Diagnosis Unknown
Chapter 15
We took Anastasia back to the lab.
The Doctor said that she was lucky she hadn’t broken any bones.
“‘Lucky’?” Emma began. “You call the state she’s in ‘Lucky’!?!”
“Emma, calm down.” Said the Doctor. “Remember what I told you about being calm.”
“How can I be calm when Anastasia’s acting like she’s out of her mind? You don’t’ even have a cure yet!”
“I cure needs first needs a diagnosis.”
“You said she had a schizoaffective disorder.”
The Doctor sighed.
“I’m afraid I really don’t know.” He began. “Anastasia Rose has had many bizarre symptoms that I can’t give a genuine diagnosis for. For instance, her strength is far beyond the strength of a nine year-old-little girl. The things she’s been apparently capable that are apparently impossible and can’t think of a logical explanation for it all.”
Emma began pulling at her hair.
“Maybe thinking logically won’t get you the answer. Don’t forget, logic didn’t bring us here or give us our special abilities.”
“Then what did?”
“I don’t know.” Said Emma. “I guess it was magic.”
“‘Magic’? I’m afraid there’s no such thing in this world.”
The Doctor’s logical mind is what made him such a genius. I was hard for him to think any other way.
But with Annie’s symptoms becoming increasingly bizarre, then maybe it was time for a change of mind.
After Emma had gone, the Doctor was left alone in his lab, searching through all his books on biology and human beings.
Scratching at his cranium as he was puzzled, rubbing his eyes as he was tired, the Doctor couldn’t help but feel like all his work was useless.
There wasn’t a shred of help in any of the books that could help him diagnose Annie and find a cure.
The Doctor wheeled over to the book case and studied all the books he had.
He had read them all and none of them helped.
‘Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve’.
‘Machinery. How to build it’.
‘The biology of earth’.
‘The creation of live’.
…
The Doctor suddenly noticed something.
A book covered with dust and cobwebs at the end of the highest shelf caught his eye.
He reached for his wand to reach the book.
He held it up high and used it to pull the book out.
The book fell from the top shelf and landed on his lap.
Dust also fell from the top shelf and sent the Doctor coughing.
After recovering from a coughing fit, he took hold of the book and wheeled over to the table.
He placed the thick, heavy book down and gazed at the front cover.
The cover was thickly covered in dust. The Doctor had to clean it if he was going to see what the book was about.
As he wiped off the dust and revealed the cover of the hard back.
The words he read were intriguing.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, the terrible trio, Lock, Shock and Barrel, were gathered round the sight of the wrecked mansion.
They were stunned.
“Oh great.” Said Lock. “This day has just got worse and worse. Now where are we going to live?”
Barrel rummaged amongst the debris.
“Hey, why don’t we make a new home out of this stuff?” He suggested.
“Wow, Barrel! You’ve found your brain again!” Said Lock.
“But guys, that’ll take us forever.” Said Shock.
“You got any better ideas?” Said Lock. “Oh wait! I don’t wanna hear them!”
Shock looked a little guilty.
“Yeah, Shock! it’s your fault that all this happened.” Said Barrel.
“Yeah! It was your idea to get that kid on our side! It’s your fault Oogie’s dead! It’s your fault that psycho kid wrecked out home…”
“Hey! Her name is Annie!”
“What’s up? You her friend or something? Get lost Shock!”
Shock felt angry, yet guilty for the first time in her life.
Because of her, she was on the verge of losing her friends.
Because of her, Oogie was dead.
Because of her, their only home was gone.
But there were more things to this awful day that Shock had discovered.
She was the one who put Annie’s heart back and ever since then, she’d become aware of Annie’s feelings. He fear, her sorrow, her suffering.
A few days ago, none of this would have mattered to Shock. But she knew something about Annie that no-one else did.
She knew what really wrong with Anastasia.
Shock kept blaming herself for everything that had happened that day.
Shock screwed up her face.
