Erudition of Doyle: Volume One

CHAPTER 41: CASE VIII - THE MYSTERIOUS FRIENDS OF LITTLE SLYVIA

Content warning: mental health themes, suicide, psychological distress.

Case 8: The Mysterious Friends
of Little Sylvia (The Journalist's
Tale Chapter, Part Six)

ROSALINDA

Nakatitig lang ako sa pinto, hanggang ngayon ay nanginginig pa rin ang mga kamay ko at pilit na inuunawang isipin ang mga nangyayari. But because some of my memories vanished like wind, I cannot connect everything. I'm lacking information. However, is there something that needs to be connected? Or do I just need to risk every decision to find the answer I need? Why is there so much happening in this timeline? What's the purpose of all this?

I shook my head, trying to shake off my thoughts, as I opened the door carefully and quietly. Pagkabukas ko ng pinto, I took a peek and scanned the whole room. Ngunit tumigil ako sa ginagawa ko nang makita ko si Sylvia, nakaharap sa flat screen TV, at ikinakunot ko ang noo. She was talking, it wasn’t surprising since she has schizophrenia, but something felt off.

"Why do I need to do that?" she asked curiously, trying to keep her voice low, but I could still hear it.

I didn't hear anyone or anything respond, which confirmed to me that she was hallucinating. And that's one of the symptoms of having schizophrenia.

Napahawak siya sa kaniyang baba. "I need to kill myself?" she asked, and that alarmed me. She tilted her head to the left side and asked again, "How do I kill myself?"

Napalunok ako sa sinabi niya. Hindi ko mapigilang titigan ang TV. May napansin akong umiilaw na kulay pula doon sa ibaba, senyales na naka-on ito? But there was no show on the TV, nor was it playing anything, it was off. If it was on, it should have a color bar static. But no, it was just dark, a clear sign that the TV was off.

"... Huh?" Sylvia reacted. "Why do I need to lock my door—" Bigla siyang napatingin sa akin, and I quickly shut the door.

Did she see me?

I swiftly ran downstairs and walked toward the karaoke room, where the other two were still singing, while I was trying to organize my thoughts.

But I haven’t done enough investigating yet. I need to observe her actions more closely. Also, how does schizophrenia typically manifest? I need to look into this. Habang nagreresearch ako, kasama kong kumakanta nang walang tigil ang dalawa. Naiingayan na ako sa kanila. So, I decided to step outside to find a quieter place to think. I was just about to open the door when someone opened it from the other side.

It was Sylvia.

Napaatras ako ng konti para siya’y papasukin sa loob. Nagkatitigan kaming dalawa, subalit hindi naman iyon nagtagal nang napansin siya ni Dmitriy. The karaoke stopped, and Dmitriy hurriedly ran towards us.

"Sylvia, why’re ya still up, huh?" Pambungad niyang tanong, pero ang mga mata ni Sylvia ay kung saan-saan nakatingin, sa ibaba, likuran, at maging sa itaas, while she was fidgeting her index fingers.

"She... she talked to me."

"Who?" tanong niya, kasabay ng pagyuko.

"Vanessa," she said, as she stared at him.

"Who is she?" I asked.

"Old woman. She's watching me. She is always watching me on TV. Always." She started rubbing her hands, then quickly looked at me before glancing behind her. "She's a better person than anyone in this world."

"Eh... Vanessa again?" Dmitriy said.

Nanatiling nakatingin si Sylvia sa kaniyang likuran. Her hallucination is acting again?