by John O'Riley
“Josephine! He’s going to kill me!” Gary’s terrified voice echoed from all around her.
“Gary, can you hear me?” Josephine asked.
“Josephine! He’s going to kill me!”
Josephine wondered if she could communicate with his subconscious mind. Would he be responsive to her voice? She decided it was worth a try.
“Gary, tell me who the serial killer is,” she said.
“I don’t know who he is.”
“You have to know something. Tell me about him,” Josephine said.
“He’s going to kill me.”
“Why don’t you stay with me? We would be safer together.”
“You have to help me,” Gary’s voice sounded more panicked now. “He’s going to kill me unless you stop him.”
“How do I stop him? Is there a way I can find him?” Josephine asked.
“You have to find him.”
“How do I find him?” Josephine’s heart pounded wildly in her chest and adrenaline coursed through her veins as Gary’s terrified voice continued to echo through the room at her.
“He’s going to kill me.”
“Tell me how I can help you!” Josephine shouted with frustration.
The room was plunged into an eerie silence. She expected a response but it never came. Josephine sighed heavily and got up from bed. She’d never sleep after a disturbance like that. She fixed herself a large mug of chamomile tea and sat down in the living room with the lights out. She closed her eyes as she nursed the hot ceramic mug. She wished that Gary had returned her calls. He was such a guarded and stubborn person. His subconscious mind seemed to realize he was in serious danger. She couldn’t help him though unless he cooperated with her efforts.
Chapter 12
Josephine sometimes wondered if on days like these, one could die of boredom. She was lying on her couch staring up at the ceiling as she literally waited for time to pass. It had been two days since she’d called Gary and she had failed to hear from him except at night when his subconscious projected his voice into her bedroom. It was an obnoxious and frustrating phenomenon. She wished she could get a decent night’s sleep for a change and also was tired of feeling guilty over a situation that she had no control over. How could she help Gary unless he cooperated? The television was tuned in on a soap opera and was blaring because she’d turned the sound up in order to annoy her ex-husband next door. If he was allowed to have an obnoxious dog that broke into fits of barking at random intervals throughout the day and night then she logically assumed that she was permitted to occasionally turn the volume up on her television.
Josephine got up from the couch when the phone rang. She rushed over to answer it and was surprised to hear Gary’s voice.
“How are you doing?” Josephine said cheerfully.
She crossed the room and turned the television off so she could hear him more clearly.
“I would like to take you up on your offer to meet with your friend if you’re still willing to help me. I’m not going to stay at your apartment though,” Gary said.
“Sure, I’ll talk to Alice and see if she can work with you tonight,” Josephine said. “What caused this change of heart?”
“I woke up to a message on the wall in my bedroom,” Gary said. “I think I’m sleep walking.”
“What did the message say?” Josephine asked curiously.
“It just said that you could help me.”
“Well, I think you should listen to yourself,” she said flippantly.
“What time should I come over?”
“How about nine o’clock. Is that okay?” Josephine said.
“That’s fine. I’ll be there.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tonight. Goodbye.”
“Bye.”
Josephine immediately called Alice to let her know. Unfortunately, Alice wasn’t thrilled by the news. Apparently, she hadn’t really expected Gary to accept the offer. Alice came over in the late afternoon to prepare a claro mentis enchantment which would allow her to delve into the subconscious of Gary’s mind. Alice carried a copper bracelet in her right hand which she slapped down on the coffee table of the living room.
“This is what I’ll use to encase the claro mentis enchantment until I’m ready to work with Gary,” Alice said.
“I see,” Josephine said.
“Usually, it takes three days to prepare an enchantment like this. Since I’m retired, I can’t afford to go out and buy one. Besides, you have to have a license to purchase something like this. My license has expired a long time ago.”
“We don’t have three days. I want you to work with Gary tonight,” Josephine said sharply.
“If you provide me with a steady stream of power, I can finish the enchantment in about three hours,” Alice said.
“I can do that.”
“I thought you could.” Alice sat down on the couch and frowned irritably at her friend. “You owe me big time for this.”
“I know.”
Alice held her hand out and Josephine clutched it with her own and began flowing a stream of power to her friend. Alice held her other hand out toward the bracelet and furrowed her brows in concentration. It was a long and cumbersome process. When Alice finished, she lowered her hand and smiled widely.
“It’s finished,” she said. “I knew I could do it but it’s the only time I was able to do this so quickly.”
“It’s amazing what you can accomplish with an endless supply of power.”
Alice nodded in silent agreement and carefully picked up the copper bracelet as if afraid it would break. She put it on her right wrist and nodded with satisfaction. Now that they had the enchantment performed successfully, it was time to wait. Gary arrived as soon as he’d promised. He’d changed out of his uniform and wore jeans with a blue tee shirt. His expression was guarded as he sat down on the living room couch.
“I’m going to need you to relax,” Alice said in a soothing voice. “It won’t hurt at all. I promise.”
“Okay,” Gary said cautiously.
