Fixing a Hole

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Beatles had been walking for a while, when Rathiard declared, "Are you guys hungry for lunch? I see some berry bushes right here!

"Yeah, I'm a bit hungry. Looks like a good place to stop," Paul nodded, and Rathiard smiled. The four stopped by the bushes and George and Paul grabbed some of the berries. 

"Hey John," Rathiard suddenly said, "Come here, I want to show you something."

John obediently stood and followed Rathiard through the bushes, and suspicion leaped into George's mind. He carefully watched them go, and then he stood.

"Um... Paul I'm going into the woods for a moment, make sure that Ringo or John don't come this way." George said, deciding on the only excuse he could think of to get away and follow Rathiard.

"Why?" Paul asked, eating another berry.

"Well.. I've gotta... Go, if ya know what I mean."

"Oh." Paul blushed a bit, and then nodded, "Yeah, um... I'll make sure." 

George nodded, and then hurried off into the underbrush in the opposite direction that Rathiard had gone. He then sneaked behind and hurried toward where he believed Rathiard and John to be. Soon enough he heard quiet chanting, and as he peeked through the bushes he spotted John sitting on a rock, facing him, and Rathiard with his back to George, chanting. 

John's face was completely expressionless as he stared into the distance, his eyes unfocussed. 

Rathiard was chanting in some other language, but he slipped into English. What he was chanting partly horrified and partly fascinated George. He was chanting:

"Your mind, it is empty. You are linked with me. Your mind and mine are linked. You do what I tell you to do. You do what I do. You feel what I feel. You must obey. You will obey. You will obey. You will obey."

"I will obey." John whispered in a hoarse voice, and Rathiard nodded. 

"Now, act as yourself to a point, but you will follow my commands, you will do what I do. You will feel what I feel. Or you will be punished."   Rathiard commanded, and John gave a far away nod. 

Rathiard then began chanting in another language again. Then he declared. "Well, that is an idea, we shall check up on ol' Ringo." 

A faint light began glowing in front if Rathiard, and moments later George saw a basement similar to what John had described to him. George had to keep himself from gasping, though, when he spotted Ringo. John hadn't been kidding when he said they had to save Ringo, now.

He was still in some pathetic little cage, and he looked up pitifully when Rathiard called out, "Oh Ringo? I'm back, and John is here too, granted you can't talk to him, though."

"Why? What did you do to John? Are George and Paul ok?" Ringo asked weakly, and George almost tempted to rush out there and tell Ringo to hold on, they were going to come for him! 

"Oh yes, they are quite alright. John just got a bit too curious and decided to figure out what happened to you. Well, I eliminated his threat, but he's not really hurt." Rathiard laughed cruelly. "Well, sorry about all this, but it couldn't be helped, ya know." he grinned evilly, and George knew he probably didn't even have one regret about any of this. Ringo simply hung his head, breathing slowly. 

 Suddenly John began thrashing about wildly, and he called out something that sounded vaguely like, "Ringo, hold on!" 

Rathiard clapped his hands and the image of Ringo disappeared. Then Rathiard commanded, "Stop it, John!" John did not 'stop it' and Rathiard growled. "Big mistake." he said, and George realized what was happening. John was fighting from the inside. He was trying to gain control over his own mind.