by Mark Ferdinand
"With the sleight of hand of a Vegas magician he had slipped open the deadbolt to its open position as he made his way through the door. This causes a sound that is quite jarring at the dawn of a frantic Monday morning where good moods are in short supply. For him, however, all is right in the world as he giggles with satisfaction.
This routine was milked for all it was worth and on all three exterior doors of the house that have deadbolts. Even the side door to the garage gave him many opportunities, as this leads to the laundry. With distractions of laundry tasks and full hands, there was ample opportunity for him to make his move before the machine was turned on and it’s time to return inside and close the door.
Throughout the sorting, loading and unloading, one simply gets lost in their mundane work. Once the task is done, one is simply planning to catch some recliner time along perhaps with some clothes folding by the TV mixed in. This is the only thought as you use your two free fingers to forcefully pull the door shut behind you and- THUNK!
He could be far away on the other side of the house, but the victim can easily hear him giggling. His plan worked and he revels in the payoff. This was all he needed to accomplish that day, not reading, not comprehension, not the mastering of any life skill that his parents fretted about."
Mark Ferdinand lives on the South Texas coast with his wife, daughter and son. Fishing the surf, hunting, gardening, carving, auto and home repair occupy his spare time. He has written on the topic of autism spectrum disorder from a father's perspective in parenting articles and in other non-fiction venues.
Having limited typical communication skills, his son introduced Mark to new ways of interpreting his needs and aspirations. As his son grew older Mark became fascinated by the story potential within these amazing children. This prompted the creation of a dynamic adventure story focusing on a character with autism.