Kathy Hoopmann - Of Mice and Aliens: An Asperger Adventure

As from the house your mother sees

You playing round the garden trees,

So you may see, if you will look

Through the windows of this book,

Another child, far, far away,

And in another garden play.

But do not think you can at all,

By knocking on the window call

That child to hear you. He intent

Is all on his play-business bent.

He does not hear; he will not look,

Nor yet be lured out of this book.

from A Childs Garden of Verses,
Robert Louis Stevenson,
1885

Useful addresses

If you want to find out more about Asperger Syndrome, these organisations are a good place to start:

Autism Association Queensland Inc.

The Executive Director

PO Box 363,

Sunnybank QLD 4109

Australia

Email: mailbox@autismqld.asn.au

Tel: 617 3273 0000

Aspergers Syndrome Support Network
(Queensland) Inc.

PO Box 123

Lawnton QLD 4501

Australia

Email: revans@powerup.com.au

Tel: 617 3285 7001

The National Autistic Society

393 City Road

London EC1V 1NE

Tel: 020 7833 2299

Autism Society of America Inc.

7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 650

Bethesda

MD 208143015

USA

Tel: 301 657 0881

Autism Society of Canada

129 Yorkville Avenue, Suite 202

Toronto

Ontario M5R 1C4

Canada

Tel: 416 922 0302

The ASPEN (Asperger Syndrome Education Network) Society of America Inc.

PO Box 2577

Jacksonville

FL 322032577

USA

Tel: 904 745 6741

Aspergers Syndrome Support Network

c/o VACCA

PO Box 235

Ashburton

Victoria 3147

Australia

Autistic Association of New Zealand

PO Box 7305

Sydenham

Christchurch

New Zealand

Tel: 03 332 1038

Websites

National Autistic Society

http://www.oneworld.org/autism_uk/index.html

OASIS (Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support)

http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/

The Centre for the Study of Autism

http://www.autism.org

Aspergers Disorder Homepage

http://www.aspergers.com

Chapter 1

Dreams

B en sat up with a start. Hed been dreaming. He looked at the clock. 8.01 a.m. So late. Sue, his stepmother, must have gone to school without him. She said she might, last night when he felt sick. Ben lay back in bed, feeling terrible. His head throbbed and the sun shining through the window hurt his eyes. The dream had seemed so realof flying through space, trying to escape fromhe forgot what. For now he was safe. At home. In bed. Relaxing a little, he snuggled under the blankets.

Ben? Are you awake? Bens dad came in and sat on the edge of the bed. Sue told me you werent well last night.

My head aches, Ben said.

Thats no good, said Dad. You cant go to school then. Grandma will stay with you.

OK. Ben liked being with Grandma.

Sorry Ive got to rush, but Im late for work. Dad reached over and gave Ben a hug goodbye. Dads green shirt had Jack Jones for Jobs neatly stitched in white on the pocket. Ben breathed in the faint scents of sweat, oil and cut grass that even the washing machine did not take away. He loved those smells.

Hope you feel better soon. Sues going to ring at lunch to see how you are, added Dad as he left the room.

Ben lay back thinking of Sue. Bens real mum died when he was young. He first knew Sue as Miss Browning-Lever when she was his teacher at his school. Then she married Dad and they became a family. It was nice to have her around all the time, and Dad was the happiest Ben had ever known him. Sometimes, when he wasnt thinking, Ben even called Sue Mum.

Grandma soon came in carrying her new laptop computer. My poor little man, she said, giving Ben a kiss on the cheek. Its no fun feeling sick, is it?

No.

Should I ring Andys mum and cancel this afternoon?

Andy was Bens best friend and he stayed at Bens house every Thursday after school and on Saturday mornings while his mother went to work.

Ill be better then, Ben said. He wanted it to be true. He had fun with Andy.

Grandma held up her laptop. Are you too sick to give me some help with a problem I have with my computer?

No. Bens eyes lit up. He loved computers. Hed never be too sick to play on one. I cant get my emails to come up, Grandma said, opening the case and plugging the cord into the wall. Your dad set this up for me, but now I cant get it to work.

Ben looked at her in surprise. Its not connected, Grandma.

But I just plugged it in.

It needs the telephone connection, Ben laughed. Come into the lounge and Ill show you. It took only moments for Ben to set up the computer and Grandmas emails quietly dinged as they came up on the screen.

Ill never get used to these things, Grandma complained. My old brain isnt made for new fangled inventions.

Mine is, Ben said proudly. Asperger brains are made for computers. Ben had only known that he had Asperger Syndrome for a couple of months, but he was proud of the things he could do. Having Aspergers made it hard to understand what other people think and feel, but bytes and microchips were easy for him.

Grandma chuckled, Well Im lucky you are here.

Youve got an email, Grandma. From New Science Digest. How come?

If you really must know, Im doing an assignment for university.

University? But youre too old!

I might be old, but Im not too old. Its never too late to learn. My assignment is about the possibility of life on other planets, and your dad helped me email the New Science Digest for some information.

But there is life on other planets, Grandma. Star Trek visits them all the time.

Grandma looked at Ben to see if he was joking.

Ben, she said, Star Trek is a TV show. Its not real.

I know. Im not silly, Grandma. Its not real yet. But its all going to happen one day.

Grandma cleared her throat. Its still just a TV show. Its quite possible there is no life in space at all. Now, Ben, Ive got to work on my assignment and you should go back to bed.

But Grandma started Ben.

Ben, Grandma interrupted, I know you can talk about space for hours on end, but I have some work to do and you are supposed to be sick. Thank you for helping me, but now you really must go.

Ben sighed in frustration. But he didnt argue. His head was thumping and he knew Grandma was right. He went to his room and lay down.

He did not see a brilliant flash of white light streak across the morning sky.

He did not watch it disappear into the trees at the bottom of the garden.

He did not know his life was about to change.

Chapter 2

Like Nothing
on Earth

W hen Ben woke up again, he glanced at the clock. 11.24 a.m. Hed been asleep over three hours! In the middle of the day! He must be sick. Grandma came in and felt his forehead.

I heard you stir, she said. Are you OK?

I didnt stir anything, Ben said with a frown.

I mean, I heard you moving around. How do you feel?

Better. It was true. His headache had gone.

Want some lunch?

OK, said Ben.

Ben lazed around the rest of the day, watching TV and playing his favourite computer game, Zarin and the Brain. When the doorbell rang that afternoon, Ben raced to answer it and saw Andy through the side window. Andy was the tallest kid in the school and the skinniest. He was even taller than their teacher, Miss Peters. He looked like a friendly stork and was the captain of the basketball team. They had been best friends since preschool days and always managed to have fun when they were together.