The Chicken Timer

this is a short story of being diagnosed with ADHD, sadly all i can remember of this time is the chicken timer....but it was eleven years ago so give me a break!

Mommy and Daddy are talking to the man, but I don’t understand. What is eighty-h-d? I would ask but I’m not supposed to talk right now. My eyes find the timer again. I really want candy.

 

On the way to the office
      The wooden hall smells really good. Wood! Daddy sells wood. The man we’re going to see has wood in his name. I think that’s funny. Mommy calls to me and I dance to her. The man we’re going to see is Doctor Atwood, but he’s not a real doctor. Like the PE teacher Doctor Reed. I don’t like Doctor Reed; I hope this man isn’t like Doctor Reed. I see the elevator and I want to push the button. I like to push the button.

 

In the office
      “Can I get candy?” I asked. I really like candy!
      “Why don’t we play a game?” The man asked. His voice was kind, but I wanted candy.
      “Do I get candy?” I really like candy.
      “If you can wait five minutes without talking I will give you a piece of candy.” That seems a really long time to wait for one piece of candy, but I really like candy. I agree to wait. The man handed me something and said, “Take this timer over there by the closet. But be careful because there is a monster in the closet that likes to eat little girls. And the monster won’t want to be woken up.” I don’t think I like candy so much.

 

Later that year
      Today I get to be the center of attention. I have my two blinkies in the car with me, but I don’t think I want to bring them in. I don’t want people to think that I’m a baby. I’m seven years old! My friend Doctor Atwood is there. He’s the one that put this together. There are a lot of people in the room. A lot of them are Anna’s age. She’s my favorite babysitter.
      They let me stand on a table! It’s so that I can see everyone. I’m in charge now. They raise their hands like it was school, and I was the teacher. I’m teaching about 80HD, even though I really don’t know what it is. I call on a guy with tan skin and dark hair. He looks nice. He asks me a question about me! That was easy to answer. I like to answer questions about me. I feel special that all these people came to see me. I like these people.

 

In the office
      I put my ear against the closet to make sure the monster’s still asleep, but I can’t hear anything. I guess the monster doesn’t snore like Daddy. I set the timer on the floor and run back to mommy. I don’t want to be near the closet when the monster wakes up. But I can’t take my eyes off the timer. I’m too much like Curious George sometimes! I sneak back to the closet. I hope the monster doesn’t notice me! “How much time is left?” I ask in my head. I pick up the chicken, holding it as if it was one of the knives in the kitchen. I’m not allowed to touch the knives in the kitchen. I observate the belly of the chicken timer. I just learned how to read time and I can read that not much time has passed.
      I like the chicken. It’s redder than the cherries that grow on the tree in our front yard. And it’s got the funny thing on top of its head. I like the funny chicken timer. I remember what it’s for. I remember the monster in the closet. I put the timer back on the floor, not wanting to wake up the monster.

 

Later at school
      I just got some medicine. I don’t like it. I have to swallow it whole, and sometimes it sticks to my tongue. But I have to take it, Mommy told me so. Maybe I don’t have to take it if they don’t tell me to take it. I have to take it at school too. I didn’t think I would remember so Mrs. Keating asked the class to help me remember. I don’t know if I wanted them to know.
      I like to take medicine at school. I get to talk to the nurse every day. She’s nice. And if I forget to take my medicine, she calls me down to her office and I get to miss a little bit of class. But I don’t like to do that because it makes me feel like I’m in trouble. I don’t like to be in trouble. But I get in trouble an awful lot. But that’s why I’m taking medicine.

 

In the office
     The chicken timer is almost there. I’m scared of the monster. I take the chicken timer to mommy, but I won’t get candy if it goes off by mommy. I take it back to the closet and get ready to run if the monster comes out. Mommy won’t let me get eaten. The last seconds are scary, but when the timer goes off, the monster doesn’t wake up. “I knew there was no monster!” I take the timer back to the man. I smile knowing I have won the game. I waited the whole five minutes without talking. He takes the chicken from me and opens a drawer in his desk. I get to choose one piece of candy. I take a pink one and ask, “Can I have more?”
      “No.” the man says.
      “Can I play for more?” I ask.
      “Maybe next week.” He says.

 

A few visits later
      Doctor Atwood opens the closet to get something for my parents. It’s bigger than my closet at home. We can walk into this closet. He takes some markers off the shelf and gives them to me to color with. This man gives me candy too. I have to wait for candy though. Once he made me wait by the monster in the closet. I’m in the closet! There’s no monster in here! He lied to me. But then he gave me candy. I really like candy.
 

Author's Note

this is not in chronological order!

Reviews

[ElJays Nicholas]

It's a fun story to read. I laughed. I wanted it to continue LOL. I like that it is not in chronological order. It gives the story more of a mirrored reflection of "80HD", of the chaotic kind of thinking of a child with ADHD, of going back and forth from one thought to another. I enjoyed this very much...