Abandoned Mind............Donno

~~

For the most part, the journey between Tulsa and the sooner capital consisted of receiving a pounding from hail and gale force wind's. Storm clouds rolled and lightening backlit the western sky. The tornado's had chewed up the road like a grinder and shredded the land as far as the eye could see.

The specialist's from Boston consisted of one doctor and one emt tech per ambulance. The two teams had already travelled for sixteen hours straight, it was a back breaking ride to reach the community. They reached the bottom of a ravine near the entrance to town and the driver switched to low gear. The engine growled in protest as the passengers lurched over each obstacle.

The constant bumping and rain had an affect on me, causing me to pause in reflection. It seemed that this was an unusual month, producing over five hundred tornadoes and breaking all the known records. With a shudder my thoughts had an unsettling quality- Could it be true what they were saying? Had a way been found to control the weather using secret Russian technology combined with other methods?

I remember that the night was as dark as my thoughts; brooding to match the torrent of the nearby creek, swollen by the storm. Suddenly we saw a man almost under the front of the ambulance. Slamming on the brakes with a jerk, just missing a rear collision, we screeched to a halt.

"Hey, watch out mister," the driver said, "I didn't see you there."

"You could hardly be expected to have seen me," the man replied in a confident tone. I watched warily as the strange man approached the driver side window, " and the storm is so loud it prevented me from hearing you."

With sense of deja vu I recognized the voice immediately and I would not say I was pleased to be hearing it again.

~~

"You are Dr. Sivakumar, are you not," I asked.

"Yes, and you are my good friend Doctor Schlessor. I am extremely pleased to see you again," he added, with a short chuckle, "since you appear to be going my way, I would appreciate a ride with you."

"Of course, no problem.. you are quite welcome."

I was thinking exactly the opposite of that.

He moved into the middle seat from the passenger side, thanking us then started explaining about his stalled car and cell phone. The vehicle drove cautiously forward in the storm, and as before, my imagination seemed to have a life of it's own. It seemed the remainder of the distance was covered under the shroud of a chill fog, uncomfortably cold, the slow moving ambulance seemed to be taking forever to dodge the power lines and tree limbs.

By the time we reached town, the atmosphere inside cab was cheerless and desolate. It must have been just before midnight and there was not a soul around. There were no lights at the intersections or houses, nor a living thing in the streets.

The Doctor explained in detail how he happened to be there, and where he had been since I had seen him last. He had traveled overseas and been in many foreign countries and that he had just returned... This is all that I can remember, it's strange, I remember the details but not the conversation from which it came.

I don't remember saying one word, though I'm sure I must have. Of one thing I am very certain, something about that guy was strange. He was giving off a weird vibration. A strange uneasiness overcame me, so much that when we arrived under the backup lights of St. Anthony's House I experienced a sense of euphoria, I felt like I had just escaped a demon. It turns out my relief didn't last long because the doctor was stationed at the same medical compound.

~~

In order to explain my feelings towards the good Doctor, I need to tell you about the first time we met. It was in '97 during the annual fund raiser for a new medical wing, he was one of the guest speakers. At my table were several other alum's and the conversation had turned to the subject of magic.

".. these magicians were the worst. They can't do anything except make a fool of you by example," One of the seated said loudly.

"The worst beggar in Singapore could mystify those people," replied another of the party.

"For instance, how?" I asked.

"For instance, the appearance of flowers that visibly grow and blossom; the throwing of large objects into the air- only to find they never come down; the putting of a woman into a wicker basket, and then impaling the basket with a sword, only to find there is no one in the basket in the end; and don't forget the tossing of a rope up into the sky, mounting it to dissapear into the ether."

"Ridiculous!" I offered, tactlessly I fear, "You certainly don't believe those things?"

"Of course not, I have seen those tricks far to often to believe in them..."

Nobody said a word because all eyes were focused on a spot immediately behind me. I turned to see that they were watching a man, having just entered the room. He was tall with a thin face and full beard. It was tapered and trimmed- however, it was his gleaming soul-less eyes that seemed to draw the most attention.

~~

One of our group rose up and introduced the doctor around the table. He bowed to each in recognition, this was his custom. His smile was congenial with a slight curve towards cynical, but his mannerisms and speach could be considered unique. He said very little, but what he did say sounded like it was coming from a finely tuned instrument.

His voice, however had a similar affect on me as did his eyes. The feeling was like vertigo, very simliar to the way one feels after too much wine. I waited a few more minutes to gather myself before going. I reached the curb to find no cabs in sight. I needed to walk the few city blocks and breathe some fresh air to clear my head. I soon discovered I was not alone.

"Dr. Schlessor," he said, "What a surprise, I am going your way."

I thought to myself, "The devil you are..."

Then I said, "Well of course, it will be nice to have your company Doctor."

