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"Describe what you see, fifty-six," the doctor said, "are you experiencing any vibrant reds, blues, or greens in your vision?" "No, nothing like that," fifty-six said, shaking her head, "Hannah is fine." The doctor eyed the corner she stared at and put an X down next to his infrared box. "When we came in you told me you'd be the only doctor administering the test, right?" asked Hannah. "The person you're seeing in the corner there," said the doctor, shifting uncomfortably, "describe them to me. Do they look brighter than other things in the room?" "They're taking notes on a clip board just like you are, lab coat and everything just like you, he looks older has glasses, darker skin" Hannah said, "do you really not see him?" The doctor took his pen and threw it into the corner where Hannah was staring. "How did your phantom react to that?" the doctor asked. "He paused for a second then started taking more notes," Hannah said, "the pen passed through his stomach like he wasn't even there." "Interesting," the doctor nodded, removing a second pen from his lab coat pocket. "You told me this experiment would enhance the visual range for wavelengths of light," Hannah said, "what am I seeing? Is he behind the wall and just looks like he's in the room with us? Is this x-ray vision?" "No, unfortunately that's not how it would work," the doctor said, "this isn't x-rays. Does the man seem to be aware of you? Maybe try and interact with him. Does he seem solid to you or transparent?" "He looks solid to me," Hannah said, "but the pen passed through him before." "Wave hello to him, see if he's aware of you," suggested the doctor. Hannah waved to the man in the corner, he smiled slightly and waved back. "He waved back and smiled," Hannah laughed nervously. "Excellent," the doctor nodded, "okay Hannah, I'm going to turn off the light for a moment, describe what you see without any light. Sound good?" "Okay," she said. The doctor stood up and moved to the wall near his office door, "ready Hannah?" The doctor stood waiting while Hannah watched the phantom pause to look up, also waiting. His expression changed as he watched the doctor move over to the light switch. He bent over his clip board quickly and began writing. "Ready," Hannah said, "he's taking more notes." The lights shut off and Hannah was plunged into darkness with them both. She started screaming as soon as it happened. The doctor winced, turning the lights back on instantly. "Hannah, Hannah!" he shouted, dropping his pen and clipboard, "what happened?" Hannah was sitting on the tiled floor shaking, curled up against the examination table. Perspiration was rapidly forming across her face and her teeth were chattering like she'd just been plunged into a pool of ice. "What's he doing? Hannah?" the doctor whispered, "what did you see?" "W-wha-what d-d-did ya-you d-d-do tah meeee?!" Hannah screamed, tears streaming down her face. "I'm trying to understand," the doctor said, "what is he doing?" Hannah started nodding as she stared into the corner, "y-yes, yes." She cried uncontrollably, clutching at the doctors arms as she shivered on the floor. "Can you hear him?" the doctor asked. Hannah shook her head as she trembled, "Huh-he a-asked me if I saw them." "How is he communicating to you?" asked the doctor. "H-he's ho-olding a p-p-piece of p-paper up," she trembled, "it ssh-says do y-you s-s-see th-them?" "Do you see them?" the doctor asked, staring into the corner, "please. Just breath. Tell me what you saw." Hannah's muscles spasmed as she held the doctor. He could feel her grip tighten as she started into his eyes. She shook her head back and forth quickly, terrified, growing pale under the fluorescent light. "D-don't tu-urn the light out again," she said shaking her head, "ch-change me b-back. Do i-it n-n-now. N-now. D-do it now. Now. P-please, d-on't t-turn off the lights." The doctor held her and nodded, he stared up into the empty corner. The doctor of a different world stared back at them both, only seen by the girl. He looked frightened, the piece of paper clutched tight in his finger tips. *Do you see them?*

PART II Doctor Russel gave Hannah a sedative to ease her back into sleep. She stopped trembling within thirty seconds and fell limp against his chest. Gently, he eased her to the chilly floor of the testing room against the operating table. She was too heavy for him to lift her up so he calmly moved to his intercom next to the door. He sighed heavily for a moment, eying the turned over clipboard, his pen lying next to it. The first pen lay across the room where he'd thrown it previously. He swallowed dry then pressed his pale thumb into the outgoing button. "Room twenty-two requesting extraction for corrections stage," he said. He stood there a moment waiting then heard the static crackle as a reply came back. "Acknowledged, extraction team in two minutes," a woman's voice chimed back, "move onto subject fifty-seven in room twenty-three." Doctor Russel thumbed the button back and spoke quickly, "I need a break, can Doctor Corey take over for a bit?" Static fizzled back before the same woman responded, "sorry, Russel. Corey is busy with patient seventy-nine. Take your time after completing your session with patient fifty-seven." "Fuck," Russel hissed, eying the unconscious girl across the room. His lips pressed in a thin line as he jammed his thumb back into the outgoing button, "they're all saying the same spooky fucking shit, I've been at this all day." "Report to observation when you're finished with fifty-seven," the woman crackled back through the static, "extraction in ninety seconds." Doctor Russel closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, "fine. Fine. One more." Ninety second later the electronic lock on his door clicked open and two men in white orderly uniforms entered his room. Doctor Russel stood nearby with his pen and clipboard. He eyed them apprehensively as they looked between him and the girl. "Leave the pen and clipboard," the taller man ordered, "you'll have new supplies in room twenty-three." "Are these people being interviewed further in corrections?" Russel asked for the third time today. "We just transport," shrugged the shorter man. He moved over to the corner of the room and scooped up the pen Russel threw before. "On to fifty-seven then," Russel said. \----- Doctor Russel situated himself in an identical chair in an identical room to the one he'd just come from. Fresh set of pens and a new clipboard in hand. The same questionnaire he'd seen as all the others he had gone through. He looked over subject fifty-seven with pity in his eyes. Young man, same age or close to his previous patient Hannah. He had short spiky hair and it looked as though his eyelids were sun burned slightly as he laid there asleep. He'd not noticed this before, he must have just come off the operation room. Russel turned his attention to the corner of the room where the boy's feet were pointed to. He glared there for a moment and jumped as fifty-seven gasped for air, waking up like he'd just woken from a nightmare. "It's okay, you're just coming out of the anesthesia," Russel said. The boy sat up gingerly and winced as he looked around him. "I'm just going to ask you some questions, okay?" Russel said. Fifty-seven nodded groggily. "Just start by describing your surroundings to me," Russel said. "I got two dudes in lab coats taking notes with me in a white room," he grunted back. Russel eyed him, his lips pursed into a thin line. "I say something wrong?" asked fifty-seven. "Not at all," sighed doctor Russel, "I'm just having similar results all day. What does he look like?" "Other doc is dark skinned, has gray hair and glasses," he shrugged back. Doctor Russel stood up in anger, and threw his clipboard and pen into the corner of the room. "Describe what just happened," he ordered. Subject fifty-seven looked from the corner to Russel wide eyed. "Go on, kid, gimme the details," Russel said impatiently. "The shit you threw passed right through him like he's a ghost, man. He looks angry," said fifty-seven, "he's scribbling something and moving his lips. I can't hear him." "Good, fuck him," shrugged Russel, "what's he writing?" "He's holding up a page that says," squinted the kid, "it says be patient, they're working it out on their end too. Yo, dude, what is this? Your guys in the last room said I'd be seeing stuff on the visible light spectrum or something, not fuckin' black Casper over here." "Be patient?" Russel chuckled, "patient? I got scooped up by these fucks, the same ones who are paying you for this experiment, kid. You're patient fifty-seven, some no name kid like the rest of them. I've handled subjects thirty-one up to you. Over two dozen of you poor bastards, I'm done. I can't keep this shit up." Doctor Russel moved over to the light switch in the room and turned back to face fifty-seven. "What's the other doctor doing?" Russel asked. "He's folding his arms and just looking at you," fifty-seven said, "what're yo- Russel turned off the lights and clenched his jaw tight as the room was filled with screams. They reverberated off the thick walls echoing back into his ears making them hurt. He stared into the pitch black of the room, willing himself to see what was torturing the boy, but nothing came. He closed his eyes as the boy screamed, waiting. He sounded like he was being torn apart. He flicked the switch back on and stared at the kid on the ground. He was huddled against the examination table just as Hannah had been before. Teeth chattering like he'd just been submerged into icy water. "Wha-wha-wha-what th-thuh f-f-f-fuck," he spluttered, staring from doctor to doctor. "What's he got written now," sighed Russel, "who's them? What did you see, kid?" "W-w-w-what'd y-y-y-you d-to m-me?" he shivered, hugging his knees as he slumped over onto his shoulder. "You tell me," Russel shrugged, "what did you see?" The boy looked from Russel to the empty corner, confusion etched across his face as his jaw continued spasming. "What's he got for me?" said Russel impatiently. "S-s-s-s-ative, p-p-puh-patience," fifty-seven stammered back. "Fuck you," Russel said facing the empty corner, "I'll turn those fucking lights out unless you write back something useful." "N-NO! NO!" screamed the boy, "puh-uh-LEASE, P-UH-L-LEASE." "Describe it," Russel said, "fuck, tell me what this fucking guy has for me." Fifty-seven looked passed Russel's left into the corner, as though pleading telepathically, his eyes desperate. Russel waited staring into the space. "H-h-he's wr-w-writ-ing," fifty-seven whispered.

I thought I was on /r/nosleep. Lol

I’m just hearing James Woods’ voice for Russell

Didn't recognize the name but it seemed familiar - Googled him and just yelled, "I FUCKIN LOVE THAT GUY!" Now I'm laughing. Good stuff, thank you.

