Chapter 4 The First Word....

Jack and Ivy Hodges hadn't the faintest idea of how they would set about teaching Ann to talk. But, they reasoned, everything she had learned so far had come from ideas born on the spur of the moment. they just knew she would talk.

As they headed for home that day something happened that was to occupy thier minds for several months, and from its small beginning bring forth the sound they so long to hear.

It was raining heavily as they walked out of the hospital gate and they knew it would be foolish to attempt to walk home. Another taxi was out of the question. They simply couldn't afford the fair. Screams and all, they have to bear. Like it or not, Ann was going home on the bus.

They hardly dared breathe as they waited in the shelter opposite the gates for the bus to arrive. They tried to keep Ann interested in things around her, but she didn't seem to respond. Thenn all too soon the moment they head dreaded arrived in the sahpe of the double-deck bus.

Ann got on without a murmer. She held Ivy's hand and allowed herslef to be led to a seat. The felt they were dreaming. It just couldn't be possible. After all the years of screaming and hysterical outbursts, even when she saw a bus, their little girl had shown not the slightest fear.

They both pondered on the problem in silence for most of the journey while Ann sat staring straight ahead without a sound., Why? What had happened to make this change, this marvellous step forward? The answer came as they neared home. It lay in a conversational remark by Ivy. Had he noticed, she asked Jack, that it was new style bus? he hadn't really. Hiss mind had been filled with wondering about Ann and her behaviour.

But it wasn't just a new bus, it was a different color. It was green. All the other buses they had tried to get her to board had been red.

That was the answer. She was frightened of the coulour red. There was no other explanation for her behaviour that day. The more they thought about it the more conviced they were that they had found the answer to another of her problems. Now they had to find out for sure. They thought back over the other instances of inexplicable screaming fits and suddenly it struck them.

When they remembered those first few weeks at the new house they had become conviced that Ann was terrifeied of the trees and grass just because they were trees and grass. But now they were sure that the answer was more likely because of the color, and they had cured her of that fear.

...i'm tired... night night