Unwelcome Angel
How do you know who you really are?
For a detailed summary, please see "Story Ideas."
It had been a long time since Bethany and Lynnette just ‘hung out.’ Both girls were busy with their own plans, and rarely saw each other anymore. Summer was winding down; time for one last bang.
“Let’s go to that new mall,” said Bethany, brushing her hair.
“Oh, cool,” smiled back Lynnette. “I’ve been meaning to check out that cute guy at The Gap.”
“That’s my boyfriend, you tramp!”
Lynnette saw the look in her friend’s eyes; straight out of Hell. It wasn’t the first time, and she knew that, one of these days, it would break loose upon her.
Rain was starting to drizzle, just as they jumped in the car. The highway wasn’t yet slippery enough to cancel the trip, but just so that it warranted extra caution—or so they thought.
Beth and Lynn were having a blast, singing along to the radio as they cruised. They never saw the speeding 18-wheeler—until it was too late.
The call came at exactly noon.
“Hello,” spoke a sweet voice.
"Mrs. Pruitt?"
“Yes.”
“I’m Dr. Stanley Thorn, head of the trauma unit at Pinecrest Hospital. Your daughter Lynnette, and her friend Bethany, were in a accident. They’re…not well.”
Kelly Pruitt dropped the phone from the shock. Even the pain of it hitting her shoulder didn’t wake her.
“Jeff,” she struggled, trembling. “It’s Lynnette. Something…”
The scene at the hospital was maddening, as the Pruitts rushed through the mob. Within a single minute, they found Dr. Thorn, with a distraught look on his face.
Then they met their friends, Arthur and Crystal Robinson, Bethany’s parents, whose expressions were even more aghast.
“I’ve already explained to the other couple about their child,” began Dr. Thorn, taking the reins. “Bethany is in a deep coma, with no telling when she’ll awaken again.
“Your girl, Lynnette, however, is conscious and capable, but…she has total amnesia. She doesn’t even know who she is, herself.”
Kelly buried her head in Jeff’s shoulder.
“Can we see her?” asked the father, misty-eyed.
“Right this way,” said the doctor, leading both couples down the hall. “But I must warn you to go slow. She is highly stressed and agitated. The slightest wrong word or action could easily set her off.”
“We understand,” replied Kelly, “but our love will pull her through.”
The Pruitts and Robinsons stayed with the girl for six hours, trying their best to reach who she was inside, but without much luck. The Pruitts’ were disheartened and lost in themselves. It’s all a bad dream, they thought. They felt the least they could do was offer support for their friends.
“How is Bethany doing?” Kelly asked, breaking the silence.
Crystal’s gaze was ice. “You are absolutely unbelievable! Our baby is a stone! How do you think she is?”
“I…I know. I’m sorry. I was only trying to reach out. You know we love you all. But please be gentle. We’re going through our own Hell.”
The days dragged on, followed by the weeks, and then the months. Bethany’s and Lynnette’s siblings could not eat or sleep. The two couples continually badgered the staff about their childrens’ conditions. But they were always told, “We have tried everything, yet we are helpless. Only God has the answer now. Pray…just pray.”
They felt as if they were stranded on a barren world, asking to be sent home. But every time they boarded the ship, there was no fuel.
Then, just less than a year had since passed, a random miracle appeared.
A group of researchers approached the couples. They were from a top-secret facility in Europe.
“Hello…Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, and Pruitt. My name is Dr. Edwin Taylor. I’m from The Concorde Institute. We have been in touch with your kids’ medical team, for the better part of the last year. And we may be the ones to help you.”
Crystal’s and Kelly’s faces sparked a single star in the night sky. It was hardly anything, but after searching for what felt like an eternity, it was the Universe.
Jeff exclaimed, “What do you want to do for us? We’ll pay anything.”
“We are going to combine the life force, from each of your children, into one. It is the only way. Bethany has been in an irreversible coma for almost a year, with no hope of recovery. And despite our best efforts, Lynnette still cannot remember or learn much of anything. We are thinking that the combined power of each of their souls may bring them both back—to some extent, anyway.”
Jeff continued, “You’re all a bunch of dreamy kooks, you know that? How can you even—"
“I am so very sorry,” said Dr. Taylor, “but the body of Bethany Robinson will have to die. We plan to transfer her into Lynnette Pruitt, and hope both youngsters can come back.”
Arthur lunged at the man, practically pinning him to the wall. A scream escaped him, which was heard by legends.
“You’re going to do what to my baby?! I’LL KILL YOU, YOU MURDERING MONSTER!”
“Please…please, sir…believe and trust us. We also want the best for everyone concerned. But there seems to be no other way.”
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The procedure was a success—at first, anyway. The scientists from Concorde found a way to remove the mind and spirit from the body of Bethany Robinson, and place them into her friend, Lynnette Pruitt.
They then invited Arthur and Crystal to say one final goodbye to their beloved child. In time, they got through it, but not without much difficulty.
The hardest part was in knowing she could not answer back.
The life support system was disconnected from Bethany, and everyone let the body die in peace. It was nothing more than a shell; mere form without substance.
However, “Bethany—the person” did not die at all…for she was already inside her friend!
So, both families were told that at least parts from each of their children were alive and well; two spirits in one body.
The Pruitts suggested that the youngster be renamed, “Bethnette.” This was met with enraged scorn.
The burial ceremony was short and sweet. Only the closest family and friends were welcome to attend.
Arthur and Crystal moved into the guest house behind the Pruitts home. At first, they were hesitant, but the Pruitts insisted, so they could be closer to their ‘new child.’ The Robinsons said they did not want to be reminded of the tragedy.
Things progressed extremely slowly, in the beginning. Lynnette had to be taken by the hand—each and every time—to be shown even the simplest, most basic things regarding many aspects of life.
Steps on how to eat, dress, read and write, and even use a television set came as complete mysteries to the girl, and was often followed by, “Sorry, I forgot,” or, “I didn’t know that.”
The Pruitts and Robinsons gave exasperated sighs, just not in Lynn’s presence. Many times they wondered if the operation was truly successful, and if Lynn would ever improve, at all.
They decided, in the end, to take one day at a time; to wait and see.
It wasn’t enough for Lynnette to constantly apologize for her mindlessness. She wanted to know why she was that way.
Both her own parents and the Robinsons sat her down one day, and tried their best to explain. They brought out photographs of Bethany…Bethany with her…her with the family…the family alone…and her alone. It was all a last ditch effort to jar her memory, and try to bring her back.
They did this exercise several times a week, but not every day; they didn’t want to overtax the girl. But at the end of every session, it turned out to be futile. She said she simply could not recall most pictures.
The parents’ wondered if perhaps she was blocking out the memories intentionally, unconsciously…as a way to avoid some painful trauma from her past she was hiding. But they couldn’t fathom what it could be; Lynnette always seemed to be a happy and well-adjusted girl, with hardly a care in the world.
However, there were two photos which she kept returning her gaze to. One was a picture taken of her and Bethany at Arthur’s company’s family picnic years ago, when the two girls first met. The other was Lynnette with her faithful companion, Bandit. He was old and dying, and it was taken on the day he went to the vet to be put down.
One shot representing Life; the other, Death.
“Hey…there’s me and Beth in the park! We were picking wild berries!” she shouted, overcome with emotion. “And here is Bandit! My little doggie, Bandit! Mom, I remember now!”
That single star which appeared in the sky for the Pruitts and Robinsons had just exploded, and was now shining a million times brighter, inside Lynnette.
Crystal declared, “We’re so glad things are finally starting to turn around for you, honey. You remember that you enjoyed that day with Bethany, don’t you?”
“How could I forget? We became lost, and then we got in trouble for wandering off too far.”
Kelly hugged her daughter. “Yes, that’s my girl!” she said, with glee. “How about this one…or this…or…” She furiously began filling Lynnette hands with random photos from her past, thinking it would help even further. Lynn cringed back in anxiety.
