Selene Learning
407 Words
Selene
The hospital buzzes with the overwhelming energy of pain and suffering. My head feels like it’s about to explode as the emotions flood my senses. The pain is deafening, almost like a scream in my mind.
“I… I can’t do this, Layton,” I stammer, clutching my head as tears sting my eyes. “It’s too much. It feels like their pain is in my brain, not the other way around.”
“You’re in control,” Layton’s voice is calm but steady, an anchor in the storm of emotions battering me. “Find a memory, something that grounds you. A happy place. You need to remember this isn’t your pain; it’s theirs. You’re here to help them.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, searching for something to hold onto. I picture a time when my sisters and I camped in the backyard with our dad. He had always been so at peace in nature, teaching us to love it too. Then, I shift the memory to my mother’s face, her beautiful smile calming me.
“Focus,” Layton says. “You’re not absorbing their pain; you’re transforming it. Turn it into something calm. Something peaceful.”
I nod, the memory of my mom holding me steady as I step toward a woman in labor. Her screams echo in my head, but I force myself to breathe through it. Tentatively, I place a hand on her arm, squeezing my eyes shut as I try to ease her pain.
For a moment, nothing happens, and panic swells in my chest. But then, the screams go silent. I open my eyes slowly, watching as the woman breathes deeply, a look of relief on her face.
“Wow, my pain is easing,” she says, bewildered. “Did you give me the epidural already?”
“No, ma’am, not yet,” the doctor responds, just as surprised.
“Hold off on it,” she says. “I think I can handle this.”
“I did it, Layton!” I squeal, barely able to contain my excitement.
He smiles softly. “You did well, but remember, this is only the beginning. That was one person. Next, I want you to try controlling the emotions of a crowd.”
I swallow nervously, glancing at the busy hospital. “Without touching them?”
Layton nods. “Yes. Remember to ground yourself. You control the emotions; they don’t control you.”
- Writer
