Extracted - Chapter 10 – Hello Mudda’ – Part 2 of 2

 

Extracted

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 10 – Hello Mudda’ – Part 2 of 2

 

Agatha Marsh looked out her kitchen window at the backyard.  She had seen Stephen going outside a little while ago and wanted to keep a close eye on him.  The truth was, she didn’t trust him…or whoever he thought he was.  It took some visual searching, but she finally saw just a bit of his head, hiding behind one of the gardens.  Wondering what he was doing out there, she quietly went outside to check.  She stopped though before she got too close.  He was crying…like a little girl.  This wasn’t the first time she had caught him crying either.  Her heart went out to him…or her.  How difficult was the situation that her son…or whoever it was…found himself in?  She stood there behind him, unseen, watching for a minute more, then she left him and went back into the house.

Three times already since Steve had gotten home from the hospital she had to tell his friends that he wasn’t up to any of their company, and he might not be for a while.  And worse, she had flat out told Melody not to even call him for a while.  To stay away.  Agatha didn’t know yet what they were going to do about anything.  She had no doubt that football camp in a few days was going to be out.  How about school though?  There was no way that Steve…this Steve, or Nancy as he seemed to be, could ever go to school.

She had to wonder if Nancy knew anything at all about calculus, one of the classes that her son was looking forward to when school started.  Steve was good at math and liked it.  Something that Agatha and her husband were both very proud of.  Steve could do a lot more than just play football.

The subject of trying to hide what was wrong with him ran through her head again.  She and her husband had mentioned it several times.  The fact that she had turned all his friends away already seemed to cement what they needed to do.  They didn’t want anyone to know about the true problems that Steve had now.  Who would understand it?  Who would believe it?  Could it affect her husband’s job?  She didn’t think so, but still, people would talk, and that wouldn’t be good.

The only thing she knew for sure was that there was something seriously wrong with her son, Stephen, and that she herself was hurting so badly because of it that it was nearly killing her!  And she needed to not let any of it show.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Wanda knew what the problem was.  Well, not the big problem, but Nancy’s immediate problem.  Nancy was lonely.  She was bored.  And to make matters worse, Emily was going out of her way to have nothing to do with Nancy at all.  As far as Emily was concerned, that wasn’t Nancy in her sister’s body…at all!  Whoever it was, or whatever it was, was a thing.  Emily had mentioned that maybe they should call a church somewhere and have them perform an exorcism.  Wanda herself wondered the same thing.  She just wasn’t ready yet to admit it.

She watched as Nancy came dejectedly up the basement steps, then climbed the steps leading up to her room.  She felt for Nancy, both her original real daughter, and this one that was somehow using Nancy’s body.  No matter what though, that pretty little body was the one she had birthed to her daughter, so no matter what, that body was in a way still her real daughter.

She felt for Nancy, but she had no clue what to do for her.  They were purposely not letting any of Nancy’s friends come over for any kind of playdate, and this Nancy for sure wasn’t going anywhere else.  Once again, she considered that the shame of it all was Emily.  Yet how could she possibly blame her older daughter?  She couldn’t.

A seventeen year old boy, somehow trapped in that tiny feminine body?  How ridiculous, yet that’s the only way she could think of it.  How did that boy inside that body have to feel?  She tried to imagine some of the things he might be dealing with, and realized that while the list went on and on, she probably wasn’t scratching the surface of it all.

Not having a clue how to help her…or him…she went back to trying to figure out what to do about dinner tonight.  The food supply was starting to get a bit low.  Did she dare take Nancy grocery shopping?  As she glanced one last time up the steps, she just saw Nancy walking out of sight towards her room.  What should she do?

In Nancy’s room, Steve sat on the bed.  According to Emily, it was a house rule that all beds had to be made every morning.  He didn’t see why.  It was his room, although he didn’t recognize anything in it.  When he had gotten dressed today, he had worn the same thing he had on yesterday…minus that stupid little bra thing.  That thing had really been stupid.  Thinking about it made him rub the tiny breasts sprouting from his chest.  Damn they could hurt sometimes.

Once again his eyes fell on the pink cellphone still laying on his dresser.  Should he call them?  Or would that be a mistake?  He looked at his bedroom doorway and didn’t see either his new mother or Emily.  Picking up the phone he swiped at the screen.  No password!  Just another cute picture, this one of her.

Hoping it wasn’t a mistake, he punched in his mother’s cellphone number, and waited.  He heard the phone ring several times and then he heard a woman say hello.  He’d know that voice anywhere!  His mother!  “Mom?” he whispered so that Emily across the hall wouldn’t hear.  “It’s me, Steve.  I know I don’t sound like myself…I guess because I’m not myself right now.  But I am Steve.  Please believe me.”

“Steve?” Agatha replied tentatively.  “Is it really you?”

“Yes,” Steve whispered.

“What?  I can hardly hear you.  Why are you whispering?”

“So nobody will hear me.”

“Steve, what’s going on?  Where are you?”

“Somewhere in New York.  But Mom, I’m not me anymore.  I’m…  Shit!  Got to go.”

With that, Steve ended the call and put the phone behind his body.  Emily came out of her room and glanced in at him.  She gave him a nasty look before she turned away and headed for the stairs.

Nobody had said he couldn’t call his real mother and father, but something told him they wouldn’t like it.  He was in enough trouble trying to figure out what he was supposed to do about suddenly being a twelve year old girl.  He didn’t need any more problems than that.

With Emily gone, he took the cellphone and stuck it in the bottom of his top dresser drawer, underneath a bunch of panties.  Did he dare call his mother again?  Yes!  Just not right now.  Still, it had been great hearing his mother’s voice again.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Agatha was dumbfounded.  Was that Steve?  Her Stephen?  It certainly hadn’t sounded like him.  It sounded like some kid.  Was it a joke?  But if it was, how would the kid know that her Steve was missing…at least mentally.  The kid had said he was in New York, then had suddenly hung up.  Why?  And why did he have to whisper?  Was it so that she wouldn’t recognize who was really calling?  She didn’t know, but there was one thing she did know.

She punched in the phone number for her husband’s cellphone and prayed he was in a position where he could answer it.  So many times he wasn’t.  She got lucky.  “Henry,” she said quickly the moment he answered.  “I just got a weird phone call from some kid claiming to be Stephen.  He kept saying he really was Stephen and that he was in New York, but that’s all I know before he suddenly hung up.”