Jeff quickly came to his daughter’s defense. “Kelly…Kelly, stop! That’s enough! She’s had enough, and you’re upsetting her. We’re going to lose her again, and next time she might not ever come back.”
The star was suddenly threatened with being pulled into a black hole.
Tears welled up in Kelly’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said.
Jeff dried her eyes by ‘opening them.’ “Who are you talking to?”
“I’m sorry…Lynnette. My beautiful Lynnette. I suppose that’s enough for today.”
“I’m sorry, too, Mama. I don’t remember, and it’s just too much for me right now.”
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Bright and early, the next Saturday, the phone rang, incessantly, for Lynnette. It was Hannah, her second-best friend, from school. There was just no way, in more than a million years, she would ever part with the memory of Bethany.
“Lynn…” the girl began, “Lynnette…it’s me, Hannah…you know…from school? I really hope you haven’t forgotten me, of all people. I know we haven’t talked in so long, since before your accident, but still…”
“Hannah…Hannah…? Have we met? Sorry, I don’t remember you.”
Hannah felt like she were wandering a desert with her friend, and then she simply vanished in the haze, as if she were a mirage.
“Oh, Lynnette…honey…I feel so bad. We’ve been together since Kindergarten, but you don’t know me anymore. What did I ever do to you?” she cried, the tears flooding her eyes.
There was silence on the line. Lynnette listened to her friend, but didn’t hear any words.
“Hello…?”
“Uh, yeah…I’m still here,” replied Lynn. “You…you didn’t do anything. At least not that I can recall. Who are you again, please?”
“Lynn, you stupid fool! If that’s the way you are…that we are complete strangers…well, then…I’m sorry, but it’s over! Do you hear? We aren’t strangers or friends! You and I are enemies!”
“Hannah, please don’t be like that,” pleaded Lynnette, dreading she were about to lose her only connection to the outside world. “We can work this out. Let’s learn about and get to know one another better.” Lynn honestly thought she was meeting someone new for the very first time.
“Well, now I can tell that I’m learning something new about you, too. You get in one little accident, and you cry, ‘amnesia.’ You’re using this as an excuse to end our friendship. Lord knows why. I’ve always been good to you.”
“No…Hannah, listen to me. I’m not playing. I truly can’t remember you…or almost anyone else, either. The accident changed me. I’d really like to get better one day, but I just can’t right now.”
“Bull, girlie!”
“Maybe you can help me with this. Maybe you can tell me some things I would know. That might help.”
“Oh, you mean like that time you borrowed twenty bucks from me, and promised to pay me back the next week, but never did? Why did you give me your ex-boyfriend’s number, and told me you split? A total lie! And who is going to pay to fix my damaged car, which you crashed? Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff I know about you. But, I’ve never brought it up, because I let it slide. I value our friendship, which is more than I can say for you. And now, you’re using the accident as a way to try and get away with it and end things. So, fine, if you want to be that way…I guess you just never really know someone, huh?”
Lynnette was on the verge of breaking down. “No, it’s not like that, and you know it. You know I would never do such a thing. You can count on me. Don’t get so upset.
“And anyway, it wasn’t twenty dollars; it was only ten. And I did pay you back—sort of—when I bought you pizza. That guy wasn’t my ex; he’s my single cousin—and by the way, he misses you. I didn’t crash your car, okay? You did, when you bumped the light pole. Now who’s having trouble remembering?”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Hannah confirmed, apologetically. Looks like I’m the one with amnesia. Sorry, girl, my bad.”
Something suddenly snapped in Hannah and Lynnette, simultaneously.
“Oh, my God, Lynn…you remember! I totally forgot, and I’m normal. But you remember it all now. You’re back, and good as new. Forget everything I said earlier. We’re still friends. I’m so glad you’re cured! Guess the accident wasn’t permanent, after all!”
“Yes, I’m back. At least I hope I am. I hope this isn’t merely a fluke…or a dream…or a figment of my imagination.”
“No, trust me, it’s not a dream. Well, maybe it is…a good one. The one everyone’s been waiting for. Can’t wait to tell all our friends. And be sure to let your folks know.”
“Yes, most definitely,” Lynn said, joyfully. “I can’t believe this! A miracle has occurred!”
“Cool! I’m down with you, girl. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
And so ended the call, which changed Lynnette’s life forever…maybe, maybe not. Lynn stood, with her back to the wall, a huge grin spread across her face as if she were about to embark on her very first ocean journey. Then, suddenly as it came, it disappeared, as she faced a potential, horrifying reality. What if this entire thing was a fluke? A mistake, sent by Fate, to tease me? I wonder if I will ever truly be whole again…or am I doomed to stay damaged forever?
A few days later, Lynnette noticed that her favorite red sweater was missing. She was pleasantly surprised that she even recalled it as a favorite item, let alone realizing it was gone.
And it wasn’t the first time it pulled a disappearing act, only to be found in her sister’s bedroom. Those memories filled her head, and she stormed straight for Lisa, about to blow her top. This was the last straw.
“Hey, kid, what did I tell you about taking my stuff?” Lynnette yelled, startling the youngster. “I’ve had it with you! Stay out of my room…you hear…or else!”
Lisa’s 12-year-old smile grew like a blooming meadow. “You remember that now?” she said, pointing an ecstatic finger. “I took it two months ago, shortly after you came home from the hospital.”
Lynnette just glared at her, still fuming. A split-second afterward, she looked as if she had just witnessed the Rapture. She placed one hand on top of her head, in awe.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Oh, my… what is happening? It’s like everything is coming back. Everything!
“Kid, you can keep it. Think of it as a gift for giving me my life back!”
Lisa left the room, sweater in hand. Lynnette stood there a few moments more, hands clasped in front of her, a smile as wide as the widest ocean, ready to accommodate her journey of rediscovery. At that point, she knew she had made it. She was back, and nothing would take it away from her ever again.
However, Bethany had other plans.
Lynn awoke one morning, feeling very awkward and troubled. She had a restful sleep, yet was still tired. She sat on the edge of the bed, trying to collect herself.
Lynnette heard a voice in the room, which clearly was not hers. It was familiar, yet she couldn’t quite place it. She looked around; no one was there.
Then she thought that maybe it was her mind coming around and starting to awaken, and wanted to get reacquainted with her. But that’s strange, she mused. It’s a part of me. Shouldn’t it know who I am?
She heard the voice call again.
“Hello? Hello, is anyone there? Where am I?”
“Uh…hello?” Lynn called out, to an empty room. “I can’t see you, stranger. Where are you? Actually, who are you?”
“My name is Bethany…Bethany Robinson. And I don’t know where I am. The last thing I remember is riding in a car with my friend, Lynnette. Then everything went dark. Can you help me get out of here?
“What’s your name? Would you like to be my friend?”
Lynnette nearly tripped over herself, as she fell back, hitting the wall. She slid down to the floor and buried her face in her hands.
“Nooooooo!” she cried aloud. “This can’t be happening! Please…go away! Leave me alone!”
“Don’t be scared, honey. I’m your friend. I won’t hurt you.”
As much as it pained her to face what she was afraid would be, Lynnette forced herself to rise and went to the mirror. At first, she was comforted by her own image. Then, a few seconds later, relief turned to terror as the reflection changed into her friend.
“Beth…wh-what’s going on? What are you doing here?” Lynn spurted out, through tears, her waving hand trying to reach into the glass. “You’re dead, in Heaven. Go back…it’s time for you to go back home.”
“Oh…hey, Lynn! It’s nice to see you again,” Beth responded, waving back. “I’m not in Heaven. I’m right here, home with you…silly girl!”
“No…you were lost in a coma. You died, and they pulled the plug. Don’t you remember?”
“Not really. The last thing was…I was in a car ride, with you. Not much else comes to mind, after that. But now, we’re together again! Isn’t that cool?”
Lynnette was an angry statue, arms at her sides, fists clenched, screaming into the mirror. “No! We cannot be together! And it is not cool! You have to get out of my body! I live on Earth; you are in Heaven!”
