July 1985, East Texas
Shelly had always been a peculiar child, but finding the five-year-old on the roof wearing her good metal colander as a helmet whilst armed with a pair of binoculars at three a.m. had Mary questioning his grasp on reality.
Enough so that the very next day, the concerned mother scheduled a meeting with the local general practitioner.
And a few days after that, she had her answer.
"Are you absolutely sure he's not a mite… touched in the head?"
"No, no, if anything, it's quite the opposite. Mrs. Cooper, your son is a genius."
The doctor took her through the tests and the results pointing out her son's outrageous scores.
"His brain is working in overdrive. Is he reading much?"
"Anything he can get his hands on. He just read Matilda yesterday, and I'll swear he's waiting on his own superpowers. I can't get him to go play outside, and he's never been big on playin' with the other children neither."
"I can give you assurances, but if you want a second opinion, I know someone that specializes in developmental disorders up in Houston. Honestly, though, I think you have nothing to worry about, other than finding ways to keep the boy safely engaged. Otherwise, he'll keep finding ways to sate his curiosity."
Mary vowed to do just that. She wasn't sure her heart could take another early morning surprise.