Maladie infantile que j'avais oubliée

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Depuis des années, je ne pense plus à mon attaque de scarlatine, quand j'étais un jeune garçon. C'était une maladie très contagieuse, et j''ai été mis seul dans une chambre à l'hôpital de Grafton pendant plusieurs semaines. Mon père Bill, attristé par la mise en isolement de son fils aîné, a fait un geste extraordinaire pour me consoler. Il m'a construit un petit récepteur radio du type dit "à galène", ou "à crystal", que j'écoutais au moyen d'un casque. C'était un cadeau magnifique. Je ne pensais qu'à mon poste magique de radio. Je ne savais plus du tout que j'étais toujours souffrant. Mon père m'a guéri. La scarlatine a disparu de ma vie et de ma mémoire, sans laisser aucune trace.


Quant aux origines de cette affliction, chacun avait son idée. Ma mère était persuadé que ma scarlatine était arrivée par de grandes liasses de billets de banques en provenance de la Chine, ramenées en Australie par le couple de Lilian Pickering, une tante maternelle de mon père.

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Cette affliction n'a donné lieu à aucune séquelle. Ce n'est donc pas à cause de la scarlatine que j'aurais développé mon extraordinaire habitude mentale du raisonnement associatif...

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