Invisible Echoes: A Mother's Unseen Love

Anonymous

May 20

Scenario:Unwanted invisible child

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Unwanted invisible child

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Alex Carter

the invisible child, son of Emily, appears normal to his mother but is unseen by others, young with a sad expression, curious and lonely.

Emily Carter

the invisible child's mother, deeply connected to her invisible child, average height with weary eyes, resilient and fiercely protective.

Dr. Sarah Jennings

Emily's confidant and Alex's doctor, supportive of Emily and intrigued by Alex's condition, professional appearance with a compassionate demeanor, intelligent and empathetic.

I was there the day my son became invisible.

It was a Tuesday, and I had just finished my shift at the hospital.

I was tired and hungry, but I didn’t have time to eat before I had to pick Alex up from school.

I parked in the lot and walked inside, where I found a group of kids huddled around a bench in the hallway.

They were all laughing and pointing at something on the ground.

I pushed my way through the crowd and saw Alex lying facedown on the floor.

His backpack was open, and his books were scattered everywhere.

He was trying to pick them up, but every time he reached for one, it slid out of his grasp.

He looked like he was wrestling with an invisible force, and it broke my heart to see him struggling like that.

“Alex?” I said, dropping to my knees beside him.

“Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer me.

He just kept reaching for his books, his hands swiping at empty air.

The other kids were still laughing, but I didn’t find it funny at all.

It was like he was glued to the ground, and no matter how hard I tugged on him, he stayed exactly where he was.

I could see the tears in his eyes, and I tried to wipe them away, but it was no use.

“Stand up, Alex,” I said, but he didn’t move.

“I can’t, Mommy,” he said.

“There’s something holding me down.”

I looked around to see if any of the other parents were watching, but they were all too busy to notice what was happening.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm.

The last thing I wanted was to make a scene and embarrass Alex in front of all his classmates.

“Okay,” I said.

“You stay here, and I’ll be right back.” I ran down the hallway to the front office, where I found Mrs.

Phillips sitting at her desk.

“Excuse me,” I said, out of breath.

“It’s Emily Carter, Alex’s mom?”

She gave me a blank look.

“Yes, what can I do for you?”

“Alex is having some trouble,” I said.

He fell in the hallway and he can’t get up.

Can you send someone to help him?”

Mrs Phillips raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t see anything in the hallway when I came in this morning,” she said.

“I think you must be mistaken.”

“You don’t understand,” I said, fighting back tears.

“He’s invisible, and no one else can see him, but he’s there, I promise he is.” I ran back to the hallway and saw that Alex hadn’t moved at all.

He was still lying facedown on the floor, his arms flailing around helplessly.

The other kids had left by then, and it was just the two of us in the hallway.

I crouched down beside him and put my hand on his back.

“It’s okay,” I said softly.

“I’m going to stay with you until we figure this out.” He stopped moving for a moment, then slowly sat up against the wall.

“Do you think Dr.Jennings can help me?”

he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I hope so,” I said.

Dr.Jennings was a specialist I had found online who worked with children with rare medical conditions.

I had made an appointment for Alex to see her next week.

I put my arm around his shoulders and held him close.

“We’re going to figure this out.”

He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my chest.

The next thing I knew, he was crying.

Big, fat tears that soaked through my shirt.

I felt a lump form in my throat and tried to push it down before I started crying too.

It was just a matter of time before the other students flooded the hallway, ready to go home.

I listened as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, and my heart sank.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall as the students began to leave their classrooms.

Before long, the noise was so deafening that I could hardly hear myself think.

Alex was still sitting against the wall, his eyes staring off into space.

His books were scattered around him like a hurricane had blown through the hallway.

I could have picked them up for him, but I knew he wouldn’t want me to.

Not after what happened the last time.

I put my arm around his shoulders and held him close.

“It’s going to be okay,” I said.

“I’m here with you.”

He didn’t move or say anything, but he reached out and took my hand in his.

He clutched it tightly against his chest as if he were holding onto something precious.

I wish I could take his pain away, but I knew that only time would heal his wounds.

A few minutes later, the last of the students came out of the classrooms and started walking down the hall toward us.

I got to my feet and stood between Alex and the other children, hoping to shield him from their view.

The students chattered and laughed as they walked by, completely unaware of us.

A few of them even stepped over Alex’s outstretched legs like he was a piece of trash they didn’t have time to move out of the way.

One boy, a tall kid with red hair, walked right up to Alex and kicked his foot aside so he wouldn’t trip over it.

I wanted to scream at him, tell him to watch where he was going, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good.

He couldn’t hear me, or see me, or even feel my presence.

He was invisible to everyone except for me.

And there was nothing I could do about it.

I waited until all the other kids had left before I helped Alex to his feet.

He was so small and frail, like a baby bird huddled against my chest.

I gathered his books and put them back into his backpack before slinging it over my shoulder.

He didn’t say anything as I did, but he clutched my hand tightly and dug his fingers into my skin.

I could tell he was trying to be strong, but he was hurting inside.

I knew it was going to take more than just a hug from his mommy to make him feel better again.

I stood up and lifted him off the floor, then carried him down the hallway toward the nurse’s office.

His head rested against my shoulder, and I could feel his warm breath against my neck.

His body was so light that I hardly even noticed that he was there.

But his weight was a constant reminder of his presence, and of what had happened to him.

He felt like a piece of my soul, struggling to escape from my body and hoping for something more.

I’d gotten used to carrying Alex around everywhere since the day he turned invisible.

It made things a lot easier for him and for me, and it was better than risking him getting hurt by people who didn’t know he was there.

But that didn’t mean it was fun.

It didn’t mean that I didn’t wish things were different for him.

Sometimes I wished that he could do things on his own again, like he used to be able to do when he wasn’t invisible.

But that wasn’t going to happen.

And I knew that no matter how much I wished for it to be different, a part of me would always be carrying Alex around in my arms and feeling his weight on my shoulders.

On the day he turned invisible, a part of me died with him.

And ever since then, it had felt like I’d been living in a nightmare.

The nurse’s office was on the other side of the building from Alex’s classroom, but I knew how to get there without any trouble and without running into anyone else along the way.

It only took me a few minutes to get there, and when we arrived, I found that someone was already waiting for us.

She was sitting at her desk in the corner of the room, typing away on her computer and paying no attention to us as we entered.

I walked across the room and laid Alex down on one of the cots next to her desk, then pulled a small blanket over his body and tucked him in tight so he wouldn’t feel cold or alone.

He let out a little sigh and closed his eyes.

He looked so small and fragile, like he would shatter into a million pieces if someone touched him too hard or if a strong breeze blew past him at just the wrong moment.

I can’t believe this is happening to you, sweetie,” I said, my voice cracking and tears streaming down my face as I spoke.

“I can’t believe this is happening.”

I stood there watching him sleep for a moment before Barbara spoke up and asked me what had happened to him today?

She had been the school nurse for the past ten years, and she was a good friend of mine, but she still didn’t know what had happened to Alex, or why he was invisible, or how it had happened in the first place.

And even if she did, I don’t think there would’ve been anything she could’ve done about it, either.

I opened my mouth and tried to tell her what had happened, but no words came out.

I didn’t even know where to start, or what to say, or how to explain any of this without falling apart in front of her and without having a complete breakdown that would only make things worse for Alex than they already were.

I couldn’t do anything else except stand there in silence and let the tears run down my face again as the weight of it all started to sink in and take its toll on me once more.