THE NEW SIXTH SENSE #3

THE NEW SIXTH SENSE # 3 Doctor Johnathan Rhoades, medical doctor, and licensed psychiatrist. A man who DARES to look PAST the obvious, and discover what is at the HEART, of patients conditions. The following is case-file number 3, of Doctor Rhoades highly unusual approach to treatment, of mental disorders. After having relieved the mental distress, of a woman, who believes she is being followed, by unknown persons, I have been referred to another patient. According to the patients file, the woman is suffering delusions, regarding a non-existant cabin. A cabin which, according to her file, the woman maintains DOES exist. It would seem that the reason why my services are being sought is that, allegedly, the woman has a habit, of "vanishing", for days, weeks, or even months, at a time. While my local contacts include both the womans doctor, who can, no-more explain her condition than he can explain the nature, of the universe, as well as the local sheriff. From the file, the sheriff remains adamant that, despite thorough searches, of the area, while the woman is missing, no one remembers seeing the woman leave, or return, from the town. According to the sheriff "While my office is, frequently, called, to trace the woman, no matter how many times we search the area, even with dogs, helicopters, and night vision, until the woman wants to be found, no trace, of her, is to be found. My question is: HOW can a person, female, or male, vanish, so completely, in a community, of this size?" This case file would remind Doctor Johnathan Rhoades of a similar case. One, which he studied, during his internship. In the case, which the doctor remembered, the patient claimed not to be human, at all. When the patient went missing, each time, and was "captured", the patient would say that they were "communing with nature". In that case, the sheriff did not "buy" this story, for a moment. The sheriff had noted "With the number, of hunters, who were out, searching, for the patient, there was no way the patient could have avoided being spotted." As Doctor Rhoades recalled, NO explaination ever seemed to "fit" the case. Not even the idea that the patient was maneuvering, among the hunters, taking supplies, as they needed them. While hunters were supplied, with field rations, during the search, none, of the hunters came up, short of food. Doctor Rhoades recalled that, when some fellow students had asked the instructor "What was the final conclusion, of the case?" the students noticed how rapidly the instructor had moved on, to "fresh" material. When intern Rhoades had attempted to make further inquiries, about the case, his access was blocked, and he was warned "Do NOT question what you do not understand. We are here to train doctors. Not to indulge in fantasy." Even as Johnathan Rhoades worked towards his medical degree, he could not escape the fact that some cases just did not make sense. Cases, such as the automobile, which had, somehow, gone from being in Florida, U.S.A., one moment, and being in Europe, just a moment later. Now, Doctor Rhoades was being called upon, to consult on another, baffling, case. Upon his arrival, in town, Doctor Rhoades would be met, by both the sheriff, and the local doctor, who was in attendance, at the sheriff's office. When Doctor Rhoades would enter the sheriff's office, he would hear the doctor arguing "I tell you, the patient is at Whispering Woods." The sheriff would counter with "Doctor, I'm telling you. Search teams have been through those woods, five times. All that anyone has found are some empty beer cans, some lost fishing equipment, and those two, missing tents, from the last storm." It was not until the sheriff saw Doctor Rhoades, that he cut off the doctor, who was saying "I have studied the patients history..." When the sheriff would ask "May I help you, sir?" Doctor Rhoades would identify himself, then ask "May I ask who is missing?" This time, the doctor would cut off the sheriff, as the doctor would say "I am afraid that you have made this trip, for nothing." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "May I ask why?" The doctor would say "My patient has gone missing, again. While I am certain that she is in the Whispering Woods, the sheriff, here, disagree's with me." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "Sheriff, may I ask why you disagree?" The sheriff would say "Doc, my men have been all over those woods, for two days. There aint nothing there, except abandoned, and lost, camping gear, and some wild animals. Nothin to be scared of. Just 'coons, squirrels, and other, such things." When Doctor Rhoades would ask the doctor "Tell me. Why do you believe that the patient is in that area?" It would be the sheriff who would say "Since you are, new, here, doctor, I will be friendly, and share some information. Fact is that, of the past eleven times the woman has gone missing, nine, of those times, she comes out of the Whispering Woods. Just dont ask me HOW she avoids our search parties." Later, at the local hospital, Doctor Rhoades would meet with the local doctor, over coffee, saying "Doesn't it seem odd that a person can "vanish" so often, yet only turn up, when they choose to?" The doctor would, only, say "What I cant figure out is HOW she gets OUT, of the hospital ward. I mean, its not like the patients are not under supervision." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "How many staff on duty, at a given time?" The doctor would say "Three nurses, and four orderlies. For a hospital, this size, thats all we, usually, need." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "What about the security footage?" The doctor would say "While we may not be as "advanced" as those big city hospitals, we are not stone-age, either. Each entrance has its own guard. Most are retiree's, but all are of good health, and good eye-sight. No one, not even staff, comes and goes, without checking with these men." When Doctor Rhoades would say "Sounds like a sound set up. What is YOUR opinion, of how the patient leaves the property?" The doctor would say "I would give a months pay, for the answer to that question." While the search parties continued their vigil, Doctor Rhoades would review the patients file. Based upon the original, contact, information, Doctor Rhoades had been lead to believe that the patients actions were recent. According to her file, however, the woman began "vanishing", as a child. In fact, the reason why the woman was placed under "observation", was because, beginning with childhood, the girl had spoken of visiting a cabin. A cabin, located in the Whispering Woods. According to the child's own testimony, "I go there, to play with my friend. We have fun, playing games. Her parents are nice people. They let us play, as long as we want to." A doctors notation would question "HOW could a modern, grade school girl know about a cabin, which has not existed, for over a century?" When Doctor Rhoades would go to the internet, looking for information, he found a "piece", in an archive, about local history. The article claimed that locals considered a certain farm house to be "bewitched", since, sometimes, the house, and the family, just "vanished", from time to time. Some locals would not go near the house, since there was rumor that the family was making pacts with, or blood sacrifices, to Satan. This suggestion, always, caused Doctor Rhoades to scratch his head. WHY, he wondered, did people, always, insist that anything, which was not "normal" was "satanic"? Doctor Rhoades would chuckle at the thought that, IF the devil did everything, of which he was accused, the man would have to work triple over-time. No, there had to be a rational explanatiion, for what had, and was, happening. The woman HAD to be going SOME-where. The question was "WHERE was she going?" When the woman "returned", she, again, emerged from the Whispering Woods. In the time before the womans return, when Doctor Rhoades had asked locals "Why is that area called the Whispering Woods?" All anyone would say was "Go out there, sometime, on your own, and you will understand." When the woman DID return, it was from the same area, where she had come from, previous times. An area which had been, thoroughly, searched, dozens of times. What baffled both doctors, and law enforcement, was WHERE the woman got her clothes, which she wore, upon her return. While the hospital staff swore that the woman MUST have left the hospital, wearing a hospital gown (since her clothes remained in hospital lock-up), all the woman would say was "My friends let me borrow some of their clothes." When Doctor Rhoades would ask the woman "And your friends names are?" The woman would look at her doctor, asking "Have you not told this man WHOM I visit, when I leave the hospital?" When Doctor Rhoades would use a quiet voice, asking "First, would you tell me HOW you exit the hospital?" He saw how thoughtful the woman was, about the question. This, before answering "I really dont know. One moment, I am inside the ward and, the next, I am outside." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "Outside, where?" The woman would say "I am on a road. No, that is not right. I am on a trail. Not a road. A trail, like horses use." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "Where does this trail lead to?" The woman would say "It leads to my friends home." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "Do you see your friends home?" The woman would say "Not at this point. I know this is the path, though." