by D. A. Fox
Table of contents
Chapter 1 2
Chapter 2 8
Chapter 3 15
Chapter 4 23
Chapter 5 39
Chapter 6 50
Chapter 7 55
Chapter 8 61
Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
My name is Guy and I have woke up with a headache again.; this seems to be getting a bit of a theme.
It all started when I woke one morning, I had a blistering headache and a sense of dread, I dreamt I had assaulted a woman but it felt so real.
I had fallen asleep that night after working my day job as a Podiatrist.
I had treated a woman in clinic that would not stop talking; I knew what the problem was after thirty seconds and had to try to stop her talking, she had plantar fasciitis; which is quite common.
This is when things started to happen.
After dinner my partner Lisa and I cuddled up on the couch and watched TV; the usual reality rubbish.
“I'm getting tired, I'm going to bed,” I said.
Whilst sleeping I had a feeling of detachment, I was looking at myself from the top right hand corner of the room, looking down at myself in my bed asleep?
I felt that there was an invisible rope between me and my body but could not get back into myself.
The next minute I am on the main road in the town centre?
“Why am I here?” I thought, but it seemed normal. I had left home and went to town for a drink? That was the only plausible reason.
A group of people were speaking to me but I never knew who they were.? They kept calling me Kevin.
There was a crowd of us sitting at a table drinking and laughing, they were talking about all sorts of things from work to their love lives, not mine; they never knew my partner Lisa.
I was talking to a girl called Alison, she was coming on to me all night. We talked and everything seemed fine; but I did not know her or the others, what is going on?.
Later that evening on the way back from the toilets Alison cornered me.
“Are you coming back to mine,” she said.
“OK,” I said, I had a few by then and was not thinking straight.
“Can you stop over this time,” Said Alison.
“I can't, I have to get back to Lisa,” I said.
That's when she went berserk shouting “who the fuck is Lisa, how long has this been going on.”
I told her Lisa was my partner and we had been together for years. She started to punch, kick and slap me. Totally confused I grabbed her and pushed her to the wall to calm her, then she head-butted me, I grabbed her by the throat and told her to “fuck off.” I was walked back to the bar room and sat with the rest of the group. They were asking if I was alright and what all the shouting was about. I could still hear Alison shouting at me from a distance. Then I was back in the top right of my bedroom again, I pulled on the invisible rope connecting me to my sleeping body then I woke up. I was in a seated position shocked and sweating.
Lisa had already got up, I slipped out the side of the bed and took a sip of water from a glass on the bedside cabinet.
“Do you want breakfast,” Lisa said.
“No, I am fine, I will get something later, I have a headache.” I said.
I went for a shower and got ready for work.
It's another day in clinic treating people with nothing wrong with them. That's not entirely true as the odd one has.
I felt awful all morning, as if I had been drinking the night before and had a hangover.
As the day went on I had this feeling something was wrong; that feeling you get when you think you have done something but can't remember what. I was drinking a lot of water to rehydrate and also needed an indigestion tablet?
That evening Lisa asked if we were still going out, its Friday and we had arranged to go for a drink together a few days before, “OK,” I said and off we went.
I am sitting in a pub with Lisa and I see two girls in the corner having a close chat, one of the girls seemed upset with the other comforting her. I cannot see the upset girl as she has her back to me.
Lisa and I were having a chat about the day and what we should do for the weekend, Lisa wants to go to see her mother then we should go out for a meal.
“That's fine, do you want to go to the new Chinese Restaurant on the high Street.” I said.
Lisa replied, “Yes then can we go to the pub, I am meeting your sister-in-law, I said we should meet up.”
“Is Paul going.” I said; Paul is my older brother.
“Yes of course he wouldn't miss a night out.” Lisa said.
The two girls in the corner are still comforting each other, then they get up. It's the girl in my dream, Alison? She is the one that's crying.
I am now confused, how could this be, It was just a dream?
The girls head towards a door that leads to the toilets. The men's and ladies are out their so I said to Lisa “I am just going to the loo,” I will be back in a minute.
I head towards the toilet, the girls are already in the ladies. I can hear them through the wall but its muffled.
I wait in the Gents until I hear the ladies come out, they have to walk pass me to get to the bar.
I hear the door and them talking.
“I can't believe he has a girlfriend.” One said.
“And for so long.” The other girl replied.
I open the door to leave the toilets and see her, it really is Alison?
I wait at the door for them to pass and they both look at me, I smile and say “carry on,” to let them pass.
They looked at me and said “thanks.”
Alison did not recognise me.