“Take slow, deep breaths,” Alice said as she sat down beside him. She waited silently as he followed her instructions. After several moments she said, “Good. Now, close your eyes and continue breathing.”
Josephine could tell that Gary wasn’t relaxed but Alice didn’t seem to be in a hurry.
“I want you to concentrate on relaxing your body. We’re going to start with your feet. Concentrate on your feet and will them to relax. Allow the tension to ease out of them,” Alice said.
She continued instructing him to relax various parts of his body until Josephine wanted to leap to her feet and shout in frustration. This was so boring that she wasn’t sure if she could stand much more of it. Josephine forced herself not to fidget and tried to followed Alice’s instructions that she gave Gary. By doing so, she may be able to stave off the excruciating boredom that plagued her. Finally, Alice raised her right hand and activated the claro mentis enchantment. A gentle, golden luminescence spilled from the bracelet and directed itself over Gary’s head.
“I’m beginning to link with your subconscious mind. All is well. You’re continuing to relax. You’re completely safe,” Alice said in a soothing tone. “Are you ready for me to proceed?”
“Yes,” Gary said softly.
“I’m beginning the procedure,” Alice said calmly.
Her eyes lost their focus and the bracelet’s glow intensified.
“I can see the surface. It’s very turbulent. You’ve been under a lot of stress but you’re safe now. Everything is going well. You must lower your block for me to help you. Can you do that?”
“There is no block,” Gary said.
Alice didn’t respond immediately and Josephine shot her a questioning look.
“The block is completely unconscious in nature. I’ll have to slip past it as gently as I can. There will be no pain but you may feel a little confusion. It’s important that you stay relaxed and remember you are safe,” Alice said. �
��Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“All is well. You’re safe,” Alice said. “I’m looking for a way in.”
A long quiet ensued and Josephine fought the urge to shuffle her feet or squirm. She wondered how much longer this would take. She had no idea there would be so much involved in this process. A powerful wave of magic built up in the room with remarkable speed. Josephine turned her attention back to Alice with surprise. She hadn’t realized the enchantment was that strong. Alice suddenly floated into the air and hurtled backward until she was pinned against the wall by an invisible force. Gary’s eyes popped open but he was staring off into space.
“The serial killer must be stopped,” Gary’s voice drifted from several different directions. His lips didn’t move and the words were strained and hardened.
“Gary! You need to wake up now!” Alice shrieked.
Gary slowly stood up and turned to face her. His eyes didn’t focus on anything in particular but seemed to be looking in her general direction.
“You’re the serial killer,” he said in a hardened voice that materialized from various parts of the room. His lips were relaxed and unmoving as he spoke. “You must be stopped.”
“Gary! She’s not the killer!” Josephine exclaimed and rushed toward him.
Before she could take more than a couple of steps, her body lifted from the floor by several feet and she hung in the air suspended. A powerful dampening field had gathered around Gary which was difficult to create and would take a great deal of time to neutralize. She couldn’t cast any spells on him for quite some time. She focused instead on the telekinetic spell that encompassed Alice. It was possible she could free Alice but it would take awhile. Josephine began flowing the magic she would need to accomplish this goal.
“Gary, you must let her go. She’s trying to help you,” Josephine said. “She’s not the killer. She was with me when one of those murders happened. She can’t be the killer.”
“She’s attacking me,” Gary said.
“She’s trying to help you heal your mind and discover who the serial killer is. Don’t you remember?” Josephine said.
Gary’s attention was centered on Alice but he hadn’t yet made any further moves against her.
“Let her go!” Josephine said forcefully.
“She’ll kill me.”
“Release her!”
Josephine noticed that the bracelet on her friend’s hand was still glowing.
“Alice, deactivate the claro mentis enchantment,” Josephine ordered.
“Okay,” Alice said quietly.
The golden light radiating from the bracelet began to fade for several seconds then abruptly died away.
“Gary, let her go now!” Josephine said forcefully.
Alice and Josephine slowly lowered to the floor. Josephine breathed a sigh of relief. Gary’s eyes cleared and he weaved as though dizzy. He focused on Alice and blinked with surprise.
“What are you doing over there?” he asked.
“Sit down, Gary,” Alice said.
“Okay.” He shot her a puzzled and frightened look as he reluctantly complied.
“Your subconscious mind has taken a lot of trauma over the years. I’m afraid it’s developed some rather robust defenses. It sensed a threat as I was connecting with you and took over. It’s not exactly a split personality. You were sleep walking and believed me to be the serial killer,” Alice said.
“Oh my God! Did I attack you?” Gary asked.
“Yes, but I’m all right.”
“I’m so sorry!” Gary abruptly stood up from the couch and guilt twisted his features. “I should be leaving now.”
“We should talk about this. You need some professional help,” Alice said.
“No, I can’t,” Gary said as he headed for the door.
“Gary! You need to listen! After what she’s gone through to help you, you owe her that much,” Josephine said forcefully.
“Okay.”
His expression was distinctly sullen as he sank into one of the couches and crossed his arms across his chest. Josephine threw her friend an expectant look as she took a seat beside Gary. Alice remained standing and eyed Gary warily.
