FOUR
Everyone stood around Pam's bed. Once Matilda had orbed the
sisters and Cole to Patty's place, Paige had insisted that they orb
directly to Pam's room. She promised to explain everything once they
were there. Now, with the nine of them in the small room, it seemed
extremely cramped.
"Okay," said Leo, his patience obviously wearing thing, "you
said you'd explain everything. Now, just what's going on?"
"Only this," said Paige. She held out her hand toward the book
lying on the nightstand next to Pam's bed. "Book, please," she said.
As before with the magazine, the book simply floated to her and landed
softly in her hand.
"Wait a minute," said Patrice. "You said you didn't have any
powers. How were you able to do that?"
"In a way, I didn't," said Paige. "The person who's been doing
all of this did. They gave me this power."
"You know who's doing it?" asked Piper. "Who? Is it some evil
plot to destroy the Charmed Ones?"
"I don't think so," said Paige, sitting on the edge of Pam's
bed. "She's doing. At least, I think she is."
"That's impossible," said Paula. "She's in a coma. She can't
even feed herself. How could she be doing all this?"
"Remember at the manor," said Paige to Piper and Phoebe, "when
Cole mentioned that it must be a nightmare for us?"
"Yes," said the two sisters in unison.
"Then Phoebe mentioned that Patty said it all seemed like a
dream," continued Paige. "That it wasn't all real."
"I remember that," said Patty. "What does that have to do with
Pam?"
"Just this," said Paige. "When we were talking the other day,
Phoebe mentioned that it seemed like a child was doing this. A child
who hadn't learned the subtlety of tact."
"Yeah, so?" asked Patrice.
"Pam was only thirteen when she had her accident," said Paige.
"She's still very much a child. Emotionally, anyway. I think what's
happened here is that subconsciously she knew that her end was near.
So, to help out her sisters, she used some latent psychokinetic
ability to give them our powers. Maybe to repay them for the years of
reading to her and simply being here with her day after day."
"That's a bit far fetched," said Leo. "Pam never exhibited any
type of power. How could she have suddenly developed it while she's
in a coma?"
"I don't know," said Paige. "But I remember when I was a kid I
saw a movie called Forgotten Planet or Forbidden Planet or something
like that. It was about this scientist who discovered this alien
machine on a distant planet. The machine enhanced his mind and
allowed him to do things that ordinary humans couldn't do."
"I remember that movie," said Paula. "Pam and I went to see it
about a month before the accident. It was playing at a theatre
downtown and it was playing on a day when we were off from school for
a teacher's conference or something."
"Well," continued Paige, "in that movie, unknown to the
scientist, it unleashed a monster or something from his subconscious.
It killed several of the astronauts who had come to get him. It
nearly destroyed them before they figured out what was going on and
were able to escape the planet."
"That's right," said Paula. "Actually, if I remember right, it
was all of his subconscious fears and insecurities that the alien
machine made come to life. And, if I recall, he had little control
over it."
"Exactly," said Paige. "And another interesting point. It only
appeared when the scientist was asleep. When his subconscious mind
took control. I think that's what's happened here. Pam has some form
of latent telekinetic ability that, in her comatose state, has
virtually free reign. Since she can't wake up, it's in control the
entire time."
"Interesting theory," said Cole. "Only, there's no way to prove
it. No way to know for sure if you're right."
"Yes, there is," said Paige, smiling. "When Patty and I were
here this morning, I mentioned out loud that I missed my telekinetic
ability. While Patty was out of the room. The only one who heard me
was Pam. And later today, at the manor, I suddenly developed
telekinetic ability. As if she was trying to repay me for taking my
powers away."
"But you didn't have your normal power," said Piper. "It was
more like what Prue had. Yours worked differently from Prues'."
"Exactly," said Paige. "Only, Pam had no way of knowing that.
She just gave me the ability, as she knew it. The way most people
would understand it."
"Wait a minute," said Patrice. "Are you telling me that she
heard you? And that she used her latent psychokinetic ability to
alter reality? She's in a coma."
"I know," said Paige. "But when we first met you; before
anything changed; you told us that some doctors believe that, even in
a coma, some part of a person is still aware of what's going on around
them. They may not be consciously aware of it or even remember it
later on, but they believe that these people still can hear and
understand what people say around them."
"That's right," said Piper, "you did say that."
"Even if that's true," said Matilda, "that still doesn't explain
how she was able to affect everything to the extent she has. No one
has ever exhibited this level of psychokinetic ability. Nothing
anywhere near it."
"That's because we only use about ten percent of our brain,"
Paige continued. "Most of what we have, we never use. Unconscious as
she is, there's not telling how much of her brain that Pam uses."
"It still seems a bit far fetched to me," said Patrice.
"Listen," said Paige, "there are documented cases where people
have been able to do some incredible things that science has never
been able to explain. I once read about a woman who had dual
personalities. In one personality, she was diagnosed with breast
cancer. X-rays, blood work, all of the tests showed the cancer. It
was very real. But when the other personality took over, there wasn't
a sign of cancer anywhere in her body.
"If that can happen in someone who's conscious and aware,
imagine what someone in a coma could accomplish? The subconscious
mind can be very powerful. Any psychologist will tell you that a lot
of our behavior can, and often is, controlled by our subconscious
mind."
Everyone in the room just stared at Paige. It was clear that
none of them was convinced of her theory.