“You said from a kid?”

“Yes.”

“Damn!  How did word of what happened to Steve get out?  I’ve gone out of my way to keep quiet about it as much as possible.  Nobody outside our family should know.”

“I’ve done the same,” Agatha told him.

“Okay,” he said.  “I’ll have to ask around.  Maybe we can figure out who actually knew and could have done this.  And Aggie,” Henry continued.  “If he calls again, let me know right away!”

“Don’t worry, I will,” she promised.

Extracted - Chapter 10 – Hello Mudda’ – Part 1 of 2

 

Extracted

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 10 – Hello Mudda’ – Part 1 of 2

 

It wasn’t until later the next morning that Wanda was able to walk into Doctor Montcliff’s office, while Nancy waited with Emily in a private unused room.

“Mrs. Stiller,” the doctor said, standing up as the woman entered.  “Please,” she said, motioning toward one of the chairs.  “Have a seat.”  She herself came around and sat in the other chair in front of her.

“We were supposed to talk about Nancy’s problems,” Wanda told her, and then you called yesterday and said there was another problem.”

“Yes.  Something I want to very much to discuss with you.”

“What’s that?”

“Nancy seems to honestly believe that she’s the son of the District Attorney in Philadelphia.  A boy named Stephen Marsh.”

“Believe me,” Wanda told her.  “I’m more than aware.”

“Of course you are,” the doctor replied.  “But are you aware that the Philadelphia District Attorney really is someone named Henry Marsh and that he has a son, probably in his upper years of high school by now, who is named Stephen?”

That stopped Wanda, but only for a moment.  “I haven’t had time to look into anything like that yet.  I’ve been so busy catching up with things.  What of it?  I would imagine it’s common knowledge.  Nancy could have picked that up from the internet.”

“Exactly!” the doctor replied.  “But are you aware that Henry Marsh’s son Stephen was abducted at exactly the same time as Nancy, and that he was returned on exactly the same evening, and that he was found in exactly the same circumstances as your daughter?  Left outside of a restaurant where anyone could easily notice him.”

That information really threw Wanda.  “What?”  She stared at the doctor, not believing it.  “What are you saying?”

“What I’m saying, is that it almost sounds like too many coincidences for there not to be some connection between the two abductions.”

“Damn!” Wanda muttered.  “Why didn’t I come talk to you when you called yesterday?”

“Something about a dinner party.  How did it go by the way?”

“Fine,” Wanda replied with a wave of her hand, dismissing the subject.  “What are you proposing?” she asked.

“What I’d like to know is a number of things,” Doctor Montcliff told her.  “First, has anyone else noticed this coincidence, and are they looking into it?”

“I don’t know.  Not at all,” Wanda admitted.  “I can check with my husband though.  Anything else?”

“I’d like to know if Stephen Marsh is exhibiting any kind of mental disorders, and if so, are they in any way similar to Nancy’s.”

“How could anyone have….”  She stopped.  “Sorry.  You’re right of course.  Someone needs to look into this.  It’s something I’d like to know myself.”

“If there are any similarities in the case, I know we have all these very important security concerns to consider, but if Stephen Marsh is having similar symptoms to what Nancy is experiencing, it might be wise for his doctor, and me, to get together and…I hate to say this, discuss our cases together.”

Wanda shook her head.  “That much I’m not sure about at all, even though I can see why you would want to do that.  It’s just the…”

“I know.  Security,” the doctor finished.

“Yes.  Exactly.  We can’t have anyone thinking anything is wrong that could affect my husband in any way at all.”

“I fully understand,” the doctor told her.

“Thank you,” Wanda said.  A thought occurred to her.  “If this…Stephen really does have a problem like Nancy, do you think there could be others?”

The doctor nodded.  “I’ve thought about that, but I’ve yet to find any case exactly like Nancy’s.  I’ll keep looking though, but if Nancy and Stephen are exhibiting similar symptoms, then I think it could be likely that there might be more somewhere.”

“But what would that mean?” Wanda asked.

“Mrs. Stiller, believe me when I say I haven’t a clue.  The implications of it are…mind boggling.  I mean, we’re talking about mimicking the symptoms of a complete mind and personality transfer.  Something that even in theory would be impossible.  There’s simply no way it can happen.”

“And yet,” Wanda said.  “We have Nancy’s problem with knowing far too much about being…Stephen Marsh.”

“Yes,” the doctor agreed.

Wanda chuckled.  “I wonder if Stephen Marsh might be enjoying believing that he’s a twelve year old girl who loves ballet?”

“I doubt it,” Doctor Montcliff replied.  “If Stephen had symptoms like Nancy does, he…or she in that case, would most likely be absolutely miserable because she’s in the wrong body, just like Nancy, or maybe Stephen is for you.”

Wanda nodded.  “It’s…confusing.”

“And how confusing is it for Nancy, or Stephen?”

“Nancy did complain the entire time she was in the hospital about how confused she was.  And it was like, the longer she was there, the more confused she seemed to get.  I guess things could still be that way for her.”

“Yes, they could,” the doctor agreed.

“I’ll call my husband,” Wanda told her.  “He can find out if anyone is checking up on this.  If the situation allows, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you,” the doctor told her.

“Now.  Anything else?  What did you want to talk about besides that?”

“Most of what we talked about last time, in fact, the only thing we were able to talk about, was all about Stephen, not Nancy.  Your daughter seems to have no knowledge at all of being Nancy.  She believes that the body she feels stuck in is due to some kind of massive hallucination.  As bright as I’m sure Nancy is, I’m not sure how much she knows about hallucinations.  Would you have any idea?”

“Um…I really don’t know,” Wanda admitted.

“Anyway, there were a number of things like that that I noticed.  One of them being that Stephen claims to have an active sexual life, despite being only seventeen.  Remember, this is not your daughter we’re talking about.  This would be Stephen Marsh.”

Wanda shook her head.  “You’re a doctor, you have to know the number of kids that have active sexual lives, far younger than seventeen.”

“Believe me, I’m very aware.  It’s a major part of my job.  I just wanted to let you know, because this…person…inside your daughter, seems to know a lot more about sex than I’m sure your daughter does, despite the fact that she’s got an older sister who might have, and probably has, told her things.”

“Emily?”

