The Strange Case (397 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 1.75 on 8 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Boatplank (View user info) at 2006-10-04 14:35:58 EDT
"Some shallow day did awake, inside the breasts of many, a multitude of swollen, horrible, beasts."
The dramatic tone and gesturing caused some to roll their eyes,
"These then fell flopping all about the floor, expelled from the mouth. The gunge and slime gave off a putrid smell once the initial debris was removed, and the former was then washed away with a complete extraction and scrubbing of all the elements in the room by the nurses." Captain Drake said, walking around to the front of the desk.
"This day was unremarkable in its beginning, and the seeds of the event sprouted from the unremarkability into something quite... disturbing. The nurses erred in their removal and cleaning of course. The material was incinerated almost immediately."
"Doesn't that seem odd, captain?" an officer asked from the side.
"Yes, Bridge, it does. It does seem odd. Who would think to burn the evidence of an unknown, newly found, extraordinary creature? However there is to be no further investigation into that matter, which is an order issued forth, or issued downwards, from the higher branches of the tree of command as it were."
"Lower roots I would think sir. Roots. Leaves are a bit more inconsequential and expendable." Said a young officer.
"Uh, yes Percible, quite." Captain Drake put his report onto the desk and moved to the front of the white board.
"Here we have an estimation of what the beasts looked like." He placed a drawing into the clip above the board, and a there was a little shuffling of seats.
"Awful critters them." Said the young officer.
"Awful yes, but perhaps a tiny bit dramatised in their rendetion." Said Captain Drake, indicating the bloody limbs drawn next to a gaping mouthed monster. "Seeing that it were one of the mental patients who rendered it I suppose it is only to be expected. Do make mental adjustments holding that fact in mind."
"So what exactly are we investigating?" Asked Bridge, tapping the pen against his nose.
"Well," Said Captain Drake, "we are to investigate. We are to investigate in the general sense of the word, 'investigate'. We are to do interviews with the patients first of all, Bridge you can handle that-"
"Yes sir."
"-we have forensics sifting through the ashes and, furthermore, we are to write drafts of proposed plans of further investigation, which are to be handed to me, whereupon I will send them up, or down, for approval. Upon its return we can then proceed with our proposed intention of, of further investigation." He removed the drawing.
"So sir," said Percible, "what we are to do next, is to think about what to do next?"
"Why yes Percible, certainly. And we are to waste no time whatsoever. If you need me, I will be in my office adding color to this drawing. Mary, can you help me?"
"Sir."
"And bring some tea, would you?"
- - - - - - -
Interview with mental patient 1
"Hello, Patrick? Is it Patrick? Do you know why we're here Patrick?"
"I know why you're here." Said the patient in a low voice, turning his head.
Bridge looked towards the guard standing outside the door. "Um, okay. Well we're here to as-"
"You."
"-uh. What?"
"You're here. There is no 'we' here." The patient opened his arms and looked around. Bridge got it.
"Oh yes yes, quite right. However my partner is in the waiting room," he pointed to a wall, "or somewhere, speaking to other people so technically, it is 'we', but yes you are quite right - very good Patrick." Bridge smiled at him. The patient slowly lit a cigarette.
"Right, so. What I am here for is the-"
"cupboard at the bottom of the stairs." Said the patient, and took a drag from the cigarette.
"No. Not really, what I'm actually here for is the-"
"cupboard, at the bottom, of the stairs." Said the patient again, intently.
"Get him out of here." He called on impulse, but then remembered where he was, he went to the door and asked apologetically, "Could you remove the patient and swap him for a better one. For a uh, another one?"
interview with patient 2
'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGH HELP HELP!" Screamed Bridge, and the guard jumped in with efficiency and jabbed the second patient with a readied needle.
"Jesus christ!" shouted Bridge and the patient got dragged frothing out of the room. "What the hell was that??"
Outside, the guard smiled, "good one Roy." Roy looked up into nothing.
Interview with patient 3
"Hello Jenni-"
"Hellooo!" said the third patient cheerfully, her eyes brimming with tears.
"How are we today?" Asked Bridge, keeping a watchful eye on her.
"Good, good. Thanks. Thank you, hmm."
"Um, okay good," he smiled, she smiled, "So what we're here for is about what happened on Tuesday."
"Oooooh yes, yes." She said and sat up, adopting a business like manner. "Tuesday was it?" she asked.
"Yes, Tuesday."
"Ooooooh Tuesday's no good for me. No, no good at all I'm afraid." She put a hand to the side of her face and moved it onto her brow pulling her eyes open, she looked up staring at him in this way.
"Um, no what I meant was this Tuesday past, which was yesterday?"
"I think so, I think so."
"No it was yesterday, yesterday was Tuesday."
"Yes it was." She said, Bridge leaned forward.
"Okay so something happened yesterday, Tuesday, something which was apparently quite awful."
"Oh awfull, oh so very very awfull."
"So you know what happened?"
"What?" She asked excitedly. Bridge sighed and packed his things away.
- - - - -
He found Percible crying in the Psychologists office. "Whats happened here?" he asked.
"Nothing," said Percible and he left the room. Bridge sat down.
"Please take a seat." Said the doctor and smiled.
"Oh, yeah, sorry, may I?"
The psychologist lifted a hand vaguely. He wore glasses and had on a rather old fashioned, but good looking suit. He leaned back in his seat and seemed as if he were waiting.
