Ever since Jamie was born, just over 22 months ago, Albert had taken a huge curious like interest in Jamie, completely mesmerised by the happy, bright hazel eyed little girl, with huge wisp's of brown curly hair. Albert, the tortoise shell Siamese cat, would often sniff and smell the lively baby with great interest, a real intense look on his handsome feline face.
He would look at the infant for hours and not move, and other times stroke his regal face alongside her body, often against her delicate tiny head and take great joy at being close to the baby. In return Jamie would scream with delight at the family pet, look really excited when the cat was close, and seem completely mesmerised by it, often staring at the body, completely transfixed by what she was seeing.
Hilary, Jamie's mother, and James would often stare in disbelief at their baby's fondness for the cat. Never before had they seen their pet behave this way. Every feeding time the parents would take turns in waking up during the twilight hours only to find Albert wrapped protectively around their baby, never suffocating, only comforting. It was like the cat had adopted the baby as his own. Always meowing whenever the baby wasn't on site, always wondering where she was.
The loving parents also both noticed some very different behaviors from their daughter too. How, when she looked at either of their faces she would then often look at their stomachs, and point, and often giggle. They did notice that whenever they went out in public she would sometimes cry when looking around, and this wasn't because she was hungry or tired.
Medically she was a very healthy child, yet, at times she would burst into tears and look petrified, a complete look of horror on the infant's face, as if she really had been spooked by something, and neither of them could work out why, causing an anxiety, a unspoken one.
At times, separately and privately, both wondered if the other parent was secretly mistreating the child. However, they reserved those dark thoughts to the far corner of their minds, seeing the sheer joy on each other's faces, feeling guilty that they could even think such a thing in the first place. But then both put these thoughts down to parental protection to their child.
They would often talk for hours trying to work out what was going on with their child. This often went onto the middle of the night such was the extent of their concern, possibilities being explored and often ended with no result. This often led to further frustration and both of them began to feel like they were failing as a parent. Reluctantly, they would take their baby Jamie to the local GP only to be told there was nothing to worry about, probably 'Growing pains', was what they were often told. With a deep sigh & resignation they would return home as equally as confused as when they first stepped out during the day.
Jamie's first words weren't "Mummy or Daddy", or "Cat", it was "Lellow" and "Rrrrred" . As the weeks went by and, Jamie's vocabulary increased, so the clarity of words too, "Aaaah Red", pointing to Hilary's stomach, and "Yell........Ow" not quite forming the full word, yet. Hilary got very concerned when Jamie kept on pointing to her chest and said "Ove" and "Yell......ow" and would often pick her baby up out of concern, only to see her smile and look very happy. Then she would be angry at herself for being paranoid.
Much to Hilary's annoyance she did say 'Al-but' & 'Kkkat'. Her mother would watch her child, giggling to herself, whenever Albert did his daily ritual of spoiling the baby. The annoyance turned to joy when she would see just how Jamie revelled in the pet cat being by her side daily. Despite the baby often pulling on the cat's ear's and tail, never once did the cat turn on the baby, never.
At 23 months old it became very frustrating for both parents that their baby didn't say 'Mommy' or 'Daddy'. She was walking, more often stumbling, but this was in pursuit of the cat and any other object of interest in the house. Cupboard doors would be open, kitchen bowls and plates taken out, sometimes smashed, toy's thrown all over the dark brown living room floor, at times it really was chaos.
As a result of Jamie's lack of verbal attachment to both her parents they both bombarded baby Jamie with their own names, hoping they would be the next words spoken by their different child. Almost in a comical competitive way to see if they could make their baby say 'Mumm' or 'Daddy' first. Despite their repeated attempts the words were never formed.
One day James had come back from a long day at work, he was site manager on a new business park being built a few miles away. A very largely built powerful man, standing at 6"5 he towered above most men. His mere presence created an authoritarian air about him. Yet, he had an easy going manner that many of his colleagues often took as indifference, as a result of the men who worked for him didn't take him seriously enough. Added to that his new job was an increase in pay, but also an increase in responsibility. He often had to ensure all men arrived on time, did their job, ensured materials were delivered, were correct in volume, and all plans were being followed. Never a moment's rest, he worked hard to ensure he could provide for his now young family. Despite being very good at his job he often came home, tired, and drained.
