But he sat up too quickly and fell forwards "It' going
to be a wobbly day" he said with a sigh as he started to get himself
dressed, avoiding the buttons which were too hard - Mum would help with those
later.
As he came downstairs Mum gave him a huge smile as she finished
getting breakfast before sorting his medicines.
He sat and ate chatting about how he has dreamt of flying like a Superhero
and that he was excited it was football at school today.
As Finn stood to take his bowl to the sink he fell sideways a
little, they both laughed and decided it was probably a wheels day today seeing
his legs seemed tired and with that Mum went outside to get the wheelchair
ready.
Finn sighed again. Sometimes he did find it hard knowing he
was different.
And that's when Finn first noticed it. It was no bigger than
a cup but it was definitely there, hiding behind the piano.
"Mum" Finn shouted, "why is there an Elephant in
the room?"
"A what?" said Mum thinking Finn was up to his
usual cheeky tricks but peering from behind the piano she saw it - a small
white elephant.
"Well I never." said Mum.
"What shall we do with it?" asked Finn.
"Just ignore it" said Mum "I am sure it will get
bored and go away."
And so they carried on as normal just as if the Elephant was never
there.
The next morning Finn came downstairs he was a little tired, he
had forgotten the physio was due at school the day before and he had worked
very hard. He sneaked around the living room to see if the Elephant was still
there. He did not have to try hard to find it as it had gotten bigger!
The Elephant was now as large as his toy garage and not only was it
bigger it had also painted itself yellow with red spots and was trying
desperately hard to get his attention by playing electric guitar and zooming
around on roller skates.
Finn smiled and laughed as he headed into the kitchen for
breakfast.
"Have you seen the Elephant?" Finn said Mum "I
think he wants us to watch him."
But Mum was still sure that the best way to get the Elephant to
leave was to simply ignore it.
So they did.
Morning after morning, Mum and Finn tiptoed round the Elephant.
They had become so good at ignoring it that they had not noticed that it was
getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
And still the Elephant tried hard to get them to see him.
He tried juggling whilst standing on one foot and drinking tea.
Nothing.
He practised synchronised swimming without a pool whilst learning
to yodel.
Not even a smile.
He tap danced in the kitchen sink whilst wearing a top hat and bow
tie.
Nope.
He even bought a unicycle and rode round whilst dressed as a
Pirate singing sea chantys.
Still nothing.
One day he even baked them a giant cake making so much mess Mum
could not get into the kitchen as he had filled the room with bubbles from
trying to do the dishes - but they still just ignored him.
One morning after a bad nights sleep Finn woke up feeling really
fed up though he was unsure why he felt so funny.
He rubbed his eyes as usual and went to head downstairs when he
bumped into Mum on the landing. "That's odd" he thought,
"usually by now Mum was getting breakfast" but instead Mum was stood
looking down the stairs mouth as wide as a Bear Cave!
"What's the matter?" asked Finn.
Mum pointed, and as Finn looked down the stairs he gasped. He
was not greeted by the usual view into the living room, oh on... instead all he
could see was a rather ginormous trunk which was trying to spin plates whilst
the Elephant wore a fake mostache and bowler hat.
They had ignored the Elephant for so long he
was now as BIG AS THE HOUSE!!!
Mum and Finn were stuck!
Finn squeezed Mums hand and stepped forwards, somehow he knew what
to do. It was something they should have done a long time ago.
He took a deep breath and bravely stepped forwards... put out his
hand ... and stroked the Elephants head.
The Elephant slowly lowered his trunk, trying hard not to drop the
plate on Finns head.
His eyes twinkled.
"Just ask" he whispered to Finn, smiling in that knowing
way Elephants do, before adjusting the monocle he had added to his outfit.
Finn looked puzzled for a minute. "Ask what?"
he said.
"The thing you need to, the question that won't go away no
matter how hard you try to ignore it."
Finn hugged tightly onto the Elephant in
the room, thinking hard about the question he had always wondered but never
thought he should ask.
With a wise nod of the Elephants head, he lifted his trunk,
wrapped it round Finn and lifted him back to the top of the stairs. He
placed him down gently beside his Mum and that's when Finn bravely asked...
"Mum,
I wonder sometimes why am I different?"
Then just like that the Elephant was gone.
No long good bye, no puff of smoke or glitter dust... just gone,
all bar the monocle which rolled down the stairs.
Then that morning over breakfast Finn and Mum talked about being
different. They talked about his wheelchair and about the people who help
him. They talked about why being different is not a bad thing - that it
just is.
They talked about how some people are tall and some are short,
that some have curly hair whilst other peoples hair is straight. They
spoke of how some people have sisters and brothers and some don't. They
talked about how some people run and walk whilst others need help from wheels
and walkers. They spoke about how some people talk with their voice
whilst others use their hands or computers. They talked about how
everyone was different, that nobody was the same... that being different was fantastic!
Finn gave Mum a HUGE hug and one of his best cheeky smiles
as he held tightly to the monocle he had picked up.
Mum smiled back, knelt down and put her hands on his shoulders
"You must never be scared to ask questions Finn." she said as
she kissed his forehead.
And do you know what - from that moment on there was never an
Elephant in the room again.
COPYWRITE - KATIE KITCHEN 12/05/2014
