Bec4 The Wrong WardrobeChapter 28 Bec and Mahler Part 1
- 3 years ago
- 23
- 0
Editor’s Note:
The next pages continue the notes taken by Dr Koehler during the meeting between Bec Freeman and Detective Mahler on Monday December 6th.
Notes of meeting, Mahler & Bec Freeman, Monday, 12/6; 3:40pm
Present: Detective Mahler, Rebecca Freeman, Peter Freeman, Lorna Small (legal representative for the Freeman family), Dr Koehler Snr (psychiatrist)
Bec: I bent down to pick Tara up off the ground but just then the bigger man came out of the house. He saw me by the truck and stopped and smiled an evil smile.
Bec: I stood up straight and stepped over Tara so I was between her and the man. I was scared but I was determined. I had to protect Tara so I put myself between her and the man.
Bec: The man stood there and crossed his arms like he knew he’d caught me. He knew I wasn’t going to run because of Tara. I think he decided that he would take his time and enjoy watching me squirm.
Bec: I was still thinking that I had to delay, delay, delay. Since he was standing there, I figured I would try to talk my way out.
Bec: So I said, “Hello Grandfather.”
Comment: There was an instant reaction. Peter F. bolted up to his feet and yelled “What?” Mahler bounced forward in his chair, instantly on the alert and said, “Huh.” I must admit I was surprised as well.
Comment: Bec stood and looked up into her father’s face. She looked concerned for him. She glanced at the detective.
Bec: I’d like to take a short break. Would you leave us alone for 5 minutes please?
Mahler: (sputtering) But...
Small: Detective, a 5 minute break is not too much to ask for. It’s perfectly reasonable under the circumstances.
Mahler: (annoyed) Yes, well, very well. Interview suspended at 4:07pm.
Comment: He stopped the camera and walked out of the room. Once he was gone, Bec immediately stepped forward and hugged her father.
Bec: I’m sorry Dad. I wanted to warn you that was coming but I couldn’t. I don’t think I could have coped with having to say all of this twice.
Peter: Are you sure it was him? Are you absolutely sure?
Bec: Totally, Dad. His accent was right and he looked like you and everything. And he admitted it later. You’ll hear.
Peter: I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’m so very sorry.
Comment: They clung onto each other for a moment and then Bec stepped back and looked up at her father.
Bec: I need you to be strong, Dad. I need you to be like a rock in the ocean that I can hold onto. The next part will be hard for me to say and it will be hard for you to hear. But I need you to hold it together and be the rock. Can you do that for me?
Peter: I’ll try, sweetheart.
Bec: There is no try. There is only do. Be the rock.
Peter: (took a deep breath and let it out). You watch far too many films. Okay, I am the rock.
Comment: Bec took her father’s hand in hers and held onto it tightly. Then she looked at me.
Dr K: You’ve been doing well.
Bec: That was the easy part. The next part is harder.
Small: Are you ready to start again?
Comment: Bec and her father looked at each other and then they both nodded. Small ducked out of the room and returned a moment later with Mahler. Everyone resumed their seats. Mahler pressed record on the camera.
Mahler: Interview resumed at 4:13pm.
Mahler: Rebecca, what can you tell me about this grandfather of yours?
Bec: Well, I’d never met him, or even seen pictures of him...
Mahler: Then how did you know it was him?
Bec: Because he had an accent from the south of England where I know he comes from. And because of this...
Comment: Bec flipped over the next drawing in her pile and pushed it over the table to Mahler. I picked up copy 6 from my pile and put it where we could look at it.
Picture 6: The picture is a highly detailed drawing of two men standing side by side. The bigger man is a thinner, older and slightly shriveled version of Peter Freeman. There is a strong family resemblance with the shorter man as well.
Comment: Mahler held up the drawing and looked back and forth between it and Peter. He grunted then opened his file and drew out a photo of the first drawing that Bec had done on her wall above her bed. He compared the two pictures and grunted at the similarities and scowled at the differences.
Dr K: (clearing throat) Detective Mahler, I did warn you that Bec’s initial drawing wasn’t to be taken as an accurate drawing of her assailant.
Mahler: Yes, yes, I can see that. So what else can you tell me about this grandfather of yours?
Bec: He’s my father’s father. He spent time in prison in England for child sex and pornography. He was released about 6 or 7 years ago.
Mahler: In that case, he should have been on the UK sex offenders list. He should never have been allowed into the United States.
Bec: Well, no. He probably used a fake passport.
Mahler: So what is his name?
Bec: Um. I never actually found out his name. Dad?
Peter: Ah, his name is Winston Cartwright. And that (pointing at the shorter man in the drawing) is his brother Ernest Cartwright.
Mahler: He told you? Do you mean you talked?
Bec: Yes. That’s the next thing I have to tell you. Do you want me to start or do you have more questions?
