The Gift of Comfort

Tisha's mother stepped out of the cabin and, with weary feet, walked down the hospital corridor toward the waiting room. Soon the sun would rise and light up the outside, but her heart would never sparkle with light again. Every night she sat by Tisha's side and looked at her face. For the past three months, she has sat by Tisha's side, hoping that one day her daughter will open her eyes and look at her. But Tisha hasn't opened her eyes. She probably never will—just lying there in silence, quietly fading away one day.

Tisha's mother opened the waiting room door and stepped inside. On a large sofa, a woman was sitting sideways. Her son had been injured in a car accident yesterday and brought here. Hugging a small child to her chest, another young mother sat up straight. Her husband would probably die today.

Tisha's mother sat on a sofa in a corner of the room. She rested her head on her hands and closed her eyes. Over the last three months, she had slowly discovered how long a person could live on so little sleep and so little food.

In the 11th-number ICU's cabin, Tisha slowly opened her eyes. “Where am I now?” That thought crossed her mind. “In my room, there's a bookshelf by my feet. There's no shelf here, so does that mean I'm somewhere else?”

Tisha closed her eyes again. “I sleep with the lights off at night. The lights are on here. A television by my head! Why is there a television in my room? Where am I now?" Tisha opened her eyes again. As she tried to move a little, she felt a kind of stiffness in her body; something was pulling somewhere, and immediately an alarm started ringing somewhere far away. Tisha was a little surprised. ”Why is the alarm ringing?"

Almost immediately, a woman entered the room. The woman wore a nurse's cap and, leaning over Tisha's face, said, “Honey, are you awake?”

Tisha looks at the woman's face. She looks like their school nurse, Mrs. Smith, but it isn't her. Tisha asks, “Where am I?”

“You're in a very good place, honey.”

“Is something wrong with me?”

“You went through a lot.”

“When?”

“Honey, now you've put all our minds at ease.”

Tisha noticed with surprise that as soon as she spoke a word or two, a strange kind of fatigue was overtaking her. Why was she so weak? She whispered, “Where are my mom and dad?”

“Wait here for a second; I'll go get your mom. Don't you fall asleep again!”

“No,” Tisha said. “I won't sleep.”

The nurse opened the waiting room door and peeked inside. In a corner, Tisha's mom was sitting with her eyes closed, her head resting on her hands. It was hard to tell if she was sleeping or just resting. The nurse went over and called in a low voice, “Mrs. Ahemd.”

Immediately, her mother opened her eyes. The nurse placed a hand on her shoulder and said softly, “Your daughter is awake and waiting for you.”

Tisha's mother's face suggested she hadn't understood the words, but her whole body began to shake. Very slowly, she stood up, and suddenly she looked as if all the strength had drained from her body. As she, holding the nurse's arm, was leaving the waiting room, the woman sitting with her child in her arms said, “Hey, listen here.”

Tisha's mother turned to look at her. The woman laid her sleeping baby on the sofa and said, “You can't go to your daughter like that. After being in a coma for three months and waking up to see you like that, your daughter will go back into a coma.”

Tisha's mother stared at the woman in surprise. The woman said, “You look like you haven't been in front of a mirror in these three months. You're a beautiful woman; you have no idea what you've done to your face! Wait, you fix your hair and put on some lipstick. You need dark shadow—mine will do!” Now put on the lipstick; don't be afraid. I don't have any contagious diseases."

The woman fixed Tisha's mother's hair and put lipstick on her lips and put powder on her face and then threw her arms around her chest and burst into tears.

Tisha looked at her mom and said, “Mom, what's wrong with you? Why have you become so thin and weak?”

Mom said, “Nothing's wrong with me, sweetie. I'm perfectly fine. At this moment, there's no one in the whole world better than me.”

“What's wrong with me, Mom? Why am I in the hospital?”

“It's a long story, sweetie. I'll tell you.”

“What day is it, Mom? I have a report on the Maya civilization due on Thursday.”

Mom laughed. “You'll have plenty of time to write your report, sweetie. I don't even know what day it is!”