“Oh, don’t you worry, pal. You’ll see, we can make this work. It’ll be for the best.”
Lynn thought long and hard about the ‘interaction’ she had with Beth. She never imagined a more horrifying scenario. Her friend, whom she thought had left her, had returned; although, in a not-so-pleasant manner…with a not-so-pleasant agenda.
She was relieved it was over—as far as she knew. But the worst was yet to come: Beth would return again and again, haunting her, until she got her way.
In time, Lynn simply passed it off as a bad dream. She reasoned, logically, that it was literally impossible for the dead to make their way back to the land of the living, let alone inhabit their spirits.
The very next week, however, that dream turned into a nightmare.
Lynn sat up on one elbow, and glanced over to the clock on the nightstand beside her bed. It was only 10:00, but it felt to her like it was much later. I just fell asleep a few minutes ago, she pondered. How could I have not been out the whole night?
And then, something quite strange occurred to her. She was not at home, in her own bed, but back at the hospital. She was wide awake, and aware of everything around her; the amnesia hadn’t taken hold yet, or decided to abandon her altogether. Lynn felt so relieved.
That feeling lasted a total of two seconds. At the very moment she fell back and hit her head on the pillow, appearing at the foot of the bed stood Beth. Or maybe Lynn hit her head on the backboard, creating an illusion.
Bethany stood there, smiling, attired in her favorite outfit that Lynnette had given to her for her birthday last year; the last one she had on Earth.
The room seemed smoky and surreal, as if being viewed through a magical window in a fairy tale land. But the immediate area surrounding Bethany was clear as day. In fact, there seemed to be a slight luminescence about her, showing off her glory just a little more subtly.
“B-Beth…is…is that you?” Lynn asked, hesitantly; cautiously. She could not—would not—believe her own eyes. Perhaps my medicine is making me hallucinate, she wondered.
Beth smiled at her friend…or perhaps, enemy?...and gifted a wave. “Hiya, pal. I’m back. Miss me?”
Lynn’s gaze slowly wandered the room, searching for the mirror that Beth stepped out of. She hoped her ghostly friend didn’t notice. Too late.
“Oh, no, dearie…you can’t just wish me away this time. All those times, when I told you I’d be by your side forever, I meant that in every sense of the word. I’ll never leave you, buddy; I’m here to stay. And I think we should have a little talk,” said Beth, making her way over to Lynn.
If she was a doctor, Lynn thought, she would have the creepiest bedside manner.
“Wh-wh-what do you want?” Lynn stammered, again. That’s odd. I never used to have a stuttering problem before.
“Oh, I’m just checking in. I just wanted to see how you’re doing. We’re friends, right?”
Silence in the room. Dead silence, no pun intended.
“RIGHT?” Beth scolded, a little more forcefully, in a controlling tone.
“Uh…yeah…right…whatever you say,” replied Lynn, who, in an attempt to fearfully back away, nearly fell back onto the bed. In fact, she did. Beth leaned over her former friend—meant rhetorically—and knew she was in a position of authority. Lynn had never felt so scared and helpless.
“Lynn…honey…can I ask you a question?” placing a hand on her shoulder in a condescending attempt to comfort her.
“Okay…”
“Where’s my body?”
“Huh?” Lynn’s heart skipped a beat.
“You heard me! I’m a stranger in a strange land! WHERE IS MY BODY, BITCH!?”
“Beth,” whimpered Lynn, her eyes stained with moisture, “I told you. It’s in Heaven…or in the ground…I don’t know. Don’t you know that you’re gone?” In more than one sense of the word, she added, to herself.
“Well, they don’t exactly have a home for me up there, you see,” Beth said, with a sarcastic grin. “They think I’m still in my body, only…I can’t find it! And until I do, and prove to Heaven I’m not alive anymore, I can’t get in!”
“But…but you’re an angel. Isn’t the knowledge like…automatic, or something?”
“Should be. I thought so, too. But they want records.”
“Beth, your body is buried. Deep in the ground. Face it. What are you going to do…dig it up, and bring it up to Heaven?” With this, Lynn was almost yelling her statements. She had had enough of being pushed around, and was on the verge of turning into a monster, herself.
It has been said that you never know what someone is truly made of, until they are pushed too far over the edge.
“At this point, I’ll try anything,” said Beth. “But till then, I don’t have one to call my own. So I think I’ll just live in yours.”
“Have you lost it, little girl? You can’t have it! This is my body, and my life, and I will do with it what I please, without anyone’s interference!”
Beth just continued to stare at her, blankly. Yet, behind the façade lurked a cold, dark, calculating mind.
“Do you hear me?” Lynn screamed.
“Yeah, I hear you, loud and clear. But…we’ll see about that.”
Lynn felt great anxiety, but tried to hide it well, with a look of wicked resistance.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
“I know you will want what is best for both of us. And I also know that you will accept my demands. You have no choice, you…life-stealer!”
Beth honestly thought that Lynn was to blame for her death, and was fully prepared to make her pay.
“Oh, I don’t think so, lady. You want a piece? Bring it!”
By now, both girls were about ready to explode. However, Beth’s power was just a little more passionate than Lynn’s, and it provided the additional spark to overtake her, and turn her back into the cowering wimp she knew her friend really was.
Beth reached out and grabbed Lynn’s collar, and pulled her closer so that she was within a single inch of her face. All of Lynn’s strength instantly vanished in a puff of smoke, as the color drained from her face.
Beth whispered, “I know you will!”
The next thing Lynn knew, she was awake…in her bed…at home…as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all. But she knew better. The dream was just as frighteningly intense as the experience in the mirror. Only this time, the exchange took place not as a mere image before her, but as a possession from within!
Lynn wished so badly she could have her life back again, in a Beth-free world.
“Mom,” said Lynnette one morning, as she came into the kitchen, “where is Bethany? What happened to her?”
“We told you, honey,” answered Kelly. “After the accident, Bethany died. You said goodbye to her at the funeral, don’t you remember?” Kelly started to worry that her daughter’s memory was drifting away again, like scenes in a motion picture which faded in and out.
“Yeah, I know about that…I guess. So why do I still feel her inside me?”
Kelly reached out to her daughter. “Sweetheart, that’s so wonderful. You have kept Bethany alive in your heart. I’m sure she’s proud of you, and is watching over you from Heaven.”
“No, Mom, that’s not it,” said Lynnette, with a strained voice, shaking her head. “Her soul is inside of me.”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Lynn. Your friend is in Heaven now, and you must learn to let go.”
“No!” yelled Lynn. “Don’t you understand? She came back.”
“Oh, baby,” cried Kelly, almost covering her face with her hands, “have you lost more than your memory?”
“I’M NOT CRAZY!” screamed Lynn again, louder. “She came to me…appeared in my mirror—and my dreams…she wants her life back, and is using me to get it. Mommy, please help me. I don’t know what to do.”
“I’ll tell you what we can do, right now,” said Kelly. “Why don’t you let me make you a nice cup of hot cocoa and some of my muffins, like I did when you were little? Then you can take a rest. Would you like that? That’s sure to make you feel better.”
Lynnette shook her head. “I’m trying to reach you, but you’re not listening. You can’t just…make this go away…with food.”
Kelly showed Lynnette what she hoped was a sincere smile, intending to put her at ease. She didn’t know what else to do for her little girl, whom she could swear was lost on a barren world. The doctors told her they gave her a ticket to leave, but there wasn’t any fuel to bring her ‘home.’
Lynnette could do nothing more. She turned and walked away, empty-handed. She slowly climbed the stairs back to her room. Just as she closed the door, she heard Bethany’s voice in her head again. “Nobody believes you, Lynn. Nobody cares. It’s going to be that much harder to get rid of me now!”
Lynnette tried her best to refrain from going to her mirror. She did not want to see the look of terror on her own face. She went straight to her bed and fell onto it, her head buried in her hands. She wanted so badly to cry herself to sleep, but the tears wouldn’t come. Before they even had a chance to form in her eyes, they were dried up by intense fear and pain.