Mahler: You may as well continue.
Bec: Okay. So, I said, “Hello Grandfather.” He stopped and looked me up and down. Then he said, “Which one are you?” So I said, “My name is Rebecca.”
Bec: Then I looked around at the nearby houses and I said, “Aren’t you worried that I might scream?” And he said, “Not really. They’ll all cower in their houses like good little sheep. The most they will do is call the police. By the time the local coppers get off their fat arses and get here we will be long gone.”
Comment: Bec looked at the detective and shrugged.
Bec: Sorry, but that is what he said.
Bec: Then he said, “And where I’m taking you, you can scream as much as you want because nobody will hear you.”
Bec: I could see in his eyes that he was looking forward to that. He wanted to hear me scream with me knowing that nobody would hear it. He wanted me to learn the meaning of futility.
Mahler: That’s speculation.
Bec: No, it isn’t. It’s body language. I’m very good at reading people. Now stop interrupting and let me tell the story.
Bec: So I said, “What do you want? Why are you doing this?” and he said, “I want you and your sister. I have to build up my business again and how better to start than with family. You owe me. I was going to start with that bitch daughter of mine but she’s gotten old and worthless. But you two girls are just perfect. And the little one – she’s going to make me a lot of money. And don’t even think about escaping. I’ve learned my lesson after my bitch children ran away. I’ve got cages to keep you three in. That way I can keep you forever.” Then he laughed.
Bec: Then he said, “Do you know about the internet? They taught me about it when I was inside. They gave me lessons on how to use it, how to set up web pages, everything. Did you know that you can set up a web page and sell pictures and videos and the fuckers pay money electronically? You never even have to see them face to face.” He laughed again. “And you never have to turn up at the bank to get your money.”
Bec: He said some more stuff about what he wanted to do to me and my sisters but I’m not going to repeat it. It was all pretty disgusting. Like I told Dr K the other day, he said that when he got sick of us, he was going to breed us and do it all again with our children.
Comment: Bec stopped talking and looked down at the table in front of her. Then she shook her head and looked over at Mahler.
Bec: He was insane, detective. I could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. He was cunning but he was insane. He tracked us down and made sure we were on our own before he made his move. But then he stood there and told me all of this without worrying about how much time was ticking away.
Bec: I asked him how he found us and he said, “They arrested me and tore apart my studio but they never found my distribution list. So many names and addresses and you wouldn’t believe how many of them were important people, or became important while I was inside, or now have family who are important. You wouldn’t believe what they will do to keep their secrets safe. I found a copper who used to buy kiddie porn from me. He was desperate to keep his job. He was desperate enough to look in your files. That led me to Preston. From there I found out you’d all migrated to Australia.”
Bec: (looked at Mahler and shrugged) We told all our friends in Preston that we were moving to Australia.
Bec: Then he said, “I went to Australia to find you. I spent two years in that stinking place. Nothing but heat and flies. But eventually I found the family who came out on your tickets but they weren’t the right people. So I contacted my friendly copper again. He dug deeper into the files and found out you’d changed your names to Freeman and that you came here.”
Mahler: You changed your names?
Comment: Bec looked at her father and raised an eyebrow.
Peter: We thought he might come looking for us. We got help from the witness protection people in England. They’re a part of the police force over there, not a separate organization like it is here. They helped us change our names to Freeman and gave us new passports and so on. It was all done legally but the judge sealed the records. Apparently they weren’t sealed enough.
Bec: Then the uncle came out of the house and he saw me. He said, “We better go. Someone will have called the coppers. Grab this one and get her tied up.”
Bec: My grandfather took a step forward so I said, “No.”
Bec: He kind of stopped and looked puzzled.
Bec: Then I said, “In all of your plans, you made one big mistake.”
Bec: Grandfather sneered at me and he said, “And what was that?”
Bec: So I said, “You forgot that this is America” And he said, “So?”
Bec: Then I said, “In America, they let everybody have guns.”
Bec: Then I pulled out the gun and pointed it at him.
Comment: There was silence for a moment, then Mahler leaned forward.
Mahler: Ah yes, the gun. I was wondering when that would make an appearance. But you haven’t explained why you had it with you.
Bec: Yes, sorry I forgot. That was the bit I mucked up because you were obsessing about the truck.
Comment: She picked up the third drawing which she had set aside and pushed it over to Mahler.
Picture 3: This a drawing of a handgun sitting nestled inside an opened lockbox with a pair of magazines beside it and an opened ammunition box.
Bec: It was sitting in Dad’s closet in a lockbox disguised inside a shoebox. It was locked but I knew where the key was hidden. When I first hid inside the closet, I had time to get the lockbox open but I was worried about the noise of loading the magazine into the gun so I made do with the knife. Then the uncle left without finding me so I finished loading the gun. I checked the safety was on and stuck it through my belt behind my back so I could climb out the window. I left it there while I was carrying Angie and Tara.
