Free What Doesn't Kill You (A Suspense Collection) by Tim Kizer Page B

right.” Stanley opened his
notepad. “Over the weekend, I read a little about that Vishnu guy and his
thousand-headed snake. Turns out the snake floats on the universal ocean called
the Milky Ocean.”
    “I’m glad I got you intrigued.”
    “But here’s the kicker: the Milky Ocean and the snake
and Vishnu are all the same thing.”
    “Doesn’t that blow your mind, Doc?”
    “It sure does.” Stanley looked at Richard’s bag and
asked himself if there was a gun in it.
    Then a feeling overcame him that he was on the verge of
a big revelation. With a grin, he said, “If I’m just a manifestation of your
fertile mind, you could have given me any name you wanted, is that right?”
    “Yes. I named you Stanley. Is there anything wrong with
this name?”
    “Why didn’t you name me Frasier Crane?” Stanley’s lips
stretched in a grin. “That would have been smart and funny.”
    “As a matter of fact, I was considering that. But I
chose Stanley.” He took a sip from the glass. “Besides, I couldn’t remember
whether Frasier was a psychiatrist or a psychologist. These are two different
professions.”
    “To tell you the truth, I don’t remember that either.”
    “Of course you don’t. If I don’t know it, you don’t
know it. By the way, you seem to be in a good mood today, Doc.”
    “Are you afraid of anything at all, Richard?”
    After a short silence, Richard replied, “No, I don’t
think there’s anything I’m afraid of.”
    “You must be afraid of something. You’re human, after
all.”
    “I’m already dead, Doc. Dead men fear nothing.”
    “I think you’re afraid of loneliness. That’s why you
dreamed up this world, isn’t it?”
    After a long pause, Richard shrugged and replied,
“Boredom, loneliness—aren’t they basically the same thing?”
    Stanley glanced at the bag again. Had Richard brought a
gun to their meeting last week?
    Why did it matter?
    “Remember that question about a jaywalker who got run
over?” Stanley asked. “Why did you ask it?”
    “It was a test.”
    “Why this question in particular?”
    “I chose it because it was tricky.”
    Stanley shook his head. “I suspect you ran over and
killed somebody, and now you’re being eaten by guilt. It must have happened at
an intersection. Am I right? Did you run over someone?”
    His facial expression unchanged, Richard shook his
head. “No, you’re wrong. I didn’t kill anyone. I’m a very careful driver. But
you may be interested to hear that my son got run over a while ago.” 
    “I’m sorry about your son. Is he okay?”
    “You’re asking if he survived? I think he did.”
    Stanley’s eyes turned glassy, and he froze for a few
seconds, absorbed in thought. Then he shifted his look to Richard and said, “I
know what scares you. There are people that you’d love to forget, to vanish
from your world but can’t. Perhaps people that hurt you, or people you hurt.”
He peered at Richard’s face. “Am I correct? I must be correct. My thoughts come
from you, don’t they? If I’m thinking it, you’re thinking it, too.”
    “Does this mean you believe my theory?”
    “Or is it Helen? She said that you barely talk.”
Stanley paused to sort out all the new ideas rushing into this head. “She said
that you leave when she’s in bed and that she’s in bed when you come home. You
know what I think?” He fixed his eyes on Richard’s face. “You can’t see your
wife. You can’t make her appear in your presence. Did I guess it right,
Richard?”
    It was half a minute before Richard replied, “Bravo,
Doc. What can I say? Yes, you hit the nail on the head. I can’t see her. I
can’t see my wife. And my son—I can’t see him either.”
    “Why? You are the master of this dream, aren’t you?”
    “Maybe they don’t want me to see them. Maybe I’m being
punished.”
    “Punished for what?”
    “I wish I knew.” Richard heaved a sigh. “Or maybe I
just need more practice.” He folded his arms on his