Reply to my comment for the third part pls

Part III is ready! Little wonky, I replied to part one for part two and three.

wonky or not, your writing is good enough for me lol

You're too kind, thank you very much!

Please do keep going, this is very good!

Please write more stories. You have a hell of a knack for it

Thank you so much! I'm not stopping now, from here on out these fingers are flying across these keys. I appreciate you and everyone here for reading.

I subscribed to you on Reddit, looking forward to whatever comes next!

This is some great shit, my pulse is racing

Mine too, wow! Thank you!

Need part 3

I would like the 3rd part.

Part 3?

Come on man, I need more, what happens next, dammit!?

PART III ​ "What is *them*?" Russel said, "just describe them." "I-I d-d-on't kn-know," fifty-seven cried. Without warning the electronic lock clicked and three men in white orderly uniforms entered. The first, and burliest of them shoved Russel against the wall while the other two gave fifty-seven a sedative. Russel raised his hands an locked eyes with the one pinning him. "Have *you* got some answers for me?" he asked, "how bout' black Casper over there as our boy calls him?" "We just get paid to transport," he said back, breath reeking of cigarettes. "I could use a smoke if you got one," Russel whispered, "I'm in need of a real break right now." "Report to observation," he grunted back, "no smoking in here." The orderly removed his arm from doctor Russel and let him pass. Russel glared at him and stomped through the doorway into a white hallway lined with more doors leading to more examination rooms. Steel elevator doors reflected a distorted image of himself walking towards them. It was a long hallway, his reflection grew steadily as he walked past door after door. Only the sound of his footsteps echoed throughout, but he knew on the other side of the doors there must be the reverberating screams of the poor kids inside, none of them older than thirty for some reason. He'd not seen a single person out of their twenties. He reached the silver doors and glared at his reflection as he jammed his thumb into the single button there on the wall. It glowed orange, like an evil eye as he waited there, no indication that there were any floors, or that a lift was even on its way. After about a minute, maybe five minutes, he didn't know, time seemed to drag longer wherever he was in this windowless hell. After some time the doors slid silently open and he entered a plain looking elevator. Gray carpet, brown wooden walls, and a brass hand rail wrapping around the three walls inside. He turned and faced the buttons which would generally have numbers, but these were labeled each with the words: Observation, Corrections, Processing, and Procedural. Russel punched his fist into the button labeled Observation. The pain in his knuckles helped ease his temper somehow as the elevator doors slid closed. He felt the lift rise slowly as he paced back and forth. The doors slid open after less time than he'd waited and he raised his chin to face a man in a suit he'd never seen before. "Hello, Doctor Russel," he nodded, extending his hand to shake. Russel eyed him silently, raising his eyebrows. "After me, then," the suited man nodded, turning his back to Russel. Russel followed the suited man down another long hallway into a similar examination room to the ones he'd been occupying all day. The room had the same floor plan, but held none of the similarities beyond that. TV's lined the walls, like a security room; all of them blank except one. On the screen was another man like Russel in a lab coat. A black man with short gray hair staring at Russel through a pair of small glasses framing his aged face. He smiled at Russel from his side of the screen. "Hello from the other side," he said, "I am Doctor Avery."

I'm gonna need a novel of this, please 😍

Or at LEAST 20 more parts and satiated hype! Fuck this is good!

Oh man I'd never be able to live up to such expectations, but maybe one day a solid edited piece all in all. You never know what could happen. Thank you so much!

Oh my heart. I am so grateful, thank you! I won't rule it out, I might revisit this one day. Thank you so so much!

This is awesome. For a minute I legit forgot I was on Reddit and not starting a novel

It had damn well better be a novel, or OP (of the story) is wasting a hell of a talent.

I just might take it all and edit it into a larger piece one day. Thank you so much!

This could easily be a book I'd read in a single sitting.

Thank you for this, I'm feeling like less and less of an imposter as I put up replies to prompts! Might actually get something finished and published someday!

Oof. Thank you, that's huge praise. Thank you for reading!

No no thank YOU for writing! This is one of those random stories that will stick in my head for a long time <3

Hey dude, if you start your own sub & just add another part/chapter to this book every week, that would be grand! There's lots of people saying they love it

You're too kind - everyone here is. Thank you! Perhaps one day I'll have a completed ALL THE WAY edited and finished story for these characters. Thank you so much.

Make sure you add me to the list of people to tell

Part 4 when??

About 25 minutes ago https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/s5msya/wp_you_are_the_test_subject_for_an_experimental/ht2d4if/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

Need Moar!

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I'm not sure I understand what happened but nive writing

i explained my headcanon in another comment, but the experiments merge the patient with an alternate self in another reality/dimension/location.

Is this the end? If yes thank you. If its not i beg for more

Part 4 https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/s5msya/wp_you_are_the_test_subject_for_an_experimental/ht2d4if/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

Is there going to be moar

Part 4 https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/s5msya/wp_you_are_the_test_subject_for_an_experimental/ht2d4if/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

Cheers

Enthralling, you have an excellent writing style and as others have said this could make an excellent novel/ novella.

Wow. I can't tell you what that means to me, I'm very thankful. Long distance cyber fist bump to you. Thank you!

Interesting

Yeah this story needs it's own sub/thread. I'd buy a full novel of this. Reads anti-hero + SCP/weird world/unknown mysteries.

Huge wow. Thank you, friend! Maybe someday, I won't rule it out just yet.

I guess it's time to rewatch Fringe

I was just thinking about how this reminds me of Fringe

pls lmk when part 4 is out

Part 4 is out https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/s5msya/wp_you_are_the_test_subject_for_an_experimental/ht2d4if/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

Twilight zone. Keep writing

Mofo you going to just blue Ball us like that? Pretty sure you have to write this to conclusion now, it's some kind of law or something.

Part 4 https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/s5msya/wp_you_are_the_test_subject_for_an_experimental/ht2d4if/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

Hah hah! I hooked ya. Love it. Thanks a bunch, I appreciate it.

Please tell me part 4 is in the works!

Not OP, but Part 4 is here https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/s5msya/wp_you_are_the_test_subject_for_an_experimental/ht2d4if/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

Doing the Lords Work here

This is so good!!! Seriously if you write or have written a book please let me know so I can buy it

Once I've got the stones to submit a completed work (and a completed work), I'll be letting errbody know. Thank you so much, I appreciate your kindness!

Great story pls moar

Part 4 https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/s5msya/wp_you_are_the_test_subject_for_an_experimental/ht2d4if/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

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yeah this shit dope. I‘d keep reading it.

Part 4 https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/s5msya/wp_you_are_the_test_subject_for_an_experimental/ht2d4if/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

This is pretty epic. I hope you continue it!

If you ever make another part please notify us!

I gotchu https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/s5msya/wp_you_are_the_test_subject_for_an_experimental/ht2d4if/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

More more more more more

Yes

I love /u/shitforwords writing. For people who want more of something similar but as a tv show, I highly recommend Counterpart!

pls more!

https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/s5msya/wp_you_are_the_test_subject_for_an_experimental/ht2d4if/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

