Pilots In Thin Air - A day in the life of an autistic boy

I'm outside.....running.I can feel the cool grass under my bare feet. Daddy is chasing me. He's making noises like the dog next door. I'm laughing. He's chasing. The world goes by like a blur as I wildly navigate around the backyard, running away from daddy, the barking dog. Laughing so hard now I can hardly get away, but I don't want to. I want daddy to catch me, wrestle me to the ground, growling and barking and tickling me. I'm going to pee myself. Uh oh, I'm laughing so hard and trying to catch my breath. I'm really going to pee my pants. Then from far away there's this noise. I still want to play but there's this sound. What ? Me ? Someone is calling my name. No,no, I'm stillrunning. Don't stop me. Oh no, I'm waking up. It's mommy calling my name. She's saying, " come on, get up Honey, go to the bathroom, school today ". I was dreaming. I don't want to stop. I'm caught between my two worlds. But now i really have to pee. I rub the sleep from my eyes and bump off the walls in the hallway. They hold me up like giants as I make my way to the bowl. I'm peeing but my eyes are closed. I'm thinking of the cool grass, daddy barking,chasing me. I giggle. I'm still back there in that other world. Don't wake me. Leave me be. I don't care about school or breakfast.....mom. I want daddy to catch me and tickle me.

I'm at the table but I don't want to eat. I'd rather find my sword and get back to my ship. My ceral is floating in the sea where my ship lies moored. In my bowl floats the colors of my pirates' flags. So many buccaneers, but I'm the boss. I have the hat and sword. Hey ! Where is my sword ? I'm digging through my toy chest. Where is it ? Under the bed ? No, check the closet. Ah, my pirate hat, good start. Ok,Ok...mom, I'll get dressed. I tell her that but I'm a pirate and I have to find my sword. Good, almost there, found the sword belt. Over my underwear. Yes ! Yes ! I found it. The sword slides into the scabbard. Now, out to the livingroom where I can fight off those pirates that look like plants. Ah laddy, an enemy. Withdraw the sword from me sheath and whack thy sister as she goes by. Good one. But she yells and in a second I'm in trouble. Yep, mom comes after me but I'm a nimble thief. She can't get her hands on me as I'm quick to avoid the clutch of doom. Around the coffee table, across the couch, back and forth. I'm heading for clear waters, then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a huge hand grasps my arm. Oh no ! I'm caught, a captured pirate in his prime. I told you to get dressed for school, put your sword and hat into the chest. Let's go ! We don't have time. But...I have my priorities. I am the boss of the pirates.

Now I'm dressed, jacket on, bookbag hanging on my back. I can feel the moist droplets of water touch my face as the waves of morning fog roll over me. Daddy holds my hand as we wait for the yellow bus. But for me, it's not a bus, but a yellow plane that takes me to strange places. But I don't want to go. I want to take off this bookbag, go back into my room,rid myself of these these clothes. I like my dinosaur underwear, nothing else but my sword, hat and underwear. I can feel a tear well in my eye as I see the jumbo jet making its' way to the corner. Dad stands there with me at the bus stop. He's already talking,saying what ? Yea, I know, it'll be O.K. I'll have a good day, but I don't want to go.He bends down to look at me and wipe the morning tears from my eyes. Come on Buddy. It's O.K. You'll have fun in school today. Besides, I put a surprise in your lunchbox today. The big yellow plane comes to a rumbling stop. Daddy helps me up the big stairs. Hi ! To the driver, down the plank landlubber to my regular seat. Immediately I'm looking out the window. Yep, there's daddy waving to me. He's so close, but I can't touch him. Just a little closer daddy, little closer to the window. If only I could open this window, I could touch daddy's big hand once more before liftoff. We're not allowed to open the windows. I've already been in trouble for trying. I feel tears again in my eyes. Daddy is becoming blurry but I know he is waving and I'm waving back but my arm is heavy. Not really a wave, my arm just flops back and forth in the direction of my blurry daddy. Suddenly we lurch forward. We're taking off. I look up at the back of the driver's head. He's looking back at me in that big mirror. I wonder why he's looking at me. Am I in trouble again ? Then I remember to get back to the window, another glance at daddy from the window. I can't see him. We're two houses away but I wave with all my might anyway. We're moving along now, off to my special island. We stop many times and pick up the others. I look around in silence at familiar faces, all in their designated seats heading off to that distant place. Some of us have tears in our eyes. Others are playing with a little toy they hid in their coat pocket. Some just sit and stare. But I'm the swashbuckling pirate. I'm their boss. I'm the captain of this jmbo jet. Me and my buddies, we're just pilots in thin air.



This is dedicated to my nephew, my brother, his wife and daugher and all other parents of autistic children.