This piece really got under my skin the way the fear and the 'unspoken' build through every line is so vivid and eerie. The atmosphere you create is haunting in the best way, and the tension between reality and the mind's shadows is nerve wrecking. Really powerful work!
The tone and mood you created was very creepy. The character of the psychiatrist and the patient was pure tension and suspense. And that it ends with a scream, total horror. Excellent descriptions as per usual!
Ahhh, yes! This one wasn’t funny. But it was fun to have the mental image! Very enjoyable indeed!…. Although the more I think about it, him outside the window smiling and slowly backing away like the Homer Simpson meme is a little funny… 😂😂
Reich was an Austrian psychologist who theorized that all psychiatric patients would hate their doctor. His life is an interesting story; he eventually went mad. He spent his later years trying to build a machine that extracted dreams.
"When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you."
Thanks, friend! Such a thoughful comment. Not that I'd expect such from a "DevOps Engineer Designing/Building AI Infrastructure at a Fortune 500" but damn - it makes it even sweeter. I really appreciate you managed to see through the symbolism.
I couldn't help myself but to write a cosmic-abstract ending, but one of the more realistic, purely psychological options was also on the table.
Oooooh this is nice! Definitely creeps up on you! ☕️
Thank you 🖤
This piece really got under my skin the way the fear and the 'unspoken' build through every line is so vivid and eerie. The atmosphere you create is haunting in the best way, and the tension between reality and the mind's shadows is nerve wrecking. Really powerful work!
I wouldn't guess psychological horror could be your thing.
It's easier when you just tell the story wrapped in your own dreads. Rationality seems so cozy and safe. You know? You know?
Maybe I'll borrow your dreads for a few minutes and pretend they're mine.
Rationality is cozy. But your shadows felt far more honest.
I won't mind. You don't need to pretend. If that's your poison, treat my horrors as your own. For as long as you like.
The tone and mood you created was very creepy. The character of the psychiatrist and the patient was pure tension and suspense. And that it ends with a scream, total horror. Excellent descriptions as per usual!
Yes that creepy repetition!! Ugh. You should totally do a hitchhiker one
Now I feel like definitely doing one…
Thanks, buddy! 🖤
I’m really temptes to write a solo dreamer-hitchhiker’s horror now… 😂
You know? You know?
great story. it had a 50's Twilight Zone feel, in the best way.
Thank you, Chris!
Never watched Twilight Zone :(
Guess I have some material to catch up on.
you do. luckily it remains mostly available in one format or another.
Masterfully building of the fear here, neat!
Thanks, buddy! 🖤🖤🖤
I’m now deeply unsettled and mad at you for it. Just a heads up.
Good.
You would say that.
Yes.
The worst.
Wanna test me?
Next time I could lure you into an essay about parenting or Catholicism.
Please. Don’t.
Oh, I enjoyed this immensely! Effectively creepy and draws you into its creepy mystery.
Much appreciated, Gregory 🖤
I hope being creeped out is your thing?
Oh, yeah! Nothing like a good creepy story!
Ahhh, yes! This one wasn’t funny. But it was fun to have the mental image! Very enjoyable indeed!…. Although the more I think about it, him outside the window smiling and slowly backing away like the Homer Simpson meme is a little funny… 😂😂
Thank you so much, my dewdess! 💖
Very cool story. I love the therapist's unwavering certainty.
I like the line about her dress as armor.
I like that John turns the corner early on and continues to play the game, despite his exhaustion.
He knows the truth, and she thinks she does.
There is something almost Wilhelm Reich about it.
A revenge fantasy from the perspective of a psychiatrist's victim.
Thanks for sharing.
I need to check out Wilhelm Reich.
I did my best to create the suspense and flickers of uncertainty as per whose truth is the right one.
Thanks, Nathan 🖤
Reich was an Austrian psychologist who theorized that all psychiatric patients would hate their doctor. His life is an interesting story; he eventually went mad. He spent his later years trying to build a machine that extracted dreams.
That sounds like the most exquisite nightmare fuel.
Thanks for bringing him up!
I did my best to make the roles reversal as creepy as possible.
I’m glad it landed right where the pain lives.
💚💚💚
I wanted this to be a battle of the unexplainable and racionalism.
If you felt like between a rock and a hard place - that was intended.
Thank you, buddy! 🖤
Thanks for reading. It means heavens to me.
"When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you."
Thanks, friend! Such a thoughful comment. Not that I'd expect such from a "DevOps Engineer Designing/Building AI Infrastructure at a Fortune 500" but damn - it makes it even sweeter. I really appreciate you managed to see through the symbolism.
I couldn't help myself but to write a cosmic-abstract ending, but one of the more realistic, purely psychological options was also on the table.