Outpatient - A Story of Horror and Madness by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

would spend hours lying on a large flat rock on the far side of Stratton Pond, where she'd gaze up at the Bigelow range and ponder her own smallness in the shadow of its earthly beauty. This, of course, led her thoughts off into the rest of the universe. She was always fascinated by the insignificance of the human race. But, she was even more fascinated by the number of people who didn't seem to understand or care about it. “So much more.” she would think to herself.

She continued driving down Route 27 when she realized something was missing – music. Catherine pulled over slightly and slowed down as she reached over for her CD case. She opened it and slipped out the first disc in the case. Sliding the disc into her car's CD player, she pushed a couple of buttons skipping a few tracks, and suddenly Catherine was surrounded with music. It was her favorite band, Rush. She had skipped ahead to her favorite song from their „Moving Pictures" CD, called „Red Barchetta". She considered the tune to be the perfect driving music, and the drum rhythms created a kind of energy that made her feel alive. Soon, Catherine was singing along. She belted out the lyrics like a rock star while rocking her head forward and back in time to the music.

Catherine continued driving south on Route 27 and listening to the rest of the CD, she noticed Blue Mountain coming up on her right. She glanced up at its summit thinking about what a wonderful hike it would be and immediately thought about Nancy, that she should call her when she returned home. Maybe she'd be interested in planning a hike there this fall. Catherine pulled off to the side of the road and turned on her flashers. Looked at her watch, she wondered if there might have a few minutes to get out and just stand there, looking at the mountain.

“Just a few minutes,” she thought. She wondered how many trails went to the summit and which were the safest. If she could conquer Blue Mountain, it would be the high point of her life. And she would quickly come to realize that she could do anything she set her mind to. “This time, Blue Mountain – next time, mental illness”, she quietly said to herself. Catherine had developed a determination to do this, and she now felt the passion she needed to succeed. She got back in her car and proceeded down Route 27 until she passed a sign that said, „Now Entering Farmington". The tension and anxiety began to return, as the sign now reminded her of why she was on the road in the first place. Catherine's knuckles whitened up again as she began to grip the wheel. This time, she kept a close watch on her speed.