THE NEW SIXTH SENSE #5

THE NEW SIXTH SENSE # 5 While my fifth case, in private practice, was intended to be a case involving Dimentia, what I had no idea of, at the time, was just how complex the contents, of the case, would become. According to the patients file, the man was suffering from the most severe case, of Dimentia, which has been recorded, to this date. If the report is accurate, it would seem that, after 25 years of marriage, something had happened, which caused the man to, suddenly, believe that his own wife was trying to kill the man, via poisoning his food. Now, while it IS known, that SOME, healthy, men have such belief, most of the time, this can be attributed to a spouse, seeming to lose romantic interest. In other cases, it has been found that wives MAY attempt to kill husbands, in order to collect on life insurance policies. With the proceeds, these women HOPE to make a "fresh start", once final expenses have been paid off. While there are other possibilities, as well, it seems that I am being called, on this case, since the patient seems determined to prove that his entire family is trying to kill him. The patient seems determined the to prove this point, by tearing down the family home. (Thus eliminating the "secret panels", which the patient feels his family are using, in their "scheme") Since the patient has applied for a demolition permit, local doctors want an external, psychiatric evaluation, prior to allowing the town to approve the demolition permit. In order to perform such a proper, psychiatric, evaluation, I have assembled the latest, in patient review techniques. While my collegues may, also, believe that **I** am a "mental case", I retain the belief that the "best medicine" is that which brings the patient best results, under the most normal circumstances. This, even as I remain up-to-date, on the latest, official, practices. While enroute, to observe this patient, my trip would be "diverted", by un-expected events. Events, which only began when two, of the four, of my flights engines, suddenly shut down. Since the remaining engines just did not have enough power, to keep the plane airborne, an emergency landing was called for. This, just outside the small town of Sunnyland. Once the plane made a successful landing, passengers would be asked to wait, inside the terminal building, while workers attempted to re-start engines. Now, while **I** am a trained docctor, and psychiatrist, and, therefore, TRAINED to know WHEN to listen in, on conversations, what I was hearing bordered on fantastic. According to atleast two, elderly, women, who were waiting for rides, my flight was neither the first, nor fifth, nor tenth, to suffer flight problems. As one woman said "If anymore planes come down, around here, I bet they close our airport, and move (re-route) flights, all the way to Creve Coure." When the other woman would ask "How will I keep in touch, with my grand-children, if they do that?" It was then that I heard a mans voice say "What they need to do is DEAL with that HOUSE." When an elderly woman would say "What nonsense. HOW can a HOUSE bring down airplanes?" The male was about to say something when the intercom came to life, announcing "All passengers, of flight****. Due to technical difficulties, beyond our control, flight will be delayed." Doctor Johnathan Rhoades would have been suspiciuous of the fact that, right after this announcement, a group, of cab drivers, entered the terminal, offering rides, to local motels. That is, until Doctor Rhoades entered a cab, only to have the driver ask "Your name, sir?" When Johnathan Rhoades would ask "Why do you ask?" The driver would say "Standard thing. When planes come down, we log the passengers names, and flight numbers. This way, when planes are fixed, we pick you up, and you make your flight." When Johnathan Rhoades would say "Quite efficient, and professional." When the driver would say "Now, sir, your name?" Johnathan Rhoades didnt think it mattered, but he gave his title as "Doctor Johnathan Rhoades. Flight ****. Enroute to visit a patient." When the driver would ask "An M.D., huh?" Doctor Rhoades would say "A psychiatrist, to be precise. I have my M.D., but my field is the mind, not the body." The way the driver would say "Interesting" made Doctor Rhoades suspicious, even before the cab entered the motel parking lot. While the cab driver assisted the doctor, with his bags, Doctor Rhoades original plan, which was to, further, review the "dimented" patients psychiatric records, for either health, or prescription, reasons, for behavior, this plan did not last, for long. In fact, Johnathan Rhoades was just starting to relax, with the patients file, when lights, at the motel window were followed by a knock, at the doctors