The Color of Green

As Mr. Green turned to Tobias, Nina automatically joined in at Tobias’ side, with Patrick standing at the other.

“Hello, Tobias.” When Mr. Green greeted him, everyone nearby turned toward them, creating an empty space around them as if they were on a stage.

Tobias almost jumped; he hadn’t forgotten that first hello Mr. Green gave Mr. Cantini. But this time his tone was quite different. He had never seen Mr. Green smiling like this, and the little man now looked extremely pleasant.

“Everyone, this is Tobias Clark and his wife Nina, and their son Patrick. Perhaps you all remember them from last week’s TV show when Tobias and Patrick first met at Patrick’s school? Mr. Spaceball was it?” Mr. Green joked.

Tobias laughed too while looking at Patrick, and the parents around him smiled back, showing they too had enjoyed the show. But Mr. Green referred to Patrick as Nina’s and his son, as if there were nothing to it, even though he also revealed that they had just met. Hmm … it must have been Dennis and Jack—they’d been bragging about their big brother so much that all of Skyjland must know by now, Tobias thought.

Neither Nina nor Patrick lifted an eyebrow, as if he had been their son from birth.

Tobias enjoyed the joke and shook Mr. Green’s hand once more. And as before, it was a funny feeling shaking hands with him because his hand was so amazingly small. However, there were no hesitations from Mr. Green’s side, and his small grip felt both firm and resolute.

Mr. Green continued, “Patrick is the last to have been added to this class. In many ways though, he represents you all. Just like Patrick, you’ve all found your parents here in Skyjland. And like Patrick, your stories are all similar in that you were neglected on the other side.” Mr. Green continued speaking to the room in general as he moved to greet another couple and their daughter.

So there was a lot in common here with these children, Tobias thought.

When Mr. Green had finished his tour around the room, he went back to his position at the teacher’s desk. “Before we start, there are some things we need to talk about. As parents, you need to know what your child’s talent is all about and how it will affect you. As children, you need to master it so that it won’t destroy you.

“The most important thing for parents and children to remember is that you need to be true to each other, because any falseness will be revealed through this unusual talent.  In fact, a lie in any direction will hurt you seriously.

“You need to know that this is not about mind reading. This is about senses and emotions. You children can move between dimensions depending on your emotional state—how you feel about things—and unless you’re careful you can get lost and never find your way back again. That’s one of the curses I was talking about earlier. Many children out there with this talent get lost and lose contact with reality; for example, they wouldn’t be able to communicate with us standing here in this room.”

A shiver went up Tobias’ spine as he thought about the children and adults he’d met in institutions who were totally unreceptive to everyone and everything around them.

“If I may, I’ll give you an example about how this affected Patrick and how Ms. Matey and I found him,” Mr. Green said as he turned and looked directly at Patrick.  They didn’t speak to each other or even nod; Mr. Green seemed to be tapping into Patrick’s innermost self to get his acknowledgment. Tobias and Nina looked at them both back and forth but couldn’t tell what they were communicating. 

“Okay, Patrick, you need to tell your parents and the others that this is okay with you. How many of you children were in on this?” Mr. Green asked.

Three hands were raised in the air, those of two boys and a girl.

“There were four more of you present, but you weren’t aware of it,” Mr. Green informed them with a smile before he continued.

“There have been several incidents in Patrick’s life that caused him to disappear in other people’s consciousness. In times of extreme sadness or fear, he has moved away into other dimensions. And he can move so far away that the people he distances himself from physically can’t find him; they can’t sense Patrick even when he’s in the room with them.

“Ms. Matey especially feels this type of movement, as if there were disturbances among dimensions, and she can use the positions of these disturbances as coordinates to locate someone. That’s how she found you, Patrick.”

They all listened in silence, and when Mr. Green paused and turned to look at Patrick, not a breath was heard.

“Ms. Matey told me about you, Patrick, and what was about to happen, that you had hidden too far from that gang that was after you. You had successfully escaped from them, but you were in greater danger because where you were hiding was a dangerous place to be for too long. So I removed the threat by taking care of the gang, and Ms. Matey and I together guided you back without you knowing about us.”

