The man was finally leaving the halfway house. It was five years since he had been admitted to Lincoln Memorial Hospital, and he was being discharged from the care of the Department of Mental Health and Services.

They had a small party for him at the halfway house - with a cake that some of the other residents made for him, and tacos. He had continued with his painting, and had sold some of his works and gained a certain following in the local art scene. He had also been featured in the culture pages of the local press, and even in the pages of New York Times Saturday edition.

His last appointment with his therapist had been pleasant. She was thrilled with him and his progress - and had made the recommendation that he be released from the care of the Department of Mental Health. The sign-off had to be agreed by a panel of psychiatrists, and he met with them all in person and talked about his life and his art, as well as his plans. He was still taking medication - and he was advised that he would probably have to take it for the rest of his life. The panel of psychiatrists agreed that he had made a full recovery from his breakdown, and would be released from the care of the Department of Mental Health.

After the party he spent his last night in the halfway house. Laura was picking him up in the morning, and he would be heading to the farmhouse. He didn’t have a job, and he wanted to set up a studio in the barn on the farm, and then open it up as a retreat for other artists to stay at. He lay in bed and thought about returning to the farmhouse - and he thought of what Laura had said to him at the gallery.

‘Mushin’, he said to himself. ‘Mushin, in a person, is achieved when the mind is free from thoughts of anger or fear during everyday life. I have no fear, and I have no anger.’

And then he thought of Laura. The love of his life. Their relationship was not sexual - but he hoped that one day it would become that way. He hoped that one day he would marry Laura and she would live on the farm with him. He hoped that they would be happy together - and that they would grow old together. One of the side effects of the medication he took was a suppression of sexual desires and the inability to gain an erection. If his and Laura’s relationship progressed that far, then he would see a doctor to see what could be done. But for now, he just loved her.

####

Laura arrived outside the halfway house, and Stan and a couple of the other residents helped the man with his things. They loaded up Laura’s car and then he said his farewells.

‘I mean this in the nicest way possible’ - said Stan - ‘But I really hope that you never come to stay again!’

He laughed and hugged Stan.

‘When I’m back in the city I’ll come and say hello - but I won’t be coming back to stay, Stan. I promise you that.’

Stan smiled and they shook hands. He bid farewell to the other residents and climbed into Laura’s car.

She smiled at him - ‘So you’re free?’

He smiled back - ‘I am free!’

Laura started the car - ‘Where to?’

He gave Laura directions, and they drove away from the halfway house and headed out of the city and into the country. They drove and talked and laughed - and then just after lunch they arrived at the dirt track that led to the farmhouse.

They drove up to the farmhouse and it was just the same as he remembered. The weeds were seriously out of control, but apart from that and the dust and dirt on the windows, everything looked in order. They had stopped to get some supplies on the way up, and Laura helped unload all of his belongings and the supplies. The inside of the farmhouse smelled mildewy, and there was dust everywhere. There was no power, but he found the old paraffin lamps and the bottle of fuel.

Laura had to head back into the city to work, but she told him that she would come back up after she finished work tomorrow and spend the weekend at the farm. He said that this was a good idea, as it would give him a bit of time to clean the place up and make it hospitable.

She kissed him goodbye, and then climbed back into her car and headed for the city. He waved as she drove away and then headed back into the farmhouse to start the cleaning.

####

The following morning he woke up and headed to the kitchen. He drank some water and took his medication, looking out of the farmhouse window. A black dog was sniffing around outside. He stepped outside and the dog came up to him, wagging its tail. He leaned down and stroked the dog - it didn’t have a collar. He headed back into the farmhouse and then returned with some beef jerky. He broke off pieces and fed them to the dog. The dog greedily ate the beef jerky and wagged its tail.

‘Are you lost?’ - He said to the dog.

And then he remembered a dream he had had many years before. A dream where he was on a submarine. It was a strange dream - but he remembered looking through the periscope of the submarine and seeing himself with a woman - a woman with dark hair and a black dog. They were all so happy.

‘Laura’ - he said to himself, as he stroked the dog - ‘She was in my dream - Laura and this dog.’

He spent the morning cleaning and thinking about the dream with Laura and the dog. He managed to get the kitchen looking pretty good - and he stopped for lunch and gave the dog half a tin of corned beef in a bowl. The dog ate the food rapidly, and then barked for more. He gave the rest of the corned beef to the dog and then decided to go for a walk.

The man headed off from the farmhouse out across the fields. He thought he could probably get some goats to keep the fields under control - and to milk them for butter and milk. He thought about setting aside a bit of the land to grow some wheat, and he could turn it into flour and bake his own bread. He thought that he could have a chicken coop, and farm fresh eggs. He and the dog walked for miles through the fields in a big loop around his property. He was heading back to the farmhouse from behind the barn, and the dog was running ahead of him, sniffing in the tree line and chasing birds out of the bushes. The dog stopped near the barn and began digging and barking. He caught up with the dog and stopped to see what it had found. He leaned down and the dog barked - and then he saw it. A human tooth in the dirt. A molar with the root still attached - like it had been ripped from someone’s mouth. He stared at it - and a wave of dread and panic washed over him.

What was a human tooth doing in the dirt behind his barn? He stood and stumbled backward still staring at the tooth. And then he heard the horn of a car. He nearly had a heart attack at the shock - and he quickly scrambled forward and covered the tooth up with dirt and then stood. He looked around to see if anyone was watching him. He was alone - just him and the dog. He heard the horn sound again. He was panicking - sweat had formed on his forehead and his breathing was rapid. He hurried back to the farmhouse and Laura was leaning against her car.

‘Hey you - I decided to come back early. I took a half day vacation so I can help clean up. Where have you been?’

He looked wild eyed and nervous.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah - yeah I’m fine. I just got freaked out a little. I just - I just got lost in the woods and panicked.’

‘Is that your dog?’

‘What? Oh yeah - I guess so.’

“I got some more supplies - I put them inside in the kitchen.’

The dog ran up to Laura and wagged its tail.

‘And what’s your name?’ - Laura said, bending down and stroking the dog’s head.

‘I need some water’ - he said, and he went into the farmhouse.

He stumbled through the door and went to the sink and turned the tap on. He filled his hands with water and washed his face.

‘Hello stranger’ - said a voice behind him.

He froze. The water continued running and he slowly turned around. She was standing there - Annabelle.

‘No - you’re not real. You’re a figment of my imagination. You’re not real!’

Annabelle smiled at him - ‘Oh I’m real. I’m very real - and you’re at the end of the line.’

He screamed and tried to run, but he froze in place as he turned. Annabelle wandered over and took a packet of cigarettes from her jacket pocket. She lit a cigarette and blew the smoke into his face. Laura and the dog came into the kitchen. The dog went up to Annabelle and she stroked it. He tried to scream but he couldn’t.

‘I would like to introduce you’ - said Annabelle - ‘To Laura McDonald.’

Laura walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. She took one of Annabelle’s cigarettes and lit it.

‘Laura McDonald’ - continued Annabelle - ‘Is the younger sister of the last woman you murdered, Cindy McDonald. Laura has been helping me - by working to get you “free” from the care of the Department of Mental Health and Services.’

Annabelle picked up a sheet of paper from the kitchen table - ‘According to this piece of paper that Laura here has provided, you’re now what we consider free and wild - and in no way are you confined or imprisoned, and able to operate without hindrance or let.’

Annabelle smiled. Tears were rolling down the man’s face as he stood frozen.

‘It’s been quite an adventure - I’ll say that. But like all good things, it has to end. After you fled - the last time we saw each other - I knew exactly what you would be doing, trying to get yourself locked up so that I couldn’t get to you. I had to work hard and fast to clean up your little kill site here - but by the time the police arrived all signs of your murders had been removed. After that - once you started telling stories about aliens chasing you - I thought it highly likely that you would be sent to an institution for help. I followed you from the sheriff’s office to the hospital, and that’s when I enrolled the lovely Laura here to help….’

Laura sat at the table and smoked her cigarette - staring at him.

‘....I told Laura everything - everything about me, and everything about you. I told Laura about how you brutally tortured and raped and murdered her sister, plus four other women, and then I told Laura my plan. Laura McDonald went undercover as Laura Hastings and became a student of Dr. Jeremy Ambrose - and started a covert sexual relationship with the doctor so that we could gain access to your medical files. Then Laura managed to join the study conducted on you - and made a connection with you, becoming your friend who helped you through your illness. With no bodies and a story about aliens chasing you - the good Dr. Ambrose diligently worked to convince you that it was all a fantasy….’

Annabelle finished her cigarette, and threw it in the sink. She leaned over and turned the tap off. She lit another cigarette.