Precisely two months to the day of the operation, without hearing so much as a peep from either family, the phone rang in Dr. Thorn’s office five times in one hour. The doctor was busy all morning, but found the messages on his voice mail upon returning.
A bolt of panicked lightning hit him from out of nowhere, as the information sunk in. He had other appointments to keep that afternoon, but they would have to wait. He sensed something was very wrong, and did not want to wait until a bad situation became worse.
"Mrs. Pruitt." he began. “This is Dr. Thorn, from Pinecrest Hospital. I received your messages. You sounded extremely concerned and agitated. What is going on?”
"Oh, doctor…you’ve got to help us,” answered Kelly. “Lynn thinks she’s been possessed…by Beth. She’s out of control, and is more than a few handfuls to deal with. We’re at the end of our rope, and don’t know what to do. You must do something…anything!”
“What do you mean, ‘she’s been possessed?’”
"She claims that Bethany has come back from the other side, and is living inside of her. We’ve never seen her like this before. She’s turning our lives upside down.”
“Umm…ma’am…do you realize you’re talking gibberish?”
“Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true; we’ve been seeing it with our own eyes. And if you think about it, after all that’s happened…well, you must admit, anything is possible. Even the ridiculous and unknown.”
“Bring her to me the very first thing tomorrow morning. No appointment is necessary; I’ll make arrangements to see you.”
"Thank you. Thank you so much, doctor. This means the world to us. I only hope you can help.”
Well, as it turned out, tomorrow was forever, and it couldn’t wait.
Jeff and Kelly stormed into the Emergency Room just before midnight, dragging Lynnette with them, who was halfway “You’ll never take me!” and halfway “Help me through this!”
Lynn’s clothing was torn to shreds—it was not a fashion statement—and was covered with cuts and bruises all over. Dr. Thorn immediately recognized the three of them, even though he made a show of pointing out that Lynn had seen better days.
“I thought that I told you to see me tomorrow,” Dr. Thorn half-scolded them. “I’m guessing this couldn’t wait. So, what happened here?”
Jeff retorted, “Uh, yeah…that’s an understatement. You just would not believe the last two hours we’ve been through. Actually, it’s more like the last two months.”
“Try me,” interrupted Dr. Taylor, who was observing the scene from down the hall, but did not want to interfere until he had all of the facts.
Kelly told the story. “Lynn was an hour late for curfew. Of course, we were furious. But we were more concerned with the fact that upon arriving home, Lynn appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“She apologized for her tardiness, and then proceeded to explain that she’d been wandering the streets half the night, lost and alone. This, despite the fact that she’d been pronounced cured—her amnesia was no more—and we thought she knew the town well.
"Anyway, several witnesses down on Spruce Street said she was screaming and throwing things around, banging herself into walls and light posts, and standing in the middle of the road, daring cars to hit her.
“Everyone feared for her safety—and their own—and called police who, through a miracle, somehow managed to calm her down. They brought her home, babbling incoherently, ‘Get out of me, Beth! I don’t want you! Get out, get out, get out!’”
“Doctor…somebody…anybody…” pleaded Lynn. “Do something; please help me. Bethany didn’t die, after all. She’s still in me, and I can’t handle it.”
Drs. Thorn and Taylor helped Lynn over to a chair in a corner of the waiting area. “Of course she is, honey,” said Dr. Taylor. “We put her there, remember? We gave her to you as a gift, so that both of you would live again.”
“I…I know,” Lynn cried between sobs. “But it’s not a good thing. She wants my body; my life…she’s terrorizing me.”
Dr Thorn said, “Lynnette, I, for one, am not sure I understand. We gave to you her soul and mind…her essence, not her personality and temperament. Her life force is within you, but there is no way she can..”
“Yes, there is. There most certainly is. She’s haunting me. She invades my dreams…I hear her voice in my head…I see her face in the mirror. She has taken over, and won’t let go. Please…do something…I want her gone!”
“Okay, Lynnette…just…calm down, okay?” Dr. Thorn gently took her arm and lifted her up. “It is my personal and professional opinion that you could use a badly needed rest for a while. Why don’t you come with us, alright? We’ll take you someplace nice and quiet, where Beth won’t bother you.”
“Thank you, thank you. Thanks so much, all of you,” she said, still very much shaken.
The ‘place’ they led her to was a confined room, with a bed that included straps to which she was held down with. And the ‘rest’ they prescribed was a 100 mg injection of Thorazine.
Everyone let Lynnette sleep for a good, long time. After resting for eight hours, she was wide awake and refreshed at ten o’ clock. She was also in a better mood, though still wary. The families’, police and medical team were, too; they weren’t prepared for another scene like the night before.
"How are you doing?” asked a nurse, who had just come in to check up on her.
“I guess I’m okay,” Lynn said. “Last night was like…the worst night of my life. I’m so glad it’s over. I’m glad she’s out of me.” I hope she is. “Where am I, exactly? And where are my parents?”
“We’re right here, sweetie,” announced Kelly, who, along with her husband, arose from their chairs and walked over to their daughter, ready to embrace her, no matter what. No matter who or what she was inside. “Don’t think for a minute we would ever leave you.”
"Oh…hi Mom, hi Dad. Good morning. Have you been in the room all night?”
“Of course, baby,” said Jeff, flashing a broad grin. “We’re not going to let you go through this ordeal alone. How are you doing?”
“A lot better, thanks. Gee, you and the nurse must have been soul mates in a former life.”
That comment elicited a round of chuckles from everyone, including Lynn herself. Everyone except Beth, who let Lynn know, in no uncertain terms—from the inside—that she was listening to every word, and did not appreciate being left out.
“Heh, heh…” she snorted, sarcastically. “That was real funny. But I’m going to have the last laugh. Just wait till I get my life back.”
Lynn heard the threat in her head, and tried to ignore it. She put on a brave face for everyone around her, but on the inside she was trembling like the Berlin Wall before its demolition.
"So, what’s the plan for today?” Lynn continued. “Do I get to go home now? I’m all better, you know. Yesterday was just a bad dream. It won’t happen again.”
Lynn hoped everyone believed it. She hoped that she believed it, but you can’t lie to yourself. She told herself that she would deal with Beth when the time came, but she knew it was easier said than done.
Just then, Dr. Taylor and his team came into the room.
“Hello, doctor,” said Jeff. “Lynn says she’s alright now, and wants to leave.”
“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” responded the doctor. “Due to the situation, last night’s disturbance created a mark on Lynn’s record with the local authorities. And until we receive a signed acknowledgement from a mental health care professional that she is well enough—and verified by a judge—I am under orders to retain her for her safety, and that of others.
“And besides, I think it would be better, anyway. This is not something you can fix with a band aid. We need to get to the root cause of the problem, and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Lynnette stood up from the bed, and determinedly faced everyone. “There is only one solution, which I can see. I need another operation; a reversal. I want you to take Beth out of me. Do it. Do whatever it takes. I will not tolerate this anymore.”
“We were thinking just about the same thing,” said Dr. Taylor. “Your friend’s spirit inside you is like a disease that must be cured.”
“I suppose you’re right,” commented Arthur, speaking for the first time among the others. “It is most likely the only solution.”
“And if you are successful…” began Crystal, “…then what? What will become of Bethany?”
“Bethany’s life force will be removed from Lynn’s body…and she will truly die, for good…and return to Heaven…as she was always meant to.”
Arthur could only hang his head in his hands, shaking it. He was a grown man, yet he wanted to bawl like a baby, and he didn’t care who saw.
Crystal almost tripped, as she slowly tried to sit on the bed opposite Lynn’s, one arm stretched out before her. Lynn appreciated the gesture, thinking it was for her benefit. But in reality, it was more a futile attempt for Crystal to reach into her and touch her child once more.
The Robinsons’ thought it unfair they had to say goodbye to their daughter twice.
