Elea walked into the clinic and stopped. A woman she had never seen before sat at a small table. The door clicked shut behind her.
She stepped back, hiding behind her mother's legs. She pulled her coat over her shoulder, peeking out. The room smelled like crayons and warm playdough.
The woman stood up slowly and held out a bright blue balloon. 'Hi, I'm your Occupational Therapist,' she said. She smiled gently. Elea squeezed her eyes shut and whispered, 'I don't know you.'
The balloon slipped from her hand and bounced once on the carpet. Boing. The occupational therapist slowly lowered her arm. Elea kept her eyes closed.
She sat cross-legged on the carpet and picked up a lump of green playdough. She squished it flat with her palm. Squish. Elea peeked out from behind her mother's coat.
She rolled the dough into a long snake and held it up. Elea's fingers uncurled from her coat, reaching out. A small smile touched her lips.
She stepped forward one tiny step. Then another. She reached out and touched the green playdough. It was soft and cool. She let out a breath.
She rolled another piece into a ball and tossed it gently toward Elea. Elea caught it with both hands and let out a small laugh. The ball bounced away and hit the shelf with a soft thunk.
The ball rolled under the shelf. The occupational therapist reached behind it and pulled out a tiny toy truck. Vroom! She drove it right up to Elea's shoe.
She drove the truck up to Elea's shoe. Elea giggled and hopped back, then giggled again. The occupational therapist pushed the truck in a big circle around Elea's feet. The rubber wheels squeaked against the carpet.
She sat down on the carpet next to the occupational therapist. She squished her playdough flat and the therapist squished hers too. Squish, squish. They worked in comfortable silence.
'My turn,' the occupational therapist says, rolling the green dough into a snake. Elea watches the shape form, then carefully presses her own dough into a circle. The therapist smiles. 'Nice circle,' she says. Elea nods once and keeps pressing.