08 Illusion by Frank Peretti Read Free Book Online Page B

her.
    “So,” Bernadette finally said with a little clap and rub of her hands, “let’s do the questions and the games. What’s my name?”
    “Bernadette.”
    “Do you remember my last name?”
    Mandy had to work a bit. “N … Nolan?”
    “Right. And you know where you are?”
    “Behavioral Health, Spokane County Medical Center.”
    “And what year is it?”
    Mandy had to think about that one. It depended on who you asked, so she asked, “Is it 2010?”
    “That’s right,” Bernadette answered, but she jotted something down. “And when were you born?”
    “January fifteenth, 1951.”
    It was fun watching Bernadette trying not to react. She looked at Mandy and smiled, studying her a bit. “Do you think it’s 2010?”
    “That’s what I’m told and that’s what I’m seeing.”
    “But you were born in 1951.”
    “That’s right.”
    “That would make you …” Bernadette had to work it out on her pad. “Fifty-nine. Are you fifty-nine?”
    “No, I’m nineteen.”
    She chuckled. “Does that puzzle you at all, your being born in ’51 but you’re only nineteen?”
    Mandy threw up her hands. “I am completely puzzled!”
    “That’s good. That’s actually very good.” Jot, jot. “Okay, I’ll give you three words: cadillac, zebra, purple. Can you say them back to me?”
    “Cadillac, zebra, purple.”
    “Can you count backward from one hundred by threes?”
    Oh-oh. Mandy and numbers didn’t get along. She counted down as far as fifty-two before Bernadette let it go.
    “What were the three words I gave you?”
    “Cadillac, zebra, and purple.”
    “How about the days of the week? Can you say those backward?”
    Mandy felt nervous about that one, but they tumbled out just fine.
    “Got a favorite TV show?”
    “Carol Burnett. And Daddy and I always watch Gunsmoke. ”
    “On DVD?”
    “Uh … no, Channel Four.”
    Jot jot. Hopefully she jotted something positive.
    And it went on and on.
    “Spell the word world backward.”
    “Explain what happened yesterday. What do you think should have happened?”
    “Can you tell me my name again?”
    “Can you name the last four presidents?” Jot jot.
    “What were those three words again?”
    “Can you give me two different definitions for the word right ? How about the word bit ? How about left ?”
    “What do people mean when they say ‘A rolling stone gathers no moss’?”
    Mandy had no trouble answering the questions and doing the thinking, but it was getting tedious. She never thought to pick up the deck of cards; she just noticed she was shuffling them as she spoke.
    “What do you think people mean when they say ‘When the cat’s away the mice will play’?”
    Brrrriiiip! Riffle shuffle on the table. “When the authority figure is absent, people push their boundaries and see what they can get away with.”
    “What about hallucinations or delusions? Have you experienced anything like that?”
    Brrrrrriiiip! Riffle shuffle off the table, hands in the air, like a skilled cardsharp. “You mean, besides thinking I’m living in 2010?”
    “Well, aren’t you?”
    Fffffoooot! Waterfall, the cards cascading through space from her raised right hand into her waiting left. “You think I’m living in 2010 and think I’m from 1970. I think I’m living in 1970 and think I’m living in 2010. That’s the difference.”
    Jot jot. “Wow. Does that scare you at all?”
    “Very much.”
    “Do you feel afraid right now?”
    Ribbon spread, the cards spread out across the table like a long ribbon, perfectly lapped and spaced. Mandy had to pay attention to the cards for a moment, it looked so good. “I’m making lemonade.”
    “Excuse me?”
    Mandy gathered the ribbon, squared the deck, and looked Bernadette in the eye. “What do you think people mean when they say, ‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade’?”
    Bernadette nodded. “Got it.” Jot jot.
    “Daddy told me that.” She spread the cards into a ribbon again, all facedown