Mr. Green paused again and looking out over his audience, who remained deadly silent, looking back at him.

“In a similar way Ms. Matey and I have interfered in all of your lives and brought you back.

“We have a lot of talented people here in Skyjland, but in many ways they differ from you, like you differ from each other. But this class is about your similarities. It’s to teach you about how to recognize your true selves and how to deal with your talent and what ties you together. But there is something more—and it’s about your parents.”

Mr. Green paused a while longer this time, as his audience started to look around at themselves, as if they were searching for support. Tobias and Nina glanced around, and, like the others, they grabbed hold of their child and pulled him or her close. Mr. Green kindly smiled back at them before he spoke.

“We think of family in terms of flesh and blood, and in one sense that’s what it is; and that’s important. But as you’ve now been introduced to this concept, there are thousands of more senses we possess that connect us, and some are even more vital than flesh and blood ever can be. These additional senses tie you together without you understanding any of them.

“This is not about the thought process. Your brain, that jelly-like lump of electrical connections we think makes us smart, doesn’t really work here. This is about being alive—emotions, happiness, and love—and that is what ties you together as family. Tobias, Nina, Patrick—may I?”

Tobias twitched due to the sudden address, as did Nina. Patrick, on the other hand, was quick to smile, and Mr. Green was quick to smile back at him.

“Okay, I have two new approvals that need to be expressed verbally.”

Tobias and Nina looked at each other in surprise. What did he ask permission for? And how did he know the answer? Patrick obviously knew, and many of the other children seemed to, too. Tobias and Nina first looked at Patrick and then at all the others, trying to figure out what this was all about. Mr. Green was enjoying their behavior and waited them out.

“Okay Tobias … Nina …?” he asked.

“I don’t know—what?” Tobias asked back with a smile, obviously enjoying being the straight man for a change.

Nina started to laugh as she didn’t understand either. Mr. Green joined her, and the giggling spread.

“Well,” Mr. Green said after a while. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I just wanted to show you a bit of what this means, and make a point. This is for you, children.”

And now Mr. Green changed to a more serious attitude, looking at each one of them. “You need to learn never, ever, to do what I just did now. This is of vital importance for your well being. You must never use of your talent on or invade family or anyone else you love, including friends and fellow citizens—because you won’t get away with it. That is another curse that comes with the talent and is another reason why you must master it. I will teach you how in this class.

“What I did, Tobias and Nina, was sense how you feel about me telling everyone your family situation. You both reacted positively, without any hesitation. Through me, Patrick and many of the other children could sense that, too.

“You see, there’s a difference between what I did and merely predicting peoples’ reactions through psychology.  It’s also not the same as when we ‘know’ what someone will think or do because we’re close to them.  I didn’t do this the brain way.

“Instead it was like I connected with your souls.

“You see, we are all emotionally driven. So if I present you with a feeling, as I did, you respond, but you’re able to process to a stage of awareness only a fraction of your feelings and responses. You can’t control the vast majority of your personality, your “soul,” and neither can I. But nevertheless we respond to our surroundings all the time and in other dimensions beyond what we’re normally aware of.

“Your children and I have an extended awareness of this level of connections, but our abilities are not quite the same. That’s what this talent is, and your children need to learn how to manage it properly.

“You see, your children can tap into the innermost beings of others, and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop them.  You can’t hide anything from them, even subconsciously.  So training is essential, to channel their skills so they’re always in control.

For a moment the tone in the room turned serious as Tobias and Nina, and all the other parents, for the first time started to understand what this talent entailed and how much damage it could do. Mr. Green looked out over his audience, especially the children one by one, who now too started to realize how serious this was. In addition, they’d heard and felt Mr. Green say, “You won’t get away with it”—and he’d emphasized it so they knew they’d never even want to try abusing the talent. Patrick looked up at his parents and leaned his head against their shoulders; he needed to feel them nearby.

