Chapter Two
Penny said she was going to take me to see a doctor. I didn't know what she meant. I had just come home from the hospital where the doctors were, why did I need to see another one?
"It's a different kind of doctor," she explained softly. She had tears in her eyes and I could tell by the strain in her voice that she was trying very hard not to cry.
I didn't know what to think about going to see this different kind of doctor. I wasn't aware there were different kinds of doctors.
It was summer time so I didn't have to worry about missing school. Summer time was my favourite time of year, I was outside as much as possible.
"Go outside and wait for me to take you to Dr. Collins' office," Penny told me. She held the screen door open for me and I went out. It was a warm, sunny day. The garden was in full bloom with daisies, tulips and roses. Penny was a very good gardener. Sometimes I helped her pull weeds. I went over to the wooden fence that separated the horses from the rest of the yard. All the horses were outside. Carl always let them go wherever they wanted within their yard and the barn. The Ferguson's had three horses. They were a family. There was a female horse, a beautiful, brown Spanish Mustang. She had a strip of white on her forehead down to her nose. Her name was Jewel. The male horse was also a Spanish Mustang, but he was a jet-black colour with some dark brown spots on his sides. His name was Hardy. The two horse had had a baby in the spring, it was a male pony named Spunky. He had his fathers back coat and the same white stripe that Jewel had. I went out to feed the horses all the time. That was my regular chore. I had really grown to love Spunky. I liked to think he was excited when he saw me coming.
Spunky was really my only friend during the summer. I had a few friends in school but I rarely saw them outside of school. I had no real desire to and they didn't really make the effort either.
When Spunky saw me leaning against the fence he stood up, still a little wobbly and came running over. I smiled at him and petted him head gently.
"How are you today Spunky?" I asked. I knew he couldn't answer me but I always spoke to the animals as if they could understand what I was saying.
"That's good," I said, "I have to go to the doctor's now, but I'll be home soon, don't' worry," I turned around and saw Penny watching me from the door of the farmhouse. She had the strangest look on her face.
She came out when she realized I knew she was there. She got in to the car and waiting for me. I trudged over slowly. I didn't want to go to this Dr. Collins' house to talk. I didn't like strangers and I especially didn't like talking to them.
Dr. Collins' house was a large Victorian style with a second level balcony and a lot of intricate trim. We rang the doorbell and a short woman with brown hair pulled back in a tight bun answered the door.
"Penny Ferguson?" she asked.
Penny nodded and smiled. The woman opened the door and we went inside. The front foyer was very large. I could see the huge winding staircase and I longed to go up and explore everything in this house. I wondered briefly if there was an attic. I looked up at the ceiling and the thought passed through me head that maybe there were children up there that needed my help. The thought disappeared when a man in his late forties came into the foyer. He was leaning on a wooden cane and he had a limp in his right leg. He had blond hair that was a little thin on the top and blue eyes that sparkled with warmth. He looked very distinguished and he even looked a little familiar. His strong jaw reminded me of someone I knew. I felt comfortable with him right away.
"You must be Cory," he said smiling.
I nodded shyly. I felt comfortable with him but I was still shy, I wasn't going to be outwardly excited about coming here.
"I'm Dr. Collins," he said. He held out his hand for me to shake. I just stared at it for a minute and then
Penny nudged me. I put my tiny hand in his and he shook it.
"Won't you come into my office?" he asked.
"Sure," Penny answered.
"Pamela, will you bring us some lemonade and sugar doughnuts?" Dr. Collins asked the woman who had answered the door.
She nodded and scurried away.
"This is a beautiful home," Penny told the doctor.
"Thank you, I grew up here," Dr. Collins answered.
We followed him into an office. I stopped dead in the doorway and held on tight to Penny's hand. I couldn't enter this room. I had thought this might happen, but I pushed the thought away, I didn't want to worry about it too much. But my worst nightmare had come true. Dr. Collins' office was painted pale yellow.
I glared at the walls in anger. I didn't where it was coming from, you can't be angry at a colour can you?