How do you know who you really are?
For a detailed summary, please see "Story Ideas."
It had been a long time since Bethany and Lynnette just ‘hung out.’ Both girls were busy with their own plans, and rarely saw each other anymore. Summer was winding down; time for one last bang.
“Let’s go to that new mall,” said Bethany, brushing her hair.
“Oh, cool,” smiled back Lynnette. “I’ve been meaning to check out that cute guy at The Gap.”
“That’s my boyfriend, you tramp!”
Lynnette saw the look in her friend’s eyes; straight out of Hell. It wasn’t the first time, and she knew that, one of these days, it would break loose upon her.
Rain was starting to drizzle, just as they jumped in the car. The highway wasn’t yet slippery enough to cancel the trip, but just so that it warranted extra caution—or so they thought.
Beth and Lynn were having a blast, singing along to the radio as they cruised. They never saw the speeding 18-wheeler—until it was too late.
The call came at exactly noon.
“Hello,” spoke a sweet voice.
"Mrs. Pruitt?"
“Yes.”
“I’m Dr. Stanley Thorn, head of the trauma unit at Pinecrest Hospital. Your daughter Lynnette, and her friend Bethany, were in a accident. They’re…not well.”
Kelly Pruitt dropped the phone from the shock. Even the pain of it hitting her shoulder didn’t wake her.
“Jeff,” she struggled, trembling. “It’s Lynnette. Something…”
The scene at the hospital was maddening, as the Pruitts rushed through the mob. Within a single minute, they found Dr. Thorn, with a distraught look on his face.
Then they met their friends, Arthur and Crystal Robinson, Bethany’s parents, whose expressions were even more aghast.
“I’ve already explained to the other couple about their child,” began Dr. Thorn, taking the reins. “Bethany is in a deep coma, with no telling when she’ll awaken again.
“Your girl, Lynnette, however, is conscious and capable, but…she has total amnesia. She doesn’t even know who she is, herself.”
Kelly buried her head in Jeff’s shoulder.
“Can we see her?” asked the father, misty-eyed.
“Right this way,” said the doctor, leading both couples down the hall. “But I must warn you to go slow. She is highly stressed and agitated. The slightest wrong word or action could easily set her off.”
“We understand,” replied Kelly, “but our love will pull her through.”
The Pruitts and Robinsons stayed with the girl for six hours, trying their best to reach who she was inside, but without much luck. The Pruitts’ were disheartened and lost in themselves. It’s all a bad dream, they thought. They felt the least they could do was offer support for their friends.
“How is Bethany doing?” Kelly asked, breaking the silence.
Crystal’s gaze was ice. “You are absolutely unbelievable! Our baby is a stone! How do you think she is?”
“I…I know. I’m sorry. I was only trying to reach out. You know we love you all. But please be gentle. We’re going through our own Hell.”
The days dragged on, followed by the weeks, and then the months. Bethany’s and Lynnette’s siblings could not eat or sleep. The two couples continually badgered the staff about their childrens’ conditions. But they were always told, “We have tried everything, yet we are helpless. Only God has the answer now. Pray…just pray.”
They felt as if they were stranded on a barren world, asking to be sent home. But every time they boarded the ship, there was no fuel.
Then, just less than a year had since passed, a random miracle appeared.
A group of researchers approached the couples. They were from a top-secret facility in Europe.
“Hello…Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, and Pruitt. My name is Dr. Edwin Taylor. I’m from The Concorde Institute. We have been in touch with your kids’ medical team, for the better part of the last year. And we may be the ones to help you.”
Crystal’s and Kelly’s faces sparked a single star in the night sky. It was hardly anything, but after searching for what felt like an eternity, it was the Universe.
Jeff exclaimed, “What do you want to do for us? We’ll pay anything.”
“We are going to combine the life force, from each of your children, into one. It is the only way. Bethany has been in an irreversible coma for almost a year, with no hope of recovery. And despite our best efforts, Lynnette still cannot remember or learn much of anything. We are thinking that the combined power of each of their souls may bring them both back—to some extent, anyway.”
Jeff continued, “You’re all a bunch of dreamy kooks, you know that? How can you even—"
“I am so very sorry,” said Dr. Taylor, “but the body of Bethany Robinson will have to die. We plan to transfer her into Lynnette Pruitt, and hope both youngsters can come back.”
Arthur lunged at the man, practically pinning him to the wall. A scream escaped him, which was heard by legends.
“You’re going to do what to my baby?! I’LL KILL YOU, YOU MURDERING MONSTER!”
“Please…please, sir…believe and trust us. We also want the best for everyone concerned. But there seems to be no other way.”
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The procedure was a success—at first, anyway. The scientists from Concorde found a way to remove the mind and spirit from the body of Bethany Robinson, and place them into her friend, Lynnette Pruitt.
They then invited Arthur and Crystal to say one final goodbye to their beloved child. In time, they got through it, but not without much difficulty.
The hardest part was in knowing she could not answer back.
The life support system was disconnected from Bethany, and everyone let the body die in peace. It was nothing more than a shell; mere form without substance.
However, “Bethany—the person” did not die at all…for she was already inside her friend!
So, both families were told that at least parts from each of their children were alive and well; two spirits in one body.
The Pruitts suggested that the youngster be renamed, “Bethnette.” This was met with enraged scorn.
The burial ceremony was short and sweet. Only the closest family and friends were welcome to attend.
Arthur and Crystal moved into the guest house behind the Pruitts home. At first, they were hesitant, but the Pruitts insisted, so they could be closer to their ‘new child.’ The Robinsons said they did not want to be reminded of the tragedy.
Things progressed extremely slowly, in the beginning. Lynnette had to be taken by the hand—each and every time—to be shown even the simplest, most basic things regarding many aspects of life.
Steps on how to eat, dress, read and write, and even use a television set came as complete mysteries to the girl, and was often followed by, “Sorry, I forgot,” or, “I didn’t know that.”
The Pruitts and Robinsons gave exasperated sighs, just not in Lynn’s presence. Many times they wondered if the operation was truly successful, and if Lynn would ever improve, at all.
They decided, in the end, to take one day at a time; to wait and see.
It wasn’t enough for Lynnette to constantly apologize for her mindlessness. She wanted to know why she was that way.
Both her own parents and the Robinsons sat her down one day, and tried their best to explain. They brought out photographs of Bethany…Bethany with her…her with the family…the family alone…and her alone. It was all a last ditch effort to jar her memory, and try to bring her back.
They did this exercise several times a week, but not every day; they didn’t want to overtax the girl. But at the end of every session, it turned out to be futile. She said she simply could not recall most pictures.
The parents’ wondered if perhaps she was blocking out the memories intentionally, unconsciously…as a way to avoid some painful trauma from her past she was hiding. But they couldn’t fathom what it could be; Lynnette always seemed to be a happy and well-adjusted girl, with hardly a care in the world.
However, there were two photos which she kept returning her gaze to. One was a picture taken of her and Bethany at Arthur’s company’s family picnic years ago, when the two girls first met. The other was Lynnette with her faithful companion, Bandit. He was old and dying, and it was taken on the day he went to the vet to be put down.
One shot representing Life; the other, Death.
“Hey…there’s me and Beth in the park! We were picking wild berries!” she shouted, overcome with emotion. “And here is Bandit! My little doggie, Bandit! Mom, I remember now!”
That single star which appeared in the sky for the Pruitts and Robinsons had just exploded, and was now shining a million times brighter, inside Lynnette.
Crystal declared, “We’re so glad things are finally starting to turn around for you, honey. You remember that you enjoyed that day with Bethany, don’t you?”
“How could I forget? We became lost, and then we got in trouble for wandering off too far.”
Kelly hugged her daughter. “Yes, that’s my girl!” she said, with glee. “How about this one…or this…or…” She furiously began filling Lynnette hands with random photos from her past, thinking it would help even further. Lynn cringed back in anxiety.