‘I don’t cry’ She thought to herself. ‘I’m a tough kid! I never cry!’ She kept repeating it to herself.
‘I never cry! I never cry!’
…
Meanwhile, in other places, (at my house to be precise), myself, Sally, Emma and Benjamin were talking to Benny Bear.
We were trying to get him to tell us who set him free.
“Listen here, now. I’d love to tell you all if mine and Benjamin’s safety were guaranteed. But since I’d been threatened that something nasty would happen to me and Benjamin, then I think I should keep my mouth shut.” Benny Bear explained.
“But your mouth is already shut, Benny Bear. It’s sewn on.” Said Benjamin.
“Oh, Benjamin. I was usin’ a figure of speech.”
“Benny Bear, if you tell only us then no-one else will know. And we’ll never tell the one who sent you what you said.” Said Emma.
“Look, I’ve been kidnapped once before.” Said Benny Bear.
“And well make sure it’ll never happen again.” I tried to explain.
“Please tell us, Benny Bear. If there’s someone else on our side then we must know who it is.” Said Sally.
“But the only reason she freed me was ‘cause she knew if she didn’t do something, then Annie would destroy Jack and then the rest of the town. And then there would be no town to rule. Besides, Annie might very well have destroyed her as well. The girl who freed me is furious with doing a good, kind thing like letting me go. She’s one tough kid.”
“Thanks, Benny Bear. I think I know now who freed you.” Said Sally. “As odd as it seems, I think it was Shock.”
“Shock?” I was surprised. So was Emma.
“But why would she do a thing like that.” Said Emma.
“It’s just as Benny Bear said, she had no choice.”
#Ring#…#Aaarhhh#
The door bell just rang.
“I suppose I should answer it.”
I stepped down my spiral staircase and headed for the front door to answer it.
It was the Doctor.
“Greetings, Jack Skellington.”
“Doctor. Hello.” I greeted him back.
I then notice a book that he was carrying.
“What do you have there? Have you found a cure for Annie?” I asked urgently.
“Potentially.” Said the Doctor.
I led him in and Emma helped me carry his wheel chair up the stairs.
Benny Bear took Benjamin back to the lab as the Doctor thought that what he had to say was not suitable for Benjamin to hear.
When all was ready the Doctor began.
“Now then, you know I have been struggling to find a logical diagnosis for Anastasia’s condition.”
We all nodded and understood.
“Well, Emma here suggested that perhaps logic isn’t the answer. After all, there are many things about these children that are far from a logical explanation. Sometimes things may happen and we may not have a logical explanation for them.”
The Doctor then held up the book for everyone to see.
The Bible.
“In this book lays many things, tales and stories that many believe to be true. Others need a more logical explanation in order for them to believe as such.”
The Doctor paused and put the book down. He then continued.
“If I were to think logically about Anastasia’s condition I would say that she has a schizoaffective disorder.”
He began.
“However, she has done many things that I do not have a logical explanation for. For example, she had a seizure whilst hooked up to the EEG. The EEG picked up her brain activity, but it did not change, even when Anastasia had a seizure right in front of us. And she was fitting far too violently to be pretending. That’s another thing. She seems to posses abnormal strength. She is almost impossible to restrain physically, that’s why I’ve had to sedate her permanently.”
The Doctor began flicking through the book, page by page.
“I do not have a logical explanation for any of this. If I hadn’t witnessed this with my own eyes, I would say that it was impossible and I would not believe it. But impossible or not, these illogical things have happened. So, in order to diagnose them. I would have to think illogically. And soon enough, I came up with a illogical diagnosis.”
Emma was suddenly surprised.
“You’ve thought of a diagnosis?” She spoke a little panicky. “What it is?”
“Yes, of course. What have you found, Doctor.” I asked urgently.
The Doctor stopped flicking through his book.
He then wheeled over to the window.
“Have you ever heard of…demonic possession?”
I listened to the Doctors diagnosis. At first I was a little stunned.
