Penelope: The Story of Persephone

Chapter 3

Penelope stood in front of the wooden office door, ready to knock when Dr. Brown beat her to it once again. He stood there with a wide smile plastered on his face.

"Good morning, Ms. Day." He greeted, slightly bowing.

She felt the urge to curtsy at his gentlemanly approach but stopped herself before she looked silly in front of the doctor.

"Good morning, Dr. Brown." she greeted back with a small smile.

He led her inside his office.

"You're looking lovely in that pink dress." he smiled then disappeared into his mini kitchen.

"Th-thank you." She managed to reply even though the doctor was out of her sight. He came back with a tray; on it were two pretty little china tea cups and a round tea pot to match. He poured tea into one of the cups and handed it to her.

Penelope wanted to decline since she just had breakfast and didn't feel like drinking anything but took the cup anyway.

"Thank you." she said as she laid the cup on a saucer the doctor placed on his table.

"Take a sit." he said as he sat in his own executive chair. "Please do give me a moment to set up."

She nodded and he began digging through his drawers.

Once he was finished with his set up, Penelope had managed to drink half a cup of the tea he prepared for her. It was quite tangy unlike what she usually drinks but somehow she liked the taste. The doctor walked towards the brown leather couch and beckoned her to follow. She obediently walked behind him and sat where she stayed the day before.

The red blinking light went on.

"This is uh...Dr. Lucas Brown. It is April 22nd year 2014. Time...9:25am. I am with Ms. Penelope Day for our second session." He began.

He looked at her and she looked down on her lap, feeling a little uneasy with the sudden eye contact.

"Relax." he said, hinting a smile in his voice.

She breathed in and nodded, she released the clutch she had on her dress when she noticed that her hands were crumpling the delicate fabric.

"Okay. For this session there will be no tests. Instead, we will simply...talk." He paused, checking her response.

She nodded telling him to continue.

"I think it would be best if you lay down on the couch."

She looked at him in confusion.

"Don't you worry, Ms. Day. This is how usual psychiatric sessions take place. It would make you more at ease hence making it easier for the both of us to communicate." He said gently.

She shifted on the couch so that her head rested on the pillow near the arm rest. She hoisted her feet up opposite the doctor, being careful my to let her dress ride up her thighs.

"Better?" the doctor assessed.

"Yes, doctor." She replied.

He began asking her a series of questions about her childhood.

"I had friends." she said as she stared into the ceiling.

"Had?" he emphasized as if it was hard to believe her.

"Had." She confirmed.

"What happened?"

"The coma."

"Will you please elaborate, Ms. Day?"

She took a deep breath.

"When I was sixteen, my coma came as a shock because nothing really happened to me. I mean...I didn't bump my head or anything...I just...fell asleep. People supported me all through out my recovery but then...I guess they just ...grew tired of me always getting...sick." she said, an evident sadness in her tone.