The year is 1975; a man by the name of Jiminy watches the rain lightly tap the windowpane he so eagerly stares out of. With the rocking chair creaking from the strain, he sips at a glass of water meant to wash down the pills he had been given. Turning to his side Jiminy smiles at the friend sitting beside him, his best friend for many years now, this man has come to show him that there is more to life than he ever thought possible. The friend returns the smile and nods at Jiminy to take his pills. The two of them sit in silence, enjoying the moment they have together while staring at the Sun shining through the little droplets still hanging onto the pane of glass, creating the most beautiful kaleidoscope effect filling the room with all the colours of the rainbow. They talk for a few minutes about the beauty of the colours, until the room darkened and became still.
A loud bang coming from behind his chair awoke Jiminy from his chemically induced slumber. He turns around to see a man in a white coat standing at the door, notepad in the one hand and recording device in the other. After wiping the sleep from his eyes, Jiminy turns to his friend for comfort only to find the room devoid of anyone else besides him and the man in the white coat. “Where is my friend?” asked Jiminy, “He was here a little while ago!” The man in the white coat remained silent, a slight sign of empathy reflected in his facial expression. “Where is my friend?” Jiminy repeated, “I want to see him now, why did you take him away?” The man in the white coat slowly walks to beside the rocking chair and takes a seat on the tiny bed stationed there. He starts up the recording device and scribbles the date on a clean page, “There is no one in this room besides you and I, Jiminy. There hasn’t been anyone else for the last eleven years that you have been here.”
Jiminy suffered from a severe case of Delusion Disorder, with multiple other conditions being diagnosed as his time within the asylum progressed. His friend was never real, yet Jiminy believed him to be, for he experienced him every single day for twelve years, conversing on a daily basis, finding comfort and trusting in each other completely. After the first year of his condition, his wife and children could not handle the outbursts and unusual behaviors, adamant on the existence of his personal best friend, Jiminy became more and more convinced while those around him became more and more concerned. Jiminy swore his friend was real if only those who didn’t want to see him would take the time to do so. Jiminy’s delusion turned into his reality, turning the reality of everyone around him into one of despair; he is clinically insane, with his imaginary friend being nothing more than a trick of the brain.
The man in the white coat wrote one last line on his notepad; “He continues to believe in his delusion regardless of the evidence shown against it, with his evidence for the existence of his friend remaining elusive and his reverence for said friend, growing stronger each and every day.” With that the man in the white coat stood up, picked up his things and smiled down at Jiminy, “You know Jiminy, if you want, I could be your friend.” Jiminy looked up and frowned, “I’m sorry Sir, I’d rather not be, you tell me my friend isn’t real and now you want to replace him.” With that, the man in the white coat exited the room, shaking his head from side to side whispering beneath his breath, "Tomorrow I will be here in person, with your friend still firmly within your head."
“When one person suffers from a delusion, it’s called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called Religion.” – Robert M. Pirsig
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