Here we go, the supplements of Sheldon's Shirts.
It really wasn't his fault.
He tried to do what his Meemaw told him to do. Tried to separate himself from what was going on, make the little bubble wrap around himself like she told him to do.
It didn't work, but in his defense it was only his fourth attempt. He had a feeling it would take years of work and concentration to have his bubble around him all of the time.
Sheldon's mama had taken him and his siblings to the park, his favorite one to be precise. It had the best slide, it was easily eight feet high and swirled around like a screw.
He was waiting, as patiently as a seven year old could wait, for his turn on the slide when he felt it.
There was a little girl sitting next to the jungle gym, and she had climbed up too high. She was scared, terrified even. She was crying both physically and in her head, wishing that she was on the ground but too scared to do anything about it. There were two boys at the bottom staring up at her, laughing. They were taunting her, making fun of her in the cruel way that children learn so early in life.
Initially he tried to ignore it by trying to do some math in his head to decide how to place his body for the fastest ride down the slide for maximum enjoyment.
But the scared feeling got stronger, it was as strong as the fear his mama got when his daddy drank too much of that smelly brown stuff.
Almost unwillingly, Sheldon turned his head to observe what was going on.
The little girl had decided to 'pull up her bootstraps' as his PopPop used to say. She was trying to climb back down. But the two boys who were mocking her decided that now was a good time to pull on her legs. They were both tugging, laughing as they did so, trying to pull her down.
She must have had a very strong grip, because the only thing keeping the boys from succeeding was her death grip on the bars above her head.
Focusing too much on what was causing his 'gift' to act up, his shields came tumbling down around him.
Suddenly Sheldon went from observing to being frozen in place. He couldn't move, couldn't bring up his shields, couldn't think of anything.
Well, that's not entirely true.
He was thinking alright, but his thoughts made no sense. He was thinking about how far away from the ground he was. He just knew that the fall was gonna kill him, he just knew it. And the tugging on his legs! It was worse than when he broke his leg a year ago trying to climb the tree in the front yard. Suddenly, Sheldon was crying, sobbing. He was so scared, he didn't wanna break his leg again. They had to put metal in his bones last time, he just couldn't go through that again.
Gradually he became aware of warm hands on his shoulders, his name being called. At first it sounded like an echo, then a whisper, then yelling.
"Sheldon Lee Cooper! Answer me!" Ah, that was his mother's frantic voice.
"Yes, mama?" Sheldon asked as he raised his eyes to meet hers.
"Sweet saints and baby Jesus! You scared the holy spirit right outta me!" She exclaimed. "Are you ok?"
Slowly, Sheldon took in his surroundings.
The jungle gym was empty, the little girl being held by who Sheldon had to assume was her father. An older woman was yelling the the boys, that wasn't how gentlemen behaved towards a lady in the south.
He was never dangling, clutching the bars above him for his life. No one was pulling on his legs, his feet had never left the ground.
Sheldon turned his attention back to his mother, ice blue eyes seeming decades older than his seven years. "Yes mother. I'm fine."