Bec: I decided not to pull it out while grandfather was talking because then he would have stopped talking. Remember I was trying to delay them so the more he talked the better. But when the uncle showed up and prompted him to get moving I figured my time was up so I grabbed the gun and pointed it at my grandfather. I used my thumb to flick off the safety and got ready to shoot.
Bec: I’m probably making it sound like I was calm and in control, but I wasn’t really. Inside I was a bit panicked and a bit scared but I was pretending to be calm so that I could keep control of the situation. Also the things he said he was going to do to my sisters made me angry. I was really, really angry but I was keeping that under control too.
Comment: Bec picked up the next drawing off her pile and passed it to Mahler.
Picture 7: This drawing shows Bec holding the gun in a steady two-handed grip. The gun is pointed at the grandfather who stands with his hands on his hips and laughs while the uncle backs away.
Bec: Grandfather saw me pointing the gun at him. He laughed and he said, “It’s probably a toy.” So I said, “It isn’t a toy.”
Bec: Then he sneered and he said, “You probably don’t even know how to use it.” So I said, “I know enough.”
Mahler: Excuse me, but had you ever done any training with a gun?
Bec: No.
Mahler: Then why would you say you knew how to use it?
Bec: (shrugged) I watched a video off the internet.
Mahler: (pointing at the drawing). That’s the way they teach you to stand and hold a gun in the military.
Bec (shrugged) I watched a video. It was made by a guy from the military.
Mahler: It takes real training to use that stance and shoot in a controlled way. Your stance is textbook perfect.
Bec: I told you, I watched a video. I’m not sure how many times you want me to repeat myself.
Mahler: So what happened then?
Comment: Bec was silent for a moment. She looked Mahler in the eye and I saw her grip on her father’s hand tighten.
Bec: Grandfather said, “You’re just a little girl. You’re not going to shoot me.”
Bec: Then he lunged forward and tried to grab the gun.
Comment: Bec sat perfectly still for a moment – frozen as if she was afraid to move. Then with a visible effort, she shivered and broke free of her paralysis. She flipped over the next drawing and slid it over the table to Mahler.
Picture 8: This drawing shows the grandfather snarling and lunging forward with a hand outstretched. The hand and the face almost fill the page. The effect is quite frightening.
Bec: He was wrong both times. I’m not just a little girl and I did shoot him. When he lunged forward, I pulled the trigger three times. I aimed down a bit because I expected the gun to jump in my hand but it jumped a lot more than I thought it would.
Comment: She paused and swallowed.
Bec: The first bullet hit him in the stomach. The second hit him in the throat and the third one went somewhere over his head. Then he crashed into me and I fell backwards with him on top of me. His hand, which had been reaching for the gun, thumped into my chest and clawed at me about here.
Comment: Bec put her hand high on her chest, above her left breast.
Bec: The gun was loud, too. Having it go off so loudly kind of shocked me a bit.
Bec: I’d fallen back so I was mostly next to Tara but I was a bit on top of her. Grandfather was lying on top of both of us and squirming around. He was making a gargling noise in his throat and staring right down at me. He looked so angry and so confused.
Comment: Bec reached over and pointed at Mahler’s photo of the drawing Bec had done on the wall above her bed.
Bec: He looked a bit like that.
Bec: He was kind of thrashing around but he was also holding me down and I was frightened and I was angry. The gun was trapped between us at about the middle of my chest but I was still holding it so I pulled the trigger two more times. The gun kicked back right into my chest, right where I already had a bruise from something that happened earlier that day.
Editor’s Note: The next page is undated and unsigned but it is written on the hospital stationery in Bec’s distinctive handwriting and context places it here. I sat on the rug between our beds and played with Lucy, running the tiny brush through her hair. I chatted with her as I brushed, telling her about my day. The door burst open and a girl stepped through. She slammed the door behind her and leaned against it, panting like she’d just been running. I looked her up and down. She was...
Editor’s Note: The next page is unlabeled but it is in Bec’s recognisable handwriting on hospital stationery. The context indicates it belongs here. Thursday 2nd December. I don’t really want to write about what happened this morning. It’s embarrassing. Now I think about it, I felt like I was taking part in some grand epic story full of witches and centaurs and daring escapes and great battles. Maybe I could write that story sometime, but not today. Parts of it are fuzzy in my head. I...
Editor’s Note: The next page was written by Bec on hospital stationery. Friday 11/3, Bec Freeman This morning started off fuzzy. Apparently I had a nightmare but I don’t remember most of it. The only thing I do remember out of it is a face. It filled my head and needed to be let out so I found a hole in the fuzz and pushed the face out through the hole. When the fuzz cleared, I was sitting at a table with a half-eaten plate of breakfast in front of me. I started to panic as I couldn’t...