Jeff quickly came to his daughter’s defense. “Kelly…Kelly, stop! That’s enough! She’s had enough, and you’re upsetting her. We’re going to lose her again, and next time she might not ever come back.”
The star was suddenly threatened with being pulled into a black hole.
Tears welled up in Kelly’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said.
Jeff dried her eyes by ‘opening them.’ “Who are you talking to?”
“I’m sorry…Lynnette. My beautiful Lynnette. I suppose that’s enough for today.”
“I’m sorry, too, Mama. I don’t remember, and it’s just too much for me right now.”
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Bright and early, the next Saturday, the phone rang, incessantly, for Lynnette. It was Hannah, her second-best friend, from school. There was just no way, in more than a million years, she would ever part with the memory of Bethany.
“Lynn…” the girl began, “Lynnette…it’s me, Hannah…you know…from school? I really hope you haven’t forgotten me, of all people. I know we haven’t talked in so long, since before your accident, but still…”
“Hannah…Hannah…? Have we met? Sorry, I don’t remember you.”
Hannah felt like she were wandering a desert with her friend, and then she simply vanished in the haze, as if she were a mirage.
“Oh, Lynnette…honey…I feel so bad. We’ve been together since Kindergarten, but you don’t know me anymore. What did I ever do to you?” she cried, the tears flooding her eyes.
There was silence on the line. Lynnette listened to her friend, but didn’t hear any words.
“Hello…?”
“Uh, yeah…I’m still here,” replied Lynn. “You…you didn’t do anything. At least not that I can recall. Who are you again, please?”
“Lynn, you stupid fool! If that’s the way you are…that we are complete strangers…well, then…I’m sorry, but it’s over! Do you hear? We aren’t strangers or friends! You and I are enemies!”
“Hannah, please don’t be like that,” pleaded Lynnette, dreading she were about to lose her only connection to the outside world. “We can work this out. Let’s learn about and get to know one another better.” Lynn honestly thought she was meeting someone new for the very first time.
“Well, now I can tell that I’m learning something new about you, too. You get in one little accident, and you cry, ‘amnesia.’ You’re using this as an excuse to end our friendship. Lord knows why. I’ve always been good to you.”
“No…Hannah, listen to me. I’m not playing. I truly can’t remember you…or almost anyone else, either. The accident changed me. I’d really like to get better one day, but I just can’t right now.”
“Bull, girlie!”
“Maybe you can help me with this. Maybe you can tell me some things I would know. That might help.”
“Oh, you mean like that time you borrowed twenty bucks from me, and promised to pay me back the next week, but never did? Why did you give me your ex-boyfriend’s number, and told me you split? A total lie! And who is going to pay to fix my damaged car, which you crashed? Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff I know about you. But, I’ve never brought it up, because I let it slide. I value our friendship, which is more than I can say for you. And now, you’re using the accident as a way to try and get away with it and end things. So, fine, if you want to be that way…I guess you just never really know someone, huh?”
Lynnette was on the verge of breaking down. “No, it’s not like that, and you know it. You know I would never do such a thing. You can count on me. Don’t get so upset.
“And anyway, it wasn’t twenty dollars; it was only ten. And I did pay you back—sort of—when I bought you pizza. That guy wasn’t my ex; he’s my single cousin—and by the way, he misses you. I didn’t crash your car, okay? You did, when you bumped the light pole. Now who’s having trouble remembering?”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Hannah confirmed, apologetically. Looks like I’m the one with amnesia. Sorry, girl, my bad.”
Something suddenly snapped in Hannah and Lynnette, simultaneously.
“Oh, my God, Lynn…you remember! I totally forgot, and I’m normal. But you remember it all now. You’re back, and good as new. Forget everything I said earlier. We’re still friends. I’m so glad you’re cured! Guess the accident wasn’t permanent, after all!”
“Yes, I’m back. At least I hope I am. I hope this isn’t merely a fluke…or a dream…or a figment of my imagination.”
“No, trust me, it’s not a dream. Well, maybe it is…a good one. The one everyone’s been waiting for. Can’t wait to tell all our friends. And be sure to let your folks know.”
“Yes, most definitely,” Lynn said, joyfully. “I can’t believe this! A miracle has occurred!”
“Cool! I’m down with you, girl. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
And so ended the call, which changed Lynnette’s life forever…maybe, maybe not. Lynn stood, with her back to the wall, a huge grin spread across her face as if she were about to embark on her very first ocean journey. Then, suddenly as it came, it disappeared, as she faced a potential, horrifying reality. What if this entire thing was a fluke? A mistake, sent by Fate, to tease me? I wonder if I will ever truly be whole again…or am I doomed to stay damaged forever?
A few days later, Lynnette noticed that her favorite red sweater was missing. She was pleasantly surprised that she even recalled it as a favorite item, let alone realizing it was gone.
And it wasn’t the first time it pulled a disappearing act, only to be found in her sister’s bedroom. Those memories filled her head, and she stormed straight for Lisa, about to blow her top. This was the last straw.
“Hey, kid, what did I tell you about taking my stuff?” Lynnette yelled, startling the youngster. “I’ve had it with you! Stay out of my room…you hear…or else!”
Lisa’s 12-year-old smile grew like a blooming meadow. “You remember that now?” she said, pointing an ecstatic finger. “I took it two months ago, shortly after you came home from the hospital.”
Lynnette just glared at her, still fuming. A split-second afterward, she looked as if she had just witnessed the Rapture. She placed one hand on top of her head, in awe.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Oh, my… what is happening? It’s like everything is coming back. Everything!
“Kid, you can keep it. Think of it as a gift for giving me my life back!”
Lisa left the room, sweater in hand. Lynnette stood there a few moments more, hands clasped in front of her, a smile as wide as the widest ocean, ready to accommodate her journey of rediscovery. At that point, she knew she had made it. She was back, and nothing would take it away from her ever again.
However, Bethany had other plans.
Lynn awoke one morning, feeling very awkward and troubled. She had a restful sleep, yet was still tired. She sat on the edge of the bed, trying to collect herself.
Lynnette heard a voice in the room, which clearly was not hers. It was familiar, yet she couldn’t quite place it. She looked around; no one was there.
Then she thought that maybe it was her mind coming around and starting to awaken, and wanted to get reacquainted with her. But that’s strange, she mused. It’s a part of me. Shouldn’t it know who I am?
She heard the voice call again.
“Hello? Hello, is anyone there? Where am I?”
“Uh…hello?” Lynn called out, to an empty room. “I can’t see you, stranger. Where are you? Actually, who are you?”
“My name is Bethany…Bethany Robinson. And I don’t know where I am. The last thing I remember is riding in a car with my friend, Lynnette. Then everything went dark. Can you help me get out of here?
“What’s your name? Would you like to be my friend?”
Lynnette nearly tripped over herself, as she fell back, hitting the wall. She slid down to the floor and buried her face in her hands.
“Nooooooo!” she cried aloud. “This can’t be happening! Please…go away! Leave me alone!”
“Don’t be scared, honey. I’m your friend. I won’t hurt you.”
As much as it pained her to face what she was afraid would be, Lynnette forced herself to rise and went to the mirror. At first, she was comforted by her own image. Then, a few seconds later, relief turned to terror as the reflection changed into her friend.
“Beth…wh-what’s going on? What are you doing here?” Lynn spurted out, through tears, her waving hand trying to reach into the glass. “You’re dead, in Heaven. Go back…it’s time for you to go back home.”
“Oh…hey, Lynn! It’s nice to see you again,” Beth responded, waving back. “I’m not in Heaven. I’m right here, home with you…silly girl!”
“No…you were lost in a coma. You died, and they pulled the plug. Don’t you remember?”
“Not really. The last thing was…I was in a car ride, with you. Not much else comes to mind, after that. But now, we’re together again! Isn’t that cool?”
Lynnette was an angry statue, arms at her sides, fists clenched, screaming into the mirror. “No! We cannot be together! And it is not cool! You have to get out of my body! I live on Earth; you are in Heaven!”