I return to Lisa totally confused.
What I dreamt could not be true?
Was I sleep walking?
I could not have been as she did not recognise me?
What the fuck is going on?
I carry on speaking to Lisa but am only half listening to what she is saying, I can't concentrate.
“Are you listening to me.” Lisa said.
“Yes.” I said and tried to finish the night without thinking about what had happened.
The following day starts as normal, we have breakfast and I do some chores, cutting the grass and hedges. Lisa asks if we are still going out later and I agree.
I can't get that girl out of my head. They knew me but I never knew them properly as myself?
I must have been in a relationship with Alison, we don't live together as she asked if I am staying over? Alison then gets angry because I am with Lisa.
This is very confusing. It's going round and round my head all day.
Lisa has gone to her mum's so I am left alone wondering about what's happening. I decide to go to the pub; that I and Alison was at in my dream.
I enter The Cordwainer Pub in Northampton town centre and buy a drink. There are the usual people sitting around; I have been in there a few times as it's cheap, it's one of those Wetherspoons. I take a seat and have a quiet drink.
After twenty minutes or so I go to the toilet.
There is no toilets downstairs so head towards the stairs and go to the first floor.
The toilet is on the far side and to my left and right are lots of people.
On my way out I see one of the men that
was sitting with us in my dream the night before. I head towards him and he looks at me. I just nod my head to be polite and he carries on talking to someone else, its happened again, he doesn't know who I am? This is getting very freaky.
I go back down stairs trying to think.
Half an hour later Alison walks in with the other girl from the previous night and go upstairs; I follow after a few minutes.
Alison joins the other man sitting upstairs and all three start talking. A couple sitting close to them leave so now I can get a table closer to their table with the hope of hearing something.
As I sit down I can hear them quite clearly and Alison says to the other man that Kevin has been in a long-term relationship with another girl.
Kevin is what they were calling me in my dream; I get a cold numbing feeling; my feet and hands feel tingly. I don't know what to do? Shall I get in on the conversation? I can't do that I don't know them; anyway they are having a heart to heart and wouldn't want me butting in.
I carry on listening, Alison explains that she had asked me home and that I said I could not stay, this was because I had to get home to someone called Lisa who I had been with for years.
Shit, this is what happened!
She then goes on to say that she hit me and that I grabbed her by the throat; then she went on to show them the marks on her neck. Then the conversation turns to what a git I am and I'm not worth it......But this was not me?
I hang around and a couple more of the ones from my dream come in, they are all there, none of them notice me sitting at the next table? The story gets told again to the others and they all hate me. I cannot take any more of this, I have to leave.
I get home and Lisa is back from her Mums, she asks if I'm OK and goes for a bath. She has cooked me a light salad so I sit down to eat it; but can vividly remember my dream as if it was real so am just picking at my food.
It must have been real? Kevin was their but he is not me but I was Kevin in my dream?
Could it be a weird unexplained phenomena that I somehow, during my sleep, transferred into his consciousness...? No, that's rubbish, it's impossible.
My mind is in a spin, I just can't think of any conceivable way this can happen.
Lisa is ready to go out and asks if I have been drinking; she can smell alcohol.
“I popped out for a couple earlier, I had an hour or two to kill.” I explained.
“Why go to the pub its not like you.” Said Lisa bemused.
“I just fancied a pint.” I said.
“You knew we were going out and you come back pissed.” Lisa said.
“I'm not I only had a couple, I will be fine, lets go.” I said.
We go for a Chinese and I try to be normal but I can sense that she thinks something is wrong.
I get through the meal and we go to meet my brother Paul and his wife Karen at the Eastgate Pub. We get some drinks and go upstairs as its quieter.
You can see the street below from a corner window so we sit there; if the conversation gets slow I can always watch the world go by.
Later that evening I look out the window and Alison is with the others heading towards us; they are coming into this pub; you have to go downstairs to buy a drink so off I go to get a round. Alison and the rest are at the bar talking, they buy their drinks and head upstairs; there is a lot of drunken regulars downstairs so I don't blame them.
I buy the round for us and go back upstairs.
When I sit down and give out the drinks I notice Alison and the rest are on a table about fifteen feet away, they look as if they had stayed out and are a bit drunk.
After around thirty minutes another man walks in and they all stare at him; it's Kevin!
Alison shouts “what the fuck do you want,” and he says “what have I done” then Kevin asks if he can have a word; he looks bemused.
They go around the other side of the bar; I cannot hear what's said but Alison returns to her table and Kevin leaves.
