Writing style and story can be thought of as if Franz Kafka (Metamorphosis, The Judgement) collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho) and Lewis Carrol (Alice In Wonderland).

NOT INTENDED FOR SENSITIVE READERS

Shortly after receiving news of his friend’s death, Derek Ericson witnesses his girlfriend being unfaithful. As he is trying to cope with both of these events, he acquires a
neurological disorder. The nature of the disorder prevents him from realizing his perception is distorted. His behavior becomes increasingly bizarre until he is involuntarily committed for psychiatric evaluation. The story concludes with Derek’s evolving awareness of how to close the gap between reality and his desires.

Derek’s hallucinations and paranoia suggest he may be suffering from schizophrenia. This should not be taken as the explanation for increasing inability to recognize shifts from reality. Trauma and stress can trigger hallucinations and people that are labeled as having paranoid delusions can be correct in their assessment. The person that complimented you may have been seeking a favor in return, but you mistook it as genuine flattery. Or perhaps you incorrectly assumed selfish motives from a stranger’s act of kindness. Without omniscience, there is no way to really know what is happening in the skulls of others. The best we can do is use our full range of intellect to estimate probabilities. After years of accumulating experiences, even subtle miscalculations can significantly corrupt anyone’s version of the truth.

Though this is a work of fiction, some events are based on reality. Some characters may or may not represent specific people. To prove that libel has taken place, a person must first prove the damning statement was false.

“Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued.”
(Socrates, 360 B.C.)

The Acari are a subclass of arachnids that includes thousands of different species of mites and ticks. Ticks are found found on all continents, with roughly 850 known species. They are distinguished from mites by their larger size and specialized parasitic lifestyle; more closely related to spiders and scorpions than to insects. They transmit potentially fatal infections from animals to humans. Many people assume they would feel the bite, but their saliva contains anesthetic properties that allow them to feed for days, increasing the risk of disease while remaining unnoticed.

I was reluctant to answer the knock at the door. It had been raining and wind blew tree limbs against the house. Even when the knocking became more forceful and steady, I assumed it was visitor for my roommates, who were out for the evening. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone, but I had been at my desk translating text for hours and needed a break, so I stood up and walked towards the door. I saw a police car parked in front of my house.

I opened the door and saw two policemen in uniforms wet from the rain. The one standing closest to me asked, “Are you Derek Ericson?”

After a delay from confusion about the purpose of the question and the fact he knew my name, I asked, “Why? What do you want?”

“Do you share this residence with Charles and Stephanie Rutger?”

“Yes.”

He introduced himself, speaking in a more polite tone, “I’m officer Leonard Culver. This is my partner, Patrick Lee. Can we come in?”

I could feel my stomach muscles tightening and my mouth getting dry. I didn’t like the look on his face and I started to feel very nervous.

Leonard waited until the three of us were seated, and then told me, “Charles and Stephanie were in a car accident. It was a head-on collision.” His partner handed a bag to him and Leonard removed a brown wallet that I immediately recognized as Charlie’s. He set it down on the table in front of me as he softly spoke, “Charles is dead. I’m sorry.”

I always hated that ugly brown wallet. But I never hated it more than at that moment. I braced myself for the answer to my question, “Is his sister okay?”

“She wasn’t conscious, but she did have a pulse. She was taken to the emergency room at Providence hospital. Normally we try to speak to the nearest relative in situations like this, but until Stephanie can tell … ”

The rest of his words blurred together into a long drone. That was the last I remember before I found myself alone again in the house. Everything was the same as a few minutes before, except for wet footprints on the floor, a brown wallet on the table, and a police officer’s business card in my hand. I called the number for the hospital he wrote on the back and a receptionist told me tomorrow would be the earliest Stephanie could have visitors. She had no other information for me.

Following chapters

2. Call Me Back as Soon as You Get This
3. The Long Hallway
4. The Sheets and Towels
5. Caught
6. A Visit to the Past
7. The Day of Change
8. The Dream
9. The Box of Nothing
10. The Transition (Translation)
11. The Confrontation
12. Through the Glass
13. Comfort for the Sick
14. The Anthill Portal
15. The Basement Struggle (Extraction)
16. The Vector of Disease
17. The Cage
18. The Nurse (Exhale)
19. The Orderly (Defined by the Company We Keep)
20. Think Good Thoughts
21. Taking Inventory
22. The Risk
23. Scavenger
24. The Kindness of Strangers
25. The End Justifies the Means

Epilogue: The Brain Scraper