My daughter always had a troubled past, she always claimed of seeing people who were never there, people who talked to her about life and things she shouldn't say or do. I took it as a sign of rebellion considering me and her dad had gone through a divorce, she took it a lot harder than I thought she would have, of course being a physiatrist I only assumed it was post traumatic disorder also known as "schizophrenia" I put her under some treatments and medication, I didn't want to enroll her in any Mental Institutes cause they never seem to work. Of course she was only a child, but they day she told me about the man in the basement, her childhood had died.
One day while I was in my office in which my daughter was forbidden to enter, for I thought it would only be a negative influence on her due to having schizophrenia, she found a way to make an exception. She came in, catching me off guard,
"Mommy?" She startled me, and I spun around quick.
"Honey what you doing in here? You know your not aloud in here, come one I'll tuck you in."
"There's a man in the basement."
"What have I told you about them, it's all in your head, trust me."
"He asked for you, he said his names George." My heart stopped in its tracks, I looked down at her fear flickering in my eyes though I tried my best not to show it.
"Well what does George want?"
"He wants you to go down and see him"
I had a patient named George once upon a time, long before I had my daughter, he was schizophrenic like me daughter, although he couldn't take it, the treatment wasn't working for him me he became increasingly agitated and scared. One day he was found dead in his room, hanging from a rope tied around his rooms light, autopsy came out as "death by suicide cause by schizophrenia" he was the most troubled patient I had.
"Is he still down there?"
"I think so, come I'll show you where he is." We made our way down the hallway, each step I dreaded the whole idea of seeing him again, if of course my daughter was correct and hadn't out of luck make up a name and it happened to be George. The starred down, looking into the complete darkness, what had my daughter been doing down there anyway? The whole thought shook my bones.
"He's behind the furnace, he was peeking out at me the last time I saw him." I crept down, the atmosphere becoming heavier, the light flickered at illuminated the walls dimly, my daughter followed slowly behind me. I got down, the furnace was to my left, so of course I looked, he wasn't there. I heard a faint noise coming from behind it, it sounded like a rope swinging back and forth, I looked up, and I saw his legs swinging back and forth, and they were facing me, I looked up a little higher, I saw his face, with the same smile he had died with.
