Mind Tricks

Our son recently spent a few days in the hospital. Although he was not on much pain medicine during his stay, he did some really funny things. There was an unusual painting in his room of some flowers. It was mostly silver with some abstract border. When I first came in to relieve Wendy for a few hours, Ashton told me the painting changes colors. Later he told me that a piece fell off. Several times he told me that it had changed again. I think the most interesting time was when he said that the Bionicle had pulled out his sword.

Ashton mentioned the changing picture to several of the nurses as well. The next day when I came into the hospital room, Wendy told me that Ashton had been telling her and the nurses all about the magically changing picture. Ashton started telling Zachary all about the changing picture, so Zachary had to stare at it also. Zachary kept saying, "When does it change?" I finally took him outside the room and explained to him that pain and pain meds will sometimes cause people to hallucinate, but that he was not to say anything to Ashton about it.

I am sure that Ashton will insist that he was not hallucinating and that the painting actually changed.

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