Visions Tomorrow - Part 4: Confession (by Rune Woodman)
October 3rd 2007 06:22
The ‘record’ button was pressed…
“Tell me your name, then tell me what you told the Constable at the front desk.”
“My name is Michael Daniel Winston. I want to confess to the murder of my friend Jack Valence. I don’t know his middle name, sorry.”
“You murdered him?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“I’m not sure, two or three weeks ago? I think.”
“You’re not sure?”
“It’s sketchy.”
“OK. How did you kill him?”
“I strangled him.”
“With your bare hands?”
“Yes.”
“You just grabbed him around the neck.”
“Yeah, we fought; I got him on the floor and did it.”
“Why?”
“I was… I had a… dream. He was in control, of everything, the whole country. He killed people, tortured children, old people. I didn’t want that to happen so I killed him.”
“You killed him because you had a dream?”
“He had a dream too! If I didn’t kill him he was going to kill me!”
“So you’re saying it was self-defence.”
“Um, I guess.”
“Go back to the beginning, tell me when you first realised you wanted to kill him.”
“We’re from Brisbane. I’d got a place at Sydney Uni. Jack wasn’t the type for university but he had nothing better to do so drove down with me to help me settle in. He was going to stay for a month, meet some girls. You know.
“The day we arrived in Sydney there was an accident or something; we ended up in hospital.”
“Is that how you got that cut?”
“What cut?”
“On your forehead. There’s a perfect line from left to right across the top of your forehead.”
“Oh, no. That came later, I think.”
“So you had an accident; in your car?”
“They said we were dead.”
“They said you were dead!”
“I know, it’s crazy. That’s what they said, ‘You were dead. We wanted to know why.’ They tried to cut me open to see if I’d had a stroke or something. Things aren’t clear for a while after that. I was in a hospital.
“Doctors asked me questions. They wanted to know why I was there. Was I a terrorist? Was I suicidal? Had I taken drugs? Their questions were bullshit! When I asked to call my parents they wouln't let me.
“Eventually I was allowed out of bed, out of my room. There was a sort-of lounge room. Jack was there. He was OK. I had a funny feeling when I saw him. Like déjà vu?
“We’d always been good friends, we grew up together, but I couldn’t bring myself to sit with him and talk. He wasn’t being friendly either. I stood and looked out the window. He sat. Eventually I was taken back to my room.
“I think it was that night when I had the dream. No, that’s not true. I’d had the dream before that, but that night was when I remembered it. He was the leader. He was old. He was… a nightmare.
“The next day we were both in the lounge room again. I talked to him about the dream. He liked the sound of it. He’d had a dream too. He said, in his dream, he was dead. He said I’d killed him and he said being dead felt right. That was when I knew I had to kill him.
"I’m surprised they didn’t stop me."
“Who?”
“The doctors.”
“They were there?”
“Not in the room, but they were watching.”
“So, what did they do after you killed him?”
“They asked me questions. They asked me why I did it. They asked me about the dream. Once he was dead they forgot about him.”
“So no one called the police?”
“No.”
“You were in hospital and you killed a guy because you had a dream, and no one bothered to call the police and report the murder?”
“Not as afar as I’m aware.”
“Did you really kill this guy or are you wasting my time?”
“You don’t believe me?”
“I believe you were probably in hospital. How did you get here? Did they release you, after you killed someone in cold blood, did they simply discharge you when they felt you were ready?”
“No! I escaped!”
“You escaped from hospital.”
“Yes.”
“You escaped from hospital?
"Yes!"
"Which hospital?”
“I don’t know which hospital. I’m still in Sydney right? It was close to here. There was an open door that was normally locked. I walked out of the building and didn’t look back. I kept on walking until I got here! The first police station I could find.”
“You didn’t bother to look for the name of the hospital?”
“No, I was escaping; I didn’t think it was safe to hang about!”
“There aren't hospitals near here. None within easy walking…”
“I’ve been walking all day!”
“There are no hospitals within walking distance, no psychiatric hospitals!”
“I’m not crazy.”
“Really?
...
"I want you to remember which hospital you came from so I can call them to come and get you.”
“You should arrest me!”
“What for? Where’s the body? Why have no witnesses come forward?
“I don’t know.”
“Tell me which hospital you were in or I’m call the rostered psychiatrist and he can deal with you.”
“You have to arrest me.”
“Which hospital were you in?”
“You have to arrest me!"