“Perhaps,” the doctor suggested.  “I just wanted you to be aware of that in case something about it comes up in the future.”

“Fine,” Wanda told her.  “I’ll keep it in mind.  What else?”

“Have you listened to her speak?  I mean really listened to her?”

“What do you mean?”

“I grew up in Philadelphia,” the doctor told her.  “I’m very aware of the way people speak.  It’s a major factor in my job so that I can listen for things that may or may not be said.  But how much time has Nancy had listening to anyone from Philadelphia speak?  And I mean she would have to hear it a lot!”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about?”

“Your daughter, Mrs. Stiller, or at least whatever seems to be inhabiting her brain, speaks with a Philadelphia accent…all the time!”

“Um…I did notice that she speaks differently.  I just didn’t realize it was a Philadelphia accent.  She’s certainly not talking like Nancy used to.  I can confirm that.  It’s like she’s…older.”

“Yes, exactly.”

“How can that be?” Wanda asked.  “Where would she learn something like that?  She’s only twelve!”

“I know,” the doctor agreed.  “It’s as if someone managed to inject someone else’s entire personality and memories into your daughter, and then also managed to completely block the old personality and memories that are who Nancy really is.  And from what I’ve learned about your daughter’s hospital visit from the doctor who referred her to me, the process couldn’t have been instantly, or even fast.  As you yourself mentioned, she was very confused the entire time she was in the hospital.  A confusion that increased the longer she was there.  Which means it happened slowly enough that whoever did it was so confident of what was happening that they could dump the kids and let it happen right in front of you.”

“Wait!  You’re saying that this was deliberate?  That someone actually did that?  Injected a different personality into her?”

Doctor Montcliff shook her head.  “It sounds like I’m saying that, and it really does seem that way, but such a thing simply isn’t possible.  Not by any of the rules of the universe as I know them.”

“Then what’s going on here?  Nancy thinks and acts like some older boy named Stephen.  And maybe there’s someone else out there who might think and act like…Nancy?  That’s just crazy!”

“Yes!  It is!”

A few minutes later, while Stephen, in Nancy’s body, was in with Doctor Montcliff for her second visit, Wanda pulled out her phone and managed to reach her husband.  “Mike,” she said.  “The doctor just alerted me to something about Nancy’s condition that you need to look into right away.”

“I need to look into?  Why me?”

“Because according to the doctor, Nancy may not be the only one affected.”

“What’s that mean?”

“The person that Nancy thinks she is, Stephen?  There really is a District Attorney in Philadelphia named Henry Marsh, and he has a son named Stephen.  But Mike, get this.  That Stephen was abducted at the same time as Nancy was, and he was returned at the same time, and in the exact same circumstances.  The doctor wants to know if anyone else has noticed that and looked into it yet.”

“Yeah,” Mike Stiller replied, thinking that through.  “It does sound a bit strange.  Tell you what, I’ll call our FBI contact and ask if they know about it.”

“Good.  Thanks Mike.  See you later?”

“Yeah.  Later.  I’ll let you know.”

Michael Stiller ended the call and sat considering things.  His daughter’s weird psychological problem just got a whole lot weirder.  The boy she believed to be was kidnapped at the same time?  And returned at the same time.  And in the same circumstances?  What exactly was that supposed to mean?  But still, it just sounded…weird.

From his wallet, he pulled out the business card that he had gotten from that woman FBI agent who had interviewed Nancy after the abduction.  He still got updates from the team looking into it, but those updates had been few and far between.  In fact, so far, it sounded like they had nothing at all.  Why hadn’t they mentioned this Philadelphia angle?  As far as he was concerned, they should have known about it and told him.

He called the number for Ellen Rosenberg, FBI Agent.

“Rosemberg,” the curt voice returned.

“Agent Rosenberg.  This is Congressman Stiller.”

“Yes sir,” the agent replied.  “What can I do for you?”

“Why weren’t we told about the other abduction at the same time as my daughter’s?  The one in Philadelphia?”

“Other abduction, sir?” I’m not aware of another abduction.

“I was told by my wife that District Attorney Marsh’s son Stephen was abducted at the same time as Nancy, and he was returned at the same time and in the same circumstances.  I’m not sure what all that means, but my wife seemed to think someone should look into it.”

“I can check sir, but most likely our Philadelphia office handled it, or since it was the District Attorney, I have a feeling that he would have preferred the local police to take care of it since he would work more closely with them.”

“True,” the congressman conceded.  “Any chance you can at least check and see if there’s anything there that can help shed some light on what happened to Nancy?”

“Absolutely, sir,” Ellen Rosenberg told him.  “I’ll look into it right away.”

“Thank you.  Anything new on your end?”

“Nothing yet, sir.  But I promise you, we are still looking.”

“I’m sure,” the congressman replied.  “I’ll leave you to it.  Please keep me informed.”

“As always, sir,” Ellen replied.

Ellen hung up the phone.  Another abduction with a lot of similar characteristics?  How interesting.  She would have had one of her junior agents make the calls to get the information, but she already had her phone in her hand.  It took her five minutes to get in touch with someone who knew what was going on as to the second abduction.

“Agent Rosenberg?” an agent from the Philadelphia FBI office finally answered.

“Yes,” Ellen replied.

“I heard you want to know about Stephen Marsh’s abduction.”

“Yes.  What can you tell me?”

“Not much.  The Philadelphia police are handling that one.  Stephen’s father insisted.  He’s the Philadelphia D.A.”

“I guessed that might be the case,” Ellen told him.  “Any chance you can get me the contact information for who’s working that case?”

“Not a problem.  Let me get it and call you back.”

“Perfect,” Ellen agreed.

Twenty minutes later, Agent Rosenberg’s phone rang.  “Agent Rosenberg,” she answered.

“Agent Rosenberg?  This is Detective Nolan with the Philadelphia Police Department.  I was told you’re interested in one of our abduction cases.”

“Yes,” Ellen told him.  “I understand that the son of your D.A., Marsh, was abducted recently.”

“I can confirm that, but that’s all I can tell you.  Why?”

“Because we’ve been looking into our own abduction case here in New York.  A girl was abducted on the eighth of this month, kept for a few days, then was returned, left outside of a restaurant where she could easily be found.  She was unconscious when she was found, and according to the doctors, it looks like she was drugged to keep her unconscious for the entire duration.”

“Wait a minute!” Nolan said.  “Are you sure about that?”