Today was a particularly difficult day as he'd been given a warning from his boss over the conduct of some men who had come to work on the recommendation from James. They didn't work as hard as the other established guys, took a longer lunch and more cigarette breaks. Although he knew he could quite easily throw his weight around and start shouting at his lads, that really wasn't his character. Yet he wasn't prepared to be messed about and confronted the gang of lads who had gotten him into trouble. After assertively speaking with the ring leader James wanted some assurances and promises that things would change. He left work that day feeling a little conflicted, and in a very bad mood, but relieved he had gotten to the bottom of the problem.
As soon as his large frame stepped into the living room Jamie saw him and burst into tears, whereas moment's before she was happily playing with Albert, whilst her mother was singing the latest hit from the Pet Shop Boys, 'West End Girls'. Hilary instantly picked her crying child up, who was now staring at Jame's body, looking petrified. She gave James a begrudging look. Tired after a long day, fed up because he hadn't slept well in weeks he snapped.
"Fuck this, don't blame me for making the baby cry when you've done fuck all all day". Immediately reacting to this Jamie shouted "G......rey, G....rey". and began crying some more and put her head onto Hilary's chest so she wouldn't be looking at her father.
"What you knew about she was fine until you walked through the door", Hilary viciously snapped back, putting a protective hand over her baby's head and shoulders, whilst standing side on to her husband, another form of instinctive maternal protection towards her offspring. Never once being intimidated by Jame's large frame, despite the fact that Hilary was a good 12 inches smaller than her husband.
Jamie began hysterically crying, and shaking, and struggling to set herself free from Hilary's embrace. The pitch of her cries painfully entered their heads, giving an indication of the intolerable pain she was in.
Albert began meowing a deep guttural sound, and standing on his hind legs with his paws reaching towards Jamie.
"Mummy, Daddy", Jamie cried whilst shaking her small head, 'No, Nooooo'.
On this both parents calmed down instantaneously. Shocked, they tried to take in what they just saw, and heard, unbelievable as it was from their young child. They both look at one in total dismay.
Both parents, pleased at being called 'Mummy' & 'Daddy' for the first time, but also hugely concerned because of the context, sat down. They sensed their baby could feel the intensity of their sudden emotions and looked at one another in disbelief, like the child could see the anger between them, could feel it burning, sense the angst and how it created a divide. They were just unsure of the extent of how she experienced this.
At that moment they not only knew what they had already known, their baby was different, they sensed she could 'feel emotions'.
They both sat down, immediately trying to work out what was going on. Albert jumped up onto Hilary's knee and inspected Jamie, purring, soothing the infant with his head. This helped calm her down. Equally, both parents smiled and told their special baby how much they loved her.
With the sudden change of mood, soft soothing words from both parent's, strong purr's from Albert. Jamie looked up and seemed to stare the longest at both their stomachs and chest before she peacefully fell asleep, radiantly smiling.
Unbeknown to both parents Jamie had a very rare form of synaesthesia. Not only was the young infant currently sensitive to sound, she also could see emotion's as colour. This often began in the stomach of the person she was looking at. Then later, young Jamie would become transfixed as she observed the emotions surge around the person's body, face, and limbs.
This was why she got great delight from Albert the Siamese cat who showered her with love. Jamie would see a bright yellow and red emanating from the feline's stomach, then travel right around his body. Whenever he was purring this only accentuate the positive feeling Jamie got from the cat, hence their attachment. To the young infant this was incredible, or terrifying, being acutely sensitive to negative emotions
Feeling safe and calm was of paramount importance to Jamie. Both parents knew this, and worked hard at keeping their child safe, yet they just didn't fully understand why. What they didn't know was she could potentially be in great danger if anyone found out about her unique insights. Equally, unaware they could never anticipate the huge potential Jamie had for her both their lives, and her life.
It all depended on the next few years on how she developed and if her talent could be controlled and kept secret. It all depended if James and Hilary could cultivate her talents without being found out.
Bio : Jamie was born with a unique and rare form of synaesthesia. She doens't develop like most young kids, leaving both parents questioning their own child raising skills. Her parents, Hilary and James, at first struggled to understand their baby. After one eventful evening they get an insight that will begin to change things. But yet there is so much more left to unfold.