"Cory, come on in," Penny urged.
I shook my head.
She turned to the doctor who was studying me closely, "This happens a lot, he seems to be deathly afraid or maybe even angry at the colour yellow, and he has a severe case of claustrophobia," Penny explained.
Dr. Collins nodded with understanding.
"Why don't we go talk in the den?" he suggested.
I felt much better when the door to the yellow room was shut tight behind me.
In the den Penny began to tell Dr. Collins how I had come to live with her and her husband. He looked very surprised when she described the note that had been left with me.
Pamela brought in the doughnuts and lemonade.
"Please help yourselves," the doctor said.
Penny reached for a doughnut and was about to put it in her mouth when I screamed, "NOOO!"
I swatted the white sugar doughnut away from Penny's mouth and it bouncing onto the blue carpeting, leaving white powder in its wake.
"Cory!" Penny shrieked. She turned to yell at me but stopped when she saw the look on my face. I couldn't let anyone be hurt by those doughnuts. Suddenly Penny's transformed. Her nose shrank and her eyes got bigger. They changed to a sky blue colour and her hair started to curl by itself and turn to a light shade of blond.
"Carrie," I breathed. She reached for another doughnut and she giggled.
"NO!" I yelled, "Don't eat that!"
"Why not Cory? It tastes so goooood, don't you want any?" she asked.
I shook my head vigorously.
"The Grandmother is going to be mad if you don't eat your doughnut," she said.
"No, I won't eat it," I told her defiantly.
"Do it for me Cory, please?" she asked. Her lips turned into a pout and she picked up another doughnut for me.
"Don't worry, I'll help you," she giggled again and she shoved the doughnut into my mouth. I gagged in surprise and turned away from her.
When I looked back at her, it was no long Carrie; it was Penny again. She had a horrified expression on her face. I had a doughnut in my hand and it was in crumbs between my fingers.
Dr. Collins was also staring at me. He took out a notebook and began to write something down.
"What?" I asked quietly.
"We have a lot of work to do," he doctor said.
Penny said she was going to take me to see a doctor. I didn't know what she meant. I had just come home from the hospital where the doctors were, why did I need to see another one?
"It's a different kind of doctor," she explained softly. She had tears in her eyes and I could tell by the strain in her voice that she was trying very hard not to cry.
I didn't know what to think about going to see this different kind of doctor. I wasn't aware there were different kinds of doctors.
It was summer time so I didn't have to worry about missing school. Summer time was my favourite time of year, I was outside as much as possible.
"Go outside and wait for me to take you to Dr. Collins' office," Penny told me. She held the screen door open for me and I went out. It was a warm, sunny day. The garden was in full bloom with daisies, tulips and roses. Penny was a very good gardener. Sometimes I helped her pull weeds. I went over to the wooden fence that separated the horses from the rest of the yard. All the horses were outside. Carl always let them go wherever they wanted within their yard and the barn. The Ferguson's had three horses. They were a family. There was a female horse, a beautiful, brown Spanish Mustang. She had a strip of white on her forehead down to her nose. Her name was Jewel. The male horse was also a Spanish Mustang, but he was a jet-black colour with some dark brown spots on his sides. His name was Hardy. The two horse had had a baby in the spring, it was a male pony named Spunky. He had his fathers back coat and the same white stripe that Jewel had. I went out to feed the horses all the time. That was my regular chore. I had really grown to love Spunky. I liked to think he was excited when he saw me coming.
Spunky was really my only friend during the summer. I had a few friends in school but I rarely saw them outside of school. I had no real desire to and they didn't really make the effort either.
When Spunky saw me leaning against the fence he stood up, still a little wobbly and came running over. I smiled at him and petted him head gently.
"How are you today Spunky?" I asked. I knew he couldn't answer me but I always spoke to the animals as if they could understand what I was saying.
"That's good," I said, "I have to go to the doctor's now, but I'll be home soon, don't' worry," I turned around and saw Penny watching me from the door of the farmhouse. She had the strangest look on her face.