“Absolutely.  Why?”

“Because everything you just said is our case exactly with the exception of just one thing.  Our abduction happened on the seventh, the day before.  Everything else sounds exactly the same.”

“An abduction, especially the way it was done, would take time,” Rosenberg realized.  “Plus, there’s a bit of a drive from Philly to New York.  That could explain why the abductions were done on different but succeeding days.”

“Without a doubt!” Nolan agreed.  “Can you tell me who was abducted up there?”

“That’s just it, I can’t.  There are major security issues involved.”

Nolan realized that whoever it was had to be someone important…kind of like Stephen Marsh.  “Agent Rosenberg,” he said.  “Our case file is impossibly thin right now because there simply isn’t much at all that we’ve been able to dig up.  Since there is a chance that these cases could be related, would you have any problem with me coming up there this afternoon so we can discuss it?  One of the things I’d really like to talk to you in person about is exactly how you managed to find the link between these two cases.”

“I have no problem with you coming up here,” Rosenberg told him.  “I’m just not sure how much I can tell you.  Again, because of the security.  Tell you what though, while you’re getting here, I’ll try to get some answers about that.”

“Good enough.  Thanks.  See you in…I guess a couple of hours.”

“I’m on the eighth floor of Twenty-Six Fed in the middle of Manhattan.  Just ask for me.  Agent Rosenberg.”

“I’ve been there,” Nolan told her.  “See you in a little while.”

Rosenberg hung up the phone.  Nolan had said his case was almost exactly like her case.  She had no choice but to wonder, were there more?  It was time to set the junior agents working on that, looking for similar abductions in the past.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Extracted = Chapter 9 – That’s Who I Am

 

Extracted

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 9 – That’s Who I Am

 

Doctor Christopher Faucet shook Agatha Marsh’s hand, then he turned and shook Stephen’s hand.  As he did, he continued sizing the boy up.  A big one.  So big that he probably played football.  What surprised him at that moment though was how uncomfortable the boy seemed to feel about shaking his hand.  As if he was unfamiliar with the simple action.  And did he get a sense of…meekness from the boy?  He couldn’t be sure.

He turned to Mrs. Marsh.  “He’s plenty old enough that I can talk to him by himself.  Do you have a problem with that, or do you feel that you need to be there?”

“Old enough?  Huh!” Agatha grunted.  “If only that were true.  Tell you what.  Why don’t you talk to him for a bit and see what you think, then call me in and we can discuss it together.”

The doctor was dubious.  “I’m not sure I can divulge much of what we discuss,” he warned her.

“Oh, that’s fine!” Agatha replied.  “But something tells me we’ll have plenty to discuss, no matter what.”

Curious now, the doctor nodded his agreement.  “Come on Stephen.  Let’s go into my office for a little while and talk about whatever is bothering you.”

Nancy looked at the woman who was supposed to be her mother, then followed the doctor into his office.  The doctor closed the door and motioned toward one of the chairs in the room for her to sit in.  He grabbed his notepad and pen from his desk and sat across from her.

“Stephen,” the doctor said.  “Does anyone call you Steve?”

“Neither one is my name.  I’m not Stephen…or Steve.”

The doctor raised his eyebrows.  “Oh?”

“My name is Nancy.  Nancy Stiller.  And I’m not this huge monster of a guy.  I’m a twelve year old girl.  My father is Michel Stiller, the congressman from New York.  And I’m stuck in this stupid ugly ogre’s body…and I just want to be me again!”

The doctor was shocked.  Multiple personalities?  That was unusual, but he’d worked with several of them before.  “I see,” he said as he took further note of the person in front of him.  Hm…he didn’t exactly sit like a boy as old as he probably was.  “Nancy,” he said.  “Is that what you want me to call you?”

“Despite this stupid body I’ve got now, that’s my name,” Nancy replied.  “That’s who I am.”

“Okay,” the doctor replied, trying to figure out where to go from here.  There was one thing the boy had said that was a bit different for someone with multiple personalities, he had said he wanted to be me again and in the wrong body.  Someone with his condition usually believed they were in the right body.  This one didn’t seem to see things that way.  Still, there was nothing this could be except a multiple personality problem.

“Nancy,” he said, addressing the current dominant personality.  “When did you first come to the surface and…come into being?  Do you remember that?”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Nancy replied.  “I’ve been me, Nancy, all my life.  Just not in this body.  I had a really nice, pretty body before.  And I have no idea how I got into this one, or even here to…they said this was Philadelphia.”

“That’s right,” the doctor told her.  “What’s confusing me about you a little though is that you said you had a different body before, and that’s a bit out of character for most people who have multiple personalities like you.”

Nancy was surprised.  She wasn’t exactly sure what multiple personalities meant, but she knew that she was just her and nobody else.  “I’m not sure what that means,” she told him, “but there’s only one person in this body.  Me!  Nobody else.”

The doctor considered that, then said, “You simply may not be aware of any others, but I can assure you, there has to be.  One of them being the real Stephen Marsh.”

“Trust me, there isn’t.  Don’t you think I’ve tried hard to find any sign of him in my head?  I can’t!  I don’t know him.  He’s a complete stranger, and he’s not in here with me.  Trust me.”

“Oh, I do,” the doctor replied.  “I just don’t believe that’s actually the case.  In the meantime, tell me a little about yourself.  Who exactly is Nancy?”

“Huh?  I’m not sure what you want to know.  I’m me.  I’ve always been me.  It’s just for the last few days that I’ve had this stupid boy’s body.”

“And how did do you think you got that body?”

Nancy was getting frustrated.  “I don’t know!” she yelled angrily.  “How many times do I have to tell you?  Ever since I was kidnapped and woke up in the hospital, everything has been all weird!”

“Easy Nancy,” the doctor told her.  “No need to get upset.”

“Wouldn’t you if nobody believed you?”

“Perhaps,” the doctor replied.  “But we’re here to explore some of these issues and figure out what exactly is upsetting you.”

“Well that’s one of them!” Nancy declared, still fuming.

“I see,” the doctor replied.  “Again, tell me something about yourself.  How well do you remember your family.”

“You mean those people here in Philadelphia?  Like that woman who thinks she’s my mother?  Trust me, I don’t know them at all.  Not one bit.  My family all live in New York.  We’ve got a big house near New York City.”

