Rick McQuiston
©2007
Tara checked her watch, three fifty- one p.m. glared back at her. Confident in the fact that she was early she allowed herself to relax for the first time in days. Dr. Everth was a highly respected psychologist and Tara was certain he was helping her in many ways.
She glanced over towards the receptionist’s desk. Elizabeth had been Dr. Everth’s secretary for as long as she could remember, much longer than she had been a patient and that was quite awhile.
Elizabeth was busily typing away at her computer oblivious to Tara. Her gray hair was so tightly packed into a bun that Tara found herself wondering if it actually hurt.
“Dr. Everth will see you now,” she said in a sterile voice without bothering to look up.
Tara mumbled a thank you and gathered her purse and other belongings. She smiled at Elizabeth as she shuffled past her desk and was hardly surprised that she received no response.
The heavily varnished oak door swung back to reveal Dr. Everth’s spacious office. The entire room abounded with bookshelves which were packed with tomes of various shapes, sizes and occasionally colors. Tara briefly scanned the volumes out of habit more than curiosity.
The walls sported framed diplomas and other accolades and printed sheets of awards and accomplishments. Thick burgundy carpet coated the floor from wall to wall only interrupted by expensive furniture strategically placed throughout the room. And the staple of any psychiatrist’s office, the couch, was positioned off in the corner; alone and aware of its importance. And in the center of the room was an enormous, highly polished oak desk which dominated all the other furniture.
Tara began to get curious as to where Dr. Everth was. The door to the lavatory was open but the lights were off and there was no sign of him anywhere. She sat down in one of the two chairs in front of the desk and did her best to relax.
Random thoughts of the creature that inhabited her nightmares roamed freely across her mind. It was a sickening thing with numerous eyes and skin that was nearly transparent and coated with slime whose sole purpose was to plague her dreams and force her to seek therapy. Its form was as vague as the dreams it inhabited but it still processed the power to alter her sanity and slither into the deepest depths of her mind.
Tara shuddered as the unwelcome recollections infested her head. Why she suffered from these nightmares she did not know but she knew that Dr. Everth was helping her understand the meaning of them and that was the first step to recovery.
“Tara my dear, good to see you again.” The words startled her causing her to nearly fall out of her chair.
Dr. Everth was a frail looking man in his early seventies. His small stature was a direct and prominent
contrast to his intellect and professional abilities which he had consistently displayed to his numerous patients.
He processed an uncanny ability to tap into her thoughts, analyze the problem and prescribe a definitive course of treatment. He had helped her to overcome the miscarriage she had suffered and actually use it as a tool to fully appreciate her self worth. He showed her that her relationship with her perfectionists mother, God rest her soul, could be used as a stepping stone to peace of mind.
“Dr. Everth,” she timidly replied. “I…I didn’t see you come in. I just sat down and…”
“Now Tara, there’s no need to explain. You are right on time. I apologize for being a little late myself.” He adjusted his silk tie and seated himself behind his desk. “Now, shall we begin?”
Tara opened herself up completely as she had done so many times before. She explained her most recent episodes to him going into great detail about everything from her preparation for sleep to what she ate for dinner. Dr. Everth sat patiently through it all occasionally nodding and frequently scribbling notes in his small leather bound ledger. When she had finished she took a deep breath and waited for Dr. Everth’s response. She felt nervous, which surprised her simply due to the number of times she had paid visits to him but she still could not deny or suppress the butterflies in her stomach.
“Well Tara, I dare say I’m impressed with your grasp of the situation.” He rubbed his graying stubble and smiled at her. “You have come a long way since I first started treating you but I still foresee a long road ahead of us.” He flicked his stainless steel lighter which instantly produced a thin plume of flame and dipped it towards his Mahogany pipe.
Tara hated the smoke. It gave her a headache and made her eyes burn. She was surprised he didn’t respect her feelings on the matter, even if he was in his own office.
“I recommend we explore your past relationships to ascertain if the creature that haunts your dreams is in some way related to any, or all for that matter, previous people in your life.” He looked her in the eye and continued. “The old saying about having to face your fears is basically a true one. I use the technique myself in certain cases.”
Tara felt relieved. Dr. Everth knew what she needed as he had proved so many times before. She would readily submit to his suggestions for treatment and begin her road to recovery.
“Yes Dr. Everth. Where would you like me to start?”
“Excellent!” he beamed. “Excellent!”
He stood up and tapped his pipe into a circular marble ashtray. “Please, make yourself comfortable.” He gestured towards the plush velvet lined couch that occupied the wall behind where Tara was sitting. She stood up and gathered her belongings.
“Now Tara my dear, you must remember you still have a long way to go until complete recovery. But I do feel that we have already made some progress today. Soon we should be able to discover the underlying causes of the nightmares.
“I need to know what it is and why it’s in my dreams,” Tara said urgently.
“Yes, yes I know you do. Rest assured, with more treatment we will find answers.”
Forty- five minutes later Tara rose up from the couch. She felt substantially better almost renewed in some way. “Thank you Doctor,” she said.
Dr. Everth stood also and set down his notebook and pen. “I recommend several more appointments. You can see Elizabeth on your way out. I look forward to seeing you again. Good day.”
Tara left the office with Dr. Everth’s encouraging words filling her head. She scheduled her next appointment with the secretary and walked out the door feeling liberated from at least part of her problems.
Dr. Everth sauntered back to his desk sat down and began glancing over scattered papers that lay in front of him. The rest of his day was free, no other patients at all.
“Elizabeth, would you come in please.”
Elizabeth entered the office and stood in front of Dr. Everth.
“Yes sir?”
Dr. Everth stood up and smiled at his long time employee.
“Elizabeth, I just want to compliment you on another fine job.”
Elizabeth smiled.
“I must say you did very well with Tara. You really affected her.”
“Thank you doctor.”
“You are very welcome. After all, you help keep business going.”
He walked over to one of the bookshelves, reached up and selected a large black volume. He tilted it forward slightly which caused a portion of a neighboring wall to creak open. Reaching inside he withdrew a small partially decomposed cat which he promptly tossed into the now gaping maw of Elizabeth who greedily sucked it down.
“There, there my pet,” Dr. Everth cooed. “You see how fine work is rewarded.”
Elizabeth slurped up the last remaining maggots from the carcass and grinned at the doctor. “Thank you,” she slurred as her mouth was shrinking back to normal size.
Seating himself behind his desk Dr. Everth rummaged through his agenda.
“Now Elizabeth, the remainder of the day is open. I want you to visit Jessica Berfent again. Remember her? She’s the one tormented by the memory of her dead husband, I believe his name was Thomas. Can you do him again?”
Elizabeth closed her eyes and instantly transformed into a perfect imitation of Thomas Berfent.
“Excellent! But he’s been dead now for quite a while. You might want to add a little more decay. Perfect! Now I want you to infest her dreams tonight.”
Elizabeth quickly reverted back to her human form and nodded at Dr. Everth. “I guarantee she will be scheduling an appointment soon doctor,” she assured.
Dr. Everth grinned. “Excellent!” he beamed. “Excellent!”
BACKGROUND
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Rick McQuiston is a 39 year-old father of two who loves to read,write and play drums. He has had 87 publications so far and is currently working on his second horror novella.