"Which hospital?"
"You have to….”
…the ‘stop’ button was pressed.
“Tell me your name, then tell me what you told the Constable at the front desk.”
“My name is Michael Daniel Winston. I want to confess to the murder of my friend Jack Valence. I don’t know his middle name, sorry.”
“You murdered him?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“I’m not sure, two or three weeks ago? I think.”
“You’re not sure?”
“It’s sketchy.”
“OK. How did you kill him?”
“I strangled him.”
“With your bare hands?”
“Yes.”
“You just grabbed him around the neck.”
“Yeah, we fought; I got him on the floor and did it.”
“Why?”
“I was… I had a… dream. He was in control, of everything, the whole country. He killed people, tortured children, old people. I didn’t want that to happen so I killed him.”
“You killed him because you had a dream?”
“He had a dream too! If I didn’t kill him he was going to kill me!”
“So you’re saying it was self-defence.”
“Um, I guess.”
“Go back to the beginning, tell me when you first realised you wanted to kill him.”
“We’re from Brisbane. I’d got a place at Sydney Uni. Jack wasn’t the type for university but he had nothing better to do so drove down with me to help me settle in. He was going to stay for a month, meet some girls. You know.
“The day we arrived in Sydney there was an accident or something; we ended up in hospital.”
“Is that how you got that cut?”
“What cut?”
“On your forehead. There’s a perfect line from left to right across the top of your forehead.”
“Oh, no. That came later, I think.”
“So you had an accident; in your car?”
“They said we were dead.”
“They said you were dead!”
“I know, it’s crazy. That’s what they said, ‘You were dead. We wanted to know why.’ They tried to cut me open to see if I’d had a stroke or something. Things aren’t clear for a while after that. I was in a hospital.
“Doctors asked me questions. They wanted to know why I was there. Was I a terrorist? Was I suicidal? Had I taken drugs? Their questions were bullshit! When I asked to call my parents they wouln't let me.
“Eventually I was allowed out of bed, out of my room. There was a sort-of lounge room. Jack was there. He was OK. I had a funny feeling when I saw him. Like déjà vu?
“We’d always been good friends, we grew up together, but I couldn’t bring myself to sit with him and talk. He wasn’t being friendly either. I stood and looked out the window. He sat. Eventually I was taken back to my room.
“I think it was that night when I had the dream. No, that’s not true. I’d had the dream before that, but that night was when I remembered it. He was the leader. He was old. He was… a nightmare.
“The next day we were both in the lounge room again. I talked to him about the dream. He liked the sound of it. He’d had a dream too. He said, in his dream, he was dead. He said I’d killed him and he said being dead felt right. That was when I knew I had to kill him.
"I’m surprised they didn’t stop me."
“Who?”
“The doctors.”
“They were there?”
“Not in the room, but they were watching.”
“So, what did they do after you killed him?”
“They asked me questions. They asked me why I did it. They asked me about the dream. Once he was dead they forgot about him.”
“So no one called the police?”
“No.”
“You were in hospital and you killed a guy because you had a dream, and no one bothered to call the police and report the murder?”
“Not as afar as I’m aware.”
“Did you really kill this guy or are you wasting my time?”
“You don’t believe me?”
“I believe you were probably in hospital. How did you get here? Did they release you, after you killed someone in cold blood, did they simply discharge you when they felt you were ready?”
“No! I escaped!”
“You escaped from hospital.”
“Yes.”
“You escaped from hospital?
"Yes!"
"Which hospital?”
“I don’t know which hospital. I’m still in Sydney right? It was close to here. There was an open door that was normally locked. I walked out of the building and didn’t look back. I kept on walking until I got here! The first police station I could find.”
“You didn’t bother to look for the name of the hospital?”
“No, I was escaping; I didn’t think it was safe to hang about!”
“There aren't hospitals near here. None within easy walking…”
“I’ve been walking all day!”
“There are no hospitals within walking distance, no psychiatric hospitals!”
“I’m not crazy.”
“Really?
...
"I want you to remember which hospital you came from so I can call them to come and get you.”
“You should arrest me!”
“What for? Where’s the body? Why have no witnesses come forward?
“I don’t know.”
“Tell me which hospital you were in or I’m call the rostered psychiatrist and he can deal with you.”
“You have to arrest me.”
“Which hospital were you in?”
“You have to arrest me!"
"Which hospital?"
"You have to….”
…the ‘stop’ button was pressed.
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