“Yes!” I said. “We’ll work all night to solve this case!”
Nora gave me a kiss and ran out of the room. Mrs. Levi and Sal followed and I heard the door slam closed as they left the building. I got up from my chair and was so excited, I didn’t know which way to run. I stopped and closed my eyes to think.
“Charts!” I said. “Yes, I will use my charts to make a visual list of everything I must do to solve this case!”
I ran into my new office to make a chart. I opened my boxes, looking for my paper and geometrical instruments. I looked into a small box, covered in packing tape, and found a photo of my granddad. The sight of his familiar, smiling face made me stop what I was doing. I examined his features: the wide smile, the small, unshaven chin, the kindly eyes, the gray fedora. Every feature of his face brought back memories of my childhood; they brought back memories of every kind word he’d given me and everything he’d done to support me and help me through life. He always told me I could do anything, and finally, I believed him.
“Thank you for believing in me, Granddad,” I said.
I felt moisture forming in my eyes and I wiped away my tears with the sleeve of my trench coat. I put the photo in a nearby picture frame and positioned it on my desk.
“Now you can continue to inspire me, Granddad,” I said.
I found some paper and geometric instruments at the bottom of the box and sat down at my desk to trace some perfect circles on the paper. As I considered the predictable perfection of the circle, I found myself delighting in its beauty. Some things were indescribably beautiful. Like this circle; like this moment in time where everything was as I had hoped it would be and life was perfect. This moment was perfect, like a circle.
The circle was beautiful for obvious mathematical reasons. Because it was a perfect circle, with perfect degrees and balanced symmetry. But if there were mathematical reasons why this moment of my life was perfect, I couldn’t identify them.
“Everything can be summed up into an equation,” I said.
I wondered if there were any mathematical reasons that could explain why this moment was perfect, or why George Bellow’s paintings looked perfect, or why Nora’s hair felt perfect against my hand. But I couldn’t identify any pattern or formula that could even begin to explain the beauty of these things.
“Maybe I’ll discover that equation someday,” I said. “Then I can make an invention that can fill my life with perfect moments. But, I’ll stop thinking about it. I don’t want to do anything right now, except to enjoy this perfect moment.”
I savored the scent of New York City and the calming light of the moon. I looked at the photo of my granddad and smiled. I continued making my chart and observed, with keen delight, the perfect arc of my compass as it spun around the diameter to bring together the two ends of a perfect circle.
of related interest
Haze
Kathy Hoopmann
ISBN 978 1 84310 072 0
eISBN 978 1 84642 405 2
Seb is a loner. Brilliant with numbers but hopeless with people, he prefers the company of computers and his only friend, Guzzle. Things change for the better when he makes friends with Kristie, Madeline and Jen, and a new computer teacher - Miss Adonia - arrives. However, Seb is soon caught up in a web of computer fraud and lies and turns to Madeline’s mysterious cyber friend for help.
Weaving the facts of Asperger Syndrome into the story, this fast-paced book is acclaimed author Kathy Hoopmann’s best novel yet and will be a riveting read for teenagers of all sorts and abilities.
Blue Bottle Mystery
An Asperger Adventure
Kathy Hoopmann
ISBN 978 1 85302 978 3
eISBN 978 1 84642 169 3
Part of the Asperger Adventures series
This is a warm, fun-filled fantasy story for children with a difference: the hero is Ben, a boy with Asperger Syndrome. When Ben and his friend Andy find an old bottle in the school yard, they little realize the surprises about to be unleashed in their lives. Bound up with this exciting mystery is the story of how Ben is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and how he and his family deal with the problems and joys that come along.
Blue Bottle Mystery is a delight to read that is more than just another kid’s book. For the first time, the issues and frustrations that a child may have with Asperger Syndrome are explored within a fictional format especially for children. Its portrayal of Ben as the central character offers other children with autistic spectrum disorders and their peers a positive role model. It is a valuable teaching tool that demystifies children with Asperger Syndrome, justifying their individuality as valid and interesting.
In Blue Bottle Mystery Kathy Hoopmann has combined her love of children with her passion for fantasy literature to produce a delightful read for anyone who loves an adventure and wants a unique insight into the mind of an Asperger child.
Lisa and the Lacemaker
An Asperger Adventure
Kathy Hoopmann
ISBN 978 1 84310 071 3
eISBN 978 1 84642 354 3
Part of the Asperger Adventures series
When Lisa discovers a derelict hut in her friend Ben’s backyard, she delights in exploring the remnants of an era long gone. Imagine her surprise when Great Aunt Hannah moves into a nursing home nearby, and reveals that once she was a servant in those very rooms. The old lady draws Lisa into the art of lace making and through the criss-crossing of threads, Lisa is helped to understand her own Asperger Syndrome. But Great Aunt Hannah also has a secret and now it is up to Lisa to confront the mysterious Lacemaker and put the past to rest.
Of Mice and Aliens
An Asperger Adventure
Kathy Hoopmann
ISBN 978 1 84310 007 2
eISBN 978 0 85700 179 5
Part of the Asperger Adventures series
The sequel to Blue Bottle Mystery, this is a science fiction novel for kids, with a difference. Ben is learning to cope with his newly diagnosed Asperger Syndrome, but when an alien crash-lands in his back yard, things really get complicated. The alien, Zeke, knows nothing about Earth’s rules and norms and it is up to Ben and his friend Andy to help Zeke survive. The humorous parallels between the alien’s inability to relate to humans and Ben’s own idiosyncrasies highlight the difficulties Aspie kids face every day.
Of Mice and Aliens is not just another kids’ book. As well as being a delightful read for anyone who loves adventure, it is a valuable teaching tool that demystifies children with Asperger’s, justifying their individuality as valid and interesting.
Alexei Maxim Russell, Trueman Bradley - Aspie Detective
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