“New York,” the doctor said, noting that it wasn’t the first time she had mentioned that.  Earlier she had said her father was a congressman from New York.  “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“I’ve got one sister,” Nancy told him.  “Emily.  She’s sixteen and my best friend.”

“Your best friend?  I would think you would have other friends, perhaps more your age.”

Nancy sighed.  “I’ve got a few from school, but I don’t get to see them outside of school that much because of Daddy’s job.  And Emily and I go to a private school where there’s lots of security and it’s hard to do much with the other kids outside of school.  Sometimes Mom lets some of them come over so we can play, or she lets me go to their house, but it’s not really that often.”

The doctor was a bit surprised at that bit of detail.  Still, this was a big kid.  He wasn’t sure how old, but old enough to put together a fantasy like this.  “Do you know your mother’s name?”

Nancy sighed frustratedly.  “Of course.  Wanda.  My mom’s name is Wanda.  Wanda Stiller.”

“Does she have a job?  Does she work?”

“No.  She helps Daddy with his campaign stuff and fundraising.  She’s always doing stuff for him.  They have a lot of fancy dinners for all his contributors and political friends, and for some of the things going on.”

“Do you like those dinners?”

“I don’t usually go.  Rarely in fact.  That’s just for the grownups.  It’s all boring politics anyway.  Emily and I eat in the kitchen most of the time.”

“Do you feel left out because your parents are having a nice dinner somewhere else?”

“Are you kidding?  Like I said, politics is boring!”

“What do you do when you’re not eating in the kitchen?” he asked.

“We’ve got a big area in the basement where we hang out.  We’ve got a pool table down there and a big TV and I’ve got this great area set up for my dancing.”

That bit surprised the doctor.  “Dancing?”

“Ballet.  I’ve been taking it since I was six.  Daddy had some mirrors and a small dance floor put in for me, and it’s even got a ballet barre for me to work with.”

Doctor Faucet thought it might be more than a bit strange that a big boy like this should know anything about ballet.  Not that there was exactly much detail.  But how many kids like him would know what a ballet barre was?

“So you like ballet?”

“I love it,” Nancy told him.

“What else do you like?”

“Shopping with Mom.  Clothes.  I used to play with dolls a lot, but I’ve kind of outgrown them now.  Emily has been helping teach me about makeup lately, even though Mom won’t let me wear hardly any.”

“Your sister.”

“I told you that.”

“Yes,” Doctor Faucet replied.  “You said she was your best friend.”

“She is.  But…”

“But what?”

“I’m kind of worried?”

“About your sister?”

“Kind of.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s sixteen now and Mom said she’s going to let her start dating.  If she goes out on dates, where’s that going to leave me?  We hang out together all the time.”

The doctor noticed the concern, but was it enough to act as some kind of trigger for the personality disorder?  He didn’t think so, even if the true concern involved Stephen and perhaps one of his friends or another family member.  Did Stephen feel abandoned?

“Nancy,” he said.  “Tell me about Stephen.  What do you think of him?”

“I don’t know anything about him, except he’s a smelly slob!”

“A slob?  Why do you say that?”

“Because…his mother, the one out there, made me pick up his room when she brought me home from the hospital yesterday.  Talk about gross!  You never smelled anyplace so bad in your life!”

“But she made you pick it up.”

“She said that even if I was Nancy, which I am, since it was still my room, then I could pick it up.  You couldn’t even walk in there!  And he had not just dirty clothes all over the place, but all these weight things too…everywhere!  And don’t get me started on his bathroom.  Disgusting.  Thank God Mom out there said she’d have one of the maids clean it this morning instead of me.  I hope she’s done by the time we get home.”

The doctor considered that.  “Steve…Nancy….  Would you mind if I invite your mother in now so I can talk a bit with her?”

“Fine with me,” Nancy told him.  “You’re not going to be able to help me anyway.  You don’t even believe me.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you.”

“Do you think I can’t tell?  Get a grip!  I’m twelve, not five!”  She got up from her seat.  “I’ll send her in.  And she’s not my mother.  Not my real mother anyway.  My real mother is in New York!”  With that, she walked out.

Two minutes later, Agatha Marsh walked in and took the seat in front of the psychiatrist.  “What did you think?” she asked.

“There are some things there that surprised me.”

“Imagine how we feel,” Agatha told him.

‘Yes,” the doctor replied.  “Obviously your son has some kind of multiple personality disorder, even though there are more than a few elements that I noticed that seem to be…unique to cases like this.  But…”

“He doesn’t have multiple personality disorder!” Agatha told him firmly.  “I know that for a fact.  Multiple personalities means more than one person, and trust me, there’s only one person living in that body, and it’s not my son!”

The doctor shook his head.  “As I was about to say, as with all mental disorders, each one is unique and different.  It really is quite amazing how advanced his fantasy life seems to be.  So much odd detail that I would never have expected.  But as far as I know, there can be no other reason for his behavior, except for some type of multiple personality disorder.  There’s Stephen, who doesn’t seem to be able to manifest himself at all right now, most likely being completely blocked out by the current Nancy persona, and then there’s Nancy, the alternate personality, who has manifested due to some kind of major trauma we have yet to identify.  Perhaps, and most likely, something to do with when he was abducted.  We just need to look for it.”

Agatha shook her head.  “I still don’t believe it.”

“It’s the best explanation I can offer,” the doctor told her.  “I’m sorry to say, that in your son’s case, I believe we should consider having sessions here several times a week.  I barely scratched the surface with him today, but he’s given me a lot to think about.  Hopefully, next time, I can get closer to identifying what underlying symptoms may be bothering him.”

Agatha shook her head again.  “Fine!” she said.  “I’ll make another appointment for him in a couple of days.  But I still think you’re wrong.  It’s not any kind of multiple personality problem.”

“That’s all it can be,” the doctor told her.  “I’m sorry.”

“Me too!” Agatha said as she stood up and walked out.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

In her New York office, Doctor Isabella Montcliff picked up her phone and dialed a number that she had been given.  The phone rang a few times then was answered.

“Wanda Stiller.”

“Mrs. Stiller?” the doctor replied.  “This is Doctor Montcliff.”

“What can I do for you doctor?” Wanda asked.

“Is there any way you can come into my office today?  As soon as possible.  I really need to talk with you.”

