be transferred to One as well. He had shown no sign of the debilitating phobia since his 'cure'-no mask, no complaints about the food, no hog-tying himself at night or sleeping on the floor. He was, in fact, spending most of his time with the other patients, particularly Bess and Maria. He had already become quite adept at recognizing the Tatter's various alters, learning all their names and characteristics, waiting patiently for the 'real' Maria to make an appearance, then going out of his way to keep her around, gently encouraging her interests in needlepoint and macrame. It was obvious that Ernie had a talent for helping others, and I encouraged him to consider going into one of the health or social professions. His reply was, 'But there's so much that needs to be done here. '
It was about this time that Chuck organized an essay contest to decide who would be the one to go with prot on August seventeenth. The plan called for submission of all entries by the tenth, a week before his 'departure,' a date that was rapidly approaching. Prot had apparently agreed to read all the essays by the seventeenth.
Several staff members noted that Ward Two was unusually quiet during that two-week period with everyone sitting off by him/herself, thinking hard, bending over periodically to write something down. The only patients who didn't seem to want to go to k-PAX were Ernie and Bess-Ernie because there was work to be done here, and Bess because she felt she didn't deserve a free trip. And, of course, Russell, who called the contest 'the work of the devil.'
Session Thirteen
EVER since she ran off to Texas with a guitar player at the age of fifteen, my daughter Abby has been a vegetarian. She won't wear fur, either, and has long opposed the use of animals in medical research. I have tried many times to explain to her the benefits to mankind of the latter endeavor, but her mind is closed on the subject. 'Explain that to all the dead dogs,' is her standard reply. We haven't discussed the subject in years.
Abby once gave me a taped recording of whale songs. At the beginning of session thirteen, while prot was digging into a watermelon, I played it for him. He stopped chewing and tilted his head to one side, much as Shasta had done when she had heard the same tape. By the time it was over he was grinning even more broadly than usual. A piece of the rind was stuck in his teeth. I said, 'Can you make anything out of that?'
'Of course.'
'What is it? Is it some kind of communication?'
'What did you think it was-stomach gas?'
'Can you tell me what they're saying?'
'Sure.'
'Well?'
'They're passing on all kinds of very complex navigational data, temperature and solute and food type and distribution charts, and lots of other things, including some poetry and art. It is rich in imagery and emotion, which you would probably dismiss as 'sentimental.' '
'Can you give me a literal translation of all that?'
'I could, but I won't.'
'Why not?'
'Because you would use it against them.'
I felt a certain amount of resentment at being held personally responsible for the decimation of many of the world's cetaceans, but could think of no good reply.
'There was also a message for all the other beings on the PLANET.' He paused here, peering at me out of the corner of an eye, and took another bite of fruit.
'Well? Are you going to tell me what it was? Or are you going to keep that a secret, too?'
'They're saying, 'Let's be friends.' ' He finished the melon, counted, 'One-two-three-four-five,' and was out like a light.
'Comfortable?' I said, when I realized he had already hypnotized himself.
'Perfectly, my dear sir.'
'Good.' I took a very deep breath. 'Now I'm going to give you a specific date, and I want you to remember where you were and what you were doing on that day. Do you understand?'
'Jawohl. '
'Excellent.' I braced myself. 'The date is August seventeenth, 1985.'
There was no hint of shock or other emotion. 'Yes,' was all he said.
'Where are you?'
'I'm on K-PAX. Harvesting some kropins for a meal.'
'Kropins?'
'Kropins are fungi. Something like your truffles. Big truffles. Delicious. Do you like truffles?'
I was a bit annoyed by his attention to trivia at a time like this, though it was I who had pursued the topic. 'I've never had truffles. But let's get on with this, shall we? Is anything else happening? Any calls from Earth?'
'There it is now, as a matter of fact, and I'm on my way.'
'What did it feel like when the call came?'
'He needed me. I felt that he needed me. '
'And how long will it take you to get to Earth?'
'No time at all. You see, at tachyon speed, time goes backward, so that-'
'Thank you. You've already explained to me all about light travel.'
'Funny, I don't remember doing that. But then you must know it takes no time at all.'
'Yes. I had forgotten. So now you are on Earth?'
'Yes. In zaire.'
'Zaire?'
'It is pointing toward K-PAX at this moment.'
'And now you'll be heading for-'
'And now I am with him.'
'Your friend?'
'Yes.'
'Where are you? What is happening?'
'By a river in back of his house. It is dark. He is taking off his clothes.'
'He called you to Earth to go for a nighttime swim with him?'
'No. He is trying to kill himself.'
'Kill himself? Why?'
'Because something terrible has happened.'
'What happened?'
'He doesn't want to talk about it.'
'Damn it, I'm trying to help him.'
'He knows that.'
'Then why won't he tell me?'
'He feels terribly hurt and ashamed. He doesn't want you to know.'
'But I can't help him unless he tells me what happened.'
'He knows that, too.'
'Then why-'
'Because then you'd know what even he doesn't want to know.'
'Do you know what happened?'
'No.'
'No? Doesn't he tell you everything that happens to him?'
'Not any more.'
'Then will you help him? If you can get him to tell me what happened you would be taking the first step toward helping him deal with it.'
'No.'