door. When Johnathan Rhoades opened the rooms door, to see a deputy sheriff, standing before him, Doctor Rhoades was about to ask "Whats going on?", yet decided to allow the deputy to take the lead. When the deputy would ask "Doctor Rhoades?" Johnathan would agree, hoping that he was NOT being called for something like child-birth. It was when the deputy would ask "Doctor Johnathan Rhoades. Psychiatrist. Am I correct?" This is when Doctor Rhoades would relax. This was not an M.D. call. When Johnathan would say "Correct. What may I do for you?" The deputy would ask "Would you grab your coat, and accompany me, please?" While Johnathan was shocked to hear the deputy ASK for the doctors assistance (Note: The time, when doctors KNOW something is serious is when law enforcement does not ASK. They TELL). After Johnathan Rhoades would gather his coat, and his portable gear, wondering where the police were taking him, It would be on the way OUT of town, when the deputy would say "Doctor Rhoades, understand. This is completely OFF the record." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "May I ask why?" The deputy would say "First of all, I am not taking you to the hospital and its psych ward. Second, since this unit is eqipped with a transponder, you are in no danger, if anything happens. Help can reach you within an hour." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "Deputy, WHY are you telling ME all of this?" The deputy would say "For the following reasons: Number One. There are, un-fortunately, those persons, who purchase police uniforms, either for the purpose of robbing tourists, or for kidnapping, and raping, women. Number Two: The location I am taking you to is outside town. I am doing this because I do not believe, as others may, that the problem is INSIDE town." Doctor Rhoades would add "Number Three: IF you are WRONG, you dont want any record, of your mistake. If we DONT find what you are looking for, you will pay, to replace the gas you are using, and request that I never mention the subject." The deputy would say "So, we understand one another, doctor." Doctor Rhoades understood the deputies reasons, for concern, when the two arrived at the subject location. While the house was of the classic, Victorian, style, and did not APPEAR "menacing", in any way, as Doctor Rhoades exited the squad car, a series, of visions, filled his mind. WAS he visioning the house, being built? WAS he visioning a couple, moving in? WAS he visioning young girls, practicing a dance, in front of the house? As Doctor Rhoades closed his eyes, trying to sort out the visions, another, far less tranquill, vision, came to the doctor. The vision, of a man, in colonial clothing, and wearing what appeared to be a golden (crucifix)? This lead Doctor Rhoades to wonder WHEN crucifixes had been made of gold? In the vision, Doctor Rhoades could, clearly, hear the man saying "Spawn of Satan. Ye shall die, by the cleansing fire, of the Almighty God. Before the cleansing begins, have you any confessions to empart?" It was at this point, when, in the present, the deputy touched the doctor, bringing the doctor mind, and soul, back to the mdern day. This, when the doctor heard the deputy asking "Are you alright?" When Doctor Rhoades would ask "What happened, here?" The deputy would say "Nobody really knows. Plenty of stories. Rumors. Camp-fire stories. That kind of thing." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "Did a family, once, live here?" The deputy would say "Thats how the stories began." When Doctor Rhoades would say "My time is yours." The deputy would say "At the heart, of most stories, IS a family. They seemed to prosper. Something happened. As if overnight, the family "vanished"." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "No follow up?" The deputy would say "No such thing, in those days. Remember that this was a territory, in those days. The only "law", IF you can call it that, was a federal marshall, and a circuit-riding judge. Both of these were men who rode the trails. True, frontier, justice." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "What do you want, from me?" The deputy would say "I want a rational explanation. There are too many rumors. Rumors that this HOUSE is pulling planes out of the sky. I am ASKING you to prove that a house, which is nothing more than wood, glass, and gas lines, is NOT grabbing planes out of the sky." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "Is it THAT serious?" The deputy would say "Including yours, 47 planes have developed engine problems. If I cannot find a rational explanation, for these events, the F.A.A. is sure to close our local airport. This, while declaring our town "un-safe air space". When Doctor Rhoades would ask "What would this mean, for the local economy?" The deputy would say "With only two industries remaining, closing the airport would DOOM the town. Anyone, who is left, would move, along with the jobs." Doctor Rhoades would suggest "Leaving you in charge of a ghost town". The deputy would remark "Ghost towns dont need law enforcement. Last time I checked, Statutory Law does not apply, to the deceased." This is when Doctor Rhoades would say "While my flight is delayed, I could aid your search, in finding rational explanations. If nothing else, we could DIS-prove the notion, that a house can pull airplanes from the sky." The deputy would smile as he said "Thanks, doc. Excuse me, doctor." The next day, as the message was delivered, that replacement jet engines, for the aircraft, were due in, the following week, Doctor Johnathan Rhoades would become well-acquainted, with the local library. Something was bothering the doctor, about the visions. HOW could a house, built of wood, and glass, have caused a community to refer to the former occupants as "Spawn of Satan"? What was that, in the vision, about "repenting"? What was it that the church wanted to home owners to repent? While, in his third eye, Doctor Rhoades could "see" the man, with the golden crucifix, as clear as day (Even if through the flames, of Crucifiction), the doctor could SEE that the man was speaking. He just could not make out the words. When Doctor Rhoades heard of a town meeting, being hosted by the remaining industries, Doctor Rhoades felt he should attend. Something was not "right", here. The doctor hoped to learn more, at the meeting. By the time Doctor Rhoades arrived, however, the business people were, already, alerting locals to be prepared to re-locate. "IF the F.A.A. shuts down the airport, we have no other option." This is when Doctor Rhoades would ask "What if I can PROVE that the house is NOT responsible?" The businessmen would say "We dont care about a house. We need an airport, to ship out goods. If the F.A.A...." This is when Doctor Rhoades would but in, asking "If the F.A.A. is able to prove the skies are safe?" The businessmen would say "As long as we have commerce connections, there will be no need to move operations." When Doctor Rhoades would notice the meeting beginning to break up, he would call out "Does anyone, here, know of any lore, or any stories, of a man. Specifically, a man, wearing a golden cross, or golden crucifix?" When someone called out "Since WHEN are crosses made of gold?" Doctor Rhoades would say "THAT is what I am trying to learn." While no one, even the local minister, would admit to knowing anyone, who would OWN a golden cross, some senior citizen women were willing to speak of some old stories. Doctor Rhoades was more-than-accustomed to hearing "Young man, we want you to understand that these stories have been handed down, from generation to generation." When one, elderly, woman would add "More likely, passed down, over the centuries.", the former, elderly, woman would say "Anyway, we have none of that stuff that you young bucks call "evidence". When Doctor Rhoades would say "I understand". Various members, of the womens group, would fill in various sections, of the following story: The story began in pioneer days. A time, when a young man would sell himself into slavery, for enough money to invest in some "doodle-fanger-thing" (NO one knew exactly WHAT it was). When the investment brought back enough money, the man bought not only his own freedom, but that, of a slave woman, who had agreed to accompany the man, on his "trip". The couple married, then came out, west, and lived in a shed, while the man built his wife her "dream house". The couple, then, raised three daughters, and four sons. All healthy, and strong. For the family, life was good, until some man came to town. No one knew what church he belonged to. Only that the man spouted "God's word", as if he were one of Christs own disciples, being coached by Christ, himself. While no one had paid any attention, for YEARS, to local goings on, when the man, whom, rumors say,wore an "amulet", came to town, asking about "suspicious goings on", while procliaming "Know ye all that NOT to speak, of sin is, in itself, a sin". When, in the present, Doctor Rhoades would ask "Did anyone, including the church, check on the mans credentials?" The seniors would say "Young man, in THOSE days, we didn't have a local priest. Like the judge, and the sheriff, we had a "circuit" priest. The priest stopped by, about every two, or three, months." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "Then HOW did locals know that this man was, truly, a servant of God?" Another senior would add "Young man, the Scriptures tell us that the un-holy may neither READ, nor SPEAK, of the word of God." Realizing that these people would not question faith, under any circumstances, Doctor Rhoades would say "You were saying that this man was asking about "anything unusual". HOW did suspicion come to rest upon the family, inside THAT, particular, house?" This is when a senior man would enter the room, and the conversation. He did so even as he asked one of the women "I have finished my assigned chores. Ask the reverend if he has more work for me, before I return home." While a woman went to deliver the message, the man would inform Doctor Rhoades "Since we are inside the Holy Fathers house, first, I will say that these are only stories." When Doctor Rhoades would say "I understand. Please, go on." The senior man would say "My grand-father told me that, way back, in the "wild days" (pioneer days), when the man comes to town, gramps says he was told that some members, of our own family, turned in the homes family. This they did, out of fear of being seen as not cooperating with a messenger of God." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "In what way was the family turned in?" The man gripped his cap, while saying "The story I was told, as a boy, is that, becuase no one know HOW the young couple had enough money, to build a home, that the "preacher" was told of this." This is when a senior lady would say "Dont forget the epidemic." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "What epidemic?"" The senior man would say "Something, which wiped out half of the village. Most people, who caught it, died." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "You say MOST, who caught the illness. Did some survive the illness?" A woman, weaving a quilt, would say "Only survivors we knew of were the couples children. Derndest thing, though. Those kids be sick, almost dead, then..." Doctor Rhoades would ask "Then, what?" The primary, elderly, woman would say "As if by the Lords own hands, them children got better." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "Whats so suspicious, about that?" The woman would say "Doctor, in THOSE days, we didn't have all your fancy pills. All we had was FAITH." When Doctor Rhoades would ask "About the family?" The seniors would say "Stories say that, because no one knew HOW the children recoverred, that the "priest" announced that only one conclusion was possible. It HAD to be the work, of Satan! Under the "command" and "control", of the "holy man", the family was dragged from their home, while fires were stoked, and branding irons were heated, until glowing, bright, red hot. Once the seniors had shared all of the memories, and excitement, which aging bodies could take, Doctor Rhoades would borrow a car, and return to the family's homes location. Upon arrival, the doctor did not know why, but he felt like un-seen hands were touching flaming lighters to his skin. When Doctor Rhoades would sit, on a nearby boulder, focusing his mind, while reviewing his credentials, he felt the burning sensations dissipating. Still, with eyes closed, and using the "third eye", Doctor Rhoades received visions, of how brutal man could be, towards his own kind. As an observer, Doctor Rhoades watched, (and now, LISTENED), as the man, with the golden cross, presented "Gods judgement". With clothes ripped away, from their backs, the priest would give the family members a final chance, at Repentence, saying: "By the glory of the Almighty God, if these sinners be willing to confess their sins, in the presense, of the Lord, our God, and to repent their ways, may God show us the path, to show mercy upon their souls." When the husband had asked "What crimes are we accused of?" The "priest" would, only, say "Crimes, against the Lord, our God". When Doctor Rhoades thought "Man, could you be any LESS specific?" Doctor Rhoades THOUGHT he saw looks cast, more-or-less, in his direction. When he projected "Sorry", the vision continued. Through the use of massive tree branches, boards, wrappped in barbed wire, and red hot irons, the villagers, under the "command" of the "priest", tortured the family into confession. As Doctor Rhoades watched this "massacre" taking place, he realized the reason why the family's faces seemed so serene. So Peaceful. The family members were welcoming death, by the purifying fires, as this would mark the END of the torture. What Doctor Rhoades could not understand was the reason why, as the family burned to death, and smiles came upon their faces, the "priest" ordered "More wood. More kerosene. They are fleeing Gods Justice. They must NOT be allowed to escape." By the time the holocaust was completed, Doctor Rhoades found his next question answered, when the "priest" ordered "Spawn of Satan, are to be buried, in UN-marked, non-sanctified, graves. May their souls be