Insanity (A Freund in Need)

by Mars

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program "Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.

Someone knocked at the hotel room door, but no one answered. Two men waited a few minutes, waiting for the occupant to open the door.

"Are you sure he is there, mein freund?" asked the youngest man in a thick German accent.

"Yes, I know he's in there," grumbled the other one. "Mr. Barkley! Open the door, please!" He called.

They heard some whimpers inside, as if a wild animal was trapped and struggling for freedom.

That did it. The older man reached for his pocket and produced a key, "He'll probably sue me later for that stunt..." On that, he unlocked the door and the men entered the room.

The room was dark, the curtains keeping the sunlight out. Stumbling around the dark room, the younger man with an accent sat on a chair besides the bed.

Meanwhile, the older man was struggling in a corner of the room. After some wincing and grunting, he dragged a whimpy Jarrod. Helped by the young German guy, they soon had a protesting Jarrod on the bed and securely tied in place.

"I'm sorry, Jarrod," the older man apologized, "Your family is very..."

At the word *family*, Jarrod whimpered and struggled to free himself.

"I suggest that you leave us now, mein freund," the German guy cut in, a worried look on his face. "Jarrod here and me have to talk."

The older man nodded and walked out of the room.

It took some time, but then Jarrod relaxed, despite being strapped to the bed. The German man too relaxed, replacing the Audratium vial in his pocket. He would not need to use anesthesia today. That was good, for he had a ship to catch and couldn't afford being detained much longer.

Pulling a notepad and a pen out of his pocket, the stranger leaned back against the chair. "I see that you dreamed again, herr Barkley," he said quietly as to not upset Jarrod. "I am your friend. You know that, do not you?"

It was amazing that Jarrod could understand the man talking with such an accent, but he did. "Yes, I know," Jarrod whispered back.

"Gut, very gut..." He wrote something down, then talked again. "Now. I suggest you talk to me about that dream. Was it the same again?"

Jarrod shivered, "Yes," he hissed.

"Remember, it is just a dream. Dream can not hurt you. You know that, do not you?"

"Yes, yes I know."

"Gut. Now tell me about your dream."

For long minutes, Jarrod told the stranger about his latest dream. "... so the hot-air balloon was caught in that empty space... it was so empty... no sound... no thoughts, no feelings... and it kept drifting away without a sound, as if the slightest wind would send it in a direction, and the next second would send it in the exact opposite direction..."

The man kept writing down on his notepad, staying silent. Jarrod continued.

"Without someone to tied it to the ground, the balloon would have drifted away for eternity..."

"What happened then?" the stranger asked.

"This... this... animal appeared..." Jarrod whispered.

"What animal, Jarrod? Can you describe it?"

"It... well... it was... hairy... like dark fur... and it had a big mouth... and there was that strange sound when it walked around... it kept grunting and groaning..."

"What animal do you think it looked like?"

Jarrod hesitated for a moment. "Like a 200 lbs ornithorhynchus walking on its hinge legs."

"I see." The man took some notes. "What happened then?"

Jarrod sighed. "That animal groaned that he had to catch the hot-air balloon and tie it to the ground... I told him how to achieve it..."

"Did he listen to you?"

"No, not a second!" Jarrod spat. "Instead, it kept walking around, with that annoying sound filling the air with every step... Then he said something about needing an eclipse to help him... That without the eclipse, he couldn't catch the balloon..."

"And then?"

"Then the giant ornithorhynchus called the eclipse... and the eclipse appeared without a sound behind the animal... and he caught the balloon..."

"How did the animal did it?"

Jarrod sighed, visibly tired. "With the eclipse following him everywhere without a sound, everyone was staring at it... so the giant ornithorhynchus caught the balloon by surprise and tied it to the ground, so it didn't drift away... Then I woke up," Jarrod concluded.

The stranger took some more notes, then smiled. "That was a very gut dream, herr Barkley."

"Really?"

The man stood, "Yes. Very gut indeed."

"What does it mean, doctor?"

The man grinned, "Well, mein freund. It is clear from your dream that you should not worry anymore. You are a very sane man again."

"How come?"

"I am sure you will find it out by yourself in time, but only when you are ready," was the only answer from the strange man.

On that, he tore the notepad sheet and placed it on Jarrod's chest. Then he turned and left the room in a hurry.

Jarrod twisted hard enough to be able to read the note.

— Herr Barkley. Would you be kind enough to tell the hot-air balloon that I can not bring her back with me in Europe despite her generous offer of her own person. I would not want to be hunted down by the giant ornithorhynchus and the silent eclipse. S. Freud. —

FINI!