Truthseeker
A few are born every year—magnificent beings capable of cleansing the cancer within Man. The cancer these beings cure is not the typical ailment one would think of upon hearing the term cancer though. No, these great creatures heal something far more malicious than mutated cells—a disease that only they can remove—lies. They were fittingly named Truthseekers.
A man was standing on the corner of a busy city strip. He appeared to be waiting for something. People bustled by without paying much attention to the stationary figure in their way. The man looked up at a tall skyscraper. In one particular window, he could see another man pacing around as if he were nervous. His lips were moving too as though he was talking to someone. The man on the ground, however, knew there was no one in the room.
The man visible through the office window became more agitated as time dragged on. His movements became more erratic and he was continually wiping his brow. He appeared to be screaming at whomever he was speaking with. His hands clapped against his ears as if he were trying to block out something unpleasant. It became apparent that his tactics were not effective against his invisible assailant, however, when he began violently pulling his hair out. He began thrashing around wildly, banging into the various furniture that filled his office. For a span of time, he went out of sight as he continued his fit on the other side of the office. Suddenly, the man began ramming into his window. Over and over again, he slammed his head into the window. After a few hits, the glass began to give and break. Then, he broke through it with one final ram. The man on the ground watched as the man’s body fell through the air, plummeting towards the hard pavement below. He would be the only one to see the smile on the businessman’s face as he fell to his death. It was the kind of smile that reflected a great sense of relief. Before anyone else could see it, the man hurtled into the roof of a vehicle and was dead.
The man that watched the whole spectacle unfold from the street corner began walking towards the landing spot. Pedestrians gathered around the car now decorated with a man’s corpse. The witness moved through the crowd to the inner circle. He looked at the remains and sighed. His first two fingers traced a cross in the air inches in front of his chest, a single tear gliding down his face and falling to the ground as he did so.
“Find peace…Mr. Richardson,” he mumbled remorsefully.
As the hands of the clock take us back to a week ago, allow me to explain something to you. You see a lie is a terrible thing. Once brought into existence, it nestles into the deepest cavities of the mind. It becomes a living thing that gnaws at the psyche of its creator. The longer the creator nourishes the lie by withholding the truth, the stronger it becomes. Eventually, the lie begins to fester and attack its host like the parasite that it is. The host slowly dips into the troubled waters of insanity as the lie causes sleepless nights from guilt-stricken dreams. Sleep deprivation leads to extreme behavioral changes. In the end, the lie consumes the host’s mind. With every scrap of reason he had gone, the host takes his own life in a usually violent manner in a desperate attempt to rid himself of his demon.
Such was the outcome that Adam Pikeman, a Truthseeker, was responsible for preventing. Adam was the one charged with the restoration of Mr. Richardson. It was Mrs. Richardson who had come to Adam in her husband’s most dire hour. She had said that he was acting rather strange lately and she did not know why. She feared the worst and hired Adam to help her husband.
“This is no easy task,” Adam had replied. “I will need to speak with your husband as soon as possible. Under a false premise, of course. He mustn’t know what I am or what the real purpose of our meeting is.”
The confrontation between client and Truthseeker was arranged at Mr. Richardson’s office.
“More likely than not, the lie will feel most comfortable when Mr. Richardson is at his office,” Adam explained. “For that reason, I will need to talk with him, alone, in his office, so I can assess how far the lie has progressed.”
The day arrived without incident. Adam arrived at Mr. Richardson’s office a little early to speak with a few of his coworkers.
“Have you noticed anything peculiar about his behavior as of late?” He asked the secretary.
“Mr. Richardson seemed normal,” she replied. “He has been spending more time in his office though. We all just assumed that he had a lot of work…”
Adam’s eyes widened at this. More time in his office? There could be a number of things that he could be hiding in there. This was reason to worry. If he was lying about something that gives him much pleasure, the lie may have occurred long ago. This would make things dangerous for Mr. Richardson. In some cases, lies can mature quite quickly if left unchecked.
“It may already be too late….” Adam said to himself.
Upon entering Mr. Richardson’s office, Adam could see a large window to the right that extended from the floor to the ceiling and from one wall to the other. The entire office had an ornate look to it, like it belonged to a corporate executive. The office was quite spacious with a large desk eased into one corner and seating arrangements here and there for guests. Adam was fairly impressed with it all.