Editor’s Note: The next pages are written on hospital stationery and signed by Bec Freeman. Saturday, December 11th My room is a mess. I can’t leave it looking like that. I need to get back to cleaning and not waste time writing this. Sunday, December 12th Alice is a pain in the neck. She’s as stubborn as a mule. She has the patience of a 2-year-old and she’s as cunning as a fox. I kind of like her. We’ve spent half of today fighting with each other and the other half playing cards...
While I was in Sydney recently I emailed Roger every day with details of what I was doing, (see SARAH DOES SYDNEY). Roger says I am a very sexy lady with a voracious sexual appetite, which I must admit I made full use of when I visited Bec and her partner in Sydney. I am of French descent, bilingual, fluent in both French and English and as I recently discovered with a little prompting from my man, bi-sexual, though I didn’t need a great deal of prompting. Bec and Roger are also naked and...
Characters: Bec: 8 year old female, 140cm tall, 50kgs, mid back length blonde hair, blue eyes, perfect teeth, no breasts at the start of this story. Joe: Jane's 15 year old brother, 155cm tall, 65kgs, short brown hair, blue eyes, perfect teeth, 14cm cock. Rob: Jane and Joe's Father, 45 years old, 180cm tall, 85kgs, short blonde hair, blue eyes, 16cm cock. Jane: Rob's Wife, 42 years old, 160cm tall, 60kgs, mid back length blond hair, blue eyes, perfect teeth, 12DD breasts. Sarah: 8...
Rudy had taken the Underground into town, not realy knowing what to do on a Saturday afternoon. He had made his way to the South Bank, and passing the Royal Festival Hall, he saw that there was an afternoon concert: Some Polish orchestra he had never heard of, conductor and soloist likewise, but -what caught his eye was the second half programme: Gustav Mahler, 4th symphony. That decided it! His father said he was too young to be going through a Mahler phase. Was eighteen really too young?...
Erotic FictionEditor’s Note: The next document is an extract from the journal of Mischa Doeple. Published with permission of the Doeple family. Thursday, December 2nd. So Thursday has started off pretty normal – if you count being locked in the psycho ward at a hospital as normal. I can sit in my room or I can wander around the open area that they use to keep us inmates entertained. Such joy! I think I’ll sit here and write nonsense in my journal. She sells sea shells down by the sea shore. Peter...
I open my eyes. I’ am greeted by a pleasant surprise. A smile crosses my face as I look down and see Bec’s face imbedded in my stomach. “Morning” I smile. “Morning sexy” Bec replies. I lay back and shut my eyes as Bec moves her lips down my stomach. My mind is flooded again, reliving the visions of the previous night. What a night! Is all I can really say? I have thought about her for such a long time and last night I acted on it. It started with a night out as most do. I hit the dance floor...
I open my eyes. I’ am greeted by a pleasant surprise. A smile crosses my face as I look down and see Bec’s face imbedded in my stomach. “Morning” I smile. “Morning sexy” Bec replies. I lay back and shut my eyes as Bec moves her lips down my stomach. My mind is flooded again, reliving the visions of the previous night. What a night! Is all I can really say? I have thought about her for such a long time and last night I acted on it. It started with a night out as most do. I hit the dance floor...
Oral SexEditor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the journal of Mischa Doeple, dated Saturday, December 4th. It’s Saturday. I can tell because I turned back the pages and what I wrote yesterday was dated Friday so it must be Saturday. So this morning I got woken up by a nurse rubbing my shoulder. When she saw I was awake she stopped rubbing and smiled at me. She was sitting on the side of my bed. She said, “You’ve slept in a bit and missed breakfast time but we saved breakfast for...
Liz licked her lips and squeezed my hand. She looked earnestly at Dad. “The thing that Bec has, is it the same?” She took a big breath. “Does Bec have Lambrecht’s Syndrome?” Everything inside of me froze. I looked at Dad. He looked at me. And then, slowly, he nodded. Things that had been confusing suddenly made sense. I had an epiphany – another one. I’ve talked before about epiphanies. Did I mention how much they hurt? Epiphanies really hurt. This was my second one in a week. It...
Editor’s Note: The next page is a copy of a page from Tara’s journal. It is not dated but the meeting it describes occurred on the evening of Thursday, December 2nd. So I had another meeting with the Doc. It would be wrong to say they had to drag me there kicking and screaming but I didn’t want to go. They made me. When I say ‘they,’ I mean my family. They didn’t even bother to ask how I was feeling or if I wanted to talk to the doctor, they just told me I had an appointment and took me to...
