Introduction

How much do we not see?

How much do we not hear?

Other creatures have abilities we don't. Bees can see the brilliance of ultraviolet light, bats listen to sounds beyond our range, and even our closest companions can smell a myriad of different things. But, is there variation, perhaps, even between us?

We are all human, but are we really all the same? We grow, we evolve, and we become our genetic design. We think we have reached superior heights. But what do we lose?

Some believe children can see and hear things adults cannot, abilities we set aside in our reach for fact and science. There are as many others who disagree. Children have active imaginations, some more than others. But is it make-believe? Or is it, sometimes, just sometimes, reality?

Chapter One

Clara is three. She speaks a little, and her development is good, but she is only three. She has a new little brother. His name is Oliver. It's an adjustment, this new baby, but Clara is a generous soul. She is a big sister now. It makes her very important, and she is proud!

Oliver is drinking his milk. He cries so loud when he doesn't have milk that it hurts Clara's ears. Sometimes, she doesn't like Oliver very much. Clara is a big girl; she eats big girl food, but she has eaten it all up already. Mummy had given her some play-dough while they waited for Oliver to have his milk. He takes such a long time! Clara has made lots of shapes already. There's a bouncy ball, and there's a wiggly worm. Now, she is making a cake for Mummy to eat. She pats a giant round blob to make a flat round blob. It will need sprinkles too. Cakes always taste better with rainbow sprinkles.

Clara looks up and listens. "No. It's mine!" she replies.

Mummy looks up from feeding Oliver, confused. She listens and looks too. Is somebody there?

Suddenly, without warning, Clara screams and cries. She is scared. Strapped into her highchair, she fights to get free, to escape. She struggles so much Mummy is scared.

"Stop! Stop!" Mummy is shouting, but Clara doesn't hear. She fights to get free of her chair.

Mummy quickly puts Oliver down in his bouncer. Mummy holds Clara and unfastens the safety belt. Clara wraps her arms around Mummy, and Mummy hugs her while she cries. Her little body shakes in fear. The play-dough cake is ruined, and some of the play-dough is on the floor. Oliver starts screaming because he still wants milk, but Clara needs Mummy more. Mummy stays with Clara until she stops crying. Clara is safe here. Safe and warm.

"It's okay. It's okay." Mummy says over and over as she strokes Clara's hair.

The fear recedes, and the memory fades.

Chapter Two

Now, Mummy is giving Clara a bath. Clara likes having baths. She's been sitting in this one a long time, and the water is cool now. She prefers it that way; she doesn't like the heat. The water tickles against her skin; it feels nice.

Oliver's already bathed. He sits in the open doorway while Clara has her own bath. Oliver has just learned how to sit, and Mummy and Daddy made it into a big deal. Clara didn't think it was so clever; she's been able to sit up by herself for ages. Sitting was easy peasy.

Clara hears something and looks up towards the doorway. "No." She says to the daddy. Mummy turns around.

"Richard?" Mummy says. Mummy was calling for Daddy.

Daddy has two names, Richard and Daddy. Everybody Clara knows has lots of names; Mummy has two as well, Mummy and Anna. Clara and Oliver are Clara and Oliver, but they are also 'honeys' or 'darlings' or 'the children'. At playgroup, all the men she sees are 'daddy' too, but they aren't her 'Daddy' because her Daddy is special.

"Richard?" Mummy says again. Clara hasn't seen her Daddy today because he was working. Clara didn't like it when Mummy and Daddy did work. Did Mummy hear Daddy come home? But Mummy looks confused. "Richard?"

"Who was there, honey?" Mummy asks, turning back to Clara. But Clara is no longer looking at the daddy. She is playing with the water again as it tickles against her skin; it feels nice.

Chapter Three

At night there are lots of noises around Clara's home. There are lots of people outside, coming and going. Doors get slammed. Voices shout. Cars whoosh. Even the feral cats make noise, yowling and screeching in the night. Night after night, there are many noises, and Clara sleeps through them all. These are the usual night noises that bring comfort. A reassurance that the world is as it should be. But tonight, there is another noise, and Clara does not find it comforting. Oliver lies asleep in his cot. Mummy is in the next room; she's close.