He decided to take what time he had to check for anything that would clarify what the situation was. Deciding to check the desk first, Adam began sifting through the various papers and objects that littered the top of Mr. Richardson’s desk. Finding nothing, he continued to search the drawers. They looked to be empty too until Adam reached the last drawer. It had been locked.
“Men lock what they wish to keep hidden….” Adam said, apprehensive about what might be in the drawer.
Withdrawing a lock pick from his pocket, Adam began fiddling with the lock. A click from within the lock told him that he had succeeded, and he triumphantly opened the drawer. At a passing glance, it might seem there was nothing incriminating in the drawer, but, with a little shuffle of the drawer’s contents, Adam revealed a pair of women’s lingerie. His eyes closed with a pained look as he exhaled deeply in a disappointed sigh.
Then, Adam heard voices outside. Mr. Richardson had arrived and was talking with his secretary. Adam quickly closed the drawer and righted a few things on top of the desk before rushing to take a seat in one of the leather chairs positioned in front of the desk. As he settled into his seat, the door opened behind him and Mr. Richardson entered the office. Adam rose and walked over to him. Extending his hand in greeting, Adam said, “Hello, Mr. Richardson. I’m Adam Pikeman.”
Mr. Richardson extended his hand with a slight smile.
“Pleased to meet you, Adam. I’m Patrick Richardson.” He replied in a business-like fashion.
“I take it you are aware why I am here, then?”
Patrick made his way to his desk as he answered.
“Yes, my secretary has filled me in. I’m not sure why I wasn’t informed of this new mandatory psyche-eval, but, then again, things are quite hectic lately around here.”
Adam took a seat in front of the desk.
“Hectic, you say? Why is that?” he inquired curiously.
Patrick hesitated slightly before answering.
“Hectic…You know how office work is,” he said with a small laugh and a shrug.
Adam crossed his legs.
“I am quite sure you are a busy man to have acquired an office as magnificent as this,” Adam said searchingly.
“Oh, yeah. Look at that view. Isn’t that something?” Patrick said proudly, standing and walking towards the window.
Adam watched him all the while.
“You know…In a big office like this…it can get pretty lonely. Like you’re isolated from everything you love…”
From over Patrick’s shoulder, Adam watched his smile slowly fade. Patrick slowly turned to him and then looked at the ground.
“Yeah…yeah it does…” He said distractedly.
His eyes glazed over as if he were thinking of something else.
“Patrick,” Adam said.
Patrick blinked and shook his head slightly before looking at Adam.
“Where did you go just now, Patrick?” Adam asked knowingly.
The businessman’s eyes widened slightly at the question and they began looking around erratically.
“What do you mean?” he said with a laugh. “I didn’t go anywhere.”
His breathing had increased slightly. He was becoming nervous.
“Don’t lie to me, Patrick. You cannot hide anything from me,” Adam said, staring accusingly at his client.
Patrick’s breathing had increased to levels synonymous to hyperventilation. He supported himself by holding the back of a chair.
“I’m not hiding…anything!” he growled, becoming agitated.
“Yes, you are, Patrick” Adam said calmly. “You are keeping the truth to yourself and it’s killing you.”
Beads of sweat were forming on Patrick’s forehead as he began visibly shaking.
“S-Stop! It’s not what you think!” His eyes were wide and searching as if for a solution to his current situation. “There’s nothing wrong with me!”
The office was silent except for Patrick’s heavy breathing. Adam had closed his eyes at this final outburst. Standing, he looked Patrick in the eye.
“Your ignorance will be your downfall, Mr. Richardson.”
Without another word, Adam left the office as the troubled man collapsed into one of his armchairs.
Over the next few days, Adam would be visiting Mr. Richardson at random intervals in an attempt to make him confess his wrongdoing, but his attempts were futile. Patrick would not free himself of his unnecessary burden. Such was the trouble with lies concerning pleasure. The individual will do anything even sacrifice their self in order to continue acquiring the pleasure he or she receives.
“Saving Patrick will be no easy task…The woman he’s seeing is obviously more important to him than his own life. Getting him to confess will be quite the feat…” Adam was saying to himself as he went to meet with Patrick once more.
