I Feel the Earth, Move, Under my Feet

I leaned back against the cool doorframe. The tension in my shoulders dissolved a little as I kneaded my back muscles ever so slightly against the wood. It must be a full moon I thought to myself. There was noise, lots of noise, and movement. That quick darting movement you see in your peripheral vision that triggers the flight or fight instinct. All the cots were full and the last wave of kids just could not stop squirming. They jabbered to one another incessantly. I was convinced that I contracted the first ever case of motion sickness from a room full of kids. I would have to check the internet when I got back to my desk to see if that is possible.

I was still leaning dreamily against the doorframe when the chatter of a child broke the silence. Through half opened eyes I saw the pair coming from the other end of the long corridor. Kindergarteners I judged. Two boys, one held a hand to his stomach. They reached my office door.

“Hi nurse. This is Asher. Asher gots a stomach hurt. But he won’t tell me why. I think sometin he ate maybe. I’m Jesse. I’m his buddy to walk hims to the nurse.”

Yep, I made a mental note to check the phase of the moon once I finished with these two. “Ok boys. Come on in to the office.” I said leading the way to first cot. Asher immediately laid down while Jesse stood beside me with his hands planted firmly on his hips in appraisal of the situation.

“Asher, what did you eat for breakfast this morning?” I asked. “Did you eat breakfast?”

Asher looked thoughtful for a moment and opened his mouth to answer.

“I don’t eat a lot of stuff, only some apples, blanas and nutchos.” The words did not come out of Asher’s mouth. Beside the motion sickness was I now hallucinating?

“I don’t like my Mom’s stuff. She makes soup with sauce and peanut butter.” The disembodied voice continued. Asher’s mouth was now closed but his eyes directed my attention to my left.

“If she makes sauce with peanut butter and jelly it’s good!” Relief, it was not hallucinations! Jesse continued his food network narration nonstop. “I had butter on ice cream once. It tastes gross. I just like ice cream with jelly on it, the purple jelly like everyone gots. I like peas, and corn, and sauce, and peanut butter on it.”

Finally Jesse took a long breath and looked up at me. A small bead of sweat trickled down his left temple. “I don’t like to talk a lot, it makes my head hot.”

By this time Asher was up and around. I saw them to the door and leaned back against the doorframe as they headed down the hall. With my eyes half shut again I suddenly felt the floor lurch to the right. I opened my eyes. Earthquake? No, the two boys were still walking calmly back to class. I decided this will definitely be the first documented case of motion sickness brought on by long periods of exposure to chatty kids.