'It's not so far away.' Clara tells herself. As quiet as a mouse, she slips out of her bed and runs past Oliver as fast as she can. She daren't look at Oliver's cot and the angry daddy leaning over him. Out the door, she runs. Turn to the side. Almost there. Mummy is still sleeping.

Clara reaches out and touches Mummy. 'I want to sleep with you,' Clara says. Sleepily Mummy moves aside, and Clara slips into the space. Warm arms wrap around her small cold body, and Clara snuggles safe and warm. The fear fades, and Clara falls back to sleep.

Chapter Four

Grandma and Grandad had come from the airport again. They come to see Clara. They stay a while, but then they go back again. Daddy takes them in his car. Clara likes it when Grandma is here. They play together a lot.

It is 'sleepy time' for Clara. Grandma has finished reading one of the princess stories where the princess wore a beautiful dress. Clara likes pretty dresses. After the story, Grandma sang some songs and wrapped her up 'snug like a bug in a rug.' Clara isn't sure why she wants to be like a bug because bugs are yucky. Still, whenever Grandma says it, she rocks Clara from side to side, tucking the blankets in super tight so Clara can barely move, which is great fun. Wrapped up tight in her blankets, Clara isn't asleep yet. She watches Oliver sleeping in his cot.

Clara can hear Grandma walk down the corridor and into 'the family room.'

'She's asleep,' Grandma says. 'No, I'm not.' Clara thinks to herself.

'Okay, thanks,' says Mummy.

'Do you need us to babysit one, or both of them, tomorrow?' Grandma asks. Clara hopes Mummy says yes. She wants to spend more time with Grandma. Mummy and Grandma get louder as they come out of 'the family room.' They were moving towards the front door so Grandma could go to her own home.

A shadow passes by Clara's bedroom door.

'Oh, I didn't realise Richard's here. I thought he was at work.' Grandma says.

'He is,' Mummy says.

'I just saw him pass by the children's room,' Grandma says.

'No, he's working,' Mummy says again.

'Oh, I really thought I saw him,' Grandma said. Grandma seems confused. 'Okay, so tomorrow, do you need us for the children?'

'Yes,' Mummy says. 'Snug as a bug in a rug' Clara closes her eyes tight so she can't see the daddy watching Oliver.

Chapter Five

Clara holds Bunny close with one hand and pushes Mummy to wake up. Bunny was a present from Grandma when Clara had her birthday and became four.

Sleepy eyes open, and Mummy looks at Clara. 'What is it, honey?'

'I can't sleep,' Clara complains. 'There's a daddy talking to Oliver.'

Mummy sits up in bed. 'What?' Mummy says.

'There's a daddy talking to Oliver,' Clara complains again.

Mummy looks towards the corridor, but she sees nothing there.

'Stay here,' Mummy says.

Mummy leaves Clara and Bunny behind and goes into Clara and Oliver's room, where Oliver is sleeping. Clara sees the light brighten the corridor; some of it also lights up Mummy and Daddy's room.

Mummy comes back and sits on the bed in front of Clara. 'Clara, who was talking to Oliver?' she asks.

Clara thinks she has done something to make Mummy upset. She hugs Bunny and starts to cry. 'There was a daddy talking to Oliver, and he woke me up. I want to sleep with you.'

Mummy reaches for her phone. Whenever Daddy works at night, Mummy always puts her phone close and presses the phone to her ear.

'Hello?' Mummy's phone is so loud Clara can hear her Daddy's voice.

'Can I speak to Daddy?' Clara asks, reaching for the phone. 'I want to speak to Daddy.'

'No,' Mummy says, pushing Clara's hands away and standing up.

'Clara said she saw someone. I need to check the flat. Stay on the phone, just in case." Mummy tells Daddy.

'Why? What's wrong?' Now, Daddy sounds upset. Mummy has upset Daddy.

'Clara said she heard a Daddy talking to Oliver.'

'A daddy?' Daddy asks.

