Mr. Otto
The ticking of the clock seemed to be getting louder and more prominent after each round of silence that the patient gave. The heavy clicks chugging uphill drove the pace of the room, seemingly mesmerizing both Doctor Aggot B. Otto and the man sitting on the chair.
“Think of yourself,” said the doctor, “as a gun.” The patient, a thin mustached man stared wide-eyed. “Now imagine your decisions, all the choices that you’ve recently made, as the bullets.” The patient’s eyes somehow appeared even wider, yet he had not moved a muscle at all. “Those burning chunks of lead, SMASHING, DISPLACING, DESTROYING all they come into contact with. Too quick to dodge!” exclaimed Aggot, his hands in fists as he struck them against each other. The patient’s eyelids flinched during each exclamation that the Doctor emphasized, almost in sync with the still-ticking seconds arm of the clock. Aggot peered at him through his glasses which he adjusted to rest back on the bridge of his nose.
“…So you mean..” Stuttered the man, standing now. “Have I been shooting people the whole time?” Aggot played with his glasses some more while stroking his chin slowly. “… I didn’t really mean,” began the patient.
“You’re not understanding what I’m saying, I’m afraid,” interrupted Aggot. The man sat back down. “You never shot anybody with a gun.” A few more ticks of the clock echoed through the room. “Do you believe you shot anybody?” Aggot said with a fixed stare at the restless man on the chair.
“I can’t answer that,” whispered the man, his face elongating. “To be honest, you aren’t being too clear… I mean, I don’t understand.” Aggot’s brow pinched together, he leaned forward from his chair moving his face and his gaze forward. He connected the tips of his fingers in contemplation as the man fidgeted in his seat.
“Now hear this. Imagine yourself as a ghost — a poltergeist more appropriately,” said Aggot. “A dead soul who roams our world, unseen by us, the living humans. The soul of an honest man who lived a content life. With a beautiful suburban home, a wonderful family, with a wonderful child, maybe two — but that doesn’t matter. Consider your life, your soul, taken abruptly. A death even you were unaware of. An accident, if you will.” The man sat low in his chair, his eyes affixed. Aggot now paced the room. “This sounds unfair, does it not? Life being taken suddenly, you, minding your own business and then in less than a second’s time, Monsieur Reaper taps you on your shoulder from behind.” Aggot stopped in his tracks, the ticking of the clock continued withouth him. “And now you notice you’re stuck in the world of us humans. Bodyless, walking the earth - or floating, whichever you prefer, really.” Aggot pauses once more. “Tell me, what is your spirit to accomplish? Surely there must be some reason for this emprisonment, right? What do you make of your family now, mourning the all too sudden loss of their father, their husband? You can see them every day, you can see them sitting, eating breakfast, watching the television, talking with each other, crying with each other - you can see it all. Picture it all for me and tell me,” says Aggot “tell me how disgusting all of that is?” The ticking of the clock grew silent and the door to the room opened, a large muscular man on the other side seeing Aggot standing, waving his arms eccentrically, out of breath.
“It’s lunch time, mister Otto,” said the man at the door. “Now lets go, it’s time to get your medicine.”
“I’m not finished,” muttered Aggot as he turned, placing his arms behind his back. The man at the door stood, arms crossed, waiting for Aggot. Aggot walked to face him. “Now that we’ve got an audience, I can truly emphasize my point. You sir, what do you make of what I’ve said just now? You heard it all, yes? Will you tell me what you make of it, and hopefully some confusion would be cleared up?”
“I heard it all, now lets go Mr. Otto, we don’t really have the time for any of this,” replied the man at the door. He grabbed Aggot by the arm and escorted him out of the doorway.
“Just stay here,” said Aggot looking back in the room as the door closed slowly behind him. “I’ll be back and we can talk some more about this.”
“Alright, alright Mr. Otto, we can talk some more but right now we’ve got to get your medicine before lunch. After that, we’re gonna go see the Doctors,” said the man holding Aggot by the arm.
“Ah, my friends, I’ve got much to discuss with them!”
“Right, you’ll discuss with your friends after lunch, Mr. Otto.”