In the evening, Tisha saw herself on the local news on television in her room. The local correspondent said, “Last January 24, Tisha Ahemd, a student at County Junior School, fell into the icy cold water of Sasquan Lake after breaking through the ice. Her pet dog, Tweetie, rescued Tisha Ahmed’s body from beneath the ice. By then, her body had been affected by hypothermia. As the necessary blood was not circulating to her brain, she fell into a coma. Proving all the fears of medical science unfounded, she woke up today. Doctors believe that it was because her body was affected by hypothermia that her brain was not damaged despite the necessary blood not circulating to it.

The news of Tisha Ahemd regaining consciousness brought immense joy among the students of her school."

Tisha then saw the boys and girls from her school. Everyone was raising both hands and shouting with joy. Tisha also saw John. Using sign language, he said, "We love you, Tisha."

After the news ended, Tisha held Amma’s hand and said, “How is Tweetie, Mom?"

Mom did not give any answer. Then Tisha’s voice trembled, "How is Tweetie?"

Mom placed her hand on Tisha’s head and whispered, "She must be very well, dear. Tweetie has gone to the place where everyone is very well after saving you."

Tisha covered her face with both hands and sat silently.

If a person lies in bed in the same position for a full three months, many things in their body temporarily become immobile, and their body cannot suddenly be made functional again. So Tisha was not discharged from the hospital right away.

Although she was allowed to read a little while lying in the hospital bed, most of the time she had to pass the time watching television. Through television she learned about many events around the world, but the news that amazed her the most was about a new creature created through genetic engineering as a pet, whose name was Animan.

When she was unconscious, the first press conference about the discovery of this little creature had taken place. All over the world there was a huge uproar about it; newspapers and magazines published articles demanding that human babies should not be sold as pets like dogs and cats, there were discussions on television, and fierce arguments broke out on the internet.

The company that had created it claimed that it was not a human baby at all, but an artificial creature created through genetic engineering. It had not been born in a mother's womb; it had been created in a laboratory bioscell. Scientists conducted research and agreed with this. Psychologists studied the creature and said that its intelligence was equal to that of mammalian animals such as dogs and cats. So if someone could buy and sell dogs and cats as pets, what was wrong with buying and selling this?

In the end, the matter was discussed in Congress, and after a lengthy hearing, permission was granted to sell the creature called Animan. It became an impossibly popular pet overnight. Every family in America now wants an Animan.

Tisha, of course, can understand why. How could anyone not love a creature with such a sweet face, somewhat like a human baby yet not a human child, with big, enchanting eyes, soft fur covering its body, and an almost childlike, mischievous smile on its face?

Everyone who has bought an Eniman is full of praise for it. It is very sweet-natured. It is calm and clean. Its needs are very few; there are no problems with the bathroom. It is very cheerful, and in any home that has an Animan, despair or sadness has decreased overnight.

That night when Tisha's father came to see her, Tisha said, "Dad, will you buy me an Animan?"

Dad hugged Tisha and said, "Why only an Animan? If you want, I will even buy you a tiger."

Tisha giggled and said, "No, Dad, I don't need a tiger. An Animan will be enough."

Dad said, "Animans are in very high demand now, so you can't get one just by asking; you have to book one. After placing the booking, you have to wait at least six weeks. I'll place the booking today; it will arrive within six weeks."

Mom said, "Do you remember how much I objected when you first wanted to keep a dog?"

Tisha nodded. "I remember."

It was a good thing I let you keep one; that's why you're still alive."

Tisha said in a low voice, "I can't forget Tweetie, Mom!"

Mom said, "Neither can we."

Dad said, "When the Animan arrives, maybe you'll be able to forget a little then."

Tisha said, "But for that, I'll have to wait six weeks."

Mom said, "Six weeks will pass before you know it."

However, she did not have to wait six weeks; she got an Animan before that.

Three weeks after regaining consciousness, Tisha was given permission to go home. Although she is able to stand on her own feet again and walk without anyone’s help, she was still discharged from the hospital sitting in a wheelchair. Just as she was being discharged from the hospital, a few boys and girls from her school came to see her. Before going home, she has to stop by their school, where everyone has arranged a huge event to welcome her.

As they approached the school, Tisha’s dad and mom saw that there really was a huge arrangement. A gate had been made with balloons at the entrance to the school. On top of the gate was a huge banner with a smiling picture of Tisha, and in large letters it read, 'Love for Tisha.'

A scuffle broke out among the students over who would push Tisha while she sat in the wheelchair. In the end, the opportunity was given to a boy named John. The boy cannot hear and speaks in sign language. Tisha's dad and mom had already heard Tisha mention John several times. In Tisha’s words, John is a genius at computers.

