Page 48 of Dan

“No. My parents didn’t allow it, and let’s face it, I wasn’t exactly the popular girl in school.”

“Well, you’re popular here. Let’s go.”

Julia was already putting out snacks for their night together. She had multi-colored chocolate-covered candies, multi-colored sweet and sour chewy candies, chocolate bars, popcorn, a variety of chips, water, soda, wine, and tea.

“Whoa! Should we be eating all this?” asked Finley.

“We’re adults. We eat what we like,” smiled Ella. “Besides, it’s a good thing to cheat every now and then. The kitchen is making a couple of varieties of pizza, and we’re going to just do some girl chat, review some of Charlie’s books, and enjoy!”

They all smiled at Finley, who gave a small grin, nodding at them.

“Finley, don’t feel like you have to do this with us,” said Julia. “You can be by yourself if that’s easier for you.”

“Oh, no! No, that’s not it at all. I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. No, I was just thinking about something Dan said on the phone. He said that they confronted Dr. Gunderson, and he told them that the shock therapy wasn’t real.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sara.

“Well, he said that my parents drugged me, and all the details of the therapy were things implanted in my head. They weren’t real. Is that possible?”

“I think it’s very possible,” said Sara. “Which gives me an idea. Come on.”

“Where are we going?” asked Finley.

“Just come with us,” said Ella. The four women hopped into one of the ATVs and took the long trail toward the back of the property to the pond. As they passed the expansive groupings of plants, Finley couldn’t help herself, touching the leaves and inhaling deeply. When they stopped, she smiled.

“Oh. This is the pond. The one with all the strange minerals.”

“That’s right,” nodded Ella. “Now, you have to get in naked, but we think it could help you. Are you willing to try?”

“Sure,” she said, nodding. Without reservation, she undressed in front of the women, showing once again that her filters were somewhat off compared to most. When she was naked, her tiny body sitting on the edge of the dock, they nodded at her.

“It’s warm! It’s wonderfully warm,” she laughed. “I can’t believe it. I can smell the minerals. I smell lithium. Sodium is prevalent and magnesium. Hmm, there’s a lot of calcium in here as well. But there’s something else. Something very strange.”

“We’ve never known everything that’s in it, but obviously, we can’t tell anyone it’s here, either,” said Julia.

“Think about the treatments now, Finley,” said Ella. “How do you feel? Are you still remembering all the pain?”

Looking up at the three women from the pond, she thought about it, then leaned into the water, floating on her back. She stared up at the clear blue sky, the sounds of birds, frogs, crickets, and other creatures around her. Everything seemed heightened for her.

“I’m remembering that my mother always made me take two pills before we went. She said it would help to relax me and not make me feel so much pain. That’s not what they were.”

“No, we don’t think it’s what they were,” said Sara.

“Dr. Gunderson would always put his arm around my shoulders and pull me toward him. It was like he was protecting me from them. I didn’t like getting on the table, and he knew it. I remember him saying that we could do it while seated. My parents refused, forcing me on the table and being strapped down.”

“They most likely did that to ensure the memory was a vivid one,” said Julia.

“It felt so real,” whispered Finley. “The pain, the shocking, they even put a device in my mouth to prevent me from biting my tongue off.”

“It’s definitely twisted, honey.”

“I remember Dr. Gunderson whispering to me that it would all be okay. That I should fight it and fight them. I remember that now.”

“That’s good,” smiled Sara. “The guys said that they really felt it was true in what he said. He didn’t want to do it, Finley. They’ve poisoned him, and now he’s dying.”

Finley pushed herself out of the water, wrapping up in one of the big fluffy towels. Drying herself off, she dressed, and then the girls got back in the cart, heading to their feast.

“He really did try to help me,” she said, shaking her head. “All this time, I thought he was the evil one, and it was really just my parents.”

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