'How many?'
'Two.'
'Brothers or sisters?'
'Sisters.'
'Older or younger?'
'Older.'
'What happened to their father?'
'He died.'
'Was he sick?'
'No.'
'Did he have an accident?'
'Yes.'
'He was killed in an accident?'
'No.'
'He was hurt and died later?'
'Yes.'
'Was it a car accident?'
'No.'
'Was he injured at work?'
'Yes.'
'Where did he work?'
'At a place where they make meat.'
'A slaughterhouse?'
'TA-huh.'
'Do you know the name of the slaughterhouse?'
'No.'
'Do you know the name of the town your friend lives in?'
No response.
'What happened after the funeral?'
'We went home.'
'What happened after that?'
'I don't remember.'
'Can you remember anything else that happened that day?'
'No, except I got knocked over by a big, shaggy dog.'
'What is the next thing you remember?'Prot sat up a little straighter and stopped squirming. Otherwise there was little change in his demeanor. 'It is night. We are in the house. He is playing with his butterfly collection.'
'The other boy?'
'Yes.'
'And what are you doing?'
'Watching him.'
'Do you collect butterflies too?'
'No.'
'Why are ' you watching him?'
'I want him to come outside.'
'Why do you want him to come outside?'
'To look at the stars.'
'Doesn't he want to go?'
'No.'
'Why not?'
'It reminds him of his father. He'd rather mess with his stupid butterflies.'
'But you'd rather look at the stars.'
'Yes.'
'Why do you want to look at the stars?'
'I live there.'
'Among the stars?'
'Uh-huh.' I remember my initial discouragement at hearing this answer. It seemed to mean that prot's delusion had begun extremely early in life; so early, perhaps, as to preclude a determination of its causative events. But suddenly I understood! Prot was a secondary personality, whose primary was the boy whose father had died when he was six!
'Won't you tell me your name?'
'Prot'
'Where do you come from, prot?'
'From the planet K-Pax.'
'Why are you here?'
'He wanted me to come.'
'Why did he want you to come?'
'He calls me when something bad happens.'
'Like when his father died.'
'Yes.'
'Did something bad happen today?'
'Yes.'
'What happened?'
'His dog was run over by a truck.'
'And that's when he called you.'
'Yes.'
'How does he do that? How does he call your' 'I don't know. I just sorta know it.'
'How did you get to Earth?'
'I don't know. I just came.' Prot hadn't yet 'developed' light travel in his mind!
'How old is your friend now?'
'Nine.'
'What year is it?'
'Nineteen-uh-sixty-six.'
'Can you tell me your friend's name now?' No response.
'He has a name, doesn't he?'
Prot stared blankly at the spot on the wall behind me. I was about to go on when he said, 'It's a secret. He doesn't want me to tell you-.' But now I knew he was in there somewhere and prot, apparently, could consult with him.
'Why doesn't he want you to tell me?'
'If I tell you, something bad will happen.'
'I promise you nothing bad will happen. Tell him I said that.'
'All right.' Pause. 'He still doesn't want me to tell you.'
'He doesn't have to tell me right now if he doesn't want to. Let's go back to the stars. Do you know where K-PAX is in the sky?'
'Up there.' He pointed. 'In the constellation Lyra.'
'Do you know the names of all the constellations?'
'Most of them.'
'Does your friend know the constellations too?'
'He used to.'
'Has he forgotten them?'