“I’m sorry for this Tobias, Nina, but I had to make tap inter your feelings without your permissions to make you aware, so you parents can feel safe about your children. I promise you all that no one here will ever interfere in your private family life and that this class will teach the importance of that. Invading other people’s feelings is strictly forbidden.”

“It’s okay,” both Tobias and Nina assured him. Tobias added, “And I’d like to say that I appreciate you demonstrating this to us the way you did. I probably wouldn’t have gotten it if you’d just told us.” Many of the other parents nodded.

With the authority they knew Mr. Green possessed and just demonstrated, Tobias, Nina and all the other parents felt confident that their children would never invade people’s souls without prior permission.

“Thank you Tobias, Nina, and everyone,” Mr. Green said, and he lightened the room’s atmosphere with a smile before he continued.

“When you, Tobias, first met Patrick in his class room, no one really knew what was going to happen between you two. I didn’t know, and Ms. Matey couldn’t be sure either. We could control the room (Shaggy and all that), but we didn’t know if Patrick would ask you to do the trick. To ask you with all that hostility in the room takes a lot of guts, and few people would do it. But you did it, Patrick. Why?”

After a few seconds’ thought Patrick answered, “I don’t know.”

“Well there’s something I like to describe as recognition. There are some things that link us together as friends and partners, and love is one of them. Love is a very wide notion. For a child love is a feeling of safety, and home, and recognition of one’s parents. This is very obvious among animals, and appearance has very little to do with it. Ms. Matey knows about this more than anyone else. You did what you did, Patrick, because you unconsciously felt safe and connected with Tobias as your father. A lot of senses between you two clicked, and that is another side of your talent Patrick—you feel this strongly.”

Patrick turned his head and looked back at Tobias for a while with big eyes, and Tobias put his arm around him and held him steadily.

“This sense of belonging to each other is a family thing, and most of it is beyond genetics. When it’s there, when things fit, it comes naturally and you should never question it. Instead you should enjoy it and spread your happiness, letting other people know about your feelings.

“When it comes to this, those dimensions I’ve been talking about seem endless, and I guess I can access only a fraction of them. However, I do know of their existence—the space they occupy and their importance for families. You, Tobias, and your family, you need Patrick because he fills a role in your lives. It’s not that you missed something before; it’s more that Patrick will make your family live even more richly because he fits in.  You, Patrick, you need Tobias and his family. Not to feed you, but to make you aware what life is all about. Happiness and love—they fit in too, don’t they?” Mr. Green asked.

Patrick, Tobias, and Nina all nodded and said “Yes,” without hesitation. Mr. Green smiled back, pleased.

“So you see, this class needs you all, parents, too, and we’ll meet on a regular basis. What your children learn here, you need to know.”

Mr. Green declared a break to show them around the East Wing where their class was to be held.

Next he took them all to the castle for lunch, and Patrick was amazed—it was indeed just like a fairytale castle in every detail. They had their lunch in a luxurious dining room, with silver platters, and for desert Patrick was given a golden spoon.

“Is it real gold?” Patrick asked Tobias beside him.

“Yes, it is, Patrick. Here nothing is fake.”

After lunch they walked back to the classroom, and Mr. Green explained more about practical details such as when class was to start and end. Patrick raised his hand.

“Yes, Patrick?”

“Am I going to have time to work with Tobias? He’s going to set up a show, Bangers and Mash.”

Mr. Green smiled widely.

“Yes, of course you’ll have time for that. Here we make time for such things—they’re important. And besides, I wouldn’t be surprised if, when Tobias picks his cast for that show, some more of you in class will fit in, too. That show—Bangers and Mash—I wouldn’t miss it for the world. And I promise that the whole of Skyjland is going to follow it. There’s no one better than Tobias to pull that stunt off.”

Mr. Green laughed, and the contrast in his character from the late night news now felt immense. That happy, even giggling pint-size man looking at Tobias was shining with joy, harmless as a lamb. They all laughed with him.  Then Mr. Green urged Tobias to give a short briefing about Bangers and Mash. As a magician Tobias’ way of course was through comedy, which managed to get the audience interested without revealing much of his plans.