Editor’s Note: The next page is a copy of another page from journal of Mischa Doeple. So it’s Friday morning. I guess that makes it December 3rd. It’s kind of hard to keep track of the days in here. You remember events that happen but not the day or the date. Like yesterday was the day I met Bec and her fairytale family. Was it only yesterday? Bec had a bad dream last night. She woke me up with her moaning and whimpering and then suddenly she sat up in her bed with a squeal. I was lying...
Editor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the journal of Tara Freeman dated Saturday, December 4th. Today I had a long talk with Nana. I guess it was a series of talks because they were spread out over the whole day and there were gaps when we were doing other things and not talking but I’m going to count it as one long talk. It was exhausting. So the day started like it has for the last few days with me waking up in Dan’s bed and going to the bathroom with him and all of...
I was breathing deeply, trying to regain my breath. Tara leant over me, resting on her elbow, her eyes shining in the darkness as she giggled quietly. “I’m sorry for screaming,” I said. “You were moaning before you were screaming,” she said. “And I have to say the moans weren’t unhappy moans. No, not unhappy at all. And then the screams were more like you couldn’t make up your mind whether you liked it or hated it.” She giggled again. “So come on, my sweet little sister. Fess up. Exactly...
Gravity sucks! There I was, serenely floating off the bus, when the last step down from the bus to the ground turned out to be further than I thought. Next thing I know, gravity sucked me down and thumped my feet solidly onto the ground. The jolt kind of brought me to my senses a bit. I headed over to where the team bus was unloading and arrived in time to see Pearl greet Dan as he climbed down from the bus with his bag slung over his shoulder. It was a friendly greeting with a quick hug and...
I knew things had changed even before I opened my eyes. I wasn’t lying on a carpet anymore. My head was on a pillow instead of Tara’s lap. I had blankets over me and a warm body lying on each side of me. The sound of steady breathing told me that the bodies were alive, so I guess that was a plus. Also I could feel something wrapped tightly around each of my wrists – that was a bit weird. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was lying on the floor of my room. From the feel of it, we were...
Editor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the journal of Mischa Doeple, dated Monday, December 6th. I guess today is Monday. When I went to bed last night, I didn’t even bother pretending to get into my own bed. I crawled straight in with Bec. She smiled and hugged me to her and then relaxed. Bec woke me in the middle of the night by shaking me and whispering in my ear. “Come on, wake up, wake up.” She kept shaking me until I groaned and she put her hand over my mouth. She...
Editor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the journal of Mischa Doeple, dated Saturday December 4th. Tara and Dan turned up a bit later with Angie and Mrs Baxter who is Bec’s grandmother. I was laid out on my bed trying to catch up on sleep and Bec was on her bed. Angie came into the room ahead of the others. She scrambled up onto the bed and dived onto Bec for a hug. Bec was starting to sit up with Angie clinging around her neck by the time the other three came into the...
Editor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the journal of Mischa Doeple dated Sunday, December 5th. I guess today was Sunday. There are always more visitors on Sunday than any other day. I never get visitors but that’s a good thing. I never want to see any of my relatives except one and he can’t visit. But today, when I woke up, I was looking forward to seeing Bec’s family or her friends or whoever. How weird is that? I had another bad dream last night. I woke up in the middle...
Editor’s Note: The next documents contain further transcripts of meetings and patient interviews written by Dr Koehler Snr (Psychiatrist). Notes of Meeting, Thursday, 12/2; 9:02am, Nurse Cassandra N.C: Good morning, Doctor. We should talk about Bec Freeman first. Dr K: What about Bec? N.C: It seems she had another bad night. She woke up screaming soon after 11pm. Night shift spoke to her and she settled. Then she woke again at 12:50am with more screaming. At this time, night shift gave...
Editor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the journal of Mischa Doeple, dated Tuesday, December 7th. I crawled straight into bed with Bec again last night. Bec didn’t notice, she was sleeping deeply. I don’t think she was even dreaming. I guess that was the drugs. The nurses came in to check on her a few times during the night. They didn’t say anything about me being in the same bed. I guess it’s become normal. When I woke up in the morning, Bec was already awake. She was lying...
Editor’s Note: The next document is another extract from the journal of Mischa Doeple Thursday Afternoon, December 2nd. I sat on my bed with my legs tucked up into my chest and shook. Across the room from me was the scariest guy ever. He was huge like a mountain. He sat on the other bed and he held my roommate trapped. Those big muscly arms were like iron bars locking her in place. She didn’t even try to struggle, there wasn’t any point. He was more than twice her size. I saw one of her...
I was sitting on a chair. My pyjama pants were firmly on. There was a bathrobe wrapped tightly around me but my arms weren’t through the sleeves, so I was completely wrapped inside the robe. My body was trembling like it was the aftermath of some distant earthquake. A face swam into view. It was a face I didn’t want to see, so I swung away from it. The chair swung under me and I spun. I stopped spinning and there was my friend Cindi. She lay on her bed and looked at me with her big, sad...
