— “The woman gave him some special earth, just like what’s on your face right now, and she taught him that sometimes you have to remind yourself that you’re brave, that you’re strong, and that you deserve to see beautiful things.”
Sam continued the story for another ten minutes, describing how the boy in the story rediscovered the colors one by one, starting with the colors in his own heart. When he finished, he washed his hands in the small decorative fountain in the garden and returned to Matthew.
— “How do you feel now?”
— “Good. A little sleepy, but good.”
Sam carefully wiped the clay from Matthew’s face with a warm, damp cloth Karen had provided.
— “Open your eyes slowly,” Sam said softly.
Matthew opened his eyes. For a moment, no one said a word. He blinked a few times, turning his head slightly.
— “Matthew,” Andrew asked, his heart pounding, “how do you feel?”
— “I… I don’t know,” Matthew hesitated. “I think… I think I see some shadows. Or maybe it’s just my imagination?”
Sam nodded, as if this was exactly what he expected.
— “Shadows are the start. It means the part of you that was hiding is starting to peek out.”
Andrew and Karen exchanged a look. It was hard to tell if Matthew was actually seeing something or if it was just the power of suggestion.
— “Sam,” Karen said, “could I talk to you privately for a moment?”
— “Sure, Mrs. Walker.”
Later that afternoon, while Matthew was resting, Karen called Sam into Andrew’s home office.
— “Sam, I need to understand what’s going on here.”
Sam sat in the large leather chair across from Andrew’s desk, his feet barely touching the floor.
— “What do you want to know?”
— “First, how exactly did you learn to do this?”
— “My grandmother took me with her when she went to help people, ever since I was little. She said I had a way of knowing where the hurt was.”
— “And she taught you those stories, too?”
— “Some she taught me, some I make up, but they’re all based on what she told me about how people get sick on the inside.”
Karen looked at Andrew.
— “Sick on the inside?”
— “Grandma said sometimes the body gets sick because the soul is wounded. Healing the soul sometimes heals the body.”
— “Sam,” Andrew leaned forward. “What exactly do you think happened to Matthew?”
Sam paused, choosing his words carefully.
— “Can I ask how the accident happened?”
Andrew and Karen looked at each other. It was a topic they avoided, especially around Matthew.
— “We were driving home from a trip,” Andrew began. “It was raining hard, the road was slick, and the car flipped. Matthew… he didn’t even lose consciousness. He was trapped in the car for nearly two hours before the paramedics could get him out.”
— “And you guys?”