Wanda was frustrated.  “Today?  Uh!” she grunted.  She considered her options.  “Look, Doctor, I just can’t see how I can possibly get there today.  I’ve got so much going on today it’s ridiculous.”

“Perhaps later this afternoon?” the doctor suggested.

“Not a chance.  Sorry.  I’ve got a dinner party tonight that I’m hosting.  The best I can do for you is tomorrow sometime.  But…wait, I was right.  I just checked and we already scheduled Nancy’s next meeting with you for tomorrow, and I’m supposed to see you first, just before that.  I’m sorry, but those appointments are the best I can do right now.  Since we spent so much time in the hospital with Nancy, everything is piling up on me, and I’ve got to get things taken care of.”

“I understand,” the doctor replied.

“What was the problem?” Wanda asked.

“Something I discovered.”

“With Nancy?”

“Yes and no.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I think it might be better to discuss it in person, especially because of the security you’re demanding.”

“Yes,” Wanda agreed.  “We really have to be careful, especially now.”

“I’ll just have to discuss it with you tomorrow,” the doctor told her.

“Great.  Thanks.  Anything else?”

“No.  Thank you Mrs. Stiller.  Good luck with your party tonight.”

“Thanks.  This one’s for some of our biggest supporters.”

Extracted - Chapter 8 - Absolutely Bonking Freaking

 

Extracted

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 8 - Absolutely Bonking Freaking

 

In her home outside of Philadelphia, Judith poured herself another drink while she listened to the discussion going on between the members of their special soul extraction group.  Neither she nor Ben had dared tell anyone else what they had done.  In fact, from everything either of them had been able to tell, nothing had been reported as being wrong with the kids they had kidnapped and then returned, so they were both guessing that both kids were now completely normal, and the soul switching had no effect on them at all.  At least, as far as they could tell.  Finding any information on either child had proven nearly impossible.

She took her refreshed drink and carried it back to her seat as the discussion between the five remaining members moved onto one of the more immediate questions; should they bring in some kind of doctor to help them if they decide to go ahead and experiment again.  But what kind of doctor would they dare even tell what they wanted to do?  No matter how any of them looked at it, what they discussed doing would most likely be a criminal act, something they were all loath to do.  But the problem for all of them was that the scientific research was simply too tantalizing to ignore.

As they discussed the subject, one of their members held his drink up and leaned forward in his seat.  “We all know the implications of what we’re talking about,” he said, grabbing everyone’s attention.  “And I for one have absolutely no doubt at all that if we ever really do something like we’re discussing, then we need some kind of expert with medical training, or psychological training, which I personally think is even better.  Because of that, I’ve been looking at psychiatrists who I think might be…let’s just say, not so judgmental about our discussions.”

“And?” Ben asked.

“And I came across a somewhat noted psychiatrist, right here in Philadelphia, that I think we should seriously look into.”

“Why this one?” one of the other members asked.

“Because for a psychiatrist, he has a somewhat unusual hobby.”

“A hobby that’s unusual?” Judith asked.  “What kind of hobby?”

“He hunts ghosts.”

There were chuckles all around the room.

“Ghosts!” one of them exclaimed.  “Really?  And he’s a psychiatrist?”

“Yes!” the first man replied.  From what I read, he really does it for fun and…it seems he’s been trying to actually study them.”

“Isn’t that what most ghost hunters do?” someone asked.

“I would imagine.  Yes,” the man replied.  “But this one has even published a scientific paper on, of all things, the psychology of ghosts.

There were a few chuckles around the room, but Judith could see that mostly everyone was seriously considering what they had just been told.  She made a quick decision.  “As much as I hate to say it,” she said.  “Maybe we should talk to him, if for no other reason than to discuss some of the…theoretical aspects of our work.”

Everyone looked around at each other.

“Maybe it might be a good idea,” one of them agreed.

“Especially if we confine our initial meeting with him to, as you said, the theoretical aspects of our interest,” Ben agreed.

“What’s his name?” Judith asked.

“Doctor Christopher Faucet,” the man told them.  “And as I said, as far as I can tell, he’s a well-established and noted psychiatrist.”

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Agatha walked up the stairs to let “Stephen” know that dinner would be ready soon.  She never went into his room.  His room was the biggest blight on the earth, and she refused to pick it up for him.  He was going to be a senior this year…or he was supposed to be.  She wasn’t sure what was going to happen now.  But either way, he was more than old enough to pick up his own room.  It was such a disaster area she didn’t think it would ever look decent again.

When she got to the room however, she simply stood in the doorway and stared in disbelief.  Not only was the room picked up, but the bed was neatly made.  Her son never made his bed!  With the window wide open, the room smelled better than usual too.  Walking inside, she found Steve staring through the door that led into his bathroom.

“Your room looks…amazing!” she told her son, who it seemed wasn’t her son.

Nancy looked back around the room.  “I didn’t know what to do with anything.  I just stuck all the dirty clothes in that pile over in the corner, and the stupid weight things that were all over the place I tried to put on the racks over there.  It was weird.  I didn’t think I was going to be able to lift some of them, but I had no problem at all.”

“Hm!” Agatha grunted.  “Have you looked in the mirror?  Have you seen the muscles you have?  You lift those weights a thousand times a day.”

Nancy looked around the room.  “The only mirror I see in here is the one over the dresser.  It’s not like the big mirror I have at home.”

It was another reminder to Agatha that she didn’t know what she was dealing with here.  “You have a big mirror at home.  Full length?”

Nancy nodded.  “How else can you see the outfits you put together?”

“You…Steve…was never very interested in his clothes, other than his uniforms.  And he didn’t put those on until he got to whatever school he was playing at.”

“I don’t know anything about football,” Nancy told her.  “I don’t even like football.  It’s just stupid!”

“Don’t tell Steve…or your father.”

Nancy wanted to tell her that the man downstairs wasn’t her father, but she held her tongue.

“You made your bed,” Agatha noted.  “I haven’t seen that bed made up that nicely in years.”

Nancy shrugged.  “I always make my bed.  My mother makes us.”

“Us?” Agatha asked.

“Emily and me.  My sister.”

Agatha nodded, once again reminded that this was sounding more and more like someone else.  Not her child.

“I really don’t know what to do with most of the stuff in here,” Nancy told the woman that was supposed to be her mother.  “There’s so much stuff in the closet that I don’t even recognize, and all the clothes in the closet and the drawers are all jumbled together.  They’re not neat at all.  And all the stuff on the desk…I have no clue what any of it is.  I had a laptop kind of like the one there, but…I don’t recognize anything he has on it.”