All of his past attempts were all in vain, but something told Adam that this time would be different. This would be his last chance to save Patrick before….
“Good afternoon, Patrick. How are we today?” Adam said as he barged into Patrick’s office, as was his usual manner.
It became immediately obvious that something was wrong Patrick was not at his desk. Adam walked over to the desk and saw Patrick lying in the fetal position on the floor, staring blankly into space. A slim trail of saliva was creating a small puddle on the floor by his mouth.
“Patrick!” Adam cried, crouching down and proceeding to shake him. “Patrick! Wake up, Patrick! Confess your sins! Save yourself!”
After a few smacks to his face, Patrick blinked a few times and seemed to come back to consciousness. He raised himself to a sitting position, wiping his mouth as he looked around the room. His gaze returned to Adam. At first his face was blank, but then it scrunched into one of annoyance and slight fury.
“You again….” Patrick muttered while pushing himself to his feet. “Haven’t you bothered me enough?”
Adam stood as well and walked around to the front of Patrick’s desk.
“Perhaps you are unaware of the fact that I’m trying to save your life. You have no idea with the forces you are tampering with,” he said, matching Patrick’s annoyed tone.
Patrick snorted and began fixing the various folders and documents he had scattered about his desk.
“I am in no need of your assistance. My life is fine. I’m happy with how things are.” He stated.
Adam knelt down in front of Patrick’s desk and reached across it to touch his hand.
“Please, Mr. Richardson. Let me help you. I care about all my clients. I don’t want to see any of them die,” Adam pleaded with him.
Patrick jerked his hand away and began making a pile out of the folders. He didn’t say a word as he went about his business, but he gave the occasional glance to Adam’s pleading eyes. Finally, he sighed in defeat.
“Will you leave me alone if I let you do whatever it is you want to do?” he said weakly.
Adam smiled gleefully as he nodded his head.
“Yes, yes! Of course!” he said.
Patrick sighed again as he sat back in his chair.
“Ok, then…how do we start?” Patrick said.
Adam talked him through the process as he prepared Patrick for the mindtap. He pulled an armchair into the middle of the floor and placed Patrick in it. He then began explaining exactly what he was about to do.
“Okay, I will need to hypnotize you in order to calm your mind. This will allow me to find and withdraw the lie easier. Once you are under hypnosis, I will perform the mindtap. Once the lie is removed, you will never hear from me again,” he said, finishing with a sweep of his arm to emphasize the never.
Patrick nodded occasionally throughout the explanation and actually smiled a little at the last part.
“Now, I will need you to speak the lie before I begin the hypnosis,” Adam said focusing on Patrick.
“No, that won’t happen,” Patrick said shaking his head determinedly.
Adam’s smile dropped.
“Mr. Richardson, I can’t perform the mindtap until you solidify the lie in your mind by speaking it. Otherwise it will slip away when I try to grab it and it will become harder to bring to the surface.”
Patrick was adamant though.
“I will not speak the lie!” he screamed, standing up and putting his face an inch from Adam’s. “Not you nor anyone else will make me speak it. You have been nothing but a nuisance this entire time. How do I know this isn't a bunch of smoke and mirrors? How do I know you aren’t a fake out to destroy my career?”
Adam shrank a bit in Patrick’s fury. His eyes were brimming with tears in response to Patrick’s ferocious tone. When Mr. Richardson finished his accusations, Adam straightened up and rose to his full height.
“Mr. Richardson,” he began, his voice trembling with emotion, “I am no fake. I have done nothing but try to help you. I told you once before that I care deeply about my clients. You are no exception. I have done everything I could to try and convince you to let me help, but you have pushed me away every time. Now, in your final moments, you attack my character and my practice all in hopes of saving your precious affair. Mr. Richardson, you are, by far, the weakest of all my clients. The most desperate and pitiful of all my clients. But even for you, I will shed one tear when your lie consumes you.”
Adam spun on the spot and stormed out of the office, leaving Patrick to soak in his self-pity.
Thus were the events that led up to Adam standing outside the corporate building, staring at Mr. Richardson’s broken body on top of a car. Just as he promised Mr. Richardson in his office, one tear rolled down his cheek and fell to the pavement.
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