Everyone stood around Pam's bed. Once Matilda had orbed the
sisters and Cole to Patty's place, Paige had insisted that they orb
directly to Pam's room. She promised to explain everything once they
were there. Now, with the nine of them in the small room, it seemed
extremely cramped.
"Okay," said Leo, his patience obviously wearing thing, "you
said you'd explain everything. Now, just what's going on?"
"Only this," said Paige. She held out her hand toward the book
lying on the nightstand next to Pam's bed. "Book, please," she said.
As before with the magazine, the book simply floated to her and landed
softly in her hand.
"Wait a minute," said Patrice. "You said you didn't have any
powers. How were you able to do that?"
"In a way, I didn't," said Paige. "The person who's been doing
all of this did. They gave me this power."
"You know who's doing it?" asked Piper. "Who? Is it some evil
plot to destroy the Charmed Ones?"
"I don't think so," said Paige, sitting on the edge of Pam's
bed. "She's doing. At least, I think she is."
"That's impossible," said Paula. "She's in a coma. She can't
even feed herself. How could she be doing all this?"
"Remember at the manor," said Paige to Piper and Phoebe, "when
Cole mentioned that it must be a nightmare for us?"
"Yes," said the two sisters in unison.
"Then Phoebe mentioned that Patty said it all seemed like a
dream," continued Paige. "That it wasn't all real."
"I remember that," said Patty. "What does that have to do with
Pam?"
"Just this," said Paige. "When we were talking the other day,
Phoebe mentioned that it seemed like a child was doing this. A child
who hadn't learned the subtlety of tact."
"Yeah, so?" asked Patrice.
"Pam was only thirteen when she had her accident," said Paige.
"She's still very much a child. Emotionally, anyway. I think what's
happened here is that subconsciously she knew that her end was near.
So, to help out her sisters, she used some latent psychokinetic
ability to give them our powers. Maybe to repay them for the years of
reading to her and simply being here with her day after day."
"That's a bit far fetched," said Leo. "Pam never exhibited any
type of power. How could she have suddenly developed it while she's
in a coma?"
"I don't know," said Paige. "But I remember when I was a kid I
saw a movie called Forgotten Planet or Forbidden Planet or something
like that. It was about this scientist who discovered this alien
machine on a distant planet. The machine enhanced his mind and
allowed him to do things that ordinary humans couldn't do."
"I remember that movie," said Paula. "Pam and I went to see it
about a month before the accident. It was playing at a theatre
downtown and it was playing on a day when we were off from school for
a teacher's conference or something."
"Well," continued Paige, "in that movie, unknown to the
scientist, it unleashed a monster or something from his subconscious.
It killed several of the astronauts who had come to get him. It
nearly destroyed them before they figured out what was going on and
were able to escape the planet."
"That's right," said Paula. "Actually, if I remember right, it
was all of his subconscious fears and insecurities that the alien
machine made come to life. And, if I recall, he had little control
over it."
"Exactly," said Paige. "And another interesting point. It only
appeared when the scientist was asleep. When his subconscious mind
took control. I think that's what's happened here. Pam has some form
of latent telekinetic ability that, in her comatose state, has
virtually free reign. Since she can't wake up, it's in control the
entire time."
"Interesting theory," said Cole. "Only, there's no way to prove
it. No way to know for sure if you're right."
"Yes, there is," said Paige, smiling. "When Patty and I were
here this morning, I mentioned out loud that I missed my telekinetic
ability. While Patty was out of the room. The only one who heard me
was Pam. And later today, at the manor, I suddenly developed
telekinetic ability. As if she was trying to repay me for taking my
powers away."
"But you didn't have your normal power," said Piper. "It was
more like what Prue had. Yours worked differently from Prues'."
"Exactly," said Paige. "Only, Pam had no way of knowing that.
She just gave me the ability, as she knew it. The way most people
would understand it."
"Wait a minute," said Patrice. "Are you telling me that she
heard you? And that she used her latent psychokinetic ability to
alter reality? She's in a coma."
"I know," said Paige. "But when we first met you; before
anything changed; you told us that some doctors believe that, even in
a coma, some part of a person is still aware of what's going on around
them. They may not be consciously aware of it or even remember it
later on, but they believe that these people still can hear and
understand what people say around them."
"That's right," said Piper, "you did say that."
"Even if that's true," said Matilda, "that still doesn't explain
how she was able to affect everything to the extent she has. No one
has ever exhibited this level of psychokinetic ability. Nothing
anywhere near it."
"That's because we only use about ten percent of our brain,"
Paige continued. "Most of what we have, we never use. Unconscious as
she is, there's not telling how much of her brain that Pam uses."
"It still seems a bit far fetched to me," said Patrice.
"Listen," said Paige, "there are documented cases where people
have been able to do some incredible things that science has never
been able to explain. I once read about a woman who had dual
personalities. In one personality, she was diagnosed with breast
cancer. X-rays, blood work, all of the tests showed the cancer. It
was very real. But when the other personality took over, there wasn't
a sign of cancer anywhere in her body.
"If that can happen in someone who's conscious and aware,
imagine what someone in a coma could accomplish? The subconscious
mind can be very powerful. Any psychologist will tell you that a lot
of our behavior can, and often is, controlled by our subconscious
mind."
Everyone in the room just stared at Paige. It was clear that
none of them was convinced of her theory.