As soon as Tisha was brought into the school corridor, the sound of drums began. Along with the drums, the boys and girls could be heard shouting. Tisha was taken to the school auditorium in the wheelchair. A few chairs had been placed on the stage, but no one was sitting there yet. All the boys and girls in the auditorium were sitting and shouting. When Tisha was pushed onto the stage in the wheelchair, the shouting of the boys and girls became so loud that it seemed as though the roof of the auditorium might collapse.

The school principal Mrs. Sastik and Tisha's class teacher Mrs. Ramji stepped onto the stage, waved their hands, and tried to stop the children. The children kept screaming, so Mrs. Sastik then took the microphone and said, "Everyone, calm down! Tisha has just been discharged from the hospital; don't make her sick again by screaming!"

The children became a little calmer then, and Mrs. Sastik said, "You all know that our Tisha had fallen into a crack in the ice on Sasquan Lake. Why that crack formed on the lake is still a mystery. Geologists are trying to figure it out, and it is believed that it happened because of an earthquake. Anyway, Tisha had sunk into that freezing water; a person cannot survive for more than one or two minutes without breathing. Tisha had been submerged in that water for about 27 minutes; there was no way she should have survived, but as you can all see, Tisha is not only alive, she is sitting here in front of us.”

Mrs. Sastik said, "If the brain does not receive oxygen for this long, the brain gets damaged, but we all know the team of doctors at the hospital reported that Tisha's brain is completely fine."

A chubby boy shouted, "We want to test Tisha's brain function. Tisha, tell us how much five and five are."

Tisha smiled and said, "212!"

Everyone cried out in laughter!

Mrs. Sastik also smiled and said, "We just tested Tisha's brain; you have all seen that it is not only fine, but it is now working in overdrive mode. Anyway, we brought Tisha to our school today for a little while because we all want to tell her, "We love you, Tisha!"

Everyone shouted, "We love you, Tisha."

Tisha’s mother, sitting in the audience, wiped her eyes.

This time Tisha’s class teacher, Mrs. Ramji, took the microphone in her hand, a plump, cheerful woman; adjusted her glasses; and said, "We have brought Tisha here for two reasons. Everyone knows the first reason. She is the luckiest girl in the whole world. There is practically no one in the whole world who has survived such certain death. So we want to take Tisha around our school as soon as possible so that a little bit of Tisha's good fortune spreads throughout our school and that good fortune touches you too, and you also get good grades without studying!"

Everyone burst out laughing at Mrs. Ramji's words.

Mrs. Ramji waited until the sound of laughter died down, then, changing her tone of voice, she said, "⁣Surely you know that Tisha had a pet dog, and that dog saved Tisha by giving its own life. We will all remember that incredibly good pet dog with great love. We know Tisha surely loved that dog very much, and surely its absence will never be filled."

The children had been shouting joyfully all along, but as soon as the subject of Tisha's pet dog came up, everyone's mood became heavy. They listened silently to Mrs. Ramji's words.

Mrs. Ramji said softly, "We can never make up for the absence of Tisha's beloved dog. Even so, so that she can forget her sorrow at least a little, we want to give her a pet. Tisha's parents are here, and if they give permission, we want to give Tisha an Animan!"

Everyone stood up in their places in excitement! When Tisha’s father and mother nodded their permission, a large box was brought from beside the stage. It was tied with a beautiful ribbon. Tisha stood up from her wheelchair and pulled one end of the ribbon, and the box opened, revealing to everyone’s surprise a small Animan curled up in the middle of the box. It carefully stood up, supporting itself on its two legs and two hands, then looked around with its big eyes. As soon as Tisha extended her hand, the Animan extended both its own hands and tried to hold onto Tisha to stand. Tisha carefully picked it up in her arms and stroked its head, and it gave a little grin, showing its toothless gums!

Tisha sat back down in her wheelchair with the Animan in her arms.

Mrs. Ramji said to Tisha, "Tisha, do you want to say something?"

Tisha shook her head and said, "If I try to say anything, I'll burst into tears."

"Then go ahead and cry a little."

Tisha took the microphone in her hand and really did burst into tears. The reason for her crying could still be understood, but it wasn't quite clear why so many of the restless, mischievous children burst into tears along with her!