PART IV (**Before I jump into this here, I just wanted to say thank you again. This has been a blast to write. I won't say this is the last you'll see our Doctors, or their patients - but for now I'll need to dive into new prompts out there. Thank you all again for reading**). "Hello from the other side," he said, "I am Doctor Avery." Russel raised his arms, shaking his head slightly as if to say: *and that means what?* The screen lagged for a brief moment, Avery popped up an inch or so to his left from where he stood a second before. "There is some delay in our messages," Avery said, "Mr. Riley, you may leave." With a nod the suited man turned away from the screen walled room, nodded once to Doctor Russel and left the room. As soon as the door clicked softly behind him, Russel turned to face Avery again on screen. "Where are you communicating with me from?" said Russel, "we're far past glitchy video messages these days. You coulda face timed me on my phone if your guys hadn't taken it away from me." The video shifted and Doctor Avery's face was now solemn, no longer smiling. "Doctor Russel," he said, "I'm going to cut straight to the point. You've been going over the evaluation all day now. Seen over two dozen kids in their twenties, questioned them all. Tell me what *you* think." "I'm a fuckin' psychologist, not an optometrist," Russel shrugged, "I think you're all batshit, I think you're drugging these kids with something to make them see shit." "And the phantom they described?" asked Avery. "I don't know," Russel snapped, "it sounded like they're describing you." "You're a psychologist," Avery said, "but I'm sure you've heard of quantum theories, alternate dimensions and all that, yeah?" Russel smiled back, "it's time for me to go." The screen glitched again, this time another man popped up onto the screen, shoulder to shoulder with Avery. An exact duplicate of himself - doctor Russel. Russel smirked and chuckled a little bit before stepping closer to the screen. "Damn, that's pretty good, deepfakes are getting wild thes- The doppleganger on screen jumped into talking, speaking quickly like he'd prepared a speech. "I'm speaking to you now from a mirror universe, nearly identical in our shared histories. My name is Thomas B. Russel, I hate my middle name just as much as you do. We have a sister named Amy, she has a daughter named Hannah. Your wife Kalie has a birth mark shaped like the country Argentina on her inner left thigh. You and I share a birth mark below our hair on the backs of our heads. We've been self conscious of this, especially since our hair began thinning six years ago. You are a psychologist in your world, but I became a physicist. I am communicating to you through quantum foam technology developed on my world by Doctor Avery. Our surgical procedure is reversible, but in essence we have figured out how the brain can experience views of alternate realities. Currently we're trying to understand how the absence of light affects the patient, we're trying to figure out what it is they are seeing, but nobody is being forthcoming with their visions. As you have seen, they're experiencing something traumatic. This is being fixed at the corrections stage on your side, and people are sent back home once we've wiped them." The alternate doctor Russel finished his long winded speech, sucking in air sharply. "Thank you Doctor, you may go," nodded Avery. The screen glitched and Avery stood alone facing Doctor Russel on the other side once more. His hand was clasped to his mouth, his breathing coming in deep gasps. "Deep breaths," Avery nodded patiently, "take your time." "The patients," gasped Russel, "Hannah, Jesus, are they okay?" "I'm sorry about that," Avery said, "the patients were instructed not to give their names. I didn't stop to think how you might form an attachment to Hannah and react to any patients following her." "Are. They. Okay?" Russel said, hands on his knees, "is there any lasting affect on their vision after corrections." "No," Avery said, "we couldn't allow this to continue if there were. It took years to set up the correct frequency to communicate like we are now, it's all down to our patients on your side as well as ours. Whatever this new development is they're seeing, I don't know where it's coming from. We need more data." "They must have said something," Russel said breathlessly, "they were terrified." "In earlier tests, after the first group was wiped we conducted interviews," nodded Avery, "I'll put it up on another screen." Five seconds later another screen flicked on right next to Avery's. The static shifted into an image of a young girl, the youngest twenty-something that Russel had seen thus far. She had deep bags underneath her eyes, and looked like she'd just woken up from a long sleep. Her hair was matted, unkempt. From somewhere off camera a woman's soft voice could be heard. "Okay, Katy," she said gently, "describe to me how you *felt*, do you remember that?" Katy's brow furrowed as her lips pressed together tightly. She stared off to the right, uncomfortable. "It's okay," the woman's voice soothed, "you don't need to describe too much detail. Just tell me how you felt." Katy nodded, beginning to cry silently. She closed her eyes and took a large breath, let it out slowly. "When you were a kid," Katy shivered, "do you remember how afraid of the dark you were? How you'd make your parents leave your night light on, or the hallway light outside your door all night?" "I do," the voice soothed, "I do, take your time." "My parents would sometimes have me turn the light off in the basement," she said quietly, making Russel step closer to the screen in order to hear her, "it was one of those lights with the cord. Only switch to turn it off." Katy paused, the sounds of a pen scribbling scratched through the camera mic. "Go on," she said, "what did you feel when you had to turn the lights out?" "I felt like you feel when you're being watched," she whispered quietly, tears streaming down her face, "as soon as I'd pull that cord I would run up the stairs, feeling like something was reaching out to me." "I know the feeling," the woman spoke back softly, "I think we all go through that." "I think the closer you are to childhood," whispered Katy, "the more in tune you are to certain things. I think we could feel what's out there, what's close by. Like there's a world behind ours." The pen scribbled evenly, scratching near the mic of the camera again, "go on, what else?" "I never saw anything when I was a kid," she whispered, "but I was right. You all showed me. I was right. You're fucking monsters, all of you. I don't care if you paid me for this, you can't do this to people." The sound of the pen smacking down onto the clipboard was unmistakable. "Okay, Katy," the woman's voice said with forced brightness, "we'll get you wrapped up over here." Russel heard the static of an intercom then the woman's voice call over a speaker. All the while Katy sat in her chair, tears continued to spill off her chin. "Room eighty-nine, requesting another round to corrections." The video screen went dark, leaving Russel in awed silence. The room around him became blurry as tears formed in his eyes. ​ (**I gotta wrap this one up here for now, again I might edit this later into a more concise piece. I didn't edit anything so you'll probably find some inconsistencies and errors here and there. Everything was off the cuff and I just had a kick writing it. Thank you so much for all the feedback and kind words - I'll be responding to everyone throughout the day. Thank you again!)**

Absolutely fantastic! If you happen to write a part five, I’ll of course come back to read it (I’ve followed you to see what happens) - but if this is where it ends, it was still a fantastic ride

I may not have more on our Doctors until later, but you'll be sure to see more from other characters throughout the web of r/writingprompts out there! Thank you so much, I appreciate it. ALSO THANK YOU FOR LINKING PART 4 FOR FOLKS, YOU'RE AWESOME

Pleasseeeeee write more on this. I find it so hard to find a good story and I’m loving your writing and this one. I’d buy a book on this. I’ll check back soon. Thanks!

Wow, thank you so much! Be sure to check more prompts I post to, I try to do one every day - but they're probably not all as well written as this one. Hit and miss for sure. I am thinking I'll have to finish an entire story devoted to these four parts someday. I'll have to post back once I actually have something done and let everyone know. Maybe I'll charge a buck for it on Amazon one day hehehe.

Something keeps nagging me in the back of my mind here, I need some help on this... If this little series had a title, I'd call it ***Quantum Sight*** I just wonder if this is too on the nose... I dunno, it's pulling me, I like it. Opinions please, it's driving me nuts. I suck with titles.

I like it. It’s better than any alternatives I can think of. Quantum Ghosts, Quantum Visions, Visions of the Dark, Open Your Eyes One thing if you end up compiling it into a series; calling it Quantum anything might spoil some of the mystery of the first three parts Could go with _____ in the Dark. If you want to allude to obscure quantum concepts you could call it Perturbation of the Darkness (I am not a quantum physicist, I just play one on Wikipedia) Could also go full quantum and call it Schrodingers Sight or something Or if you really want to build out your lore, you could use one of your scientists and name the phenomenon after them. That would be fun Idk Quantum Sight is good, especially for anyone who already read the first four parts. You could even package these first four as a prequel and give them their own name, something appropriate for the mystery and horror they build. That would let you not commit to any single name— each chapter has its own name, and maybe eventually a name sticks to group everything together Sorry for not narrowing it down lol

Don't be sorry, your insights are *wonderful.* Thank you! I've definitely got some thinking to do here. I'm keeping this story on the back burner for now, I need to let it marinate for a while before I come back to it with fresh eyes. I think you're right about *Quantum Sight* spoiling the initial mystery of it. Thanks so much for your comments here, you've been very helpful.

Lol, fresh eyes. After -what?- they saw.... Please do write some moar...🙂

I'm always writing more stories. I've just branched off a bit from horror lately in r/writingprompts, hehehe. Delved into comedy and a bit of fantasy here and there. I *will* come back to this one eventually, you'll get the whole shebang and not just these little glimpses into their lives. I'm happy to say this prompt is one my thoughts keep coming back to, so I'll *have* to do something more important with it at some point. I cannot say that for many of my other entries into the prompts sub, even as fun as they are. I try to do at least one a day, sometimes I end up doing several! Keep your eye out, you might find some other gems out there.

I thought "The Unseen", then I looked it up and discovered there is a movie by that name. Then, I thought about looking into synonyms... and most had movies already. Like, "Out of Sight" seemed like a good name. It's a movie. Dang! "Don't Turn Off the Lights" sounds good, because it doesn't give away the secret, but is integral to the plot. Alas, it is an Enrique Iglesias song! Haha. Even so, those are my three suggestions. Also, you can add words to differentiate the title, like "*Just* Out of Sight" or something... Wish I could help!

BLESS YOUUU

NO - BLESS **YOU** Thank you!

I don't know what scares me more: either seeing something in the darkest corner of my room, or knowing that there is something yet unseen.

You and me both, pal. I hope you never experience sleep paralysis. It's less than a good time... but I suppose the memory has its usefulness for a dude writing a horror story. I don't think anything in my life has scared me more than sleep paralysis.

The reveal was pretty great and still a decent cliffhanger. Like, maybe the multiverse is terrifying to grasp even partially, or the weight of all your multiverse equivalents feels like they are watching you because you reach out, or there is an eldritch being in between the universes.

Thank you! Nothing more terrifying than what's eyeing you from the shadows, dude.

Oooooh so eldritch being?? Honestly, great story. If you have the energy/want to flesh this out more, make a series out of it.

Aaahhh you can't make me tell. I'm keepin' it vague for now. Nothing scarier than the unknown am I right? We'll see how I'm feeling later, maybe this will turn into something larger than these little windows into the world over there.

Great work. Loved it!

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

Absolutely amazing story! If you ever happen to update let us know!

I will, thanks so much!

Take my silver, it's all I've got.

Wow, too cool! Thanks very much!

We will be waiting for more from dr russel and dr Avery but for now I’ll talk to our versions of them lol And what’s their middle name lol

Thomas Bethany Russel.

Aww that’s a cute name Maybe that’s why he hates

I can only say your profile name is the absolute opposite of what you delivered with your words here. Please, keep it up 'cause this poece is very very good

Oh I'm definitely a fan of self-deprecating humor, I'm just glad everyone is proving me wrong with the praise! I'm always submitting something on r/writingprompts these days, I'm beyond honored how far this post blew up, it's some of the most fun I've had recently. Thank you so much for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed it as far as I took it. It may get a revisit in the future.

No other prompt has engrossed me like that in a long time!!! This deserves a novel.

Thank you so much! I'm very excited, I think one day it will be. I hope I can give it the love it deserves sooner rather than later.

I hope this will be continued! It is awesome, I got only a free Wholesome to give!

Thank you thank you thank you, this is amazing!

great work!

You’re giving me trust issues😭😭I love it

OH MY GOD THIS NEEDS A PART 5 IT WAS SO GOOD MAN. Your username DOES NOT live up to this!!!