bound to this area, for all eternity." It was when Doctor Rhoades realized that the grave-diggers were digging where he was resting, that the doctor moved aside. While not overly religious, by trade, Doctor Rhoades did "cross" himself, as he whispered an apology, to those whose graves he had, un-knowingly, sat upon. Returning to the present, Doctor Rhoades remembered the "priests" words. The man had not said "May your souls be bound, to this land, or to this house, for all eternity". The man had said "To this AREA." Now, Doctor Rhoades understood WHAT was happening, and WHY. The next step would be for Doctor Rhoades to ask for copies of the flight plans, of each, disabled, plane. While Doctor Rhoades had thought he might have to go through F.A.A. red tape, for the information, it seems the deputy was ahead of the doctor, atleast on this part, of the mystery. It would seem that sheriff, and deputy, had a bet going on, about WHY only cerrtain flights were experiencing engine troubles. Doctor Rhoades was amazed by the fact that, on close examination, ALL of the affected flights passed, directly, over the subject property. When the sherriff would laugh, asking "HOW can ghosts bring down airplanes?" Doctor Rhoades would say "I have observed stranger things." When both the sherriff, and the deputy, would ask "What do we do?" Doctor Rhoades would suggest "For the time being, have air traffic control route ALL flights AROUND that property. Call it a "No Fly Zone", if that helps." When the deputy would ask Doctor Rhoades "What do YOU plan to do?" Doctor Rhoades would say "I am going to try and ease some pain, and suffering. Maybe, lay some souls to rest." While Doctor Rhoades expected to find the families tortured souls, on the land, what the doctor did NOT expect to find was what confronted him. Namely, the souls, of more modern day people. Most were hikers, or campers. People who, in the age before mobile phones, and G.P.S., had died, of injuries, or exposure, before help could arrive. It would take close to a week, of effort, for the doctor to detect all of the souls, which awaited passage to eternity. Several, of these people, provided the doctor with "last messages", for family members. One, young, girl, however, was among the most tragic. Hoping for more attention, at home, the girl had run away, and chosen an old cave, to hide in. The girls hope was that, if she stayed away, for just one week, that her family would begin SEEING her. What the girl had not counted upon was a severe thuunderstorm, which had caused the cave to collapse, burying the girl, alive. When Doctor Rhoades contacted the girls parents, he could feel the grief, and sadness, "rolling off of them", even as both admitted to the same thing which the girls spirit had informed the doctor. While her parents had "heard" their daughters cries, for help, the parents could not tell police WHERE the cries came from. The night the girl died, her parents found themselves sitting, in the livingroom, all night long, looking over their daughters life, as presented in school pictures, as well as the family album. The couple told the doctor "We were so afraid that, IF we put the pictures down, she would be gone, forever." This matched with what the girl had said, about her final night. The girls spirit had told the doctor "I thought, of my parents, all night long. I kept hoping. I kept their faces in my mind." Just as Doctor Rhoades had used his calming voice, and gentle touch, to free the girls soul, from its torment, he used the same "treatment", with her family. Grief Therapy, as all doctors know, is one of the ugliest jobs a doctor has. Whether the loss is of a child, sibling, spouse, or parent, the pain is no less a "butcher knife" through the heart, and soul. A girl, who had thought that her family did not notice her, would be grieved, for years to come. Paying one, final, visit, to the homes location, Doctor Rhoades would see, in his "third eye", the now-smiling souls, of the departed, as they stood amid relatives, ready to make the passage into eternity. Now, regular air traffic could resume as yet another, of the most un-expected cases, to date, was resolved. By the time Doctor Rhoades was able to "check in", on his intended patient, the doctor would find the mans family grieving. Neither his wife, nor his children, could understand WHY the man had taken his own life (In order to prevent what he believed was his family's effort, to take his life). Another question, left un-answwered, was WHAT had caused the man to think that his family wanted to murder him? Since Doctor Rhoades knew false grief, from real pain, the doctor could tell these people were in real pain. Dimentia had claimed yet another victim. If only science could learn the reason WHY.