She came out when she realized I knew she was there. She got in to the car and waiting for me. I trudged over slowly. I didn't want to go to this Dr. Collins' house to talk. I didn't like strangers and I especially didn't like talking to them.
Dr. Collins' house was a large Victorian style with a second level balcony and a lot of intricate trim. We rang the doorbell and a short woman with brown hair pulled back in a tight bun answered the door.
"Penny Ferguson?" she asked.
Penny nodded and smiled. The woman opened the door and we went inside. The front foyer was very large. I could see the huge winding staircase and I longed to go up and explore everything in this house. I wondered briefly if there was an attic. I looked up at the ceiling and the thought passed through me head that maybe there were children up there that needed my help. The thought disappeared when a man in his late forties came into the foyer. He was leaning on a wooden cane and he had a limp in his right leg. He had blond hair that was a little thin on the top and blue eyes that sparkled with warmth. He looked very distinguished and he even looked a little familiar. His strong jaw reminded me of someone I knew. I felt comfortable with him right away.
"You must be Cory," he said smiling.
I nodded shyly. I felt comfortable with him but I was still shy, I wasn't going to be outwardly excited about coming here.
"I'm Dr. Collins," he said. He held out his hand for me to shake. I just stared at it for a minute and then
Penny nudged me. I put my tiny hand in his and he shook it.
"Won't you come into my office?" he asked.
"Sure," Penny answered.
"Pamela, will you bring us some lemonade and sugar doughnuts?" Dr. Collins asked the woman who had answered the door.
She nodded and scurried away.
"This is a beautiful home," Penny told the doctor.
"Thank you, I grew up here," Dr. Collins answered.
We followed him into an office. I stopped dead in the doorway and held on tight to Penny's hand. I couldn't enter this room. I had thought this might happen, but I pushed the thought away, I didn't want to worry about it too much. But my worst nightmare had come true. Dr. Collins' office was painted pale yellow.
I glared at the walls in anger. I didn't where it was coming from, you can't be angry at a colour can you?
"Cory, come on in," Penny urged.
I shook my head.
She turned to the doctor who was studying me closely, "This happens a lot, he seems to be deathly afraid or maybe even angry at the colour yellow, and he has a severe case of claustrophobia," Penny explained.
Dr. Collins nodded with understanding.
"Why don't we go talk in the den?" he suggested.
I felt much better when the door to the yellow room was shut tight behind me.
In the den Penny began to tell Dr. Collins how I had come to live with her and her husband. He looked very surprised when she described the note that had been left with me.
Pamela brought in the doughnuts and lemonade.
"Please help yourselves," the doctor said.
Penny reached for a doughnut and was about to put it in her mouth when I screamed, "NOOO!"
I swatted the white sugar doughnut away from Penny's mouth and it bouncing onto the blue carpeting, leaving white powder in its wake.
"Cory!" Penny shrieked. She turned to yell at me but stopped when she saw the look on my face. I couldn't let anyone be hurt by those doughnuts. Suddenly Penny's transformed. Her nose shrank and her eyes got bigger. They changed to a sky blue colour and her hair started to curl by itself and turn to a light shade of blond.
"Carrie," I breathed. She reached for another doughnut and she giggled.
"NO!" I yelled, "Don't eat that!"
"Why not Cory? It tastes so goooood, don't you want any?" she asked.
I shook my head vigorously.
"The Grandmother is going to be mad if you don't eat your doughnut," she said.
"No, I won't eat it," I told her defiantly.
"Do it for me Cory, please?" she asked. Her lips turned into a pout and she picked up another doughnut for me.
"Don't worry, I'll help you," she giggled again and she shoved the doughnut into my mouth. I gagged in surprise and turned away from her.
When I looked back at her, it was no long Carrie; it was Penny again. She had a horrified expression on her face. I had a doughnut in my hand and it was in crumbs between my fingers.
Dr. Collins was also staring at me. He took out a notebook and began to write something down.
"What?" I asked quietly.
"We have a lot of work to do," he doctor said.