Agatha thought of something.  “Any pictures that maybe might jog your memory?”

“Not that I saw,” Nancy told her.  “I didn’t bother looking much though.  I found a cellphone over there, but I couldn’t get into it.  It has to have some kind of pin number or something.  My phone at home doesn’t need that.  When you came in, I was trying to figure out what to do about the bathroom.  Sorry for saying this, but it’s…disgusting!”

“I’m sure,” Agatha told her as she looked around the room again.  “Tell you what, don’t touch the bathroom, okay?  I’ll send the maid up here to take care of it first thing in the morning.”

“You have a maid too?” Nancy asked hopefully.

“Do you?” Agatha asked.

“She just comes in during the day a couple of times a week,” Nancy explained.

“Ours too,” Agatha told her.  “And I don’t have her clean your room.  That’s your…I mean Steve’s responsibility!  I guess, your responsibility now too.  Except for the bathroom tomorrow.”

“No problem,” Nancy told her.

“I just came up to tell you that dinner will be ready soon.”  She looked over at the open window, and please remember to close the window before you come down.  It might rain tonight.”

“Yeah.  No problem,” Nancy replied.  “It just still smells in here.”

“I’ll give you a can of air freshener right after dinner.  And I’ll show you where the laundry chute is for your clothes too.”  She looked around and shook her head.  “This room hasn’t been this clean in a very long time.  Dinner soon.  Wash up.”

“I will,” Nancy promised.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Doctor Isabella Montcliff stared at her computer screen in disbelief.  How weird!  How absolutely bonking freaking weird!  Philadelphia really did have a District Attorney named Henry Marsh, and according to the picture of his family that she found, he really did have a son named Stephen who was in High School.  The picture was probably a few years old though, but still the kid looked to be fairly big.  But none of that was the weird part.  The weird fact was the recent news story that she found before she found anything else out about Henry or Stephen Marsh.  Stephen had been kidnapped recently at the same time that Nancy had.  Not only that, but Stephen had been returned, unconscious, the same day that Nancy had been returned.  Both of them had been found outside of restaurants.

There were simply too many matching facts that couldn’t be dismissed as a coincidence.  Were both kids kidnapped by the same people at the same time?  And if so, what had happened while they were gone?  Nancy, it seemed, had no memory of what she went through, but then she had no memory of her actual self either.  She acted like she had someone else’s memory instead…memory that belonged to this boy, Stephen Marsh.

What did the boy remember about the time he had been kidnapped?  Was there any way she could find out?  Right now, it didn’t sound likely.  Not even counting the extra security restrictions that were placed on her because of the congressman, as a doctor and a psychiatrist, she would never divulge anything about one of her patients to anyone else, for any reason at all…other than a court order.  Something told her that if Stephen Marsh had a therapist too, that therapist wouldn’t divulge anything either.

So what was she supposed to do?  The first thing that came to mind was to talk to Nancy’s parents, or at least her mother.  She had two appointments set up for the day after tomorrow, one to meet with the mother, then another session with Nancy right after that.  But that was the day after tomorrow.  Should she contact them sooner?  She had to strongly consider that.  There was just too much here for it to be a coincidence, and she had barely started searching.

Had someone else already started looking into this?  It was important for her to know.  It was important for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was Nancy herself.

How could she find out?  Once again, because Michael Stiller was a congressman, she could only think of asking Nancy’s parents, and most likely it would only be her mother that she would have access too.  She made a decision right then and there to call the family tomorrow and try to talk to at least her mother…immediately!

Somebody had to know!  If they didn’t know already.  And she hoped to high heaven that they did.

 

Extracted - Chapter 7 – The Psycho and Delic Hallucination – Part 2 of 2

 

Extracted

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 7 – The Psycho and Delic Hallucination – Part 2 of 2

 

Twenty minutes after he walked out on the psychiatrist, their car drove up the circular drive to the front door of the family’s New York home.

“Are you going to be alright?” Bill asked the congressman.

“We’re fine,” Mike Stiller replied.  “Thanks for all your help today.  I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.”

With that, everyone got out of the car and Stephen followed them all to the front door and into the house.  He found himself in a large beautifully decorated formal living room.  As soon as they got inside, Mike turned to his wife.  Wanda held up her hand and said, “I’ll talk to her.”

Mike nodded.  “Thanks,” he said, then turned and walked off.

Steve automatically knew they were talking about him.  As Emily stood watching, his new mother turned to him.  “Can you find your room alright?”

Find his room?  She had to be kidding.  This was obviously a large house.  He had no idea where it would be, except perhaps upstairs somewhere.  “I’ve got no clue,” he told her.

“I can show her, Mom,” Emily offered.

“No.  I’ll take her,” Wanda told her older daughter.  “This way,” she said as she turned and headed further into the house.  Steve followed her, and Emily followed him.  With every step he took, Steve tried to take in everything he could see of the house.  Like his own house, it was large and well decorated.  But he was guessing that a congressman would need a house like this.  The staircase was located near the back of the house.  He noticed part of the kitchen in the distance as his new mother led the way onto the stairs and up them.

At the top of the stairs, he was surprised when his mother turned left instead of right.  He paused a moment to look in that direction.

“Problem?” Emily asked.

He shook his head.  “Where I live, my room is that way.”

“Where you live,” Emily said nastily.

He just looked at her.

“Your room is this one,” his new mother said as she stood in front of one of the open doors in the hallway.

Afraid of what he might be walking into, he headed that direction and stood in the doorway looking in.  Just as he had feared, he was staring at what he could only describe as a little girl’s room, complete with a plethora of stuffed animals and ballet pictures.  He chanced walking in and was immediately assaulted by the smell.  Yuck!  It burned his nose.  “It smells in here,” he complained.

“That’s your fault, I’m afraid,” his mother replied.  “You seem to have a thing for perfume lately, and you tend to use too much.  Way too much!”

“Trust me,” Steve replied.  “That won’t be a problem anymore.”  He had no interest or intention of using perfume…or any other girly stuff.

