The therapist's office is always soft and quiet.
The leather seat squeaks when I chaff the heels of my sneakers against it. The vase of white lilies adjacent to me look identically synthetic since my first session here. Today they have those tiny foil Easter eggs in a help-yourself bowl; the dollar store type. I've been seeing Dr. Sherazi for three weeks now, but she hasn't cracked me yet.
Every time I try to choke out a thought, it feels like I am swallowing stars.
The news has hit Vancouver particularly hard. Every paper printed the gruesome details of the famous stalker case of Statholm University, rows of the same pictures in every article. And they're all the same. A journalism student. Lack of forensic evidence. An obsessive stalker who ultimately, may have been the reason behind her tragic end.
I can't remember myself before Juliet.
"What was it that made you so attached to her?"
I'm not sure. My reply was stale. I'm not certain how coherent the sentences sounded outside my head. But we gravitated towards each other like colliding planets.
My therapist has a habit of leaning slightly forwards, resting the pen underneath her chin whenever I intrigue her. She does this every so often, after the questions. It makes me wonder - can a psychiatrist read their own behavior?
"You appear to be having a bit of difficulty engaging with your memories," her voice was even, gentle. "I think it's important we begin at the start."
I didn't know her at the start. She was one of those stunning comedic girls that always appeared to be cackling about something. She could be mean. I didn't really like her then - no, I was intimidated by her. You never knew if she was sending you up or not.
Dr. Sherazi adjusted her hijab.
"Orpheus, you're clearly an intelligent young man. Processing an event of this nature can take some time. You've told me before you don't find it a useful strategy to discuss your state of mind verbally. It's understandable, considering the nature of Juliet's death."
It was horrible.
"Acceptance is the first step of overcoming grief. I think you need to put it into your own words. Why Julia was so special to you. Heal her. Free her."
How do I begin?
She sent me a soft smile.
"Begin with when you first noticed her."
STAI LEGGENDO
The Planetarium
Storie brevi[COMPLETED] ❝Any obsession is dangerous.❞ Stalker: A person who harasses or persecutes someone with unwanted and obsessive attention. Well, that's exactly what's happening to Juliet Emmerson. He steals her possessions, leaves crude love notes, and t...
