The Beast

When my son Jian came to America, he didn’t speak a word of English. He was just 4 years old, overwhelmed by everything here after I uprooted our lives in Shanghai. I worried for him as he struggled at school, unable to communicate with teachers and classmates. But Jian didn’t seem too troubled. He smiled through it all. “Don’t worry Māmā,” he reassured me in our native Mandarin, “I’ll understand them soon.”And understand them he did. After just a few months, Jian’s English was improving remarkably. Complex words and phrases suddenly peppered his vocabulary that I had never taught him. His grammar became impeccable, his accent perfectly native. It was astonishing progress.His teacher said Jian seemed to absorb English spontaneously. During recess, he chattered proficiently with peers, using idioms and slang no textbook could teach. At parent-teacher conferences, my shy son effortlessly interpreted our discussions to me, grasping nuances well beyond his years.My mother friends were amazed. “How did you teach him English so quickly?” they asked. But the truth was, I hadn’t taught Jian much of anything. He was acquiring language so rapidly on his own, it seemed supernatural. In the evenings, I observed him silently mouthing unfamiliar words as if practicing pronunciation. When I asked where he learned them, he shrugged and said “They just come to me.” He became withdrawn, losing interest in toys and games. All he wanted to do was read, his English competence expanding by the day.By the end of the school year, Jian spoke and wrote like a native, mastering concepts without any formal instruction. His teacher could hardly believe he was the same timid foreign student who had arrived just months prior. Jian’s stunning aptitude troubled me. He was clearly gifted, but from where did such sudden proficiency spring? As I tucked him in one night, I decided to press for answers. “Jian, can you tell māmā where you get all these English words from?”Jian looked at me, his innocent face suddenly serious. "I hear him, the Beast" he said quietly, pointing to the darkness under his bed. I knelt down to check, picked up my phone which had fallen down.And that, friends, is how I first heard about Mr.Beast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit uncannystoryteller.substack.com