“Oh, don’t you worry, pal. You’ll see, we can make this work. It’ll be for the best.”
Lynn thought long and hard about the ‘interaction’ she had with Beth. She never imagined a more horrifying scenario. Her friend, whom she thought had left her, had returned; although, in a not-so-pleasant manner…with a not-so-pleasant agenda.
She was relieved it was over—as far as she knew. But the worst was yet to come: Beth would return again and again, haunting her, until she got her way.
In time, Lynn simply passed it off as a bad dream. She reasoned, logically, that it was literally impossible for the dead to make their way back to the land of the living, let alone inhabit their spirits.
The very next week, however, that dream turned into a nightmare.
Lynn sat up on one elbow, and glanced over to the clock on the nightstand beside her bed. It was only 10:00, but it felt to her like it was much later. I just fell asleep a few minutes ago, she pondered. How could I have not been out the whole night?
And then, something quite strange occurred to her. She was not at home, in her own bed, but back at the hospital. She was wide awake, and aware of everything around her; the amnesia hadn’t taken hold yet, or decided to abandon her altogether. Lynn felt so relieved.
That feeling lasted a total of two seconds. At the very moment she fell back and hit her head on the pillow, appearing at the foot of the bed stood Beth. Or maybe Lynn hit her head on the backboard, creating an illusion.
Bethany stood there, smiling, attired in her favorite outfit that Lynnette had given to her for her birthday last year; the last one she had on Earth.
The room seemed smoky and surreal, as if being viewed through a magical window in a fairy tale land. But the immediate area surrounding Bethany was clear as day. In fact, there seemed to be a slight luminescence about her, showing off her glory just a little more subtly.
“B-Beth…is…is that you?” Lynn asked, hesitantly; cautiously. She could not—would not—believe her own eyes. Perhaps my medicine is making me hallucinate, she wondered.
Beth smiled at her friend…or perhaps, enemy?...and gifted a wave. “Hiya, pal. I’m back. Miss me?”
Lynn’s gaze slowly wandered the room, searching for the mirror that Beth stepped out of. She hoped her ghostly friend didn’t notice. Too late.
“Oh, no, dearie…you can’t just wish me away this time. All those times, when I told you I’d be by your side forever, I meant that in every sense of the word. I’ll never leave you, buddy; I’m here to stay. And I think we should have a little talk,” said Beth, making her way over to Lynn.
If she was a doctor, Lynn thought, she would have the creepiest bedside manner.
“Wh-wh-what do you want?” Lynn stammered, again. That’s odd. I never used to have a stuttering problem before.
“Oh, I’m just checking in. I just wanted to see how you’re doing. We’re friends, right?”
Silence in the room. Dead silence, no pun intended.
“RIGHT?” Beth scolded, a little more forcefully, in a controlling tone.
“Uh…yeah…right…whatever you say,” replied Lynn, who, in an attempt to fearfully back away, nearly fell back onto the bed. In fact, she did. Beth leaned over her former friend—meant rhetorically—and knew she was in a position of authority. Lynn had never felt so scared and helpless.
“Lynn…honey…can I ask you a question?” placing a hand on her shoulder in a condescending attempt to comfort her.
“Okay…”
“Where’s my body?”
“Huh?” Lynn’s heart skipped a beat.
“You heard me! I’m a stranger in a strange land! WHERE IS MY BODY, BITCH!?”
“Beth,” whimpered Lynn, her eyes stained with moisture, “I told you. It’s in Heaven…or in the ground…I don’t know. Don’t you know that you’re gone?” In more than one sense of the word, she added, to herself.
“Well, they don’t exactly have a home for me up there, you see,” Beth said, with a sarcastic grin. “They think I’m still in my body, only…I can’t find it! And until I do, and prove to Heaven I’m not alive anymore, I can’t get in!”
“But…but you’re an angel. Isn’t the knowledge like…automatic, or something?”
“Should be. I thought so, too. But they want records.”
“Beth, your body is buried. Deep in the ground. Face it. What are you going to do…dig it up, and bring it up to Heaven?” With this, Lynn was almost yelling her statements. She had had enough of being pushed around, and was on the verge of turning into a monster, herself.
It has been said that you never know what someone is truly made of, until they are pushed too far over the edge.
“At this point, I’ll try anything,” said Beth. “But till then, I don’t have one to call my own. So I think I’ll just live in yours.”
“Have you lost it, little girl? You can’t have it! This is my body, and my life, and I will do with it what I please, without anyone’s interference!”
Beth just continued to stare at her, blankly. Yet, behind the façade lurked a cold, dark, calculating mind.
“Do you hear me?” Lynn screamed.
“Yeah, I hear you, loud and clear. But…we’ll see about that.”
Lynn felt great anxiety, but tried to hide it well, with a look of wicked resistance.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
“I know you will want what is best for both of us. And I also know that you will accept my demands. You have no choice, you…life-stealer!”
Beth honestly thought that Lynn was to blame for her death, and was fully prepared to make her pay.
“Oh, I don’t think so, lady. You want a piece? Bring it!”
By now, both girls were about ready to explode. However, Beth’s power was just a little more passionate than Lynn’s, and it provided the additional spark to overtake her, and turn her back into the cowering wimp she knew her friend really was.
Beth reached out and grabbed Lynn’s collar, and pulled her closer so that she was within a single inch of her face. All of Lynn’s strength instantly vanished in a puff of smoke, as the color drained from her face.
Beth whispered, “I know you will!”
The next thing Lynn knew, she was awake…in her bed…at home…as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all. But she knew better. The dream was just as frighteningly intense as the experience in the mirror. Only this time, the exchange took place not as a mere image before her, but as a possession from within!
Lynn wished so badly she could have her life back again, in a Beth-free world.
“Mom,” said Lynnette one morning, as she came into the kitchen, “where is Bethany? What happened to her?”
“We told you, honey,” answered Kelly. “After the accident, Bethany died. You said goodbye to her at the funeral, don’t you remember?” Kelly started to worry that her daughter’s memory was drifting away again, like scenes in a motion picture which faded in and out.
“Yeah, I know about that…I guess. So why do I still feel her inside me?”
Kelly reached out to her daughter. “Sweetheart, that’s so wonderful. You have kept Bethany alive in your heart. I’m sure she’s proud of you, and is watching over you from Heaven.”
“No, Mom, that’s not it,” said Lynnette, with a strained voice, shaking her head. “Her soul is inside of me.”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Lynn. Your friend is in Heaven now, and you must learn to let go.”
“No!” yelled Lynn. “Don’t you understand? She came back.”
“Oh, baby,” cried Kelly, almost covering her face with her hands, “have you lost more than your memory?”
“I’M NOT CRAZY!” screamed Lynn again, louder. “She came to me…appeared in my mirror—and my dreams…she wants her life back, and is using me to get it. Mommy, please help me. I don’t know what to do.”
“I’ll tell you what we can do, right now,” said Kelly. “Why don’t you let me make you a nice cup of hot cocoa and some of my muffins, like I did when you were little? Then you can take a rest. Would you like that? That’s sure to make you feel better.”
Lynnette shook her head. “I’m trying to reach you, but you’re not listening. You can’t just…make this go away…with food.”
Kelly showed Lynnette what she hoped was a sincere smile, intending to put her at ease. She didn’t know what else to do for her little girl, whom she could swear was lost on a barren world. The doctors told her they gave her a ticket to leave, but there wasn’t any fuel to bring her ‘home.’
Lynnette could do nothing more. She turned and walked away, empty-handed. She slowly climbed the stairs back to her room. Just as she closed the door, she heard Bethany’s voice in her head again. “Nobody believes you, Lynn. Nobody cares. It’s going to be that much harder to get rid of me now!”
Lynnette tried her best to refrain from going to her mirror. She did not want to see the look of terror on her own face. She went straight to her bed and fell onto it, her head buried in her hands. She wanted so badly to cry herself to sleep, but the tears wouldn’t come. Before they even had a chance to form in her eyes, they were dried up by intense fear and pain.