“I wasn’t able to sense much because I only established a very shallow link to your subconscious,” Alice said slowly. “It has been invaded by magic for years. Someone has been casting spells on your mind and I’m not sure as to the purpose or what enchantment or enchantments were used.”
“That’s not possible! I’d remember if I was attacked!” Gary protested.
“Let me explain the many ways that a wizard can invade the mind of another,” Alice said. “One way is that he or she can attack the victim directly with a wide variety of enchantments and then remove their memory of the incident. If this is done repeatedly, the subconscious usually develops defenses to ward off the invader even though no memory exists of the attacks. The wizard will find it more and more difficult to keep attacking the victim.”
“Why would someone invade my mind?” Gary asked.
“For power,” Alice said. “You’re a category six. You can supply a limitless flow of energy to a wizard that can help to accomplish many enchantments that couldn’t otherwise be accomplished.”
“If what you’re saying is true. I would have large pieces of time missing but I don’t.”
“That’s not necessarily true. What if the wizard uses you at night when you would be sleeping?” Alice suggested. “You wouldn’t notice any missing time in that case.”
“There are some days that I’m extremely tired. Maybe those are the nights that I don’t get enough sleep. So you’re saying I’m being controlled?”
“Yes, although I can’t be certain of the type of enchantment being used. It has been lodged in your subconscious mind and is strengthened periodically. Your mind would heal on its own and the enchantment would dissipate if the mind invasions would stop and you would no longer be susceptible to further attacks because of how you’ve adapted. It will take anywhere from a month to three months for the enchantment to leave your mind depending on how long a duration of time you’ve been attacked.”
“I don’t want to wait that long,” Gary said looking sick at the thought of the invasive spell residing in his head.
“I don’t blame you,” Josephine said. “I think we need to dispel it.”
“That can be done but you’d have to undergo another claro mentis. It would need to be a deep link so the wizard could get close enough to dispel it,” Alice said.
“Do you think you could do it tomorrow?” Gary asked.
“I’m not willing to try again,” Alice said adamantly. “Your subconscious has adapted in ways I don’t understand. It attacks and I’m not going to put myself in harm’s way again. I don’t know what you would have done if Josephine hadn’t managed to awaken you. Your subconscious mind had convinced itself that I was the serial killer.”
“You think I’d attack again?” Gary asked. “I’m sure I wouldn’t now that I know all this.”
“No one can know their unconscious minds; especially ones that have been invaded with mind control spells. You need to contact the police and they’ll arrange to have a wizard psychiatrist help you,” Alice said.
“I won’t trust a stranger to link with my mind even if there are police present. Besides, I don’t trust the police,” Gary said anxiously.
“I’m a stranger and you let me cast the claro mentis on you.”
“That was different. I trust Josephine and she’s a friend of yours,” Gary argued.
“I’m not willing to do it again. It’s too risky.”
Josephine rose to her feet and determination shone in her brown eyes. “I’ll help you, Gary. I’m willing to perform the claro mentis.”
“You can’t do that,” Alice squawked. “You have to be a professional.”
“It’s just a spell. If you make the enchantment for me, I can just activate it,” Josephine said. “It should be a piece of cak
e.”
“It’s not that easy. You don’t understand the workings of the mind.”
“I can learn. I may not be able to dispel the mind control enchantment on the first try but I’m sure it won’t take more than a few attempts,” Josephine said.
“You have no idea how to create a claro mentis. It takes years of practice,” Alice said.
“You can make them,” Josephine said. “We’ll do what we did this afternoon.”
“I’d be putting your life in danger if I did that.”
“I’m willing to take the risk. I don’t think Gary will attack me. His subconscious knows I’m not the serial killer. He’ll know that on a purely instinctual level. Everything will be fine.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. The human mind is completely unpredictable. You have no idea what’s going to happen when you start tinkering with his subconscious,” Alice said heatedly.
“I know what will happen if I don’t try. The wizard will attack him again during the night and strengthen the mind control enchantment. Gary will be an unwilling tool for some user indefinitely unless I can stop it.”
“The police are keeping a watch on him at night. No one will get near him,” Alice argued.
“I think he’s been attacked recently. That’s why his subconscious keeps communicating to me at night. It’s trying to get help!” Josephine exclaimed.
Gary’s pleading eyes fixed on Alice. “Please, help me.”
Alice grunted with displeasure and squeezed her eyes shut for several seconds. She sighed loudly and opened them again.
“All right. I’ll create the claro mentis enchantments but I’m not performing them,” Alice said.
“Thank you,” Gary said.
When Gary left, Alice whirled to confront her friend.
“I can’t believe how reckless you’ve become,” Alice said.
“It’s not that great a risk.”
“I’m a retired psychiatrist. I know the risks involved but you just won’t listen.”
“Sometimes, we need to help our friends in spite of the dangers,” Josephine said evenly. “I’m surprised you don’t understand that. It’s not like you to be such a stick in the mud.”