Labels: Chris
penned with passion.
Session
“Beep beep beep beep beep…”
The digital clock on the bedside table showed ‘7:00 AM’. Elias Reilly opened his eyes in a jolt. Stifling a yawn, he thus proceeded to draw back his bedroom curtains. Golden sunbeams blinded him momentarily as his pupils constricted to adjust to the sudden influx of light. Looking out his window, he could already see that it was going to be a beautiful day. Shafts of sunlight penetrated the dewy morning air; the leaves on the trees swayed hypnotically with the gentle morning breeze. Pausing only to take a few deep breaths of morning air, Elias went about his usual morning routine. As he brushed his teeth though, he caught sight of the face staring back at him from the mirror. “Im getting old” he thought to himself, before letting out a rare sigh. Thirty minutes later, he was in his Chevrolet, eating a butter bun and on his way to his office.
Elias walked into his office feeling a lot less happy than he had been when he had left his house. The weather for one had decided to go all “Day After Tomorrow” on him. Even as he glanced out of his office window, he could see streaks of lightning in the distance. Dark clouds had blocked the sun and heavy rain was now pouring. It was as if someone had angered the Gods and in return, armageddon had descended upon earth. His mood was not improved when his secretary informed him of his schedule for the day. He had consultations throughout the whole day, leaving him precious little time for any breaks. “Perhaps it isn’t such a good day after all.” Elias thought aloud, earning himself a bemused look from his secretary.
As he sauntered to his table, he passed a certificate hanging on the wall. His Doctorate certificate to be precise. Elias, or Dr Reilly as his patients called him, had graduated from Oxford with a PhD in Psychology. Over the last two decades, he had built up a rather impressive reputation to say the least. His patients included disillusioned movie stars, depressed CEOs, sportsmen suffering from ego issues and many other high-profile clients. These people paid handsomely just for a few sessions with him. Privately though, Elias felt that all he had done was to tell his patients what they wanted to hear and give generic suggestions as to how to solve their problems. Of course, he had never voiced this out to anyone. His clients left feeling less dysfunctional, he left feeling like a million bucks(both metaphorically and literally), and everyone went home happy. Why disrupt the status quo?
So engrossed was he in his thoughts, that Elias failed to notice a figure sitting on the sofa. A faint ‘hem-hem’ brought him spinning around and taking up an instinctive defensive stance. “I’m sorry if im early today doctor. I just couldn’t wait.” An accentless drawl permeated the air. Curiously, the man did not seem to have moved his lips or made any action. Composing himself, Elias relaxed a little. It was only his first patient of the day. “Oh, it’s no problem at all. I just didn’t see you come in.” “Please make yourself comfortable.” he added. And so the first session of the day began.
“So where shall we start today, Pierre?” Sitting across the man, Elias could say that he was definitely an interesting character. Elias did not know much about the man, save for his name (Mr G.A. Pierre) and a few other minor details. He had a pale gaunt face with striking features, which could have made him look extremely handsome, if not for the permanent furrowing of his brows and pursing of his lips. Elias thought he saw sadness and melancholy within those eyes. This was a man who looked like he had weathered through life’s many obstacles.
“I still cant get the feelings of dread and regret to stop.” Pierre answered matter-of-factly. Though his words seemed to be devoid of any emotion, Elias’ trained intuition detected a hint of remorse in Pierre’s voice. “They keep dying and I cant do anything about it.”
“Perhaps if you tried telling yourself that their deaths were not your fault, you would not feel so horrible. Out of curiosity, what makes you feel that you are the cause for the deaths around you?” Elias was careful to adopt a non-threatening tone, to prevent any outbursts from Pierre. It had happened once, and Elias’ office had ended up like a disaster-hit area.
“I work for someone. A tyrant, no, far worst than a tyrant. He forces me to do things.. and these things inadvertently cause people around me to die.” Pierre’s voice was now reduced to a flurry of whispers. “I have no choice, no choice, no choice….”
Elias had seen his fair share of weirdoes, nutjobs and crazy people in his time as a psychiatrist. But this took the cake. He was sure that Pierre was straddling the line between sanity and madness at this very moment. Elias shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. “Ok, ok, calm down Pierre, tell me who your boss is. Im here to listen, just tell me all your troubles.” Elias put on his most soothing voice, which he had perfected over the years.
It was to no avail.
Pierre stood up abruptly and muttered “Im sorry doctor, but this will probably be the penultimate time that you are going to see me. I appreciate your help; I’ll try and go easy on you when the time comes.” With this ominous statement, Pierre walked swiftly out through the stunned doctor’s door.
After what seemed like an eternity, Jill, Elias’ secretary knocked gently on the door and came in. She found Elias sitting at his desk in deep thought. “Dr Reilly, are you alright? The bank has just called to say that a Mr G.A. Pierre has deposited a cheque for fifty thousand dollars in your account.” “Weird weather today huh? Look, it’s all sunny and bright again.” Jill commented as she left Elias’ office.
Elias now had a pen and paper on his desk. He had always been good at solving puzzles and codes in his youth. As he tried out various permutations of alphabets, he thought to himself: I must be going crazy myself. Suddenly, he saw it.
And promptly fainted.
The scribbled piece of paper in front of Elias’ unconscious body read:
Mr G.A. Pierre
Grim Reaper
6:28 PM}