Editor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the patient notes of Dr Koehler dated Friday, December 3rd. I ran into George Davidson outside the pedi psych unit this evening. He and his daughter, Elizabeth (Liz), were on their way in to visit Bec. We shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. It was nice to meet after speaking to him on the phone a number of times this week. He’s been conducting something of a political campaign on Bec’s behalf and he kept calling me for details about...
Editor’s Note: The next document is an extract from the journal of Mischa Doeple. Published with permission of the Doeple family. Thursday, December 2nd continued. We made our way down the hall of the hospital like it was some tunnel in a big fantasy computer game. We had two girls, me and Bec, dressed like dwarves, plus the centaur and the faun, all of us armed with medieval weapons. I wondered if we would suddenly hear corny music and get a message saying we’d finished a level and that...
Editor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the journal of Tara Freeman. Sunday December 5. I’m trying to get my homework done for tomorrow so I probably shouldn’t spend too long writing this. I did end up sleeping in Dan’s bed last night. I didn’t go to the bathroom with him this morning though. I waited until he was finished and went on my own. I was nervous but I did it. At breakfast we talked about me going back to school tomorrow. I think I can do it. I’m going to try. Dan...
Editor’s Note: The next documents contain further transcripts of meetings and patient interviews written by Dr Koehler Snr (Psychiatrist). Patient interview, Bec Freeman Wednesday 12/1; 5:00pm. Also present: Dan Freeman (brother), Bridget Baxter (grandmother). Dan and Bridget sat side by side on the bed. Bec was on Dan’s lap, nestled into his chest. Bec was awake but quiet. Both Dan and Bridget periodically stroked whichever part of her they could reach. Dr K: So, how are you...
Editor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the journal of Mischa Doeple, dated Tuesday December 7th. When I got back to our room after talking to the shrink, Bec’s grandmother had arrived for a visit. I said, “Hello, Mrs Baxter,” and we hugged. I listened very carefully and I think I understood what she said. “Hello Mischa, how are you today?” So I said, “I’m fine.” I found out I had could mostly understand her if I listened carefully. We sat down together on one of the sofas...
Editor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the journal of Mischa Doeple, dated Wednesday December 8th. Bec had a really bad dream last night. The way I know that is because she suddenly sat up and started gasping for breath. She didn’t scream or anything but she was totally panicking. Bec sitting up woke me because when she pushed herself upright, one of her hands pushed down on my chest. I was sleeping when that happened. Having someone suddenly push down on your chest like that...
Editor’s Note: The next documents contain further transcripts of meetings and patient interviews written by Dr Koehler Snr (Psychiatrist). Notes of meeting, Nurse Raoul, Tuesday, 11/30; 4:50pm Dr K: I got your message. What happened? N.R: I didn’t do anything. I looked in her room to check on her and she was sitting there. Sitting up in the bed. She took one look at me and pulled back into the corner. She was all huddled up and clutching her pillow in front of her like she was hiding...
Editor’s Note: The next documents contain further transcripts of meetings and patient interviews written by Dr Koehler Snr (Psychiatrist). Meeting with the Freeman family Wednesday 12/1; 12:40pm Dr K: I’m glad that you’re all here. I want to speak to you before I take you in to see Bec. Peter F: How is she? You said she was talking. Dr K: Yes, I had quite a good conversation with her an hour ago. She was quite alert and aware of her surroundings. She still has no memory at all of...
Editor’s Note: The next document is a printout of an email written by Liz Davidson on Wednesday December 1st, but it was placed here in the file so we will stick with that decision. to: Dr Koehler fm: Davidson, Elizabeth dt: 22:23 12/01 Hey Bec, Your doctor wanted me to describe what happened on Monday from my point of view. So here we go. We were talking to each other on our new cell phones. You told me how you and Tara were babysitting Angie because everyone else was out and the two...
Editor’s Note: The next documents contain further transcripts of meetings and patient interviews written by Dr Koehler Snr (Psychiatrist). Notes of Meeting, Thursday, 12/2; 11:48am, Nurse Cassandra, Dan Freeman Dr K: I came as soon as I could get away. What’s the problem? Dan: Bec seems to have gone on a little trip. Dr K: I don’t know what that means. Is she not in her room? Dan: She’s there, but she thinks she’s in Narnia, being held captive in a cell by the White Witch of...
Editor’s Note: The next document is a photocopy of a page from the journal of Tara Freeman Thursday, December, 2nd So yesterday, Dad made me sit down with Doctor K and talk about me as opposed to talking about Bec, which is who we’ve been talking about for most of the week – or should that be whom. Sheesh, I hope I’m not getting graded on my grammar for this. The Doc was cool. He wanted me to talk about how I’d been coping with everything since Monday. I tried to do that but it came out...
