story Chapter 1

[Sir Lazeabout]

Noticing Martin's interest, Malcolm decides to try to distract Stephanie. Perhaps he can make her less protective of the crossword if her attention is elsewhere - and keeping the attention on him happens to be his specialty.

 

"Do you enjoy parlour tricks, Miss Ramirez?" he says, smiling brightly. "I'm somewhat of a purveyor of them. For example..."

 

He deftly slips an unfolding paper flower out of his sleeve and hands it to Stephanie with a flourish.

 

"Alas, only a facsimile of a bloom, in a garden full of the real thing," he says. "Still, keep it as a memory of our visit, however brief."

[Caystodd]

19 hours ago, Butchern said:

"You must be Dr. Livingston. To what do we owe the please of this visit? What interest do you have in my patient?"

Livingston turned to Maria and said quietly, "Quédate con la chica. Es posible que ella no hable inglés."

 

Then she turned to the doctor. "I am she." She shook his hand and bowed slightly. "I am a good friend of the late Abraham Broder. After his recent passing, his estate left me with instructions to check up on Miss Ramirez, though I do not know how the two are connected. It was not difficult to track her down here. What can you tell me about the girl? I confess I am in the dark more than I should be."

[LaChupa]

2 hours ago, Caystodd said:

Livingston turned to Maria and said quietly, "Quédate con la chica. Es posible que ella no hable inglés."

"Sí, Señora."

 

Maria walked over to where the menfolk were trying to entertain and persuade the Ramirez girl. She kept her distance but tried to crane her neck to see what the girl was writing on the crossroad puzzle.

[matt_s]

If there is a free moment (so Coupard does not have to interrupt or shout over everyone else), he begins to tell a story of when he spent a faculty luncheon with the late Broder to entertain or perhaps stir Stephanie's memory.

One time, they got all the professors at the University together - you know, that big school about an hour down the road from here, it's a fancy ol' stuffy place at the end of the day? Broder showed up, and sat down at my table. He told story after story about his antics in the classroom or in the field with his colleagues, assistants, and students. Some were outlandish, some were ridiculous, but all had that kernel of truth you know. There was one time he claimed a lemur stole his lunch during a siesta somewhere in South America if my memory serves, now that was a riot of a tale....

 

As Coupard recounts Broder's stories, he looks to see if this stirs any recognition or other emotion on her face.

[Butchern]

  

On 9/8/2022 at 12:30 PM, DogTheGoblin said:

"How long has she been here?"

The Nurse Wilkinson frowned and said loudly, "Sorry, but I cannot give out patient information." Then she looked around for Nurse Rogers. Seeing that Rogers was still standing next to Dr. Boudreaux and not looking in her direction, Wilkinson looked at Stone again and mouthed the words, "one year."

 

On 9/8/2022 at 1:15 PM, Sir Lazeabout said:

He deftly slips an unfolding paper flower out of his sleeve and hands it to Stephanie with a flourish.

Stephanie clutched the crossword and pencil to her chest with a tightly closed fist and took the paper flower from Malcolm with her other hand.

"Es hermosa," she said. After she spoke her face spasmed. The girl jerked her head to the side and made a hissing, sucking kind-of sound with her mouth.

 

"It's a tick," Nurse Wilkinson said quietly. "Neurological. They are harmless."

 

20 hours ago, LaChupa said:

"Maria kept her distance but tried to crane her neck to see what the girl was writing on the crossroad puzzle.

The letters were neatly formed in the little boxes of the crossword, but what she had written was nonsense, in both English and Spanish.

 

17 hours ago, matt_s said:

There was one time he claimed a lemur stole his lunch during a siesta somewhere in South America if my memory serves, now that was a riot of a tale....

Stephanie laughed at the story and ticked again. This time the hissing was a little longer. "Is a lemur a bird?" she asked. "I like birds."

 

23 hours ago, Caystodd said:

What can you tell me about the girl? I confess I am in the dark more than I should be."

"I do not know Professor Broder," the doctor said. "Though I have heard the name. He is well respected. I do not know how he is connected to the girl. Her family information is confidential, but I can tell you a little about her condition. She has some sort of neurological disorder that frustratingly resists diagnosis. It manifests itself in dystonia and chorea as well as some significant cognitive impairment. She has been here for 13 months and her condition has deteriorated slowly and steadily. Her left hand curls up so badly that is it of little use beyond gripping things like paper, as does her left foot . . . though she can still walk. And she has a severe facial tic—the chorea—that is out of her control and only responds to heavy sedatives. She is beginning to experience symptoms akin to dementia. She is comfortable, as far as we can tell, and she seems happy as anyone in her condition. Does that answer your questions?"

[matt_s]

Coupard smiles at Stephanie. I am glad you enjoyed the story, he says. A lemur is not quite a bird, although they are distant cousins. They are a kind of monkey, more or less, playful and mischievous, but with hearts of gold. If I visit again, I will try to bring a book with pictures of animals such as lemurs. Would you like that?