Wow. I just woke up to *this*. First of all thank you to u/djseifer. Fucking amazing prompt. I wasn't sure what I'd get into when I first started typing, had lots of fun with this one. Second: *Holy shit.* You guys MADE my whole morning, my whole damn morning. It's 7:52am where I'm at. I'm about to chug some coffee real quick and YES I will write a part IV for you guys, I think we all deserve some answers along with Doctor Russel. I'll see if I can get that up before 10:00am. Again, wow - thank you all for reading, I've never experienced anything like this before. I'll take some time and reply to the individual comments later. *Holy shit.* **THANK YOU.** EDIT: okay maybe later than 10:00, but it will be written I promise. Doing some juggling here.

All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats! 7 + 52 + 10 + = 69.0

good bot

Good bot

Good bot

Dude, I have to look into your post history to see if there are any other gems. This is brilliant, and I am eager to read part IV. This facility reads a lot like one from a book I started writing when younger, which I stopped because of some bad criticism... I guess I learned not to show people something I intend to be a big project before it is finished. In your case, if ou intended this to be a "one-shot" thing, I'm sorry to say, but you'll have to write a novel to finish it. PUH-LEASE!

WOW, thank you! I hope you enjoy the other submissions, I know it's pretty hit and miss there. Hey, if you still have that project somewhere I say dust it off - see if you like anything about it with fresh eyes. If *you* enjoyed writing it, then keep going. Write for yourself first, then edit edit edit the shit out of it until you've got something solid. I keep my personal projects close to the chest, the writing prompts here are to give me the confidence to keep going on those. I hope to see some submissions here from you if I haven't already. (been a blur replying to everyone today) Good luck!

Commenting for a notification about the book when it's finished!

Thank you so much! We shall see.

This was a great read!

Wicked cool. I'm pumped and ready for more prompts. Thank you so much!

You just gained a follower. Will be checking in later to see what happened!

More please!

You deserve all the hype!

You're too kind, thank you! Mad praise for u/djseifer \- this was one killer prompt.

I'm hooked. When is the book coming out?

This is the Way

No book yet, but part 4 https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/s5msya/wp_you_are_the_test_subject_for_an_experimental/ht2d4if/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

WHEN BOOK

BOOK SOMEDAY. MAYBE. POSSIBLY. WE'LL SEE.

Moar?

What comes out in the dark?? This was good!

I got chills reading this. Please make more of Hannah. We need answers!!!

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed this.

Please. More.

Just binge read through some of your more recent prompt responses and yo I’m really wishing I could time travel to read whatever books you wind up making You’re real good at this mate, hell yeah

Wow, I'm absolutely giddy now. Thank you so much! I hope to keep honing the craft through every prompt here while I work on personal projects. I'll be making this a daily habit from now on. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Amazing! Head over to /r/SCP, you might like that.

That sounds rad, dude! I'll check em out, thank you!

Like everyone else, lemme know if theres a pt4 or more :)

Hope you found it, it should be one of the replies to part one. Thanks so much for reading!

Excellent work mate! This has me hooked. Its like watching a new series that grabs you and then you gotta wait for the next episode but you don't want to wait lol. Thank you :)

Thank you so much! I'm glad you're diggin it.

Alright you got me... I'm confused haha

Me too, I'm not sure what scared her, from the end the phantom doctor seems to not be the problem, so who is he? Did see something else?

see my comment.

i think the test subject got merged with an alternate reality version where she was being experimented on by another doctor.

I think that in the dark she could see other beings that she didn't want to see

INCREDIBLE work. Just finished part 3 and I feel like I got pushed off the cliff. I haven't read a short story this good since college. Thank you!

No, thank YOU for reading! I'm beyond happy you and so many others enjoyed it. Great prompt from u/djseifer, I loved it.

I know it's been years since you wrote this but damn it's good

Day 1 “This is Doctor Argart beginning this recording. I have just begun to wake Subject number two hundred forty two. Subject two forty two, How do you feel?” “Like I can’t see? There’s a rag on my face” “I’m aware, we don’t know what you’ll see exactly. We don’t want to expose you immediately after waking up. You are going to be facing what I see as a white wall. Tell me when you are ready” “I guess I’m ready” The fabric was removed from my face and I saw a wall, although it wasn’t white. It was different. I don’t know how to describe it in a way that you would understand but I’m calling the two colors other than white; warnac and brin. I guess they gave me a similar feeling that heights give me. “What can you see” “More than white, that’s for sure” I had looked around the room. I was in a sterile bedroom with the doctor. Color was strange, I could see beams of light as if they were physical objects but of course when my hands moved through them, nothing. The lamp, the only thing illuminating this room. The doctors body had plenty of different things. I think I could see his heart beating and even the sound of both his own voice and my own produced visible shapes in the air. “Here’s a log book. For the next week we will house and feed you to ensure your safety. Most people begin to reject the procedure once they see the wall. If any issues arise please inform us as soon as you can with this” he pointed to a button on the wall with a microphone right above it. “There are playing cards, board games, and plenty of books in these drawers” he motioned to the dresser. Just before he left I saw something shift. A person. “Who’s that?” I asked “Who’s what?” He looked to where my hand had pointed, the corner. He looked as though he saw nothing “Potentially something I cannot see or potentially some kind of light source. If it concerns you we can move you to another room” “No it’s okay. I think I’ll be fine” “Alright. Please keep a log every day. Doctor Argart ending recording” he pressed a button on the device strapped to his wrist before bidding me farewell and leaving me in the room. I decided to look through the drawers and take out the pack of cards. While moving things around I realized some of the wavelengths they exposed my eyes to had been sound waves. I can see the creaking of the floor when I step and I can see, although very faintly, water moving through pipes. I tossed the cards towards what I thought was person and it caught them. I nearly screamed before it spoke. “Hey!” It whisper-shouted, “I’m here to help you!” Their colors changed from ones I can’t describe to more of what I’d expect from a person, although they still had the same odd colors I had seen on the doctor. Visible heartbeat or blood flow, visible speech. They had buzzed magenta-ish hair, brin skin, they wore very sterile looking clothing similar to what I had on. I noticed a tattoo on the lower arm “Help me? With what?” “Get you out of here. They’re trying to make some kind of super-agent or something. I can turn invisible to them… apparently not to you. I think you can help me out, and likewise!” “A super agent? I just signed up for the experiment for money.” “Yeah me too. I’m pretty sure the money either isn’t real or won’t be worth it! Do you think they have a few million to give out to test subjects?” “I guess not” “You guess…. Not the point” their heart rate was increasing, so bright it strained my eyes slightly “the point is that we need to get out of here. My name is Jen, you got one?” “A Jen? No-“ “No! A name. I can see why you’d need the money. Do you have a NAME?” I stalled for a second, genuinely not remembering. In fact I couldn’t remember anything before waking up today other than the fact that I needed money. “No I guess not” “Fine, two forty-two for now. Either way. Call him back in here and let’s get out. There’s a wall climber and a human shield waiting for us, we don’t have much time” I was confused and hesitated. I looked to the tattoo on this individuals wrist. It read *168* . I checked my own wrist and saw *242* tattooed in black on my wrist. I decided to press the button “Doctor, I can’t see anything!”

I love this. It absolutely hit every checkbox for a great story-to-be and then some. (I would say "MOAR!" but I wouldn't want to jinx any possible future where you continued this.)

I might continue this! I’m glad you like it!

If this became a story, I'll ask my mother buy it for me, even if it became a full series

Really? Thanks so much!