Editor’s Note: The next documents contain further transcripts of meetings and patient interviews written by Dr Koehler Snr (Psychiatrist). Notes of Meeting, Wednesday, 12/1; 9:07am, Nurse Cassandra ((Discussion about other patients deleted)) Dr K: So what about Bec Freeman in 6? N.C: According to Night Shift, she had a troubled night. In the evening they discovered she’d made a mess in the room, smearing ketchup all over the wall. Dr K: What did it look like? N.C: Huh? Dr K: The...
Editor’s Note: The next pages are further notes taken by Dr Koehler Snr. Notes of meeting, Nurse Cassandra, Tuesday, 12/7, 8:53am ((notes re other patients deleted)) NC: There have been no major concerns about Mischa but there have been some interesting developments. She became upset this morning because she wanted to use the bathroom but Bec was not aware enough to be her escort. Nereida accompanied them and reported that Mischa showed a high level of care for Bec. I can’t imagine the...
Editor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the journal of Mischa Doeple, dated Thursday December 9th. If everything goes right, this might be the last one of these I have to write. It’s Thursday and tomorrow I get to go home with Liz and her father – fingers crossed. So anyway, I got to sleep uninterrupted last night because Bec took her pills right away instead of waiting to see if she had bad dreams. In the morning, we went to the bathroom and showered and everything and then...
Editor’s Note: The next page is another extract from the notes of Dr Koehler (Snr) dated Friday, December 10th. Patient interview, Mischa Doeple, 12/10, 9:07am Dr K: Good morning. How are you feeling today? MD: I’m feeling really good. Dr K: Are you ready to leave here? MD: Yes, totally. Dr K: Are you over all of your problems? MD: No, but I know what I have to do. Dr K: That’s good. MD: I wanted to say “sorry.” Dr K: Sorry for what? MD: I think I was pretty rude to you and the...
Standing in line to get in to the arena, I heard a voice that was vaguely familiar in a whiney, nasally sort of way. I turned and was confronted by a pair of boobs pointed straight at me like cannons on a warship. Not recognizing those, I looked up a bit and saw a red-haired girl with a face that looked like she was permanently sucking lemons. Now I remembered. This was Sarah something or other. Dan had dated her a few times when he was in high school. She’d visited home a couple of times...
BeC Clothing Company; Jeremy's story "The BeC Clothing Line, For Frustrated Families Everywhere Jeremy's mother finished tidying up after a visit from their neighbour, Mrs. Gonzales. Could it really work? Could Francesca Gonzales be telling the truth? She had heard of those tiny machines lately, noonites, naynites, or whatever they were called, being able to change people, but a whole catalogue of clothing with the little what-nots embedded into them? Mind you, Francesca certainly...
I smiled up at Liz as she made her way up the aisle of the school bus. “Hey!” “Hey!” She dropped into the seat beside me with a thud. “Listen, I have to tell you about dinner with the DiMartinos.” “Why? What happened?” “Oh, not much. Just call me Little Miss Hand Grenade. I came, I saw, I went kaboom!!” “You didn’t!” “Un huh. Which reminds me. We’re making friends with Melissa.” “We are?” “We are.” “Is that a good idea? If we even talk to Melissa, her sister gets all...” She held...
This story is meant to be read while listening to a particular piece of music, Mahler’s Symphony No.2 “The Resurrection”. It would be nice to think that readers streamed it from their music service of choice and did that. It is freely available across the internet.Making Love To Mahler.Allegro Maestoso.When the lightning first lit the sky, Summer stopped what she was doing and looked out of the window and waited. She counted silently, one ... two ... three ... four. Then it came, not so much a...
My family were all sitting around in the living room when I walked in. I think they were there to make sure my date got off to a smooth start or something. For Tara the “or something” probably included looking for another chance to tease me. My date was standing in the middle of the room looking all spic and span. As soon as I walked into the room he smiled at me with the biggest, warmest smile you could imagine. And then he held out the cutest bunch of flowers. I took the flowers from him...
Dad took me straight to the reception desk. He must have made an appointment for a meeting because Miss Webster and Mr Shankie were waiting for us. We went into Miss Webster’s office and sat around the table; me and Dad and Miss Webster and Mr Shankie. Habit tried to make me slouch down in the chair and stare at the table but I decided a normal person wouldn’t do that. I made myself sit upright and watch my dad and Miss Webster. I figured I could safely ignore Mr Shankie unless he asked me a...
The trip back from the police station flew by as Liz and I sat in the back seat and exchanged stories of our interviews. There was a strange car sitting outside our house when we pulled into our drive. Inside the living room, the first thing I saw was Mum on the couch under the painting of Dan and Dad with Tara sitting uncomfortably next to her. I scanned around the room and on the other couch I saw Tara’s friend, Tracey, sitting just as uncomfortably next to an older woman whom I assumed...
