#WritcoStoryPrompt39
Some dreams are meant to come true,. But what do you do when your nightmare comes true? Do run the opposite way or face your fears?

We sat down for what would have been our hundredth session together. Kira has been my patient for three years. She suffers from claustrophobia. Not the common one but an extreme version of claustrophobia. She is afraid of using lifts, underground trains, planes and even cars (if there is central locking and windows are up). This had severely handicapped her from having a normal life. She was not like this all her life. You will be stupefied if you know the things she did before the fateful accident. Kira was a test pilot for the Navy. She flew unconventional experimental planes. She was the best at it. Her critical assessment had helped in improving the safety. She also built and raced electric cars in her spare time. She spent most of her life in closed and confined space. You can even say that it was her natural habitat.


Three years ago Kira went missing for several months. This became the trending headlines. The Navy refused to comment on the matter. Some speculated that she might be on a top secret mission. Others worried that she might be dead. There were no traces of her. Several search parties were formed and people began to look for her everywhere. They found her in the most unlikely of the places. A fishing boat in a remote village picked up a floating box. Inside that box was a woman. She was sitting with her knees touching her forehead and arms having barely any space to move. She must have been in the box for a long time. The police identified the woman as Kira using the fingerprints. She was in the intensive care unit for a week before she gained consciousness.


After Kira gained consciousness she began to panic and the medics couldn't understand what was happening. Later they diagnosed her with claustrophobia. When she was strong enough to take care of herself, she was discharged from the hospital and sent to me for therapy. Since she was an important personality her disappearance was investigated by various agencies for various angles. I promised her full patient doctor confidentiality. Even then it took her more than a year to divulge the details that could help me to help her.


"I remember being in an operating room. There were at least six people around me wearing masks, gloves and scrubs. I can confidently say that they are not humans. I was hooked to a machine that was monitoring my vitals and many other things. Somebody noticed I was conscious and alerted the others. I heard some music and don't remember what happened after that. I don't remember how I got there and how I got out of there, But whatever I saw is true. I cannot tell this to anybody. Nobody would believe me. I will sound like a fool. Even my medical summary doesn't show anything unusual. There is not even a needle prick they could find." said Kira.


Kira honestly believed that she was captured by the aliens. She also believed that she was their test subject for several weeks before she was sent back to earth. Like she said there was nothing in her medical report to suggest medical experimentation. I was determined to do my best. All she wanted was to overcome claustrophobia and live a normal life. We were trying virtual reality therapy for sometime and she was focused as well. I handed here the gear. She wore the helmet. The googles and the earpiece rested. In the initial days even the helmet like gear gave her claustrophobia. After the gear was wired to the computer, I turned on a VR racing game. She requested for this because it mirrored her life before the incident. She spent some time racing in a tightly confined car. Her panic attacks had reduced and she enjoyed the reward of racing.


I was happy that she was getting better. Before she left she thanked me for my help. I asked her if she still believed that her visions of alien abduction were true. She became rude. "I will never forget that memory. It is true. First I need to get better. Then, I will prove to everyone what happened to me." Kira said.


A few minutes after Kira left. My boss arrived. Not my earth boss. I don't have any on this planet. My boss from Andromeda.

"How is the girl? Is she ok?" she asked.

"Do you care?" I replied.

"We are not friends. We are not enemies. I hope you remember that. Just tell me what I need to know'' she said.

"Her fears have reduced. She still remembers the abduction and investigation." I said.

"Good. I admire your honesty." She said.

"Are you going to neutralize her?" I asked.

"I don't make that call. It comes from higher up." she said.

"Whatever. I have some recommendations in this report. If you follow these, future subjects will not remember anything." I said.

"Good. I will send it to the upper management. Don't hold your breath. They might not even read it for how long." She said.

"I don't have anything else for you." I said. "I am going for a walk."

"Keep this" she said and gave me a small box. "Got this from your home planet. I know you love it."

I knew what was in that box, it brought a smile in my hardened face.

"Thank you!" I said.
© spacebar