Day 3
I saw him again.
I had hoped, had really hoped, that the psychiatrist was right, that it was all an illusion.
But once the rain disappeared, once my security was shattered, I knew, beyond a doubt, that I wasn't crazy.
He came in the morning. It was so bright and cheery in my room. The sun was shining through my window, and the last few drops of water that had clung onto the glass refracted the light into brilliant displays of red and blue and gold on my walls. The light even reached into into the far end of my room, past the doorway leading to my bathroom, and bounced off the normally dull tiles in such a way that it filled the room in a way I had never seen it. I was so happy I could feel my toes curling up in satisfied bliss. And then I saw him. Out of the corner of my eye. Peering at me from behind the shower curtain.
I tried to pretend I was seeing things. Yes, I confess, for a minute I was just like them. Seeing but pretending not to see. I almost convinced myself that it was just a shadow. I wanted so bad to not be crazy, to be just like everyone else, that I rationalized it as simply a trick of the light. water floating inside my eyeball that made me see something that wasn't there.
And then he laughed. The bastard laughed at me.
"Do you sell your soul for such a price?" he said. He spoke. God, I didn't know they could talk. "Come here, I'll give you so much more if that's what you wish to do."
So I screamed. What else could I do? An orderly sauntered into the room and told me to calm down, that I was having a hallucination. She patted me on the hand and told me everything was going to be okay, that she was going to take me to see the doctor, and she would make me all better.
Of course he laughed when he heard that. But at least he disappeared when the orderly turned around to see what had made that strange noise. She mumbled something under her breath--I can only assume it was about what she thought was my crazy neighbor--and then took me to see my "doctor".
It was a scheduled appointment. They don't take us specially whenever we "freak out". Otherwise they'd need at least a dozen psychiatrists.