Liz licked her lips and squeezed my hand. She looked earnestly at Dad. “The thing that Bec has, is it the same?” She took a big breath. “Does Bec have Lambrecht’s Syndrome?” Everything inside of me froze. I looked at Dad. He looked at me. And then, slowly, he shook his head. He shook his head! He shook his head? Dad spoke to Liz, he ignored me. I sat there beside Liz like a ... I don’t know ... like a forgotten vase of flowers. “The thing Bec’s mother has is a condition that only...
Rebecca Louise Freeman, age 12 years and 364 days, wearing long flannel pyjamas and a dressing gown, sat on the floor of her living room. Her long brown hair was unbound and hung freely down her back. I live inside her head. Sometimes it seems to me that all I can do is watch helplessly while she lives her life. It’s a bit like I’m a passenger on the runaway train that is Rebecca. Then there are the times when I remember that she is me. I looked out at the room through Rebecca’s eyes. I...
Dad opened the front door for us and made a big show of peering around – looking for the two mystery boys we were supposed to have with us. When he saw no sign of them, he told me to go into the living room and sit down for a talk. It wasn’t really a request and it was clear that the talk he had in mind wasn’t necessarily going to be pleasant. Liz came with me – she didn’t have much choice because I had a firm grip on her hand – and we sat together on the couch. I was a bit unsure about what...
“Dad! Pull over.” “Okay honey, I can pull in up ahead. What is it? Are you going to be sick?” “No, it’s not that. I’m not sure if I can do this.” My brain had been busy keeping me distracted up to this point. Then suddenly it hit home what I was about to do. “What is it about all this that’s worrying you?” “I’m about to go to dinner with people I hardly know. They’re all going to be watching me – noticing everything I do, expecting me to talk. If I do something wrong or make mistakes or...
Hi, To all Iss reader this is my first story hope U all would like it a complete fiction.my self raj i live in Mumbai this story is about my aunty nandita,let me describe her she is in her 30s,lives with her husband and daughter.She is born beauty with an awesome fig of 36.28.40 ..her assets are her huge melons of 36 d and her ass that will give a hard on to any guy who looks at it So now my story starts this was like 5 years ago when I was appearing for my 12 th HSC examination at that time my...
English class had well and truly started when I knocked on the door. Interrupting Mrs Stone in mid-rant, I handed her my tardy slip and went to my seat. Liz smiled at me from her place but then we both quickly focused on our lesson. Mrs Stone hardly ever spoke to the class like this and I wondered what was going on. Mrs Stone resumed her rant and at the same time picked a paper off her desk. She was gesturing wildly with her free hand to emphasize whatever point she was trying to make as she...
I shook Tara’s shoulder, committed to the usual long process of waking my sister. I was surprised when her eyes popped open suddenly and she looked up at me – clearly already awake. “Hey, you’re awake!” “Not really, I’m pretending,” she muttered. “Oh, well. It’s time to pretend to get out of bed then.” “I got woken up half an hour ago by a good deal of screaming coming through the wall.” I grinned down at her. “Sorry about that. Liz doesn’t usually scream like that when I get in a tickle...
Mum arrived at school with her own version of stone face on. Her stone face is a kind of half-smile that fools a lot of people into thinking she’s being nice. They relax and think they’re safe and then she lashes out with vicious swipes and they find themselves spurting metaphorical blood from dozens of wounds – metaphorical wounds that is. Tara and I weren’t fooled. We’d seen that smile enough to recognize it. Mum was angry and the smile was pasted over her face like a mask to hide her anger...
“Miss Freeman?” The voice seemed a long way away, but not loud. It was like someone was talking to me from the other end of a big empty hall. “Rebecca Freeman, can you hear me?” Yes, I could hear her. I didn’t recognize the voice. I didn’t feel like responding. But I could hear her. “Rebecca, it’s time to wake up now.” Wake up? Was I asleep? I sure felt warm and comfortable and cozy and relaxed. As Mum often said, I was as snug as a bug in a rug. Maybe I was asleep. A hand gently...
I don’t know why I waste my time getting mad at Dan. I can never stay mad at him for longer than a few minutes. See it works like this. What’s the first thing you do when you get mad at someone? For me, the first thing I do is make a big long list in my head of all the horrible things that person has ever done to me. Then I add the new thing to the list. Then I compare this huge long list to the pitifully short list of nice things that person has done for me. That way I have proof that I am...
“ ... so she ended up wearing both dresses. Pearl and I figured that together they created a decent layered look – it’s what all fashion-conscious three year olds are wearing these days,” I said. “Well that explains that little mystery,” Mum laughed as she slowed the car to turn a corner. “Oh! Speaking of mysteries – I wanted to thank you for taking all those grotty clothes out of my school bag and putting them in the wash,” I said. “I was all set up with the gas mask and the tongs ready to...