Alison sits down and puts her head in her hands. The others ask if she is alright and she removes her hands from her face.
“I can't believe it! He denies saying anything and that he doesn't know who this Lisa is. He said he knows nothing about last night and that as far as he is concerned he didn't go out, he said he must of fallen asleep as he woke this morning and all he can remember was getting ready to go out.
What a fucking liar.” She says.
Alison goes on to tell the rest that they had all seen him and that he is just trying to get out of it by saying he can't remember.
I am thinking what that hell is going on, Kevin is real and it all happened.
Alison carries on about Kevin but we have to leave so we go home. I am awake most of the night, I can't sleep and Lisa keeps asking me what is up with me; I try to fob her off saying I feel tired and that I should not have had the couple of beers earlier.
Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
Two weeks have passed and I have put this episode down to some freak of nature. Life is carrying on as if nothing has happened. I have been out to those pubs but have not seen Alison or her friends since.
Today I am in clinic and a lady comes in; her name is Sarah.
Sarah has an ingrown toenail and needs a minor operation to solve it. During the procedure I notice she has a bruise under her eye and ask what has happened. Sarah is quite open about the fact that her husband Andrew hit her. I ask if this is a regular occurrence, she says that he can become violent when drunk.
“Can you not leave?” I ask.
“I can't, we have kids, we both own the house and pay the mortgage.” She says.
Sarah goes on to explain how difficult it would be and that he is alright when sober, he just gets stressed.
I notice from the medical notes that she lives on a road that is known for quite wealthy people. I ask Sarah about her job and she states she owns a successful beauty salon and that Andrew is a lawyer for a well known solicitors in the town of which he is a partner. The company has his name together with his partners.
I finish treating Sarah and explain to her how to dress the toe and to return in seven days unless there are any problems then ring me.
Sarah rings me after three days saying the toe is inflamed and could she see me, I tell her to come straight in so I can check the toe.
I ask Sarah to come through to the surgery and ask what’s happened? The toe is very inflamed and infected.
“Andrew trod on it, we had an argument.” Sarah explains.
I tell Sarah that its not my job to get into domestics but she should try to get help, if not ask Andrew to get help with his drinking, maybe also some anger management.
Sarah says Andrew cannot do this, he is a well known person and it would be detrimental to his career if it got out.
I treat her toe and prescribe antibiotics and again ask that she returns, this time in ten days.
After a week I thought I might give Sarah a ring to see if all is OK. I only have her house number so I ring that. Andrew answers!
“Hello, this is Sarah's Podiatrist is she in.” I ask
“No, she is out.” Andrew said.
“Do you know when she is due back.” I said.
“What do you want, Sarah is fine.” Andrew replies.
“I just need to know if her toe is healing nicely, she came back for more treatment.” I explain.
Andrew then hangs up after telling me not to ring again. Sarah never returned for a check-up.
On the way home from work the day after, I see Sarah and a man, it must be Andrew?
I have popped into the superstore for some shopping and they are together.
I said “Hello” to Sarah but she ignores me. Andrew gives me a very nasty stare. He doesn't look like a very nice bloke. I carry on with my shopping and go home.
I have cooked a meal for me and Lisa and after watching some more soaps; Lisa likes these, then I watch a documentary and go to bed early as there's nothing else on, its only nine o
'clock.
I close my eyes and drift off. Then all of a sudden I am back in the top right corner of the room with this invisible rope again. I try to pull myself back but can't; then I am in a house which I don't know with a man shouting at me. I am afraid and try to calm him down but he hits me. He punched me on my mouth and my lip is bleeding.
Reactively I throw a punch back and hit him; it has no effect whatsoever, as if I had no strength.
“You cheeky bitch.” He says to me.
He then throws me on to the couch and is above me. I can't get him off; he is not that big, I am six foot four and he is about five foot seven and of slight build. What's up with me?
He grabs my hair shouting “fucking slag, who was that bloke giving you the eye in the store.”
“I don't know what your on about bloke.” I say.
“What....bloke, why are you calling me a bloke.” He says.
“I haven't a fucking clue who you are.” I said.
He gets off me looking confused and I get to my feet. There is a picture on the wall of him and his wife, it's Sarah?
I am Sarah? What the fuck; I am in someone else’s body again and that’s Andrew?
I look around and there is an open fire with a mirror above it; I head towards it but he, shouts that I should not turn my back on him.
He punches me on the back of my head, I'm shaken, everything is blurry. Then he hits me again and again.
I fall to the floor; I am getting quite angry now and coming around.