Precisely two months to the day of the operation, without hearing so much as a peep from either family, the phone rang in Dr. Thorn’s office five times in one hour. The doctor was busy all morning, but found the messages on his voice mail upon returning.
A bolt of panicked lightning hit him from out of nowhere, as the information sunk in. He had other appointments to keep that afternoon, but they would have to wait. He sensed something was very wrong, and did not want to wait until a bad situation became worse.
"Mrs. Pruitt." he began. “This is Dr. Thorn, from Pinecrest Hospital. I received your messages. You sounded extremely concerned and agitated. What is going on?”
"Oh, doctor…you’ve got to help us,” answered Kelly. “Lynn thinks she’s been possessed…by Beth. She’s out of control, and is more than a few handfuls to deal with. We’re at the end of our rope, and don’t know what to do. You must do something…anything!”
“What do you mean, ‘she’s been possessed?’”
"She claims that Bethany has come back from the other side, and is living inside of her. We’ve never seen her like this before. She’s turning our lives upside down.”
“Umm…ma’am…do you realize you’re talking gibberish?”
“Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true; we’ve been seeing it with our own eyes. And if you think about it, after all that’s happened…well, you must admit, anything is possible. Even the ridiculous and unknown.”
“Bring her to me the very first thing tomorrow morning. No appointment is necessary; I’ll make arrangements to see you.”
"Thank you. Thank you so much, doctor. This means the world to us. I only hope you can help.”
Well, as it turned out, tomorrow was forever, and it couldn’t wait.
Jeff and Kelly stormed into the Emergency Room just before midnight, dragging Lynnette with them, who was halfway “You’ll never take me!” and halfway “Help me through this!”
Lynn’s clothing was torn to shreds—it was not a fashion statement—and was covered with cuts and bruises all over. Dr. Thorn immediately recognized the three of them, even though he made a show of pointing out that Lynn had seen better days.
“I thought that I told you to see me tomorrow,” Dr. Thorn half-scolded them. “I’m guessing this couldn’t wait. So, what happened here?”
Jeff retorted, “Uh, yeah…that’s an understatement. You just would not believe the last two hours we’ve been through. Actually, it’s more like the last two months.”
“Try me,” interrupted Dr. Taylor, who was observing the scene from down the hall, but did not want to interfere until he had all of the facts.
Kelly told the story. “Lynn was an hour late for curfew. Of course, we were furious. But we were more concerned with the fact that upon arriving home, Lynn appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“She apologized for her tardiness, and then proceeded to explain that she’d been wandering the streets half the night, lost and alone. This, despite the fact that she’d been pronounced cured—her amnesia was no more—and we thought she knew the town well.
"Anyway, several witnesses down on Spruce Street said she was screaming and throwing things around, banging herself into walls and light posts, and standing in the middle of the road, daring cars to hit her.
“Everyone feared for her safety—and their own—and called police who, through a miracle, somehow managed to calm her down. They brought her home, babbling incoherently, ‘Get out of me, Beth! I don’t want you! Get out, get out, get out!’”
“Doctor…somebody…anybody…” pleaded Lynn. “Do something; please help me. Bethany didn’t die, after all. She’s still in me, and I can’t handle it.”
Drs. Thorn and Taylor helped Lynn over to a chair in a corner of the waiting area. “Of course she is, honey,” said Dr. Taylor. “We put her there, remember? We gave her to you as a gift, so that both of you would live again.”
“I…I know,” Lynn cried between sobs. “But it’s not a good thing. She wants my body; my life…she’s terrorizing me.”
Dr Thorn said, “Lynnette, I, for one, am not sure I understand. We gave to you her soul and mind…her essence, not her personality and temperament. Her life force is within you, but there is no way she can..”
“Yes, there is. There most certainly is. She’s haunting me. She invades my dreams…I hear her voice in my head…I see her face in the mirror. She has taken over, and won’t let go. Please…do something…I want her gone!”
“Okay, Lynnette…just…calm down, okay?” Dr. Thorn gently took her arm and lifted her up. “It is my personal and professional opinion that you could use a badly needed rest for a while. Why don’t you come with us, alright? We’ll take you someplace nice and quiet, where Beth won’t bother you.”
“Thank you, thank you. Thanks so much, all of you,” she said, still very much shaken.
The ‘place’ they led her to was a confined room, with a bed that included straps to which she was held down with. And the ‘rest’ they prescribed was a 100 mg injection of Thorazine.
Everyone let Lynnette sleep for a good, long time. After resting for eight hours, she was wide awake and refreshed at ten o’ clock. She was also in a better mood, though still wary. The families’, police and medical team were, too; they weren’t prepared for another scene like the night before.
"How are you doing?” asked a nurse, who had just come in to check up on her.
“I guess I’m okay,” Lynn said. “Last night was like…the worst night of my life. I’m so glad it’s over. I’m glad she’s out of me.” I hope she is. “Where am I, exactly? And where are my parents?”
“We’re right here, sweetie,” announced Kelly, who, along with her husband, arose from their chairs and walked over to their daughter, ready to embrace her, no matter what. No matter who or what she was inside. “Don’t think for a minute we would ever leave you.”
"Oh…hi Mom, hi Dad. Good morning. Have you been in the room all night?”
“Of course, baby,” said Jeff, flashing a broad grin. “We’re not going to let you go through this ordeal alone. How are you doing?”
“A lot better, thanks. Gee, you and the nurse must have been soul mates in a former life.”
That comment elicited a round of chuckles from everyone, including Lynn herself. Everyone except Beth, who let Lynn know, in no uncertain terms—from the inside—that she was listening to every word, and did not appreciate being left out.
“Heh, heh…” she snorted, sarcastically. “That was real funny. But I’m going to have the last laugh. Just wait till I get my life back.”
Lynn heard the threat in her head, and tried to ignore it. She put on a brave face for everyone around her, but on the inside she was trembling like the Berlin Wall before its demolition.
"So, what’s the plan for today?” Lynn continued. “Do I get to go home now? I’m all better, you know. Yesterday was just a bad dream. It won’t happen again.”
Lynn hoped everyone believed it. She hoped that she believed it, but you can’t lie to yourself. She told herself that she would deal with Beth when the time came, but she knew it was easier said than done.
Just then, Dr. Taylor and his team came into the room.
“Hello, doctor,” said Jeff. “Lynn says she’s alright now, and wants to leave.”
“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” responded the doctor. “Due to the situation, last night’s disturbance created a mark on Lynn’s record with the local authorities. And until we receive a signed acknowledgement from a mental health care professional that she is well enough—and verified by a judge—I am under orders to retain her for her safety, and that of others.
“And besides, I think it would be better, anyway. This is not something you can fix with a band aid. We need to get to the root cause of the problem, and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Lynnette stood up from the bed, and determinedly faced everyone. “There is only one solution, which I can see. I need another operation; a reversal. I want you to take Beth out of me. Do it. Do whatever it takes. I will not tolerate this anymore.”
“We were thinking just about the same thing,” said Dr. Taylor. “Your friend’s spirit inside you is like a disease that must be cured.”
“I suppose you’re right,” commented Arthur, speaking for the first time among the others. “It is most likely the only solution.”
“And if you are successful…” began Crystal, “…then what? What will become of Bethany?”
“Bethany’s life force will be removed from Lynn’s body…and she will truly die, for good…and return to Heaven…as she was always meant to.”
Arthur could only hang his head in his hands, shaking it. He was a grown man, yet he wanted to bawl like a baby, and he didn’t care who saw.
Crystal almost tripped, as she slowly tried to sit on the bed opposite Lynn’s, one arm stretched out before her. Lynn appreciated the gesture, thinking it was for her benefit. But in reality, it was more a futile attempt for Crystal to reach into her and touch her child once more.
The Robinsons’ thought it unfair they had to say goodbye to their daughter twice.