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Authors: Marc Laidlaw
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call Tucker, see if he can come help us out. At the very least give Mr. Crowe a ride. Why don't you two just sit here and take it easy, and I'll be back as soon as I can. Tucker's pretty good with cars."
Derek closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
"We'll be all right," Lenore said, and Derek felt his spirits rising. Alone with her, he'd be fine indeed. He welcomed the occasion, unexpected as it was. As long as he made his plane on time, what harm could come of it?
"Great." Michael zipped up his jacket, gave them a weak salute, and headed off down the road. For a minute they could see him fading out beyond the headlights, and then he was gone.
"So," Lenore said after a while, "where you from?"
"Originally Los Angeles, but I've lived in San Francisco a few years. How about you?"
"Oh, uh, I grew up in upstate New York—little towns you probably never heard of. Lived in New York City for a long time, before I met Michael and we moved down here."
"So you are a city girl."
"I guess. No. I'm not from anywhere, really. Lived in a lot of different houses when I was a kid. Foster homes and stuff. Bouncing around."
He wasn't sure how to respond to that. With regrets?
"You think you could hypnotize someone like me?" she said abruptly.
Derek laughed, taken by surprise. "Hypnotize you? Why?"
"I don't know, just to see what it's like. I've always wondered."
Derek winced. "I suppose I could," he said. "Some people are resistant. Children, soldiers, people used to taking orders—they can be very good subjects. But I have a feeling you're the independent type."
She smiled. "You do, huh? How about Ms. A? What type was she?"
"Well—also very independent, but I believe the mandalas must have been stronger. They had a use for her, and they might have made her more susceptible to hypnosis."
"Could you do me?" she said.
"Right now, you mean?"
"Sure. While Michael's gone. We're gonna be here awhile. Just try. No pressure if it doesn't work. I'm curious."
"I don't know," he said.
"Maybe the mandalas will come through me," she said, mischievously now, and he felt certain she was mocking him, that all this was an elaborate tease. "Maybe there's something else they want to say to you."
"I don't—I'm not sure that's such a good idea."
She made a disappointed sound, and he could see the beginnings of a pout. She reached across the seat, then, and turned out the headlights.
"Good idea," he said.
"I feel like I know you," she said in the dark, in a hushed voice. "How could that be?"
"I—I don't know. Do you really?"
"As soon as I saw you up there tonight, I just sort of felt this click."
Derek cast his eyes down the road, half expecting to see Michael coming up from the total darkness. Lenore's mouth was right beside his ear.
"What does that mean?" she said.
"I don't know. Maybe you recognized me from my book."
"It wasn't that. I felt like I had to talk to you. Like, you'd understand me."
"Talk about what?" he said.
"Don't you ever want to talk to someone who doesn't know you? Someone who's not involved in all your problems?"
"I think we all feel that way sometimes."
"It's because you've looked into all these things, with the counseling you've done, the hypnotherapy and all—I could use some advice. God knows I could probably use some therapy too. I need some help quitting drinking, I know that, but that's only part of it. There's things going back—way back—I can't remember how far back. Maybe that's where my problems all started. Maybe you could help me remember, you know? Under hypnosis? Because I can't. There's like this blank area, early in my childhood. I don't remember my mother or any of that. I was already bouncing from home to home by then. I was a troublemaker, I guess you'd say. A difficult child. I want to know—what happened to me? When did the trouble really start?"
"Memories from very early childhood may not be accessible to you, even under hypnosis. The infant brain is separate from the adult's.
Derek closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
"We'll be all right," Lenore said, and Derek felt his spirits rising. Alone with her, he'd be fine indeed. He welcomed the occasion, unexpected as it was. As long as he made his plane on time, what harm could come of it?
"Great." Michael zipped up his jacket, gave them a weak salute, and headed off down the road. For a minute they could see him fading out beyond the headlights, and then he was gone.
"So," Lenore said after a while, "where you from?"
"Originally Los Angeles, but I've lived in San Francisco a few years. How about you?"
"Oh, uh, I grew up in upstate New York—little towns you probably never heard of. Lived in New York City for a long time, before I met Michael and we moved down here."
"So you are a city girl."
"I guess. No. I'm not from anywhere, really. Lived in a lot of different houses when I was a kid. Foster homes and stuff. Bouncing around."
He wasn't sure how to respond to that. With regrets?
"You think you could hypnotize someone like me?" she said abruptly.
Derek laughed, taken by surprise. "Hypnotize you? Why?"
"I don't know, just to see what it's like. I've always wondered."
Derek winced. "I suppose I could," he said. "Some people are resistant. Children, soldiers, people used to taking orders—they can be very good subjects. But I have a feeling you're the independent type."
She smiled. "You do, huh? How about Ms. A? What type was she?"
"Well—also very independent, but I believe the mandalas must have been stronger. They had a use for her, and they might have made her more susceptible to hypnosis."
"Could you do me?" she said.
"Right now, you mean?"
"Sure. While Michael's gone. We're gonna be here awhile. Just try. No pressure if it doesn't work. I'm curious."
"I don't know," he said.
"Maybe the mandalas will come through me," she said, mischievously now, and he felt certain she was mocking him, that all this was an elaborate tease. "Maybe there's something else they want to say to you."
"I don't—I'm not sure that's such a good idea."
She made a disappointed sound, and he could see the beginnings of a pout. She reached across the seat, then, and turned out the headlights.
"Good idea," he said.
"I feel like I know you," she said in the dark, in a hushed voice. "How could that be?"
"I—I don't know. Do you really?"
"As soon as I saw you up there tonight, I just sort of felt this click."
Derek cast his eyes down the road, half expecting to see Michael coming up from the total darkness. Lenore's mouth was right beside his ear.
"What does that mean?" she said.
"I don't know. Maybe you recognized me from my book."
"It wasn't that. I felt like I had to talk to you. Like, you'd understand me."
"Talk about what?" he said.
"Don't you ever want to talk to someone who doesn't know you? Someone who's not involved in all your problems?"
"I think we all feel that way sometimes."
"It's because you've looked into all these things, with the counseling you've done, the hypnotherapy and all—I could use some advice. God knows I could probably use some therapy too. I need some help quitting drinking, I know that, but that's only part of it. There's things going back—way back—I can't remember how far back. Maybe that's where my problems all started. Maybe you could help me remember, you know? Under hypnosis? Because I can't. There's like this blank area, early in my childhood. I don't remember my mother or any of that. I was already bouncing from home to home by then. I was a troublemaker, I guess you'd say. A difficult child. I want to know—what happened to me? When did the trouble really start?"
"Memories from very early childhood may not be accessible to you, even under hypnosis. The infant brain is separate from the adult's.
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