There were a few clothes strewn around the room, but no matter how he looked at it, the room was far neater than his own bedroom at home.  There was one other major factor that he noted as well that might prove to be a problem in the future.  The bed was neatly made.  He couldn’t remember ever making his bed at home.  He rarely even changed the sheets except when his mother recommended that he get it done again.  His mother at home rarely went into his room, declaring it a war zone and a safety hazard.  Something told him that his new mother, and probably his new sister as well, would be in his room often.  He didn’t like that.  His room should be his world.  He looked around the room again.  This though, obviously wasn’t his world in any way, shape, or form.

As he looked around, he noticed another thing he wasn’t happy about.  He had a bathroom attached to his room at home.  He didn’t see one here.  Where was it?  Close, he hoped.  In fact, he knew he would be needing it soon, maybe just as soon as these strange people left him alone for a while.

His new mother sat on the bed and patted the bed beside her, wanting him to sit next to her.  He sat and looked at her, waiting.  “What did you discuss with the doctor?” she asked.

“I thought that was all supposed to be private,” he replied.  He noticed that she didn’t look happy with his answer.

“If you insist.  I’m your mother, whether you think so or not, and you have no idea how concerned I am about what’s going on here.”

“Just imagine how concerned I am,” he countered.  “I’m so confused I don’t know which way is up.  I’m not a little girl.  I’m not Nancy.  Sorry about that, but it’s just the way it is.  I have no memory of being Nancy in my head at all, and believe me, I’ve been trying to find even one little thing.  But there’s nothing there.  Nothing!”

“Is that what you told the doctor?”

“Pretty much,” he replied.

She nodded.  “I’ll leave you to look around and get some rest then.  After being in the hospital, rest may be the best thing for you.  Dinner will be in about an hour, don’t be late.”

“I’ll make sure she remembers,” Emily told her.

Wanda nodded and turned back to Nancy.  “If you need me, I’ll be downstairs.  Or if you have any memory of being Nancy at all that hits you, come find me immediately!  Right now, that’s the biggest thing I’m praying for, for you to come back to me and remember being my little girl again.”  She suddenly reached out and hugged her daughter tightly.  “I miss you Nance!” she whispered.  “Come home!”  With that she suddenly let go and ran out of the room, crying.

Steve could only watch her go.  He saw Emily, still standing in the doorway watching his new mother run off as well.  A few seconds later, Emily turned back to look at him, then came in and sat down on the bed where his mother had been.

“I can’t believe you don’t remember us,” she said.  “I can’t believe you don’t even remember who you are.”

“I don’t believe it either,” Steve told her.  “As far as I’m concerned, my entire life right now is one big hallucination.  I even told the doctor that.”

“What did she say?” Emily asked.

“I’m not sure I understood it all.  Something about which way I was looking at things.”

Emily looked at him for a moment then said, “In the hospital, a few days ago, you said you would date me.”

Steve was surprised.  “I did?”

“Yes.  Do you remember that?”

Steve considered that.  “Oh yeah,” he said a moment later as that memory returned.  “It was right after I woke up the first time.  I didn’t know who you were.  I didn’t know who anybody was.”

“But if you’re really Steve, like you claim to be, and you’re really an…older guy…”

“I’m actually seventeen,” he told her.  I’ll be a senior this year.”

She nodded.  “But what I mean is, you said you would date me.  Would you?  Really?”

“Huh!  If I was a guy again, of course.  I love pretty girls.  A lot!”

“Do you have…a girlfriend?”

“Oh yeah!” he said lecherously.  “Melody.  She’s…fantastic!”

“Fantastic.”

“Oh yeah!”

“Can you tell me about her?”

“Melody?”

“Yes.  What’s she like.”

“Like I said.  Fantastic!”

“No.  What does she look like?”

“Oh.  Let me see.  She’s really pretty with long, silky hair that she recently had colored all black.”

“Do you like it better that way?” Emily asked.

He shrugged.  “It’s good both ways.  I don’t really care.  Like I said, she’s pretty.”

“How does she dress?”

“I don’t know.  Nice.  Real nice.  And sexy!”

“Sexy?”

“Yeah.”

“But you can’t give me any details?”

“Why?”

“Because…I’m girl!  Maybe I want to do something similar.  I’d love to have some guy interested in me.”

“Oh.  Well, why wouldn’t they now?”

“Because of…look.  You and…I mean Nancy and I, we go to a private school because of…Dad.  The boys there are all great, and rich, but…I don’t get to go out with any of them.  But Mom said that now that I’m sixteen she’s going to start letting me date, but so far….”

“No luck.”  He chuckled.  “Shit, I’d date you in a minute.  Trust me.”

“But you’ve got a girlfriend.”

“Huh!  That doesn’t exactly stop me.  What she doesn’t know, can’t hurt her.”

“Or you?”

“Nope!”

She sat and looked at him for a moment before she said, “Tell me something.  Honestly!”

“Okay.”

“When you look at me, do you have any kind of…um…”  She rolled her eyes around looking for a polite way to say it.  Finally she blurted out.  “Do you have any kind of sexual interest in me?”

He was surprised by the question.  Oddly, he had to sit and consider it for a few moments before he could answer.  “The strange thing is,” he said.  “I should.  I know for a fact I normally would.  But right now…”  He shook his head.  “Somehow, I just don’t.  Not now.  And I don’t know why.”

Something in what he said angered her.  “Why don’t you look in the mirror, dummy.  Maybe that will clue you in.”  With that she walked out.

Emily hurried down the stairs.  She found her mother making dinner in the kitchen.  “That’s not my sister upstairs,” she declared angrily.  “It’s not Nancy!”

Her mother nodded.  “I’m not sure what’s going on,” she told her older daughter.

“Well I can tell you for a fact that it’s not Nancy.  Not at all!”

Wanda nodded.  “Yeah, I know.  And it’s eating a hole in my gut like you wouldn’t believe.”

Upstairs, Steve’s eyes fell on something bright and pink and shiny.  Something that looked like it was covered in sequins or something.  It took him a moment to figure out what it was.  A cellphone!  Did he dare?  Did he dare pick it up and phone his real mother and father in Philadelphia?  That’s what he wanted to do.  That’s what he yearned to do.  But what would he say?  What would he tell them?  That he was somehow trapped in some weird little girl’s body?  Nobody here believed him, why should they?

And then another thought hit him?  What if he really was home in Philadelphia?  What if the real Steve was there in the house with them?  What then?

Should he call?  Or not?

He sat staring at the phone.  Wanting to call, but too afraid.