Author's note: There is good news and bad news. Bad news is I am sick and am not quite sure what I have written. I do not have the energy to re-read what is written and so I apologize for any typos (and probably for this overall crappy chapter), grammatical and spelling errors. Good news is if I continue to remain sick I may just be able to update another chapter. Maybe even update 'The Runway' (cause being sick = no going to work and so a lot of time to write). So anyway, enjoy the chapter (at least try to) and let me know what you think of it.
Chapter 2:
A few days later, after dropping off Daniel at Hanna's apartment, Emily headed to Dr Suvillian's office. She had first met Dr Suvillian at the Wounded Warrior's Fundraiser a couple of years ago. The doctor was renowned for her work with soldiers suffering from PTSD. Emily, herself, had often recommended her physical therapy patients to enlist Dr Suvillian's services. Walking into her office, Emily was greeted by the receptionist and asked to go in as the doctor was expecting her.
"Emily! It's so good to see you again. How have you been?"
"It's good to see you too Ann. I am fine. How are you doing?"
"I am fine too. So what brings you to my office today?"
"Well….I am not really sure how to talk about it…"
"There is no hurry….take your time…."
"Daniel has been having nightmares. He wakes up almost every night crying and screaming that he is being whipped by some man. Ian and Melissa aren't my most favourite people but I know they wouldn't hurt him like that and there aren't any bodily signs of physical abuse either. Melissa said that he has been having these nightmares for a while now. They had taken him to a therapist back in London but he wasn't able to decipher what the issue was. I am not sure what to do!?"
"That's interesting. Besides the whipping, has he said anything else about his dreams?"
"He said that the man whipping him wore funny clothes. Something like a skirt. And he spoke in some weird language. In fact, when Daniel has these nightmares and he starts screaming at night, he speaks in some language I have never heard before."
"Would it be possible for you to bring Daniel to meet me? I think it would be easier for me to understand why this is happening if I spoke to him directly."
"I could do that. In fact I can bring him tomorrow."
Dr Suvillian greeted Emily and Daniel at the door when they walked in the next morning. After the pleasantries had been done away with the doctor started to question the little boy.
"So Daniel, Emily tells me that you have been having some bad dreams of late. Do you think you can tell me a little bit about them?"
Daniel looked around the room uncomfortably, not really willing to discuss his nightmares with a complete stranger. Emily sensing his discomfort gently wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"It's okay Danny. Dr Suvillian is just trying to help but if you don't want to talk about it then you don't have to. But if you can then maybe we can help stop the bad dreams."
"But I am scared Emmy."
"Don't be baby. I am right here with you and I promise I won't let anything happen to you."
Sensing that the little boy may be ready to talk about his nightmares, Dr Suvillian speaks up, "Emily has already told me a little about your dreams, can you tell me when you started having these dreams Daniel?"
"I am not sure. But sometime after Christmas, I think."
"Had anything happened during Christmas? Did you see a scary movie? Did someone tell you a scary story?"
"No."
"Has anyone ever tried to hurt you? Anyone at home or at school maybe?"
"No."
"Do you have any hobbies? Do you like to draw?"
"Yeah."
"Can you draw me something from your dream?"
"I can try."
"That's great Daniel. I'll get you some crayons and paper."
After Daniel was done drawing, he handed it over to Emily. There was a simple yellow coloured triangle drawn in the middle of the page.
"Is that a triangle Daniel?"
"Yes."
"Why did you draw that?"
"Cause I saw it in my dreams."
"Okay Daniel. Why don't you wait outside while I talk to Emily?"
As soon as Daniel left, Emily started to anxiously question Dr Suvillian.
"So any idea why he is having the nightmares? I mean nothing he said seems to indicate that anything significant happened that could have caused them, right?"
"You're right. He doesn't seem to be repressing any sort of emotion or physical abuse that he may have faced which could have caused the nightmares."
"So then what do we do now?"
"A colleague of mine, Professor Gottesman, is an expert on dream analysis. Maybe you and Daniel should visit him. Maybe he can help."
"Past life regression. It's a technique in which we use hypnosis to delve into a person's memories of their past life", said Professor Gottesman.
After Dr Suvillian recommended that Emily seek Professor Gottesman's help, she had called the professor and explained her dilemma to him. They visited him the following day and after speaking to Daniel, the professor suggested that his dreams maybe memories of a past life.
"Are you insane?! His dreams are memories of his past life?! You actually expect me to believe that? How the hell did you manage to become a Professor? And to top it all, you want to hypnotise a 7 year old boy?!"
Emily's outburst at his suggestion startled the timid professor. "Miss Fields, I assure you I do not intend to harm Daniel in any way. The hypnosis is merely a suggestion that could help us understand the cause behind his nightmares. You can be here with him the entire time and if at any point you feel I should stop then tell me and I will."
The professor's sincere words made Emily consider the suggestion. No one had yet been able to provide her with any explanation behind Daniel's dreams. Professor Gottesman's theory, however bizarre, seemed to be the only explanation they had. After much contemplation she finally agreed.
"I can't believe I am agreeing to this but if at any time I think that this hypnosis crap of yours isn't helping Danny, then you're going to stop instantly. Is that clear?"
"Crystal!"
"Can you hear me Daniel?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell me where you are?"
"In a desert."
"What are you doing in the desert?"
"Working."
"What kind of work?"
"I have to drag the big stones."
"Are you building something?"
"We are building a tomb."
"We? Are there others with you?"
"Yes. There are many of us here. We all have to drag big stones. If we don't work properly, then the master will whip us."
As soon as Daniel says this, he starts to scream and cry. When the professor tries to calm him down, he starts to thrash about. Emily had been watching this entire conversation unfold before her in dumbfound silence. As soon as Daniel became hysterical, she to rushed to his side.
"Danny it's okay, You're alright. I am right here."
Hearing Emily's voice, Daniel broke out f his hypnotic trance.
"Emmy! It's the golden pyramid! We have to go there! Take me there!"
"The golden what?!" asked Emily flabbergasted.
"The golden pyramid Emmy! We have to go there!"