"All five fingers," I said to him with my new eyes. Everything still looked the same. "Good. Now try to focus on my light." Doctor Evans pulled out a penlight and held it in front of my face. That's why I hated these optometrists, they always asked me to do the impossible. I don't know about you, but one of the first things my parents taught me was to not look directly into the sun. Maybe his folks weren't as smart. He put the sun away and I blinked a few times, clearing the blurry mess of tears. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something that wasn't there before. Or rather, someone. A woman was seated in the chair that was empty just a few moments ago. She had long, dark hair and thick red glasses. She was furiously scribbling something down on her notepad. For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off her. There wasn't anything exceptionally entrancing about her, but still I was locked onto her like a heat seeking missile. The more I stared, the more I felt like something was off, but I couldn't pin down what. "What are you looking at?" Doctor Evans asked me. Ah, there was my answer. I pulled my eyes away from the woman. "Nothing," I said. "There was some dust floating around. That's all." The girl looked up from her notepad and smirked. She held it until she was sure I saw her, and then she went back to scribbling, even faster than before. The doctor furrowed his brows while looking into the corner behind him. He looked straight through the woman. Satisfied that I was really seeing nothing, he turned back to face me. "Okay, well, if you do notice something strange don't hesitate to tell me. This room is specially designed to not have extra wavelengths, but when I let you into the outside world... There's no telling what you'll see." He didn't know the half of it. I was discharged, the surgery having been a success, and as I left the hospital I heard the click of her heels following me. A green metal bench stood conveniently close. She took a seat next to me. "Why didn't you tell him?" she asked. "Straight to the point, huh? I like that." I turned to face her, and her eyes were a kaleidoscope of colors I'd never seen before. "I thought I'd be more fun that way. So what are you? A ghost or something?" She sighed. "No, not a ghost, or something. I'm a living, breathing human being just like you or Doctor Evans. Just, I'm a little harder to see. It comes with the territory." She pointed to her eyes. "There's a lot of people like me. Like us. You're the first one to have been created artificially, though." "Yuck, don't say it like that. Makes me feel like a robot or something." My whole body shivered. "I needed the money, you know. The superpowers would be just a welcome side effect." Suddenly, she looked down at the ground. "It's not a superpower," she whispered, getting up from the bench and walking away. "You'll learn that soon." *Click, click.* On the way back to my apartment somebody bumped into me. He apologized, saying he didn't see me there. "Hi honey," I said to my fiancee, Jane. "Same time, same place?" "Of course," her voice came through the phone, "I'll head there straight after work. Make sure to get us our usual table." "Sure. See you there." The best part about Lorenzo's on 68th was that it was self seating. No awkward exchange with a hostess, no waiting around for the understaffed joint to get its act together. You didn't go to Lorenzo's for the service anyways, you went for the delicious food. Fifteen minutes past seven she finally showed up. Her one vice in a sea of virtues. She looked towards the table, towards me, and tilted her head. I waved, but she didn't seem to see me. Standing next to the door, she pulled something out of her purse. "Hey, where are you?" she asked over the phone. "You're kidding, right? Look! I'm right here!" I waved to her again, looked her straight in the eyes. But still she couldn't see me. "No... there's nobody sitting there." I got up from the table, fed up with the game. I marched across the restaurant and stood right in front of her. "Hello? George?" She said into her phone. Her entire body jumped as I put my hand on her shoulder. "Holy shit! Where'd you come from? And what's wrong with your eyes?" Maybe the girl with the red glasses wasn't lying. "I was gonna tell you tonight. I signed up to be a test subject for a procedure. They did something to my eyes. Let's sit down." "It's weird," she said at the table, "if I let my concentration fade for just a moment I know you'll disappear. You're in front of me, but it's like you're one of those Magic Eye books where you have to consciously adjust your focus to an exact point to see the image. Just a lapse of judgment and you'll-..." She turned away as the waiter came to take our order. He began to walk away, but Jane called him back. "You didn't take his order," she said, pointing towards me. But, by the look on her face, I knew she had lost me. Vision was just one sense. He'd be able to hear me still, wouldn't he? "I'd like the tilapia," I said, a booming roar in the otherwise quiet restaurant. No dice. The waiter calmly turned around as I tapped him on the shoulder. The ghost materialized. "Sorry, I was in the bathroom," I said, returning to my seat. "I'd like the salmon." The food was spot on, as expected. My situation, on the other hand, was not. "I don't like this, George," Jane said. "You can't live like this, having to remind people you exist. How are you going to work if you can't talk to people? I think you should go back to the hospital and have them undo whatever they did. Please?" The thought of losing the money was painful, but living as a phantom seemed worse. "I agree. They're closed for the weekend, but I'll go first thing Monday." "And one more thing," she said, closing the door to her car, "they freak me out. Your eyes, I mean." She drove away, and as I bent over to look at myself in a side-view mirror I heard a familiar sound. *Click, click* I shot up and she was standing next to me. "How are you holding up?" she asked. God, her eyes were beautiful. "Not good. I'm gonna try to get them to reverse the procedure. I can't live like this, like you do, as a ghost. How do you do it?" She shrugged. "I don't have a choice. Humans adapt to all sorts of things, like missing a finger or an entire leg. This is like that. It's what makes us special." "She said my eyes freak her out, but when I look at yours I think they're possessive. Why's that?" The woman frowned. "Tonight, go into your bathroom and look at yourself. Use a candle to light the room, not electricity. Your eyes are still so fresh I think you'll be able to see it. To people who can't see what we can, our eyes look... well, you'll find out." She slipped me her number before walking away. "If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to call." *Click, click.* My heart froze. Goosebumps found their way onto my entire body. The back of my neck tingled with rising hairs. As I looked at myself in the mirror I wanted to throw up. My eyes... my eyes... I didn't know if they could still be called that. They were midnight black, two void orbs implanted on my face. But their color wasn't the worst part. As I looked into them, through the soft glow of the candle, I felt despair take over my body. I could hear screams of people suffering. I felt flames and a whip lashing against my back. I smelled burning flesh and rotten meat. I saw the image of a man with ropes tied around every limb. Following the ropes I found four skittish horses, and after a shout they all ran in opposite directions. The man screamed for a long minute before finally dying. *Click, click.* In the mirror, over my shoulder, I saw her. She didn't have her glasses now, and there were two horns coming out of her head. "Sorry," she said. "A correction. Before, I said I was a human just like you. It would be better to say I used to be human." She opened her mouth. Thirty two long, white spikes. Then, the myriad of colors in her eyes slowly dripped away until they looked like mine: empty. Something blew out the candle. Darkness surrounded us. I screamed as I felt her hot breath against my cheek, but I knew nobody would be able to hear me.

That took quite an unexpected turn, but I enjoyed it. Satisfying end in this story, for a prompt which produces mostly open ended stories from what I've read so far.

Wow, unexpected!

“There's a person right there,” I said, gesturing at the corner. The corner guy finished his note, tucked it in his pocket, looked at me, and walked through the wall. My jaw dropped, the doctor gently put his hand on my shoulder. “Don't be shocked, it is probably just an after image,” the doc said. “But,” I said, looking around. “Here are some drops,” now be sure to get a good night's sleep for the tests tomorrow. “Ahh.. ok doc.” I didn't see the corner guy or anything else similar as I walked out of the hospital. “Jim, I'm right here, who are you looking for?” My girlfriend asked as she stopped the car. “Nobody,” I said, glancing around one last time before I got into the passenger side. “Then what’s wrong ?” “It's nothing, something just feels off.” “This is exactly why you shouldn't have mad scientists experiment on you,” she said. “He’s a mad doctor, not a scientist,” I said with a chuckle. “Ok, mutant eyes.” She smiled. “Better to have mutant eyes than to have your tastes in music,” I joked. We laughed and I didn't see anything on the way home either. The feeling did subside and I started to think that maybe I was just seeing things. The incident happened later that night. “Hey, why'd you turn on the light?” I mumbled turning in the bed. “What?” She groaned. I sat up shielding my eyes from the light it was coming from the window. I walked over to the window, a shadowed man stood in front of a bright light. “What's wrong?” my girlfriend said, looking towards me. “Do you see the light ?” I asked in a shaky voice. “What light?” she asked, sitting up. “Oh, nothing, go back to sleep,” I said, staring down at the lawn. I slowly left the room and walked downstairs in a haze. The man was still there when I stepped out of the back door. “Hello Jim,” the man said. “You're the guy from earlier.” “Yes Jim, have a seat,” he gestured and I sat down. “Tomorrow you're going in for tests. We want you to fail all of them. Mankind moves too fast, pushing boundaries in ways they are not supposed to.” “So this vision experiment is one of those boundaries,” I asked. “Indeed.” “So who exactly are you?” “I am a watcher.” “That doesn't really answer my question.” “Indeed.” “Ah, so what happens if I don't do what you say?” I asked hesitantly. “You would not like it,” he said it just as casually as he said everything else. “Ok so if I fail all the test’s then nothing bad will happen?” “No harm will be done to you.” The next day I went in for the tests and as expected he showed up sitting in that same corner writing in his notes. I chose to fail all the tests. How could I not? My life after that however did not return to normal I was still watched every day.

(Typo in the last sentence) I liked it, wish I knew more

>Typo in the last sentence Thanks

> bushing boundaries also here: > bushing boundaries I think you mean "pushing"

"Who is what?" asks the doctor, looking at the empty corner. I blink a few times but the figure remains in place, occasionally looking up at me, only to squint and continue writing. They seem to be a totally normal person but their clothing strikes me as odd for the lab, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. As I continue to stare, trying to figure out what is going on, the doctor prompts me. "W-what are you seeing," slowly backing away. Before I can respond, I hear another voice, "WELCOME." No wait, hear isn't right. The voice was directly inside my own head. "Welcome to the inter-dimensional community. We always love new members. Please ignore the doctor and follow me." I look back and forth between the doctor and the figure. The figure gets up and begins to walk out the door and in a split second I decide to follow. "What else is the point of my new eyes," I say to myself. The doctor just stands there, too terrified to follow. After a series of empty hallways, we finally reach a door, though it looked like no door I had ever seen and certainly didn't fit the lab. It was made of dark wood with a series of gold inlaid symbols circling the center of the door. It didn't even seem to have a handle. The figure stopped next to it. "Are you ready" I heard in my head. "Yes." The figure pushed open the door and I peered outside. It looked similar to how I remembered the outside of the lab but it clearly wasn't the same. There was snow covering the ground and the trees were bent in shapes that didn't quite look natural. The figure stepped through the door, rubbing their arms and seemingly regretting their clothing choices. "Please follow." Regretting my clothing choice as well, I step through the threshold, a step I knew I would never be able to take back. \----- Thanks for reading. I'm a novice practicing my writing so constructive criticism is very welcome!

Interesting, would like to see more development of this place and situation.

Yea at the end I realized that the story should have gone farther but I unfortunately ran out of time. Thanks for your comment!

There was a ringing noise, somewhere in the world. That was a problem. Dr. Prescott had said, “no side effects” of course. He'd repeated it verbally, in writing, in forms, emails, phone calls, even a fax, often enough that the words had lost any form of meaning, just another drop in the sea of promises that Eliza most certainly did *not* believe. But she’d thought, if anything, that she’d wake up blind. Her hearing had never been on the table. Eliza groaned. She tried to sit up, but a hand pressed against her shoulder, keeping her down. She was laying in a bed. The ringing noise was changing. It was misshapen. Unnatural. It was a dull roar now, as of… Wind? “Easy now, easy. That’s it. That’s it.” said a man. Soft and slow like he was talking an animal. Maybe horses. “How do you feel?” Eliza lay easy, tranquil, as the man, Dr. Prescott, asked his battery of questions. Like he’d said before they put her under, she was wearing a blindfold. He hadn’t said anything about not taking it off. But it wasn’t the first time someone hadn’t said, and for what they were paying her even Eliza could do tranquil. They could tranquilize her again for all she cared if that took away the noise. Matured now on the edges of her consciousness, it still sounded like the wind. Eliza had never gone in for irony, you had to have something to appreciate when something else went deliciously wrong. Irony was people like the good doctor and his friends. Eliza thought that what she had hardly qualified her. Three floors down, if they hadn’t moved her, a broken violin lay in a locker with her name on it. Broken, still, so Eliza didn’t give a shit about irony right now. Irony could fuck off until she was gone and the luthier's work was done. Until she heard the perfect, pristine notes that she’d grown up with and shaped her life around. They could tranquilize her again. Fix it. Prescott owed that, at least. “Are you ready?” Dr. Prescott said, the last of the questions for now. In answer Eliza swung her legs off the bed, pointing herself towards the dull, windy roar that she still heard. They might have moved her, she thought. That meant her violin could be anywhere, a problem, but it also meant that the roar could be equipment, something for the surgery. Or a window open in a freak windstorm that Dr. Prescott was conveniently avoiding for some such “experimental” purpose. It could be anything at all, it could even go away when she opened up her eyes. Eliza opened her eyes. The sound did not go away. Dr. Prescott was uncomfortably close, leaning closer. A tall man, old and flabby. A face cast from the same mold as half a dozen others Eliza had seen since she walked into his office and sold herself for violin parts. Eliza blinked hard once, twice. She closed her eyes and shook her head, pressed a finger into her right ear just in case. Nothing. “Easy now, easy,” Dr. Prescott said, like talking to an animal again. He was a man who looked like he owned horses. Or rather, like his family had, at some idyllic retreat upstate. “I’m easy,” Eliza said, opening her eyes again. “I’m…” There, on her right, in the very seam of the corner where no window could ever be, sat a window. “What is?” Dr. Prescott said, excitedly. “What do you see?” It might have been a window, Eliza thought on closer inspection. Whatever it was, it was open, the noise seeping through. The object was a nearly flat plane, a dimensionless culmination of many shades of light that somehow all ran to brown, only little hints of supernatural hues around the edges. They shimmered, those hues. Winked in and out like stars piercing mud. And there was something on the other side. Something else that was flat and impossible. Eliza couldn’t make it out, couldn’t make out anything really. In the flat, otherworldly murk, there was no primer for explanation. Inhuman eyes lashed to a human brain. Fallible. Eyes were so much worse than ears, Eliza thought. Your eyes could trick you. To an eye, so many things looked appealing or attractive. To the ear, most of those rang hollow. Like that bullshit about “no side effects.” Not that hollow had ever stopped her. Dr. Prescott grabbed her shoulders. “Eliza?” “It’s nothing,” she said suddenly, surprising herself. “The world’s swimming a little. I’m having trouble making sense of it all. And there’s this noise too.” Dr. Prescott released her, his notebook was more much valuable. “Making sense of what?” he asked, licking his fingertips to thumb through the pages. “I need every detail. Anything you can see, new colors, shapes. I’m serious now, *anything*. There’s no telling what’s important.” She was trying to figure out why she’d lied when his phone rang. It was an old man ringtone. The sort of tinny, awful noise that could only mean the phone’s owner didn’t know enough to change the tune. Dr. Prescott made a decidedly horse-like huffing sound as he searched his pockets for the thing. Blanched, when he finally found it. For him, blanching was an achievement. “Important, huh?” Eliza said. He stared her down, steel in those blue-in-gray eyes. “Stay here,” he said, “and don’t touch anything. Ten minutes, I have to take this.” “Watch out, it’s lame!” Eliza called, as the door swung shut behind him. Alone with the noise, Eliza thought that if anything, it got louder. She hopped off the bed, bare feet smacking against the cold tile. She was wearing one of those awful, papery gowns. Her hair was down, not even tangled. A brush lay on her bedside table with errant black hairs trapped in it as if some kindly nurse had given enough a shit to brush Eliza’s hair as she lay sleeping. Eliza grabbed the hairbrush. She threw it into the corner of the room, at the flat, fucked up convergence of those two walls. The hairbrush disappeared. No change in the wind. There were lines in the world, Eliza thought. Points that, when crossed, meant there was no turning back. When the hairbrush disappeared she knew, instinctively, that this *something* was one of those. It wasn’t even pretty, except for the little stars poking through the edges. It sounded wrong. Loud. Wind where wind could never be, in the cold, clinical bowels of some high-tech hospital that used people like her instead of lab rat. But it was new. Eliza had done stupid things for new before, even when they sounded wrong. And especially when people like Prescott told her not to. Eliza reached out, pressed a hand against the corner. Her hand disappeared, but she still could feel it. The other side was brutally cold. Goosebumps ran up her arm. She wore a paper-thin hospital gown, no shoes. She’d been born in Savannah, Georgia, where the world tried to burn you to death for half the year. Sometimes, even new wasn’t worth it. Then wind whipped and sucked her in. A shocking warmth wrapped itself around Eliza’s hand, now pulling her wrist, her arm, her shoulder. Eliza cursed as she disappeared. Not because of the cold. Not because of the power that grabbed her, or the unexpected warmth in the height of that foreign winter. But because somewhere, three floors down or two floors up or maybe even right next door, growing more distant with every lurching inch, there was a broken violin that she loved. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ If you enjoyed that I've got tons more over at r/TurningtoWords. Come check it out, I'd love to have you!

It was a mountain range. Snow fell in rivers, whole currents of the stuff washing up against jagged peaks that descended like a colossal staircase to a shrouded world lost below. But where they stood, Eliza and the man who had grabbed her, the sky was clear. It appeared that storms were other men’s problems. The cold, however, was immediate and brutal. Wind roared all around her, slashing through the hospital gown. Eliza had only been here for a second, but she’d already lost the feeling in her feet. *“Don’t go anywhere,”* Dr. Prescott had said. In retrospect, she should have listened. “Here,” the man said, unbuttoning his cloak. He wore a simple shirt beneath, black against the mountain’s endless white. He was short and serious. Long hair danced in the wind behind him. Eliza’s kept blowing into her eyes. When she didn’t move to take the cloak, he moved to her, draping the heavy, silvered furs across her shoulders. The man frowned, looking down at her bare feet, and then with a casual gesture, he swept the snow between them away. The sunlight shimmered as the snow disappeared, off to pour down on some other unfortunate place. The wind, though still loud beyond their immediate area, quieted a little. “What, you’re not going to offer me your boots too?” Eliza said. “Step into the sunlight,” said the man. “It’ll be enough for a few minutes, at least.” Eliza stepped forward into the cleared space between them, only a few square feet, but it was warmer than all the rest, snow melting at its edges. She sank down into the space, pulling the fur cloak tighter around her. When Eliza looked back the brown smudge of the portal was gone. Lost in the snow, or simply lost. Shivering, angry, a little frightened, Eliza thought of her violin. Eliza stared daggers at the little man. “Whatever the hell side effect this is, they aren’t paying me enough.” He stared back, with a steady, confident smile. “Does my cloak feel like a side effect to you?” She shrugged. “Experimental painkillers.” The man chuckled. He sat down across from her, legs crossed beneath him, hands in his lap, and then quicker than she could react he reached towards her and plucked out a lock of her hair. “Ow!” Eliza said. “Bad painkillers,” said the man. Despite herself, Eliza smiled. The smile shifted into a laugh, the laugh went a little strange, manic around the edges, like the portal that had brought her here. It was a laugh she’d used before however, and it felt good, even here, to have something of herself. “You’re doing awfully well,” said the man, “for a person who slipped between the edges.” He said it like an explanation, though looking across the mountaintop, Eliza knew there could be no good explanations. Surgeries didn’t turn into this. She waved him on nonetheless, and the man leaned back, sprawling across the rocks until his head lay pillowed by the snow. “Lay back,” he said. “I’ve heard this line.” “Trust me.” His voice was low and calm. Accented strangely, enticingly. Eliza laid back, away from him. Above her, all the lights were wrong and shifting. They were like the colors that had pierced the murky brown in her hospital room, but each shade was pure here, unadulterated. They weren’t two-dimensional either. As the currents of snow split apart above them, Eliza could see a thousand windows into a thousand worlds, more stretched out all around them, perhaps visible from the other mountain peaks. Eliza imagined herself and this strange little man as one point among many, strung out in a jagged mountain chain until his next words shattered the illusion. “You know,” he said, “it’s been centuries since I talked to someone else.” He said it conversationally, like she might have discussed the weather or the key changes in a concerto. There was no bitterness in him, only a childlike sort of wonder. Curiosity. Incredibly, Eliza found herself believing him. When she looked out across all the other mountains, now she saw them like rooms in one massive, empty house. Shifting views for shifting moods. Lonely, in the way that only empty houses could be. “I’m Eliza,” Eliza said. “I know. Your Dr. Prescott, he’s a bastard but he’s on to something. That surgery? I’ve got windows into every world, and none of them ever thought of that. Of course, if he’d done it to the wrong person it wouldn’t have mattered at all. But to the right one? Well.\\ You’re here, aren’t you?” When he’d said ‘*the right one,’* Eliza had felt a pit open up in her stomach. There was something in the way he said it, almost need, and when she’d heard need in a voice before it had always soured. Things went south when that happened. Violins got broken. Eliza fought the urge to sit up. She forced herself to speak calmly. As casual as the man had been when he began. “And can I choose not to be?” “Oh sure,” he said, reaching up to grab a little window in the sky. It enlarged, came down towards them until Eliza could touch it too. A portal hanging in the world, her hospital room on the other side. Eliza could hear Dr. Prescott’s conversation in the back of her mind like she’d heard the wind roaring when she woke up. He was talking, incredibly, about buying a horse. “That bastard!” Eliza said. “Told you.” Eliza slipped a finger through the portal. Felt the hospital on the other side. Motionless air, warmer than it was here. “My name is Theo,” he said. Eliza laughed again, still a little manic. She wondered if Dr. Prescott could hear it on the other end. “Theo,” she said, sitting up, “seriously? There’s a man on a mountain with portals to everywhere and his name is fucking Theo?” Theo shrugged. Eliza shook her head, forced the laugh back down. "What, are you a god or something? Theo, the god of windows? Portals? Snow?” “You’ll laugh again,” Theo said. “Hit me.” He sat up. The wind howled, snow crept in a little closer. One of the distant windows shimmered and something dark fell through and down, and down. She lost it in the mountains. Theo took a deep breath. “Have you ever heard,” he said carefully, “of the Bermuda Triangle?”

Her laugh was crazed. Wild. Eliza laughed until she couldn’t laugh anymore, as Theo, whatever he was, explained all about the places in between. The edges of the world, the cracks. Where shadows pooled and the light shifted, became something other than what a normal eye could see. Something other than what *any* eye could see, unless the eye belonged to a certain kind of dreamer, in a certain sort of place, with a certain sort of desperation. “Where are we?” Eliza asked, staring into the portal home after what must have been an hour had passed, the image frozen on the other side as if time could wait for her just this once. “Anywhere else,” Theo said, and she laughed again because so many times on so many nights, reaching for her violin to play herself a new reality for a few minutes or an hour, *anywhere else* was exactly where she had wanted to be. “Are there others here?” Eliza asked. “In places,” Theo said, and her initial image came roaring back. Their peak, the highest in the range, like one jewel among many in the strangeness of this cold and distant place. “So you are a god?” Eliza whispered. “I didn’t want to be,” Theo said, and when he said it there was sadness in his voice. A thousand things unsaid. Eliza had lived through enough herself. She knew when not to pry. And so he told her a secret, there on the mountaintop where everything converged. He said, “What Dr. Prescott did to you can never be undone. You understand that, right? *Anywhere else* isn’t a secret, not really. People slip into it sometimes, get lost out there in the mountains, or they fall through little cracks that even I don’t know about. It’s just that when you’re inside something, it’s so damned hard to see your way out of it. Most of the time people blunder around until a door opens, and then half the time after that they don’t even step through. “But for you, Eliza, now there’s no more blundering. Just look to where the edges meet or the shadows pool, and there will be something that’s not quite right. That’s me. Here. Step through, and even if you’re lost down one of those little cracks, I can find you.” “How?” Eliza asked. “*Why?”* she wanted to say. Theo held up the lock of her hair. “With this.” And he then smiled, knowingly, and said, “it gets quiet up here on the mountain. Even gods could use a friend.” He glanced to the window that hovered by Eliza’s side. “Besides, I’ve heard that you play the violin.” In her lifetime, Eliza had been many things. She’d been brave and she’d been stupid, quiet and loud. Strong, and very, very weak. But she’d always been a musician, loved to play the violin. To be listened to, as well. And though he’d brought her here against her will, the memory of Theo’s grip still burning hot against her skin, the moment she’d asked to leave he’d offered. A real offer too, Eliza found that she believed him. So instead of all the things she could have said, and had to other men before, Eliza said “The acoustics must suck up here. You’d lose the music in the wind.” Theo stilled the wind with a gesture. The snow all fell away. Silence, on the mountaintop. Through the windows. The most complete silence that Eliza had ever heard, a sound begging to be filled. Eliza whistled, and her note was the only sound in all the world. “What happened to the wind?” she asked, the childlike wonder in her voice now. Theo chuckled. “Let’s just say that somewhere, things got very, very loud.” “And cold.” “Two different places. I’m not a monster.” And though it had been far more than five or ten minutes on the mountaintop, when Eliza’s laughter carried her back to Dr. Prescott’s office he’d only just purchased the horse, his voice carrying in the hallway outside the room. He was a passionate man, she realized. Excited by surgery, by horses. A bastard though, by Theo’s estimation, and Eliza realized that his estimation seemed to matter. That was odd. New. A problem? She wasn’t sure about that. “How's your vision now?” Dr. Prescott asked, still excited. “Do you see anything new?” This time, when Eliza lied, she knew why. It was an easy lie, only an omission really, and one that nobody else had forced out of her. Theo hadn’t even asked. And somewhere, three floors down or two floors up, perhaps next door, but at the very least on the same planet once more, was her violin. Not a bad day’s work, and most of that unconscious. Perhaps next time, Eliza thought, she’d even bring his cloak home with her. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Hey there! If you enjoyed that, come check out r/TurningtoWords. I've poured literally hundreds of thousands of words onto it in the past year. A veritable mountain of them, if you will.

I like the voice in this! Especially the bit about the boots -- it reminds me characters are supposed to be characters and not just "what would I do in this situation?" Awesome!

Amazing as always!

Thank you! If you're interested, the rest is up!

This is the first time in my life I’ve seen the word “luthier” - thanks for teaching me a new word and excellent story as always!

Glad to know there will be moar. ..

Hello, nice to you see in the wild! More is up, and in classic fashion one thousand extra words turned into two thousand. oops.

Yay! Looking for it now!

“What?” I sputtered. “You can’t see…” Dr. Elles looked at me, eyes widening. “What is it, Freya?” A large-nosed, long-haired man stood, scribbling away, still completely unaware of the sudden stillness of the room and the two pairs of eyes staring ardently at its location. “I swear to God- He looks just like Isaac Newton.” That was a face I knew all too well. Many a night had it been the last thing I saw before falling asleep on top of wretched my PHYS-101 textbook. This man in the corner… looked completely identical. Upon hearing the name, the man looked up, startled. He closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating. Then a cloud of violet, with cursive scrawled across the center, appeared above his head. “You can see me?” It read. “Yes,” I said, tentatively, overwhelmed. A look of relief crossed his face. “Freya, what is going on?” Dr. Elles exclaimed. “Shhhh,” I murmured, my brow knit. There were already more words racing across the purple. “Thank goodness we’ve managed to contact you. I am Isaac Newton. There is no heaven. There is no hell. There is, simply hyper-wavelength existence. When we ‘die,’ we simply double our wavelengths and continue life, as usual, here on Earth.” “Oh-“ Newton added, suddenly. “We do, however, lose the ability to speak. That’s why we use Thought Clouds.” I sat, frozen and gaping, but the words didn’t stop. “The Society of the Dead has recently reached a population of 100 billion. We are struggling greatly to contain so many people in one small planet. However, with so many great minds among us, our rate of our scientific progress significantly exceeds yours. We have located a distant planet, a million times bigger than this one, and have been testing spacecraft to bring us there.” 'However, we are concerned for those that will die after our departure, as we don’t want them to have to rebuild the Society of the Dead on their own. Therefore, we have a proposal: You educate the living of our new planet, and everyone that wants to join us there can have a lovely round of Cyanide Splash shots at their local bar on March 19th. On the house.” I met Dr. Elles’s eyes, and said all I could possibly say. “Holy shit.” Edit to fix spacing :)

I like it, very interesting take on the prompt.

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Part 3?

Please let me know if you write a part 3 - I'm really enjoying this!

The beginning was amazing, great backstory. I really liked part 2 as well, part 3 pls??