"So um," said Bridge, "you were right about the interviews. They didn't really work out as I'd hoped."
The psychologist smiled, frowned and the leaned forward sharply, "You see mister Bridge," he paused for a long while, appearing deep in thought, "what you have is an interesting situation." He brought his hands together to form a steeple and pressed it to his chin. "You are not allowed to interview us, the staff, or anyone who was witness to the event, who is not a patient, am I correct?"
"Yes." Said Bridge.
"And you are not allowed to have a psychologist help you with the interviews."
"Correct." Said Bridge, the Psychologist frowned deeper, and muttered,
"Strange, strange, strange."
"I agree," said Bridge, and the psychologists look made him feel as if he'd said something very, very wrong.
"I mean it just seems rather strange, it's a strange way of being instruced on how one should do ones job." He added. The psychologist continued staring at him in a blank way. Bridge shifted in his seat.
After a long time the psychologist suddenly broke into a cheerful smile. "So you had a little trouble then, eh?" he said happily, "Not such an easy thing, dealing with patients."
"No, not at all," said Bridge in relief, "and I don't really see the point, its not as if their comments will mean anything." The smile dropped from the psychologists face. Before Bridge could add something the Psychologist pointed to a big comemmorative board on the wall.
"Do you know what that is?" he asked.
"No, no I don't." said Bridge.
"That's a list of all the head psychologists who came before me." He looked to Bridge, "Do you notice anything?"
Bridge wanted to find the right answer quickly, "the paint has changed throughout the years?" he said, the Psychologist answered his own question,
"No one lasted. Look at those terms, none longer than four years." He lifted his eye-brows, "Me? Twelve. I've remained faithful for twelve years." He said, holding up two fingers.
"Wow," said Bridge, confused.
"And all those twelve years?" He frowned again, "Not once have I really learned what the hell to do." He burst out laughing.
Bridge smiled, still confused, and decided it was time to go.
- - - - -
Captain Drake read through Bridges proposal quietly, rubbing his chin.
"So what you are proposing," he said, "Is that we close the investigation?"
"Yes sir." Said Bridge.
The Captain reread it and it seemed to hit him again, he flinched, "But is it possible? I mean of course it is possible, yes. It is possible to a certain degree of 'possibilty'. Let us consider the facts, shall we Bridge?"
"Yes sir, lets." Bridge said.
"Okay well, we have all the physical evidence in our possesion, right?" The Captain said distractedly.
"Right."
"We initially received a complaint issued to us from the Mental Instution of an occurrence, an unsettling dastardly deed of, of putrescence."
"Uh, no sir, we were contacted from a higher devision of the service to run a short investigation with restrictions which were dictated to us." Said Bridge.
"We were? We were, yes. Yes and then we ran limitations rather soon did we not?" Said Captain Drake.
"Yes sir, there is no scope for further improvement of our knowledge until the restrictions are lifted. So pending that, there is nothing we can do but offer to close the case."
Captain Drake got up out of his chair and began pacing the office. He stopped in front of the beast drawing and gazed at it. Thoughtfully he said, "You know Bridge, we do have a funding for our investigation."
"Yes sir I know bu-"
"And this funding is of an interesting nature. You see, we do not have to report back on each and every cent. It is in fact quiet a relaxed budget, one could say."
"Yes sir, I know but still I do-"
"And perhaps, if me and you, were to have a brainstorm. A flash of inspiration." Said the Captain turning towards Bridge. Bridge waited.
"Say, if a trail unmasked by our combined level of perception were to be followed and we found ourselves at 'Madame Zingare's' with a pressing need to interview a few of the hard working ladies there?"
Bridges face had slowly lit up during these words, "Well sir," he frowned again, "I think this particular proposal would need redrafting in order to facilitate an ongoing, but more free roaming, investigation of that manner."
"And do you think you could manage it?" Asked the Captain.
"Leave it to me, sir."
"Excellent" Said the captain, returning to his book.
- - - - - -
Bridge sat typing, he looked towards sad Percible. "What ho, lad?" he called.
Percible pulled his gaze from out the window. "He said I needed an act of 'coital submissiveness'" he said.
"Don't confess I'm not the Pope," said Bridge and paused, "Who did?"
"The doctor, the psychologist, he said it was vital for my mental health. Bridge, if I don't get this coital submissiveness thing I'm headed for the loony bin! Straight from the horses mouth! He said it!"
"Well," said Bridge, typing again, "I think your troubles will soon be over."
"Really, how?"
"Oh, all in good time Percible, all in good time."
User Reviews
Submitted by rillins (user info) at 2006-10-05 16:16:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I enjoyed it
Submitted by JoeyG (user info) at 2006-10-04 16:12:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Strange, but enjoyable none the less
Submitted by v8lover (user info) at 2006-10-04 15:48:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Uhm.... what was that about? Didn't make any sense to me...
Submitted by UnderOathMeal (user info) at 2006-10-04 15:16:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2006-10-04 14:44:16 (#)
Ranking: 2
Will read later. Rate the poster, you fucking degenerates.
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This person is a raving moron, unparalleled by any other who has ever walked the earth.
Submitted by kybernetikum (user info) at 2006-10-04 14:53:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Amontillado (user info) at 2006-10-04 14:51:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
strange indeed.
Submitted by Barnymeinhoff (user info) at 2006-10-04 14:50:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
nice
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2006-10-04 14:44:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Will read later. Rate the poster, you fucking degenerates.