Sneak Peeks & Giveaways:
Excerpts from...
Imperfect, c.2014
A Study in Self Regulation - chapter 18 of Imperfect, location 2259-2324 in the Kindle e-book version.
Setting: Mississippi Road in Hobart, Indiana, near Cactus Dan's Eatery
Characters: Zachary Marek; Christie Marek; Gideon Marek; various imagined dinosaurs
Idea: Zach and Christie are discussing Zach's recent difficulties in Albania while Gideon is recovering from a less than satisfactory dining experience. Gideon was presented with unfamiliar food in an unfamiliar setting which did not look, smell, or seem "right", and Gideon is now trying to calm himself, to self-regulate. Gideon tries to recruit his mother for assistance, better known as mutual regulation (i.e. working together to regain a sense of calm)
Gideon felt very jumpy and yucky after looking at that horrible food, so he began to recite the names of his favorite dinosaurs: “Apatosaurus … Tyrannosaurus rex … Stegosaurus …” “Carnivores eat meat. Herbivores eat plants, like Vegisaurus but Vegisaurus isn’t a real dinosaur, it’s just a joke. Gideon likes French fries. Gideon’s a Fryosaurus.” He used what Mommy called his “fake laugh.”
“Mommy?” Gideon said.
“Why do you think that Carlos reported Zimmerman’s suspicions?” Mommy asked.
Mommy wasn’t listening to Gideon, so he spoke louder. “Mommy! Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.”
“Yes, Gideon?” Mommy finally said.
“What kind of dinosaur is Mommy?” he asked, knowing the correct answer already: a Boyasaurus because I love to eat little boys. Asking questions that he already knew the answer to was fun, and it felt good. After that horrible supper, he needed to feel good again. His stomach hurt. He felt like he had the throw-ups. The dinosaurs were helping, but Gideon still felt jumpy and grumpy.
“A Mommysaurus,” she replied, but her voice didn’t sound right, sort of like she wasn’t listening.
“I suppose Carlos thought he was doing the right thing,” Daddy said.
“What did Zimmerman see that made him think that you were doing D-R-U-G-S?” Mommy said.
“D is for dinosaur. What kind of dinosaur is Mommy?” Gideon demanded to know. Mommy said it wrong. What was wrong with her? He needed to hear the right answer. He couldn’t wait any longer. The words were building up inside him until he felt like he would explode. Boyasaurus. Boyasaurus. Boyasaurus! “Boyasaurus!” Gideon yelled, stomping his feet and grabbing at Mommy’s arm. “Say it! Say it!”
“For Pete’s sake, Gideon. Settle down,” Daddy said, reaching out to hold his arm.
“Say it! Say it! Say it!” Gideon slipped out of Daddy’s grip, flopping onto the sidewalk.
“Would you just say the right words, Christie?” Daddy said. His voice sounded angry or frustrated or some other mad feeling.
“Zach,” Mommy said.
“Zach, Zach, Zach. Zachary Clyde Marek. Say it, Mommy!” Gideon demanded. The jumpy feeling was getting worse and worse.
“A Boyasaurus because I love to eat little boys,” she said … finally!
Mommy knelt down and gave Gideon a big hug, hard and long. It felt so good. It made the jumpy feeling calm down a little. Thank you, Mommy.
“Sorry, Christie,” Daddy said. “Just … please … don’t be upset, baby.”
Upset? Sometimes upset meant mad. Mommy’s face didn’t look mad. Sometimes upset meant sad. Did Mommy look sad? Was Mommy going to cry?
“Don’t cry, baby,” Gideon said. “Have some French fries. You like French fries. No ketchup. Red,” Gideon said, trying to make Mommy feel better. He didn’t want Mommy to cry. Sometimes Mommy patted him on the back when he was sad, so Gideon patted her on the bum. “French fries and chocolate milk.”
Mommy and Daddy laughed. Good. Laughing was happy.
“Let’s go get you some large fries, sweetheart,” Mommy said, taking his hand and walking again. “Do you want fries with your Apatosaurus burger?”
“That’s silly,” Gideon said.
D. C. Shaftoe. Imperfect . iUniverse. Kindle Edition.
Setting: Mississippi Road in Hobart, Indiana, near Cactus Dan's Eatery
Characters: Zachary Marek; Christie Marek; Gideon Marek; various imagined dinosaurs
Idea: Zach and Christie are discussing Zach's recent difficulties in Albania while Gideon is recovering from a less than satisfactory dining experience. Gideon was presented with unfamiliar food in an unfamiliar setting which did not look, smell, or seem "right", and Gideon is now trying to calm himself, to self-regulate. Gideon tries to recruit his mother for assistance, better known as mutual regulation (i.e. working together to regain a sense of calm)
Gideon felt very jumpy and yucky after looking at that horrible food, so he began to recite the names of his favorite dinosaurs: “Apatosaurus … Tyrannosaurus rex … Stegosaurus …” “Carnivores eat meat. Herbivores eat plants, like Vegisaurus but Vegisaurus isn’t a real dinosaur, it’s just a joke. Gideon likes French fries. Gideon’s a Fryosaurus.” He used what Mommy called his “fake laugh.”
“Mommy?” Gideon said.
“Why do you think that Carlos reported Zimmerman’s suspicions?” Mommy asked.
Mommy wasn’t listening to Gideon, so he spoke louder. “Mommy! Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.”
“Yes, Gideon?” Mommy finally said.
“What kind of dinosaur is Mommy?” he asked, knowing the correct answer already: a Boyasaurus because I love to eat little boys. Asking questions that he already knew the answer to was fun, and it felt good. After that horrible supper, he needed to feel good again. His stomach hurt. He felt like he had the throw-ups. The dinosaurs were helping, but Gideon still felt jumpy and grumpy.
