one to through tantrums. But he can feel tears of anger prickle in his eyes, a sense of madness and anguish washing over him.
Suddenly his fathers stands up, his voice rose as he starts to yell. "Listen here, PJ. That is enough! These colours don't exist and you need to stop this behaviour right now."
PJ flinches, taken back by his parent ’ s words. They rarely yell or get mad, especially directly at him. His breath gets caught up in a choke, as he lets out a sob. Tears begin to fall from his eyes.
All of a sudden his parents demeanour changes, the colour changing from a flash of red to an orange. His mum quickly gets off her seat, moving over and pulling PJ into a hug, as tears begin to roll down her cheeks as well.
"I'm sorry PJ," she apologises. Rubbing a hand up and down his back. She lets out a small sniff, and PJ is pretty sure he can hear his dad sniffling too. "We didn't mean to get angry."
PJ nods, borrowing his head into his mother ’ s chest. It takes a few moments before the tears dry from his eyes and he pulls back, a small smile on his face. "It's okay."
And just like that their demeanour changes again, as though they have snapped back to their previous state. PJ watches as their colours change back to normal, except as her mother pulls up the orange is back, but this time in a much lighter shade.
Her mum lets out a long breath, "what just happened?"
She wipes remaining tears from her eyes. PJ looks at his father, who mimics his mother, looking as equally confused.
"This has happened before," his mother admits, shaking her head as though she can't believe it. "I think - I think PJ's doing it."
PJ blinks, standing there uncertainly, like his mother revealed something he should have known all along.
And just like that, everything makes sense, but really, nothing does at all.