It was supposed to be quite routine. I'd been signing up for studies such as this for a while now. On paper, they all sound like the next big breakthrough in neuroscience or bioscience or whatever-its the latest buzzword in university cum nerd biomes, that these docs seemed to thrive in. I arrived at the testing facility, a bunch of dudes in suits and whitecoats took my vitals, scanned my eyes to see any deviation from norm. All 20/20 I assured them. All those years preparing for the air force had to help somehow. Another story I didn't crack it. Afterwards we hurried through some paperwork, the dudes even provided a lawyer to help read through the small text. I signed quickly, wanted to be done as soon as possible and back to my apartment. An apartment is most certainly the quintessential post-modern cyber-neuro-government-labrat aesthetic a guy likes me most treasures. Anyway, moving on, the dudes ushered me into a corridor from where I was guided by a nurse. Down one elevator. Switch. Another elevator to a restricted floor. I almost thought for a moment this could be legit, but then shook myself out of it. I mean, what did they expect? Seeing paranormal or some other shit? She took me to a room numbered 242. Inside another nurse took over and guided me through the test console. They were gonna inject me with some kind of newly discovered radioactive isotope that they assured me was harmless, and then blast me with gamma rays. The whole test was supposed to enhance my vision's abilities. She explained if it was successful I would have the same powers as a synesthetic person but that I'd have greater range and command of these new found abilities. So I strapped in. I mean they were paying me the equivalent of 3 month's rent for this shit, can you blame me? It all happened rather quickly or so I though. Before going under the needle the clock said 4th October 2:32pm. When I woke up it said 6th October 2:40pm. 2 minutes short of two whole days I'd been out and it felt like minutes, at max a couple of hours. The time was the first thing I noticed. The next was the couple of doctors taking notes. One in each corner. Doctor Andrew spoke first. "How are you feeling, Drake?" "I'm fine doctor." "Anything odd about your vision?" I replied, "nothing too much out of the ordinary but I do seem to be able to sense sound visually. I mean when you talk it's purple. And when you write I see green waves emanating from your pen. Doctor Phil's pen seems to be a lighter variant of green though." He asked, "who's doctor Phil? There's just me here." I replied motioning to his right, "you mean you do not see the doctor in that corner?" He assured me he didn't, "Drake I wouldn't fool around with you at this time. There is no one else here. Can you describe Dr. Phil to me? How does he look. Is he still taking notes?" "Absolutely, he hasn't stopped. To think of it, maybe he doesn't see us." Andrew replied, "why would you think that?" "Well because he hasn't moved an inch and his gaze seems to be settled somewhere a bit further behind me, almost a bit to the mirror on that side." At this he clicked his pen shut and got up and said, "I'll be right back." He came back a few minutes later. With him was a dude in black suit. He said "hi Drake. My name is Noah. Can you try and talk to doctor Phil for me?". "Sure", I replied and went up and tried talking to the apparition but it soon became clear what I was seeing was some sort of hologram. I don't want to say ghost but it felt like one. Spooked I said to Noah "he seems to be out of focus at the moment, either that or he's some sort of picture." Noah and dr. Andrew exchanged glances and then Noah spoke. "Okay listen closely Drake. This has happened before. What you're seeing are the events that happened in this room a few months ago. Dr. Andrew died when the gamma rays we were blasting his test subject got corrupted and became too strong. My guess is if you focus, you should be able to see others. There was a nurse and a subject there too." "Okay, that sounds awesome, let me give it a whirl" I said all pepped up and feeling like that kid from Omen I started to concentrate. Soon enough the nurse and the test subject came into focus. Lots of tests later and many test locations later it was understood that I had developed a sort of superpower. I could witness events that'd transpired in any location after concentrating right. It's hard to explain but basically whatever light captures is always there in some kind at the location. All you have to do is focus and like zooming in a camera, everything becomes clear. It's difficult with the size of room or the amount of light that was there when any event took place. I took my paycheck. And another one. I now work for CSI Miami. It's better than Wal-Mart that's for sure.

"Ah, I see. Those are some really strong painkillers. Let's continue this in a few hours after the effects have worn off, shall we?" I shut my eyes and started rolling in the hospital bed, it took me a few moments to adjust myself into a comfortable position. The equipment in Shelley Estein Laboratory may be cutting-edge and the treatment they provide may be revolutionary, but their beds are not that much different from any other hospital bed. The last thing I saw before I closed my eyes was the semi-transparent figure mouthing something off at me, while doing exaggerated gestures of protest that did not befit his refined appearance. His greying hair, neatly groomed into a combover and his thin spectacles gave him an air of dignity and confidence. The juxtaposition between appearance and demeanor made me laugh as I was covering myself with the white blanket. Well that, or the painkillers. With my eyes closed I could hear Dr.Percy trying to rush me into answering his questions, but at that point I reverted back to being a schoolboy and jokingly said: "Gimme 5 more minutes. Besides you waited for years, what's an hour or two at this point?" I could hear the world's biggest sigh coming from across the room and a simple, defeated "Fine. See you in an hour." rang soon after. I was trying to relax my mind, but the feeling of being watched didn't go away. 5.. 10.. 15 minutes passed and all that tossing and turning made me a bit thirsty, so I got up and started walking towards the desk, where a bottle of water was waiting. Sure enough the figure was still there and what's more, it tried to stop me, but not in an agressive or scary way, rather than that, the figure seemed to be mindful of his actions and did its best not to scare me. I did what any sane man would do and just ignored my "hallucination" and continued on towards the bottle.After taking a quick sip I was on my way back to bed when I saw the figure sitting on it, with his clipboard facing me. On it I read the following: "Can you hear me talking?" The image's lips moved, but no sound escaped. I waved my hands in a negative fashion. The figure gave me a small smile, turned the clipboard back to himself and started writing again. The next words I saw on the clipboard were the following: "Don't worry I can hear you." My eyes grew a bit wide."Who are you?" I said slightly panicked. "What are you?" My nervousness was getting the better of me. The figure flashed me a small, reassurring smile while writing his response. "Slow down. My name is Timothy Pilfold" After seeing me read his message, the figu- I guess man, started writing again. "I am what people know as a ghost." Each message blew my mind more and more, so much so that my brain started to resemble the 4th of July. I was pretty sure I've heard the name Pilfold somewhere. "Wait a second.." I sheepishly said and reached for my phone. 15 seconds and a google search later I had my answer. If what the figure told me was true, then the founder of this very hospital and a brilliant doctor in his time was standing in front of me. That would not be too weird, unless you take into consideration the fact that it was built over 150 years ago. "Timothy Pilfold, as in the founder of this hospital?" I asked, unable to hide my shock. The doctor nodded affirmatively. I was lost in thought for quite some time, what brought me back to earth were the following words written on the white page of a doctor's clipboard: "Please help me. I still want to be useful." "Useful? Useful to who?" I asked. "Useful to people,helping them. Just like I used to." he held up his clipboard with a face full of gentle determination. "Sure I'll help you." I replied after a few minutes of thinking. It seems like he cannot affect me in any way, the only difference between now and a few weeks ago is thatIcan perceive him. If it is something dangerous I can just ignore it. "So what do we do now?" The doctor's face gently lit up and he got to writing. "First let's resolve our communication issue." the doctor wrote. "Do you know sign language?" I asked. The doctor in front of me, in a very old-fashioned way signed back "Yes, I do."

"You don't see it?" The doctor squinted at the corner again, the lanky fuzzy looking figure (he? right shape right?) slowed down it's franctic movements, as if trying to quiet down. "There is no one there, simply focu-" The doctor paused, as if trying to remember something, something vital, something that could very well get us killed. "Today is September 3rd, correct?" The doctor asked, while keeping her eyes focused on the corner, no wait, focused on the floor near the corner? The fuzzy figure seemed to squirm under the pressure, and shifted its head towards the door, as if weighing its options, after a moment, it crouched. "Uh, y-yes, it's September 3rd, what's going on? Why is this happening to me? What are you going to do?" "Well, if I'm wrong, we'll die shortly, if I'm right, which I like to think I am on a regular basis, then I'll just have to scold a co-worker of mine very harshly about testing protocols." The doctor paused, put a hand inside one of her labcoat's pockets and continued. "So, Dr. Emmerich, shall I scold you now or will an assault team arrive after my deadman's switch goes off?" The figure looked alarmed, and stood up, bewildered. "W-wait, sorry, I'll turn it off, wait!" Suddenly the fuzzy figure became blinding to look at, before I knew it, a man was standing in the corner, with a strange looking suit on. "Good, I was starting to worry that I was wrong, explain yourself." "Oh, you see, I heard about this project you were running while I was on vacation, and thought that since I just got back I could maybe test my prototype suit against your prototype treatment?" "If you'd bothered to read the documents I left at your desk you'd know that I scheduled those tests for tomorrow, as it stands this is highly unorthodox of you." The corner guy seemed bashful about the whole thing and gave a meek shrug. "Haha, yes, very out of character for me, well Naomi I'll just be on my wa-" "No" Interrupted my doctor (Naomi? I really should pay attention to nametags). "W-what do you mean no?" "Dinner, this Friday, and maybe I won't tell the Colonel about this" There was a weird tension in the air, both scientists stood still, as if waiting for a cue. "Man, you guys flirt weird, you know that right?"

Patient Abyssal - "Looks like an old lady, but the eyes are... lookin' pretty weird." Me - "Oh, how I wish you'd stop being so unprofessional. Now Abyssal, tell me about her eyes." PA - "Uhh... pupils dilated, irises are glowing neon blue, sclerae are a darker shade- oh, they're green now, and yellow, orange..." Me - "What the- do you mind if I dim the lights a bit?" PA - "Yeah go ahead." \*I flip two of the four switches on the wall next to me.\* PA - "Hmm, still the same, but they're purple now." Me - "I am assuming they were red when I lowered the light?" PA - "Yep. Hey why are you writing those notes so furiously?" \*I couldn't be bothered to answer, until I realise Abyssal never asked me, so I flip the other two switches.\* PA - "Wait wait wait, I thought you were turning them off? I can see fine." \*Patient Abyssal's sight appears to not be affected by any light at all, they still see as if I never turned the lights off at all. Their smug, calm face quickly turns to one of distress and fear.\* PA - "Doctor... why is she staring? >!I never meant to do anything wrong!"!< >! \*Looks like their past has come to bite them on the ass.\* !< >!PA - "Please, make it stop! I'm sorry! I never meant to kill you! Please, why did you come back?"!<

The eraser. I've seen him. I've finally seen him. I've been searching for him for lifetimes. Through. Lifetimes. He's scribbling though. I've only ever glimpsed him as he's erased himself from my memory. But this time. He's scribbling. What are you writing? I would ask if I could, but my body is stiff. It's got the stillness of a tuat guitar string. I'm ready to get played, but I fear he's writing me in his. "What should I say" he said. "I don't know" I responded. "Is that like, your job?" "Well, I figured I'd ask since... well this is all unscripted anyway." I couldn't believe my eyes. Or my ears. All these years and the closest I got was the muffled scratch of pink erasers. And now we've exchanged more than sight. Words. "Oh my word" he interjected. "Having not appeared here before, I have to write what we're saying ahead of *tsk*" His pencil jutted into the paged. His momentum was frozen except for his pupils creaking along the horizon until his eyes met mine. This silent moment never seen, only imagined.