"Clara, stay here," Mummy says. She turns on the light and leaves Clara and Bunny all alone again. Clara is getting scared now, even with the light turned on. She doesn't know why Mummy is scared or why Mummy scared Daddy. She wants to be with Mummy, but Mummy says to stay still and so she stands still. Clara lifts Bunny to her cheek and rubs tears on the grey fur. She is very scared now; she wants Mummy and Daddy.

Clara can hear Mummy talking. Her voice gets quiet, loud, and quiet again as she moves. Mummy is telling Daddy the different rooms in their house and turning all the lights on. If Clara turns all the lights on, Mummy and Daddy don't like it. Mummy has been gone for a long time. Clara is shivering; she is cold, and she is scared.

"There's nothing. Everything is fine. Just Clara's imagination." Mummy says as she walks back into the room. She turns the lights off, and the flat is dark again.

"Okay." Clara hears Daddy say. "See you later."

"Okay," Mummy says, and Daddy isn't on the phone anymore.

"I want to talk to my Daddy," Clara says.

"No, Honey, Daddy is working right now. He was only helping Mummy. You can talk to him in the morning. Okay?" Mummy pulls her close and hugs her.

Clara nods okay, but it isn't okay; she wants to talk to her Daddy.

"Clara. Who was talking to Oliver?" Mummy asks.

"It was a daddy."

"Daddy is at work, Honey," Mummy says.

"No, not Daddy." She said, of course, Clara knew her Daddy wasn't here. "A daddy."

"Who's daddy?" Mummy asks, and Clara shrugs. She doesn't know whose daddy he is because she knows all her friends' daddies, and he isn't one of them.

"He was talking to Oliver."

"What did he say?"

Clara shrugs again. She doesn't want to talk about it anymore. "Can I have water?"

"In a minute. What did the daddy look like?" Mummy asks.

"Was he taller than your Daddy?" Mummy asks again. "Bigger?"

Clara tries to help because Mummy wants to know. He looks big, even bigger than Luke's Daddy, and Luke's Daddy is super big. "Yes," she tells Mummy.

"And does he have brown hair like yours or blonde hair like Oliver's?" Mummy asks.

Clara shrugs. She is thirsty now and sleepy and doesn't want to play this game anymore. Mummy can see the colour of the daddy's hair is for herself. The daddy is right there, watching them.

"I want water." She tells Mummy again.

"Okay." Mummy gives a big sigh and hugs her tight. "Let's get you some water."

Chapter Six

Mummy and Daddy said it's Clara's birthday tomorrow. She is going to be five!

Oliver is lying in a bed, just like Clara's. He is a big boy now and doesn't need a cot anymore. The colours of his bed are blue and yellow, like the colours of the sky. He picked the colours himself, just like Clara picked hers. Clara likes his colours, but hers are better, she chose rainbow colours. She slides down under them, pushing them high above her. The daddy talking to Oliver sounds strange under here.

Suddenly, it's not so dark anymore. Everything is bright and pretty; rainbow colours cover Clara's arms. She wriggles upwards and pushes the covers back. Mummy is standing in the doorway; she looks scared.

"Mummy, why did you turn the light on?" Clara says. Secretly, she is happy Mummy turned on the light. She climbs out of bed and doesn't want to sleep anyway.

"Is someone here?" Mummy says.

Clara looks around and shakes her head; the daddy has gone, he doesn't stay in the light, and they are alone again.

Chapter Seven

Clara is sleeping in Mummy and Daddy's bed. The daddy was talking to Oliver so loudly that she couldn't sleep, so she crept into their bed. When Mummy came to bed, she let Clara stay and curled up next to her. Clara hears a noise. She wakes and sits up. Mummy lifts her head; she had heard it too.

In the light of the corridor, Clara sees Oliver standing in the doorway. The daddy is there, too, watching.

"Oliver, honey, are you coming into our bed?" Mummy says, lifting the covers and opening her arms. The daddy runs to the bed, his little feet padding on the floor. He climbs in, and Mummy wraps him in her arms.

"Are we going to sleep now, Oliver?" She says.

"Yes." The daddy replies.