Read Online Thoreau at Devil's Perch by B.B. Oak - Free Book Online

a watch is less intimidating,” he said. He held the watch about a foot from my face, dangling it by its chain. “All you have to do is keep your body relaxed, your eyes fixed on the watch, and your mind riveted on its movement, Julia. You will not lose consciousness. You will simply descend into a deep, restful state of mental concentration. You will hear my voice and obey my instructions. And at the end of this session I will clap my hands, and you will immediately come out of the hypnotic state.”
    I did as I was told, and it wasn’t long before my lids began to close involuntarily. From that moment on I remember nothing till I heard the sharp sound of a clap near my ear. My eyes flew open, and I saw Adam kneeling before me.
    â€œPlease tell me all is well with you, Julia,” he said.
    â€œWhy should it not be?”
    â€œBecause I have acted imprudently.” He handed me his handkerchief. “Dry your eyes and try to forgive me.”
    I touched my cheek. It was moist from tears. “Whatever happened?”
    â€œI asked you to go back to when you were a girl so that you could relive happy times with your mother. Instead, you began to relive her last agonizing hours. Go back farther, I kept urging you, and at last you did.”
    â€œTo before she became ill?”
    â€œLong, long before that.”
    â€œOver twenty years ago when I was but a babe?”
    â€œTo before you were even born.”
    â€œYou speak in riddles, Adam.”
    â€œI do not mean to. But your recollection was so unexpected and confusing.”
    â€œJust tell me what I told you.”
    â€œYou claimed you were in a garden encircled by colonnades and filled with fig and olive trees.You said it overlooked the Tiber River, and you could see a large amphitheater in the distance.You must have been recalling Rome.”
    â€œBut I have never been there,” I told Adam. “Nor to any part of Italy. My father never obtained a portrait commission there, and we could ill afford to travel for our own amusement. Besides, we speak not a word of Italian between us.”
    â€œYet you speak Latin quite fluently.”
    â€œI know nothing of that ancient language, Adam.”
    â€œYou must have picked up a smattering of Latin somehow,” he insisted. “You rattled off a few phrases of it whilst in a hypnotic state.”
    â€œReally? What exactly did I say?”
    Adam shrugged. “My own Latin is not as good as it could be. I know just enough to understand medical terms.”
    â€œWell, never mind about that. Recount more of this vision of mine.”
    â€œYou said there was a statue of Dionysus in this garden, overlooking a shallow pool.”
    â€œWere there other people about?”
    He hesitated. “There were a number of them.”
    â€œDid I describe them?”
    â€œYou said the men were wearing togas and the women stolas.”
    â€œHow wonderful! Pray, who were these antiquated people?”
    Adam looked away from me. “The rest of what you said was rather vague.”
    â€œBut my description of the garden sounds so explicit. Can you not tell me more details?”
    â€œI cannot,” Adam said. “You suddenly started crying again, and I clapped my hands to awaken you.”
    â€œWhy can I not recall any of this?”
    â€œMost likely because I did not instruct you to. And that was for the best. Otherwise you would have been left with fresh memories of your dear mother’s passing.”
    â€œBut now I am left most curious about my Roman remembrance. Could that too have been dredged up from my past?”
    â€œI thought you said you have never been to Rome, Julia.”
    â€œWell, not in this life. Perhaps in a previous one, though.”
    â€œNonsense,” Adam said. “It was merely a dream made more vivid by your unnatural sleep.”
    â€œWell, whatever it was, you must hypnotize me again and bring me back there, Adam. Only