We walked beside each other in silence until he said, "You don't believe in the Indian sages and Fakirs of my homeland."

"Who told you that?" I demanded.

He never said a word, only pointing in the direction of a nearby wall. Right there, almost at our very feet was the body of a dead man. The full moon shadow covered the face in patterns and the blood that was underneath the body radiated outward. To say I was confused and terrified was an understatement, I knew there was no way that I could have missed this vision on the walk up the street moments before.

My pulse was racing and the shock started to numb my senses when I leaned forward for one last look- only to find the face of the doctor staring up from the lifeless corpse. Hearing a chuckle I glanced towards the sound, then looked back... And as if it had never been there, it disappeared before my eyes. I turned to the doctor; to find him staring fixedly into mine, his snake like eyes glittering.

"What manner of jokes are you playing, Doctor?" I demanded once again, only this time every nerve and fiber of my body was shaking.

"It is what some call Indian magic," he answered with a bow and a hard chuckle. I watched him as he turned down Washington Boulevard that night, seven years ago.

I never saw him again until this very day...

~~

It was the day after and I was happy not to see the doctor. The staff at the control desk mentioned that he called in sick with a slight chill. I was also quite surprised by the sudden arrival of my fiance.

I'm no romance writer and since this is not a love story I won't bother you with silky words and unspoken promises... I soon relented to the power of love and placed the ring on her finger, rewarded by the word I longed to hear, "Yes."

I'd never been happier, transformed by the meer sight of her. During the next three days we spent as much time together as possible, our relationship was never more intence. The only thorn in my side was the doctor's presence.

There were many female healthcare workers and it was apparent that they were captivated by his personality. I didn't know anything about his background, he acted normal around others, but he kept popping up everywhere it seemed. Recently I caught sight of him talking to my fiance near the control station. I grew angry, furious to point that I told her.

When I voiced my disapproval, she asked me why. I had no reasons to give and the look she gave me was tinged with disapointment. There was no doubt she didn't like my jealousy, in time I grew dejected and difficult. I decided to return to Boston the next day.

~~

In a lot behind the old church of St. Anthony's, a cemetery sits in disrepair. Surrounded by the asphalt and growth of urban sprawl, the place was as gruesome a sight as any dismal human could crave. This is the place I found myself later on that evening.

The shadows played across the rusted railings to highlight all that was dark and unholy, broken and decayed. A dishonor to the living, this place had the studded appearance of a nightmare in the making. I turned to depart and noticed movement up ahead, from the shadows emerged my very own nemesis in the form of the mysterious doctor. I was in shadow and used this to my advantage. I braced myself, standing very still, every muscle was clenched as I fought to control the sudden instinct to attack. A moment later, another figure joined him, clinging tightly to his arm... It was my sweet heart!

I don't remember what happened next, but I sprang out intending to commit mayhem; I found later that I was discovered before noon on the next day. I was bruised and battered, with red marks on my throat. I called the volunteers at the front desk and inquired if my fiance was still at the medical quarters, only to be informed they had no information on her. I found out later that she was never there and had always been up in Boston.

"Please don't withhold any information," I said despairingly. "You can tell that I am okay, I need you to tell me the truth."

"I give you my word Dr. Schlessor, your fiance has not been here at all during the entire rescue operation," replied the seasoned nursing supervisor.

Her reply floored me... I listened in silence and then asked, "Where is Dr. Sivakumar?"

A tone crept into her voice, "He left the same morning you were brought here. It seems he gave you a hard time indeed."

~~

Those were the facts surrounding the mysterious doctor. My fiance is now my wife, pregnant with our first child. She has never been to St. Anthony's Hospital, nor as far south as Missouri. During the few days that I have mentioned, she was waiting at her condo in Boston and wondering why I wasn't checking in with her.

This afternoon as I was watching the Nets and Pistons, I surfed to CNN during a commercial and was shocked speechless by the following simulcast:

" Professor Ravi Sivakumar, the regression therapist, had a large attendance last evening at the Parker Meridian's grand ballroom on W. 57th street. He has agreed to another performance in downtown Manhatten tonight. In the audience were the most powerful members of the senate, social elite, members of the UN and the trilateral commission on finance affairs.

" Reporters excepted, the professor hypnotized the entire audience making them feel extraordinary illusions. Part of the lecture described the use of suggestion to make a person 'see' what was wanted. The professor went on to say that the most skilled of these magicians could perform miracles by throwing the intended into a certain state and then telling them what to see and hear.

The highly suggestive persons could be kept in what he described as the 'Abandoned Mind' state for weeks, months or even years, entirely subjected by the fantasies and intrigue of the manipulator.

" This reporter finds the entire subject a touch unsettling.. Heidi, back to you."

" That was CNN's Kelly Wallace reporting live from downtown New York."

I reached for the remote, pounding at the recall button to switch it back to the game.



THE END

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