I DO NOT OWN STRANGER THINGS. THIS TAKES PLACE AFTER SEASON ONE. SOME CHAPTERS CONTAIN MENTIONS OF ABUSE. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
"Pennhurst State School and Hospital is a human rat-trap. It ain't getting in that's hard, it's getting out." Murray Bauman
"I bet she escaped from Pennhurst...the nuthouse in Kerley County." Lucas Sinclair
October 7, 1984. Spring City, Pennsylvania.
There were three persons present in the office of Dr. Josiah B. Brown. One was Dr. Josiah himself. He was a handsome white man with short polished black hair and a matching goatee. He wore a white coat and had these deep brown eyes that stared deep into you. He spoke with a British accent because he had originally been born in Liverpool before becoming a forgiven exchange student to further his education in America. The other man was a much older man by the name of Benjamin Powell. Mr. Powell was a man from the town of Gladstone, Pennsylvania whose son had been missing for several weeks. The third occupant of the office was Paladin. Paladin was a young boy of about 14 or close to it. He had a mop top of brown hair and brown eyes along with pale white skin. He was wearing nothing but a hospital gown, a pair of underwear, and a pair of socks.
"So this is your mystery boy?" Powell asked as Dr. Josiah nodded.
"Poor boy was found wandering the streets of Pittsburg, dazed and confused." He explained. "The authorities sent him here to us. When he was found, he was suffering from amnesia. He had no idea who he was or where he was from. He had no valuables on him except a Paladin game piece from the table top game Dungeons and Dragons. As a result, the media has dubbed him "The Paladin of Pennhurst. We have tried running his picture in the news papers and the television stations in hopes that someone will identify him as a friend or loved one and while many seeking lost sons or brothers have come to our facilities hoping for a happy reunion...so far, he has not been claimed."
"So, he has forgotten everything?"
"I'm afraid that's right, he has not a single memory to comfort him." Mr. Powell walked around Paladin and then finally, shook his head.
"This boy is not my son." He stated. "My Davy has a birthmark on his left arm, your boy has no such mark." Been Powell was escorted out as Dr. Josiah sighed.
"Another dead end." Paladin replied.
"I'm sorry to keep bringing you in here Paladin." The doctor apologized. "I have a suspicion that some people come here merely to satisfy a curiosity...nonetheless, we are obliged to see them in case there's a chance that they could shed some light on your past." Paladin nodded as he noticed a worn book on Dr. Josiah's desk. The Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The letter L caught Paladin's attention.
Paladin saw himself in a basement. A storm was raging outside. He was kneeling next to a pillow fort. Next to him was a young girl with a shaved head, dressed in his clothes. The girl seemed familiar, but he could not be sure.
"What if we called you El, short for Eleven?" Paladin asked. The girl nodded while her big brown eyes bore into him. Paladin tried to tell her his name, but no sound came out.
"Paladin, are you all right?" Dr. Josiah inquired as he touched the boy's shoulder. "You spaced out for a minute."
"I...I saw something." Paladin said as Dr. Brown's eyes widened.
"Was it a memory?" He asked.
"It was...more like...a feeling."
"A Feeling can be the footprint of a memory. What did you feel?"
"I was in someone's basement, maybe it was my basement." Paladin explained. "There was a kind of...a fort, made of pillows and blankets; I was talking to a girl."
"This girl, was she a sister, or a friend?" The doctor asked.
"I don't know, I knew her from somewhere. When I saw the L on the cover of your book, I thought of her. I remember asking if I could call her El, because it was short for Eleven."
"Did you see what she looked like?"
"She was a little younger then me. Her head was shaved, she was wearing someone else's clothes. I could tell that this girl was important, we were close..."
"This is excellent." Dr. Josiah smiled. "The image of the girl, the word association. Your realizing that she was close to you. This is progress. You could be on the verge of a breakthrough."
"Or I could be imaging things." Paladin offered.
"Paladin." Josiah said as he took the boy's hands in his. "You must not give into despair. You have every reason to hope. Your identity is not gone. It is merely...hidden, and as your primary doctor, it is my duty to help you find it. Each memory you have is a clue to who you are. We must follow the clues wherever they may lead us."
WHO IS THE MYSTERIOUS PALADIN? CAN DR. JOSIAH HELP HIM RECOVER HIS MEMORY? REVIEWS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED.