Picnic on Nearside by John Varley

Author:John Varley [Varley, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781101656037
Publisher: Berkley Books
Published: 1955-05-04T16:00:00+00:00

Manikins

“YOU’RE SURE SHE’S NOT dangerous?”

“Not at all. Not to you, anyway.”

Evelyn closed the sliding window in the door and made an effort to control the misgivings that tugged at her. It was a little late to discover in herself a queasiness about crazy people.

She looked around and discovered with relief that it wasn’t the patients she feared. It was the fortress atmosphere of the Bedford Institution. The place was a nightmare of barred windows, padded rooms, canvas sheets and straightjackets and hypodermics and burly attendants. It was a prison. With all the precautions it was only natural that she should feel nervous about the people it was built to contain.

She peeked into the room again. The woman inside was so small, so quiet and composed to be the cause of all this fuss.

Doctor Burroughs closed the thick file he had been scanning. Barbara Endicott. Age: 28. Height: 5′ 3″. Weight: 101. Diagnosis: Paranoid Schizophrenic. Remarks: Subject is to be considered dangerous. Remanded for observation from criminal court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, murder. Intense hostility to men. There was more, much more. Evelyn had read some of it.

“She’s got a massively defended psychosis. As usual, granting the illogical assumptions, the delusional system is carefully worked out and internally consistent.”

“I know,” Evelyn said.

“Do you? Yes, I suppose you do, from books and films.” He closed the file and handed it to her. “You’ll find it’s a little different actually talking to one of them. They’re sure of the things they say in a way that no sane person is ever likely to be. We all live with our little doubts, you know. They don’t. They’ve seen the truth, and nothing will convince them otherwise. It takes a strong grip on reality to deal with them. You’re likely to be a bit shaken when you’re through with her.”

Evelyn wished he’d finish and open the door. She had no worries about her sense of reality. Did he really worry that the woman would unsettle her with the kind of rubbish that was down in that file?

“We’ve had her on electroshock treatments for the last week,” he said. He shrugged, helplessly. “I know what your teachers have said about that. It wasn’t my decision. There’s just no way to reach these people. When we run out of reason and persuasion, we try the shocks. It’s not doing her any good. Her psychosis is as defended as it ever was.” He rocked back on his heels, frowning.

“I guess you might as well go on in. You’re perfectly safe. Her hostility is directed only at men.” He gestured to the white-suited attendant, who looked like an NFL lineman, and the man turned a key in the lock. He opened the door, standing back to let her pass.

Barbara Endicott sat in a chair by the window. The sunlight streamed through and the bars made a cross-hatched pattern over her face. She turned, but did not get up.

“Hello, I’m . . . I’m Evelyn Winters.” The woman had turned away as soon as she started talking.

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