Horror

Her old friend

“Hello, Jessica. How have you been this week?”

“Fine,” she groans, sitting in the chair opposite.

As talkative as ever.

“Good. Have you been sleeping?”

“I guess.”

“Good. Good.” Even after all these years, it’s still difficult to get a fifteen-year-old talking. Every week is the same, we begin with single-worded answers until she feels comfortable again. But I understand. It can’t be easy spilling your darkest secrets to a stranger. “So, let’s get straight to it, shall we? Have you had anymore hallucinations recently?”

“It’s not a hallucination. But yes, it’s still there, like always.”

“Hmm, I see.” An unusual case. Jess seems to display symptoms of schizophrenia as she suffers from hallucinations of a shadow-like figure. She is adamant that it’s real. However, her behaviour seems otherwise normal. No disorganised speech, no thought disorder or delusions. A little shy or unmotivated perhaps, but she’s only fifteen. Too young for medication obviously, so her parents sent her to me. The only option she has left is to talk it out. “Does it look the same? Has anything changed?”

“No, it’s the same. It’s crouched in the corner, watching us.” Jess looks down and trembles slightly. I’ll be honest, this unsettles me. I peak at the corner quickly for reassurance. But of course, nothing but darkness covers the wall. How stupid of me.

“Perhaps we should start from the beginning. This is our third session and you haven’t explained how it started. Do you think you could tell me where this ‘figure’ came from?”

“I guess so. If you think it’d help.”

“I do. It would be good for you to re-imagine the birth of the hallucination. Perhaps we could find the reason why it originated.”

“It’s not a hallucination, but… okay, maybe.” Breathing deeply, Jess gathers herself and looks down at the floor before continuing. “Did you ever have an imaginary friend? I know I wasn’t the only one, most children have them, right? I’ve heard other people’s versions, how they watched them following during car journeys or played hide-and-seek with them in the house. Some had animals, some had things they made up. It was fun, I guess.”

“Yes, of course I remember having an imaginary friend. I think her name was Alice. Definitely helped with the boredom. It’s healthy for children to have these types of friends, it develops their creativity. You definitely weren’t alone.” Jess looks at the corner, uncertain. “Go on.”

“Mine was a unicorn, at first. My mother says that I always wanted a horse when I was little. It seems silly now, but I loved playing with her. She was so beautiful. She had a white coat and a baby-pink mane. But then…” Suddenly, she went quiet. I can see she’s struggling, but she’s doing so well. This is the most she’s talked to me about it so far. I smile to encourage her but she avoids my gaze. This must be uncomfortable to discuss if she thinks it’s watching us. I need to be careful not to push too hard. There’s a chance of hallucinations becoming aggressive if the patient is provoked.

“It’s okay, take your time.”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “Well, something changed. I can’t explain it. When I was about seven, the unicorn sort of…died. I don’t know what happened. I was staring at her when her skin started to flake off. The mane rotted away and revealed something dark underneath. A black shadow-like figure that devoured her body. It peeled away the unicorn until it was free. Dark hands clawed its way out, ripping her apart. I was so scared.” She pauses as she glances from me to the creature. “Ever since, it’s always been there. It never disappeared. I thought you were supposed to grow out of imaginary friends, but this never left.”