Mind's Echo

Alex

Alex stopped pacing when Shelly burst into tears. He stood there for a moment, flabbergasted. Shelly was a true damsel in distress and he felt fucking helpless. He started toward her, opening his mouth to offer some sort of platitude that would set her mind at ease:

"There could be a number of reasonable explanations for the odd photograph in the lobby, the alleged spirit you, Shelly, said you saw earlier after finding that file, and even this image which Mark here has captured on his camera, an image of what appears to be a humanoid form. They can all be explained logically."

 Alex began to pace again, waving his hands for emphasis as he continued to try and explain the night away.

"For instance, a draft, or pocket of cold air, could cause the image on camera, especially since this building is in such disrepair and lacking in proper insulation. It could very well be a dust particle cloud stirred up from when Shelly fell just now, as well. These are just suggestions which might have occurred due to the atmosphere. There may be other explanations."

Alex stopped to take a breath. Mark had turned back around to watch him warily. Shelly had stopped crying and was now staring at Alex, mystified. He didn't seem to notice, however, as he dove once more into his dialogue.

"My dear friends," Alex leaned toward Mark and Shelly, engaging them with his intense gaze and satisfied smile, "we must consider the scientific and logical aspects first over automatic mental or emotional perceptions, which can be very misleading at times. The mind is a baffling thing, and one of the final frontiers still widely inaccessible, unexplored, and therefore remains mostly unknown to man."

Alex made a gesture about his head, as if his mind was being blown, fingers standing up and shooting out. His eyes took on a wild gleam. Mark and Shelly began to shift uncomfortably. Alex focused his sight on Mark.

"Mark, being as you are a paranormal investigator, or, at the very least, have studied the topic, then you, yourself, should be aware of such terms as 'apophenia' and 'pareidolia,' the process in which the mind perceives meaningful patterns within random data, or perceives images or sounds in random stimuli. Even the sense of smell can be misguided by a condition known as phantosmia, in which an individual believes they are smelling a 'phantom odor' that in reality does not exist except to the mind."

Alex tapped his nose for effect as his burning gaze shifted from Mark to Shelly and back again. He started to pace once more. He crossed his arms and lifted one fisted hand to his chin thoughtfully.

"This is due to a possible head injury, or upper respiratory infection. It can also be caused by temporal lobe seizures, inflamed sinuses, brain tumors, and Parkinson's disease."

Again, he stopped. His arms dropped down to his sides as he looked around himself at the crumbling walls, peeling ceiling, and rotten floor. 

"I would even be more apt to blame toxic chemicals, such as lead paint or asbestos. I'd even go as far as considering hallucinogenic fungi growing within these dark and damp confines."

Alex returned his attention to his rapt audience, looking extremely pleased with himself. He smiled and his smile caused shivers. He pointed a lecturing finger at Mark and Shelly.

"Always remember, you must approach each situation with logic and reason, or you will not be able to differentiate between what is true reality and what is merely a mental illusion," he concluded.

Mark and Shelly stared at Alex, speechless and utterly aghast at his diatribe against the undoubtedly supernatural anomalies which Clarkmann had afforded the bedraggled group thus far.