where a picture could have gone
.
Taking the locket from the woman’s hands, the doctor unhooked its chain and, as she turned around, placed the chain around her neck and fastened it. As she turned back to face him, he leaned down and pressed his lips against her neck
.
A flush of heat coursed through her body; the woman closed her eyes
.
Lorena watched it all—watched them whisper to each other, watched them glance at her, then watched them whisper again. She watched the woman open the box and take out the locket; watched her open it. As the “doctor” put it around the woman’s neck, Lorena suddenly knew what was contained inside the silver heart
.
Lies
.
The locket was filled with lies about her, lies that the woman would carry out and spread among her enemies
.
As the “doctor” bent down once more to whisper into the woman’s ear, Lorena leaped from the chair and scuttled across the room, her fingers already extended so that before the woman could turn away, Lorena had already snatched the locket from her neck, the thin silver chain breaking
.
She backed away, the locket clutched in her hand, her wary eyes watching to see what they would do
.
The “doctor” moved toward her. “Give it to me,” he said quietly, holding out his hand
.
Lorena backed farther away, her fingers clenched on the tiny locket
.
“What’s she going to do with it?” she heard the woman ask
.
As the “doctor” moved toward her once again, Lorena edged backward until the wall stopped her, then scrabbled crabwise along the wall until she could go no farther. Cornered, she watched the “doctor” move closer to her. Her eyes flicked over the room, searching for some means of escape, but there was none. The “doctor” reached toward her once again, but Lorena, far more clever than he, had already figured out what to do
.
Before his hand could close on her wrist, then pry her fingers loose from the tiny piece of jewelry, her own hand went to her mouth
.
In an instant, she swallowed the locket
.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” she heard the “doctor” say, but it didn’t matter, because now the locket was safely out of his reach
.
Lorena, knowing she’d won, began to laugh. Her laughter built, filling the room with a raucous sound that didn’t die away until three “orderlies” came in and circled around her. Then Lorena’s laughter suddenly became a scream of terror
.
* * *
They were in a room in the basement of the Asylum. It was equipped with a metal table. Above the table a bright light was suspended
.
The orderlies, having strapped the patient to the table, had disappeared. Now, as the woman gazed at the patient’s terrified eyes, she wished she’d never come here today
.
Indeed, she wished she’d never met the doctor at all
.
“Perhaps you should wait outside,” he said
.
Making no reply, the woman started out of the room, but before she passed through the doorway, she turned around and glanced back
.
A scalpel glimmered in her lover’s hand
.
Stepping quickly out of the room, the woman pulled the door closed behind her as if the act alone could shut what she’d just seen out of her mind. But the scream she heard a moment later seared the scene into her memory forever
.
The first scream was followed by another, and then another, and for just an instant the woman was certain that someone would appear, would burst from the stairs at the end of the corridor to stop whatever was happening behind the closed door
.
But no one came. Slowly, the screams died away, to be replaced by a deathly silence
.
At last, when she thought she could take it no more, the door opened and the doctor stepped out. Before he pulled the door closed behind him, the woman caught a glimpse of the room beyond
.
The patient, her face gray, still lay strapped to the operating table
.
Her eyes, open and lifeless, seemed to be staring at the woman
.
Blood oozed from her eviscerated belly, and crimson
threads
.
Taking the locket from the woman’s hands, the doctor unhooked its chain and, as she turned around, placed the chain around her neck and fastened it. As she turned back to face him, he leaned down and pressed his lips against her neck
.
A flush of heat coursed through her body; the woman closed her eyes
.
Lorena watched it all—watched them whisper to each other, watched them glance at her, then watched them whisper again. She watched the woman open the box and take out the locket; watched her open it. As the “doctor” put it around the woman’s neck, Lorena suddenly knew what was contained inside the silver heart
.
Lies
.
The locket was filled with lies about her, lies that the woman would carry out and spread among her enemies
.
As the “doctor” bent down once more to whisper into the woman’s ear, Lorena leaped from the chair and scuttled across the room, her fingers already extended so that before the woman could turn away, Lorena had already snatched the locket from her neck, the thin silver chain breaking
.
She backed away, the locket clutched in her hand, her wary eyes watching to see what they would do
.
The “doctor” moved toward her. “Give it to me,” he said quietly, holding out his hand
.
Lorena backed farther away, her fingers clenched on the tiny locket
.
“What’s she going to do with it?” she heard the woman ask
.
As the “doctor” moved toward her once again, Lorena edged backward until the wall stopped her, then scrabbled crabwise along the wall until she could go no farther. Cornered, she watched the “doctor” move closer to her. Her eyes flicked over the room, searching for some means of escape, but there was none. The “doctor” reached toward her once again, but Lorena, far more clever than he, had already figured out what to do
.
Before his hand could close on her wrist, then pry her fingers loose from the tiny piece of jewelry, her own hand went to her mouth
.
In an instant, she swallowed the locket
.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” she heard the “doctor” say, but it didn’t matter, because now the locket was safely out of his reach
.
Lorena, knowing she’d won, began to laugh. Her laughter built, filling the room with a raucous sound that didn’t die away until three “orderlies” came in and circled around her. Then Lorena’s laughter suddenly became a scream of terror
.
* * *
They were in a room in the basement of the Asylum. It was equipped with a metal table. Above the table a bright light was suspended
.
The orderlies, having strapped the patient to the table, had disappeared. Now, as the woman gazed at the patient’s terrified eyes, she wished she’d never come here today
.
Indeed, she wished she’d never met the doctor at all
.
“Perhaps you should wait outside,” he said
.
Making no reply, the woman started out of the room, but before she passed through the doorway, she turned around and glanced back
.
A scalpel glimmered in her lover’s hand
.
Stepping quickly out of the room, the woman pulled the door closed behind her as if the act alone could shut what she’d just seen out of her mind. But the scream she heard a moment later seared the scene into her memory forever
.
The first scream was followed by another, and then another, and for just an instant the woman was certain that someone would appear, would burst from the stairs at the end of the corridor to stop whatever was happening behind the closed door
.
But no one came. Slowly, the screams died away, to be replaced by a deathly silence
.
At last, when she thought she could take it no more, the door opened and the doctor stepped out. Before he pulled the door closed behind him, the woman caught a glimpse of the room beyond
.
The patient, her face gray, still lay strapped to the operating table
.
Her eyes, open and lifeless, seemed to be staring at the woman
.
Blood oozed from her eviscerated belly, and crimson
threads
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