“A Mommysaurus,” she replied, but her voice didn’t sound right, sort of like she wasn’t listening.
“I suppose Carlos thought he was doing the right thing,” Daddy said.
“What did Zimmerman see that made him think that you were doing D-R-U-G-S?” Mommy said.
“D is for dinosaur. What kind of dinosaur is Mommy?” Gideon demanded to know. Mommy said it wrong. What was wrong with her? He needed to hear the right answer. He couldn’t wait any longer. The words were building up inside him until he felt like he would explode. Boyasaurus. Boyasaurus. Boyasaurus! “Boyasaurus!” Gideon yelled, stomping his feet and grabbing at Mommy’s arm. “Say it! Say it!”
“For Pete’s sake, Gideon. Settle down,” Daddy said, reaching out to hold his arm.
“Say it! Say it! Say it!” Gideon slipped out of Daddy’s grip, flopping onto the sidewalk.
“Would you just say the right words, Christie?” Daddy said. His voice sounded angry or frustrated or some other mad feeling.
“Zach,” Mommy said.
“Zach, Zach, Zach. Zachary Clyde Marek. Say it, Mommy!” Gideon demanded. The jumpy feeling was getting worse and worse.
“A Boyasaurus because I love to eat little boys,” she said … finally!
Mommy knelt down and gave Gideon a big hug, hard and long. It felt so good. It made the jumpy feeling calm down a little. Thank you, Mommy.
“Sorry, Christie,” Daddy said. “Just … please … don’t be upset, baby.”
Upset? Sometimes upset meant mad. Mommy’s face didn’t look mad. Sometimes upset meant sad. Did Mommy look sad? Was Mommy going to cry?
“Don’t cry, baby,” Gideon said. “Have some French fries. You like French fries. No ketchup. Red,” Gideon said, trying to make Mommy feel better. He didn’t want Mommy to cry. Sometimes Mommy patted him on the back when he was sad, so Gideon patted her on the bum. “French fries and chocolate milk.”
Mommy and Daddy laughed. Good. Laughing was happy.
“Let’s go get you some large fries, sweetheart,” Mommy said, taking his hand and walking again. “Do you want fries with your Apatosaurus burger?”
“That’s silly,” Gideon said.
D. C. Shaftoe. Imperfect . iUniverse. Kindle Edition.
A Study in Echolalia - chapter 25 of Imperfect, page 322 in the iTunes e-book version.
Setting: South Dakota Air and Space Museum, a stop on the way to Zachary Marek's family ranch in Wyoming
Characters: Zachary Marek; Christie Marek; Gideon Marek who is the child of Christie and Zachary
Idea: Gideon wants to learn about the airplanes. His learning tool is echolalia.
"The B-29 is a propeller-driven heavy bomber. It was used during World War 2, and I think it was used during the Korean Conflict," Daddy said.
Gideon was nodding. This was good. This was what he wanted to know.
Daddy talked some more. "The B-52 is a long-range strategic bomber, and it's jet-propelled."
"World War..." Gideon began.
"No, not during the wars. It's been in use since the fifties. The US Air Force still uses them today," Daddy said.
"Still today," Gideon repeated. "Fifty. Sixty. Seventy."
"No, son. The fifties means during the year 1950. I think its maiden voyage was in 1952, if I remember correctly," Daddy said.
"Made in China," Gideon said.
"What? China?" Daddy asked.
"He's trying to work out what maiden voyage means," Mommy said.
"Not 'made in'...maiden voyage...M-A-I-D-E-N...It means first trip," Daddy said.
"First trip to the hospital," Gideon said, desperately trying to find a picture in his mind to match the idea.
"Maybe. The first trip to the hospital could be your maiden voyage to the hospital. The very first time a new airplane flies in the air is called its maiden voyage. The very first time a boat sails in the water is its maiden voyage," Daddy said.
"Maiden voyage. First trip," Gideon said, looking up to Daddy's face to see if he could find a clue as to whether he'd guessed right. Daddy nodded. Gideon built up a picture in his mind of a B-52 with a great big number "1" on it and labeled it "maiden voyage" in his mind.
Setting: South Dakota Air and Space Museum, a stop on the way to Zachary Marek's family ranch in Wyoming
Characters: Zachary Marek; Christie Marek; Gideon Marek who is the child of Christie and Zachary
Idea: Gideon wants to learn about the airplanes. His learning tool is echolalia.
"The B-29 is a propeller-driven heavy bomber. It was used during World War 2, and I think it was used during the Korean Conflict," Daddy said.
Gideon was nodding. This was good. This was what he wanted to know.
Daddy talked some more. "The B-52 is a long-range strategic bomber, and it's jet-propelled."
"World War..." Gideon began.
"No, not during the wars. It's been in use since the fifties. The US Air Force still uses them today," Daddy said.
"Still today," Gideon repeated. "Fifty. Sixty. Seventy."
"No, son. The fifties means during the year 1950. I think its maiden voyage was in 1952, if I remember correctly," Daddy said.
"Made in China," Gideon said.
"What? China?" Daddy asked.
"He's trying to work out what maiden voyage means," Mommy said.
"Not 'made in'...maiden voyage...M-A-I-D-E-N...It means first trip," Daddy said.
"First trip to the hospital," Gideon said, desperately trying to find a picture in his mind to match the idea.
"Maybe. The first trip to the hospital could be your maiden voyage to the hospital. The very first time a new airplane flies in the air is called its maiden voyage. The very first time a boat sails in the water is its maiden voyage," Daddy said.
"Maiden voyage. First trip," Gideon said, looking up to Daddy's face to see if he could find a clue as to whether he'd guessed right. Daddy nodded. Gideon built up a picture in his mind of a B-52 with a great big number "1" on it and labeled it "maiden voyage" in his mind.