That first class ended in laughter, and Mr. Green’s character grew in dimension. Tobias was shocked. That little man: first more deadly than the most poisonous snake in the world and then like the kindest best friend you could ever meet. “What is he doing?” Tobias thought, and couldn’t let go of it for the rest of the day. Tobias’ magician acts depended on understanding people’s reactions and common behavior, so he was keenly aware that Mr. Green blew out all the borders.

That night Tobias stayed up late because his mind just couldn’t drop it. “How? Why? What was the trick?” There had to be something to this sudden change of character—Tobias knew it but just couldn’t put his finger on it. “Why this now—with a planned class and everything?”

Mr. Green had gained respect by showing up on TV, as the ultimate person in charge, like the last man standing, terminating people if necessary and doing it in a way that was final, no further questions asked. And anyway, who would question than little man after having seen him in action. “You just shouldn’t mess with him.” Patrick had said, and that’s for sure. Who would ever dare to mess with him? Not anyone in his right mind, never. And even if you were mentally off track you would feel him though your bones, like with a basic fear, like displeasing him would be touching fire and getting burned. In class Mr. Green had proven that with his senses he could dig down into people. Tobias shivered. “What did he do to Mr. Cantini? He took him, Patrick had said, but where? And he’d said that he no longer was alive. What did Mr. Green do?”  At this point Tobias stopped—he just didn’t want to know.

“It was ancient power that Ms. Matey’s tale spoke about. The little man, of course that must have meant Mr. Green, and the witch, well that was obviously Ms. Matey herself. But that tale was from even before they met,” Tobias thought aloud, starting to smile.

“What if … ? Ha—is that what he’s doing? Life, all living is controlled by fear and what hurts. So if people are conscious or not, that doesn’t really matter; he can draw the line and draw it deep. What he did in class today was using that same ancient power to guide—like, people go where food is—pointing out directions.” Tobias smiled, almost laughing. “God, and it’s no trick, it’s for real. He actually can do this.”

Tobias stayed up several minutes more, just digesting this. As a tricky character himself, he would never reveal these thoughts to anyone, not even Patrick. Even if Patrick had that talent, which Tobias didn’t doubt, then Mr. Green had drawn a line that he couldn’t pass. Never to interfere in people’s private life he had said—you won’t get away with it—he had added. “God no, Patrick will never do a thing like that even if he could. No, not now after having met Mr. Green,” Tobias thought. After staying up a few minutes more to clean the kitchen table, he went to bed now able to sleep.

The rest of the week went quickly. Thursday and Friday morning classes for Patrick were short and light; Mr. Green intended for the families to get acquainted more than anything else. And when not in class Tobias and Patrick traveled around in Skyjland, which Patrick enjoyed greatly. When Dennis and Jack came home from school each the afternoon, Patrick joined them, playing sports and climbing trees and doing all sorts of things that he never had done before. For him it was like catching up on childhood and all he had missed without a family. This was something Patrick had to do, and he loved every minute of it.

It was Friday, late afternoon, when Patrick and Tobias were on their way home after having wandered around White City that Patrick’s TeeWee buzzed. He could feel who it was immediately, and even Tobias, without any of Patrick’s talent, had to guess just once. It was Lilly, the girl from the park last week, and Patrick blushed a bit. Tobias enjoyed this, but he didn’t tease.

“Hi,” Patrick answered.

They had a short chat, with Patrick mostly agreeing one way or the other. Several times he mentioned the upcoming Saturday soccer game, and finally he said, “That would be fun,” and “I’ll ask Dad.”

The switch from “Tobias” to “Dad” was swift and natural.

“Dad, Lilly is going to the game with some friends and wonders if we could meet afterwards? They’re going to one of the after-game shows; there’s a band playing.”

“Of course you can. We’ve planned a late dinner anyway because Dennis and Jack always want to eat snacks during the game.”

On Saturday morning they all slept in. The weather was warm and sunny, with a light, pleasant breeze.  Nina and Tobias served breakfast out on the balcony while Dennis and Jack chattered on about the afternoon soccer game.