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "HOW do you know this is the right path?" The woman would say "I have taken this path, many times. I KNOW the tree's, by sight. Even after dark. I know which way to go." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "When you see your friends home, would you describe it, for me." Doctor Rhoades noticed how un-easy the staff were, when the woman described the details, of a farm house, which locals knew, only from lore, and legend. When the patient added the names, of the family members. Names, which were not of public record, and were recorded ONLY by the local church, the un-ease increased, until the staff doctor would say "I think that is enough, for today." While the woman seemed disappointed, that the conversation had been cut short, Doctor Rhoades KNEW the reason why. This is why Doctor Rhoades agreed that a break was in order. Instead of joining staff, for snacks, in the employee break-room, however, Doctor Rhoades would drive out, to the location, known as the Whispering Woods. He wanted to see the place, for himself. Upon arrival, however, Doctor Rhoades would verify that the sheriff had been correct. There was nothing but forest, for a few miles around. It was not until Doctor Rhoades entered the forest, and opened his mind, hoping for telepathic communication, that the doctor would come to understand the reason WHY towns-people never saw the cabin. It was via the "third eye" that Doctor Rhoades would come to "see" the cabin, in the woods. A cabin, which did not exist, in the third dimension. It was more like an "imprint", on the landscape. While Doctor Rhoades could "see" that the cabin was rustic, and that the inhabitants appearred to be "pioneer" type people, the doctor got the STRONG impression that these people were neither primitive, nor from the past. In fact, if the doctor believed in time travel, he would have thought these people came, from the FUTURE. Some sort of time travel experiment? Johnathan Rhoades ruled this out, immediately. Time travel went against everything that science "knew" about life. Besides, WHO would want to travel, to the past? For WHAT purpose? As Doctor Rhoades returned to the road, and his car, he had the odd sensation, like he was crossing something like a dimensional barrier. While he would note the feeling, its location, and as many details, as he could remember, he reached his car, still, feeling a bit odd. As if someone were using telepathy on him, a voice, inside his head, would say either "She is coming home." or "She has come home." Once the feeling passed, Doctor Rhoades would write his notes, then return to the hospital. He wanted another discussion, with the staff. Somehow, Doctor Rhoades KNEW, from the moment that he drove onto the hospital grounds, that the police were present, because of the woman. When Doctor Rhoades joined in the discussion, only to hear "We KNOW she was in her room. Jack, and Salvador, lead her there. The guards checked her in." When the sheriff asked "If that is true, then HOW did she get out?" When Doctor Rhoades would ask "Got out of where?" The staff doctor would say "When the nurse brought the woman her medications, she found the room empty. No damage, to windows, or the door. The patient was just gone." While the police scrathed their heads, over HOW a patient could escape a secure ward, two staff doctors would ask Doctor Rhoades "Well, Mr. Expert, What do YOU think?" Doctor Rhoades would suggest "Since she has gone to the Whispering Woods, before, shall we begin there?" From the moment, when the "convoy", of private, and police, vehicles, arrived, at the Whispering Woods, Doctor Rhoades KNEW something was different. While the police prepared the search dogs, to begin the canvas, Doctor Rhoades would walk into the forest, to the area, where he had "visioned" the cabin. For a few, fleeting, moments, Doctor Rhoades, in his "third eye" saw the woman, with the family. The woman had joined the families daughters in one of those dance-type activities, which pioneer girls practiced, prior to social events (where the girls hoped to find husbands). In that moment, Doctor Johnathan Rhoades KNEW that the woman had found both happiness, and peace. Whether she was in the pioneer past, or a distant future, the patient was at peace. No more trips, to the psych ward. Doctor Rhoades was certain of only one thing. The woman would not be heard from, again. Atleast not in this lifetime. Still, the doctor was happy that the womann had, at last, found happiness. Final case entry: While police, and other, records, show the woman to be a "Missing Person", I am left to wonder if, one day, she might choose to visit. Maybe just to inform her family that she is well. While I cannot quantify this information, I did notice, prior to departure, that the Whispering Woods seems more at peace. Maybe, the forest has found the one it sought.