“Demonic possession. You’re not serious, Doctor?” I asked.
“Could someone please explain to me what the heck is ‘demonic possession’?” Said Emma.
The Doctor passed the bible to Emma.
“Demonic possession is a rare, spiritual experience in which a persons body has been invaded by a demon or evil spirit.”
Emma looked at a drawing in the bible. I peered over her shoulder to have a look myself.
There was a picture of a restrained man with something like a ghost coming out of his mouth.
“Eww! Oh my god! Is this what’s happening to Annie?” Emma asked.
“It may not sound logical, but it’s my best diagnosis.” Said the Doctor.
“So how can we set about making a cure?” Asked Sally.
“That is the next bit of news I have to give you.”
The Doctor took the book back off Emma and myself.
“If Anastasia was in fact demonically possessed and we mistook this for schizoaffective disorder, then treating her with medication and psychiatry would have no effect.”
The Doctor then continued with the alternative.
“But if Anastasia did in fact have a schizoaffective disorder, and we mistook it for demonic possession, the cure for demonic possession could cure either disorders.”
“So what’s the cure?” Emma asked. “Is it certain to work for both problems she might have?”
“The cure.” The Doctor began. “The cure for demonic possession…is Exorcism.”
Though I didn’t know what that word meant, it still sent chills down my spine.
“Exorcism?” Sally muttered and questioned. “What is Exorcism?”
“Exorcism is a ritual performed by a priest that is supposed to drive out the demon possessing the victim. Now, illogically the Exorcism is supposed to bring upon good spirits and with the help of god they banish the demon back to hell.”
“Ok, that just sounds weird. Look Doc, I’m not what you’d call a believer.” Said Emma.
“But if I looked at this logically, Emma, we still see an advantage from performing an Exorcism. Anastasia claimed that there is someone inside her. She obviously believes that. If this were a schizoaffective disorder it would have been her believe in possession that would have caused this delusion. And so, it would make it very probable that in the same way, her believe in Exorcism can cure the schizoaffective disorder. In the same way that it was caused it can be cured.”
We all took a few minutes to think about this.
I thought of this idea as, not a cure, but as a gamble.
I wasn’t sure if this ‘Exorcism’ was the best cure for all that Anastasia had done. I would be convinced that medicine may cure her, but a ritual, I had my doubts.
“Maybe we should just take our time with this idea.” I suggested .
“Yeah, this Exorcism thing sounds pretty scary. And even if there is a god. I don’t think he can reach us while we’re in this world.” Said Emma.
“Perhaps we should just wait a few more days to see if she improves with medication or maybe she might get better on her own.” Sally supposed.
The Doctor sighed.
“I was afraid it wouldn’t have to come to this. But there is one more thing I suppose I should tell you.”
I listened, concerned about what he would say next.
“Anastasia is slowly getting weaker and losing energy. Her blood test shows more of that strange substance and there is a steady decrease in the amount of white blood cells her body is making. I’m afraid her immune system is failing.”
I was right to be concerned, especially with what I heard next.
“Anastasia…is dying.”
I was in shock.
Sally looked like she was about to cry.
I came over to her. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to comfort her.
“Oh my god. Doctor, are you serious? Oh my god!” Emma looked like she was crying, (though with her being part machine she can’t).
“I’m afraid, even if Anastasia does have a schizoaffective disorder, there won’t be enough time for the medicine to take effect.” The Doctor paused for the chilling conclusion. “An Exorcism is her only hope.”
We all thought about it.
The idea of an Exorcism sounded dangerous. In a very bad way, it sounded scary.
But so did the though of losing Anastasia Rose.
The Doctor’s only suggestion and Anastasia’s only hope was an Exorcism.
Emma nodded. Anastasia was her responsibility and she was willing to give it a go.
“Alright.” I said. “We’ll do it.”
“So it’s settled then.” Announced the Doctor. “Anastasia Rose needs and Exorcism.”