“West is going to win, there’s no doubt about it.”

“No, South,” they argued, discussing each and every one of the players. Patrick now knew a bit more about the game from what he had heard from the new friends he’d met, both in class and out on the playground with Dennis and Jack. But hearing about it and being there watching the game he understood to be quite different. So he, too, was very exited and argued when he could.

The late morning became lazy for them all out on the balcony. Patrick played a card game with Dennis and Jack that was new to him, Nina was reading, and Tobias was sketching and writing in some kind of magic notebook of his. At noon they had a light lunch, and at two o’clock it was time to start moving for the big game. Dennis and Jack put on their opposite team shirts—they of course couldn’t cheer on the same team—and Tobias put on a silly hat (a red Fez similar to one worn by a British comedian he’d known decades ago) that Nina complained about, and a cheerful mood was rising.

They left the apartment disorderly, and Tobias was at his best teasing them all. Out on the street a lot of people were heading for the game, but the worms managed them all without the slightest queue. Worms from all over Skyjland arrived under the stadium, and it was obvious that this was a very popular event. The stadium seated about twenty thousand spectators, and almost all Skyjlanders were there. Tobias had been lucky and managed to get them good seats.

Even though it was forty-five minutes till the game started, there was a lot of action out on the field. Both teams’ supporter clubs joined in a cheerful show singing and dancing, even those who were obviously handicapped, and as Patrick had understood, that mix of players was going to be in the game too.

It was a joy, and the weather was the best. Patrick thought about that for a while as he hadn’t yet experienced any rain; it had been good weather all week. Tobias explained that it did rain when they wanted it; that could be controlled as well as wind, temperature, humidity, or whatever. “We try to establish a climate that favors growth, farming, and wildlife.”

“Wildlife?” Patrick asked.

“Well, we have our river and the fish living there and a bit farther out the sea. But we also have wildlife established on the land outside the Skyjland wall that we take pride in. Skyjland is bigger than the wall where we live, and from the wall the land gradually turns into ice as it had been previously. I haven’t shown you that yet, but there’s plenty of time to do that later. Dennis and Jack would love to join a Mush excursion out there.”

Patrick nodded back that he very much would like to join that too.

But, now it was time for the game. The field was cleared, and the officials came out to introduce themselves. Tobias explained that there was one referee for each section of the field, which was divided into five sections from goal to goal. Two sections were within the semicircle line in front of both goals. Outside the goal fields were the strike fields, from where players could score, and the middle field in the center of the court was where the ball had to be passed from one half court to the other. The size of the whole soccer field was about the same as Patrick was used to, but different was that the goals could change in size depending on the player setup.

Tobias further filled in what Patrick had heard about the game so far. It was soccer all right and with the same kind of ball, but each team had a mix of players that was roughly classified prior to each game. There were classifications for keeper, attacker/defender, and middle fieldman, plus if you were boy or girl or handicapped one way or another. This way people with various handicaps could play on the same team, same match. The only thing that separated them was age. There were different age divisions from under eighteen years old down to eight years old.

“We play five periods of twenty minutes each, and the players are randomly picked like in a lottery, but done in a way that everyone on a team must play. This means that each team must have all sorts of players, boys and girls, handicapped or not, on their team. Then they’re assigned, the lottery way, a section to play in against equals, and if a player crosses a section line, the ball is moved in favor of the other team.”

“And what about what I’ve heard, that the ball kind of magically moves to where it’s supposed to go between plays?” Patrick asked.

“You’ve heard right, and guess who made that work?”

“MR. ZED!” both Tobias and Patrick joined in, laughing.

The players entered the field, and they all were introduced by name and classification so that everyone knew what group they were going to play in.

After that, an announcement told the player setup for the first twenty minutes. The goalkeepers were both girls, one with one leg and the other with a visibly crippled arm, and based on that the goals were set accordingly. The attackers and defenders were girls with various handicaps that slowed them down, while the middle fielders were boys with no handicap at all.

Then they all took their positions and got ready. The game was about to start.

…

To be continued next Friday.