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I’m linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories and everyone is invited to write a story or poem constructed of six sentences based on a cue word given.

This week’s cue word is Change

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Editor’s note: I’m placing my notes at the top of this week’s Six Sentence Stories because some context is required before you read my entry.

Let me introduce you (if you don’t already know her) to one of our fellow Six Sentence Stories writers Reena Saxena who during three SSS challenges in November and December wrote an intriguing trilogy set in a mysterious asylum. I remarked at the time how elements of Reena’s trilogy were in parallel to the novel I am writing currently – also set in a mysterious asylum. Reena asked me if I wished to carry her story forward, to which I replied “Don’t tempt me!” 🙂

So here we are. And it’s a pleasure indeed to carry on the work of one of my writing peers, but also a revelation – for I was struck by two things: One, the synchronicity of individual themes able to meet unexpectedly. Two: the action of Reena offering me to carry on her trilogy mirrored a major plot twist in my novel. And here I was stunned – real life meets writing life meets common themes. I won’t elaborate because of spoilers for my novel, but what happened was pretty wild!

My aim is to carry on where Reena left off with her trilogy with my own trilogy, plus a title to catch it all. Will it provide answers to the mystery? You’ll have to read on to find out.

I’ve copied and pasted here Reena’s trilogy in the order it was made, then added my continuation after. Links are also provided. Thanks, Reena, for starting something 🙂  Thanks also to Denise for inspiring us with the weekly SSS challenges 🙂 And thanks to everyone else for reading 🙂

And so, let us go to the main event…

DINNER WITH DIANA

 

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CHAPTER 1

CONFUSION (by Reena Saxena)

She came every Thursday, dressed in a shade of blue matching her eyes and her straight, long, auburn tresses burnt the consciousness of all participants there.

“I’m fit enough to leave the asylum”, declared a confident-looking young man.

“Good to know that, and I’ll bid you goodbye after you have undergone the mandatory tests.”

“I will not go alone, you need to accompany me.”

The guy was attacked by others, as they wouldn’t let him take away the only oasis in their insane lives. The mayhem that followed needed disciplinary measures, and three people were found missing after the event – like me, are you wondering who was the third one?

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CHAPTER 2

IN A TRANCE (by Reena Saxena)

Dinner with Diana on Fridays was a ritual, inmates of the asylum had always followed …. some had to be wheeled in by attendants, in a semi-conscious state after medication, but they were all present.

‘You know what, the shots aren’t as bad as you think, and I like the way they put me in a trance”, shared one of the inmates.

“Are you the one who let three inmates out last Friday, or you can’t recall being manipulated?”

“I don’t think we have met before, but I cannot leave Diana ….” a blue light appeared to beam from his dark eyes, as if he was in a trance and his hands moved towards my neck.

“I’m Inspector Robert … here to investigate how three political prisoners sent here for treatment escaped in the melee last Friday. I believe you created a hullabaloo about not leaving Diana, but you know what … she is being taken by the police.”

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CHAPTER 3

NESTED (by Reena Saxena)

“Dr. Diana, did you seek permission from the clients before hypnotising them, as per professional ethics?”

“They are not sane enough to decide for themselves, but benefit from the treatment given.”

“I understand you wrote “Fairies on the menu tonight” in the invite for Dinner with Diana, and dressed as a fairy yourself.”

“It was on the request of one of the inmates I had become close to.”

“It was done to cause a stampede, and  it was on your request that he opened the gates to let out three selected inmates – Why, and for what price?

“For an amount sufficient to build my personal fairyland, and practice mass hypnosis- the enslaved inmates would have been instrumental in executing a political strategy.”

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CHAPTER 4

STATION TO STATION (by Ford Waight)

The police station reception reminded her of the nurse’s station at the asylum: the harsh ceiling lights, the waiting area dotted with mismatched coloured plastic chairs, telephones ringing from a counter where instead of a nurse stood a desk sergeant seven hours into his shift, and tacked to the yellowy walls between memos and protocols a cartoon poster of a woman tearing out her hair and declaring – You Don’t Have To Be Mad To Work Here But It helps.

In the interview room, Inspector Robert sat slumped at the table staring at his image in the two way mirror, a thin ribbon of drool descending from his lip, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why he was dressed as an elf when only that morning he was certain he had donned as normal his suit and tie.

As she left the police station, Dr. Diana waved a hand at the desk sergeant and bid him a good evening, to which he replied: “And a good evening yourself, Inspector Robert, see you tomorrow.”

And as she drove away in a vehicle which did not belong to her but for which she had the key, and on a cell phone which equally did not belong to her, Dr. Diana called one of the escaped political prisoners, and told him to activate immediately Plan Louis Armstrong.

At the asylum, change was already in progress: a new governor would be starting on Monday, along with a new doctor, and a PR specialist to calm the waves of the media storm which had brewing since the escape.

At the nurse’s station the phone was ringing, and the duty nurse answered and said: “Hello, Governor Armstrong, we weren’t expecting you till Monday, of course I’ll have your office prepared immediately.”

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To be continued…