‘....and then you were released to the halfway house - and Laura, the dutiful undercover agent, continued to work on you - making you fall in love with her. All of this work and dedication so that I could hold a piece of paper in my hand - here in this farmhouse - that says you’re free and wild. And here you are….cured of your, what do they call it…?’

‘Acute schizo-affective disorder and delusional architecture,’ - Laura recited.

‘Thank you - Acute schizo-affective disorder and delusional architecture. But it was all real - the sexual relationship with your mother was real, the murders and rapes and torturing were real, and I am real. Annabelle is fucking real!’

‘What are you going to do now?’ - Laura said.

Annabelle turned to her and smiled - ‘It’ll be quite unpleasant for you to see, but you’re welcome to stay and watch if you like.’

‘I’ll stay’ - said Laura, lighting another cigarette.

‘Alright’ - said Annabelle - ‘There won’t be any escapes this time, just to let you know. Let’s head to the barn.’

He felt himself walking - like he was floating. His legs moved him but he was not in control - Annabelle was in control. Tears flowed down his face. He tried to scream again - and this time a sound came out of his mouth. He screamed a blood curdling scream.

‘THIS ISN’T REAL - THIS IS A DELUSION!’ - He shouted as he marched himself to the barn - ‘I MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN TO TAKE MY MEDICATION. YOU’RE NOT REAL - DR. AMBROSE TOLD ME THAT YOU’RE NOT REAL!’

Annabelle opened the barn doors and he marched inside, closely followed by Laura. A large cylindrical tank was set up in the middle of the barn and a number of strange tools and instruments were laying on the floor.

‘This is real’ - said Annabelle - ‘This is as real as it gets for you.’

He screamed again, and the black dog was jumping up at him, barking and wagging its tail.

‘Do you have anything to say to him before I start?’ - Annabelle said to Laura.

Laura walked up to him and stared at him in the eyes - ‘Do you remember when I told you about the Japanese and Kintsugi - repairing broken plates with golden lacquer to make them more beautiful? I told you that the Japanese believe that humans are like broken plates or vases - and that when they are damaged and broken and they put themselves together, they emerge more beautiful and stronger because of those cracks and flaws. I just want you to know - you are not beautiful, and you are not stronger, and you will never be fixed. You are a foul fucking human, and you are broken and you will never be put back together to be stronger. Your angels will never sing - they will howl and cry in agony!’

Tears leaked from her eyes as she thought of her dead sister - and then she spat in his face.

He was crying - ‘Laura, I’m a good person. It wasn’t me. None of this is real. She isn’t real - Dr. Ambrose told me that she isn’t real. There’s no such things as aliens. There were no bodies found on the farm - I didn’t kill anyone. It was a fantasy. I’m a good person! I didn't kill your sister, I didn’t kill anyone - ask Dr. Ambrose. Please ask Dr. Ambrose!’

‘Is that everything?’ - Annabelle asked.

‘You promised me that your friendship was real - Laura. You promised me that I was not imagining it - that it wasn’t in my mind!’

Laura nodded. He continued to scream and cry. The dog barked.

From inside the barn a machine starting up could be heard - like an electric saw. And then the screaming intensified. A terrible long scream, and the electric saw noise buzzed. The dog ran from the barn with a lump of bloody meat in its mouth, and the screaming and buzzing of the saw intensified.

####

Later that night, Dr. Ambrose returned from the hospital. He kissed his wife on the cheek and hung his jacket. The Ambroses ate a dinner of penne arrabbiata and drank a bottle of Italian red wine. After dinner Dr. Ambrose went to his study and poured himself a Scotch. He sat at his desk reading through patient notes, and then he stopped what he was doing. He turned his chair around and looked at the wall behind his desk.

He stood and left his study and went to the kitchen where his wife was reading a magazine.

‘Hillary, darling.’

‘Yes Jeremy?’

‘The painting of Annabelle is gone.’

‘Gone where, darling?’ - Hillary said, not paying her husband much attention, and sipping the last of the wine whilst she flicked through the magazine.

‘Gone gone, darling!’

Hillary looked up at her husband - ‘What do you mean, “gone gone”?’

‘I mean it is not there - I mean it’s gone!’

Hillary stood and walked to her husband’s study. The pair of them looked at the wall behind the doctor’s desk - and the space where the portrait of Annabelle once hung.

‘How peculiar’ - said Hillary.