 

Addressing the doctor, he says, I thank you and Nurse Wilkinson very kindly for your time. I think the late Professor would be happy to know that Stephanie is happy and in good hands. One last question - how much can you tell us about her medical history? That is, is her disorder something that was present from birth or a very young age, or something that originated shortly before she was brought here? I am sure you are doing all you can, but if there has been degradation in only 13 months, well, my heart weeps for the poor girl.

[Caystodd]

On 9/9/2022 at 3:53 PM, Butchern said:

"She is beginning to experience symptoms akin to dementia."

"How serious are the symptoms? Is she experiencing hallucinations or delusions?" After waiting for an answer, she asked, "Do you have any idea how Professor Broder might know this girl or know of her? We are trying to put the pieces together before we put this to rest."

[LaChupa]

On 9/9/2022 at 3:53 PM, Butchern said:

"Is a lemur a bird?" she asked. "I like birds."

"¿Los pájaros?" Maria asked. "¿Cuál es tu pájaro favorito? What is your favorite bird?"

[Butchern]

With the promise of another visit, this time with books, Coupard left the conversation with Ramirez, walked up the grass and joined the conversation with the doctors.

On 9/10/2022 at 6:44 PM, matt_s said:

How much can you tell us about her medical history?

"I'm afraid that information is private. All I can say is that there is no indication that these sorts of mental maladies run in her family, and that she was already severely ill when she arrived her."

4 hours ago, Caystodd said:

"How serious are the symptoms? Is she experiencing hallucinations or delusions?" After waiting for an answer, she asked, "Do you have any idea how Professor Broder might know this girl or know of her? We are trying to put the pieces together before we put this to rest."

"I haven't seen any evidence of hallucinations, but delusions, yes. And they are getting worse. But she isn't paranoid. She appears to be embracing them." He scratched his chin. "I can't think of any connection between this patient and Professor Broder. When she fires arrived, her cluster of symptoms were quite unusual, so I inquired with some of my former classmates from the College of Charleston. Perhaps that is the connection.

2 hours ago, LaChupa said:

"¿Los pájaros?" Maria asked. "¿Cuál es tu pájaro favorito? What is your favorite bird?"

"I couldn't pick a favorite. I wouldn't want to hurt any of their feelings." Stephanie hissed and jerked her head to the side. Her head lulled around until she was looking up into the live oak that stretched out above them.

 

The uppermost branches of the tree were covered in several dozen large black birds. They were sitting so perfectly still, they looked fake. And they were hard to see against the dark clouds that had gathered overhead. But when Stephanie looked up, several of the birds moved their heads to look down at her. They were real.

"Ellos estan viendo," Stephanie said. "They are watching." She twitched and hissed again.

[Sir Lazeabout]

Malcolm looks up, a frown on his face.

 

"Yes, so I see..." he says quietly. He squints at the birds, trying to remember enough ornithology to identify them.

[DogTheGoblin]

Stone up to now, could only grimace. To the news of the tics and the year long stay. This story was spiralling down into a depressive rout, at least from the notes he had been taking down.

 

That is, till the mention of birds. The particular avian nuisance that seemed to plague his mind since the lab. A slight smile cracked through at the sound of Stephanie's empathy. Only for it to be snatched away as she seemed to be possessed again by a tic. It was subconscious instinct to follow her gaze up along the oak tree. Martin hadn't noticed how dark the clouds had gotten, but what stuck him was sheer number of large black dots that sat atop the high branches. 

 

One instance could be easily explained away, but two in the same day? "They seem to do that, of late." Stone replied to Stephanie, keeping his eyes of those shadowed beasts. There wasn't much she'll want to reveal with these surveying over here, an indirect approach might be necessary. The reporter turned to Malcolm and Maria. In a hushed whisper, he spoke. "I don't think we're going to get anything out of her with these doctors and nurses around. Especially with them-" Martin motioned over to the tree with his eyes. "-spooking her. We may need to do some unorthodox spelunking in her room. Any ideas how to get there without the croakers noticing?"

[LaChupa]

Maria looked away quickly from the birds. "¡Dios nos salve a todos!" she whispered and crossed herself.

 

"¡Dr. Livingston!" Maria called. "¡Dr. Livingston!" she repeated with a sense of urgency.

 

When Coupard and Dr. Livingston inevitably looked over, she pointed up into the tree, her hand in front of her chest so as to not draw attention to it and without looking up.

[Butchern]

When Maria called out, all of the birds, in unison, looked down in one smooth motion. Then all their black heads shifted to look in the direction of Coupard and Livingston.

[Sir Lazeabout]

Malcolm stares up at the birds like hypnotised. Some part of his brain is yabbering, trying to say that they must be trained, or attracted by something shiny, or having spotted a morsel of food, or, or, or... But for once in his life, he can't make himself believe any of the comforting-yet-boring explanations. Like the ancient norseman who looked at a raven and perceived the all-seeing eyes of his god staring back at him, he is transfixed, feeling himself under the scrutiny of something large and alien and terrible...

[matt_s]

Coupard stands up perfectly straight as a rail, petrified with his hair almost standing on end. He points at the flock and shouts

Their eyes, they burn black as the midnight sun, unrelenting and terrible!