The Sister(139)

‘You know the sort of thing I’m talking about. Our bodies are built to last a lifetime at the limits normally placed on them, all of us have a spare capacity we can tap into when survival mode kicks in, and when it does, the mind can override those limits.’

Anderson’s lack of attention irritated Ryan, and he did a high, falsetto imitation of Anderson’s voice. ‘Mm-m. Oh, yes, Doctor Ryan, I know exactly what you mean.’

Anderson sheepishly folded up the paper and sat up attentively.

‘I’ll give you a couple of examples. A slightly built woman lifts the front of a car to free a child trapped beneath its wheels. A mother slips over the edge of a cliff; her ten-year old son holds onto her with one hand and stops her from falling. They could never do these things normally. It just goes to show when it’s really needed, there are people who can tap into something special.’

As he continued, Ryan took to fiddling with his pencil again, click – click – click. The rhythm infiltrated his speech, punctuating the phrases, lending them greater weight than they ordinarily carried.

‘Michael, the two incidents I refer to, are borne out by witness statements. After all, in those cases there’s at least one other person to corroborate the story. Cases of the individual surviving against all odds are far more commonplace, but not necessarily widely believed, because there are usually no witnesses, and because of that, the chances of survival are reduced. There isn’t anyone to help, or call the emergency services, or whatever.’ He could see Anderson wondering where he was heading with it all. Ryan held his index finger up. ‘At times the mind can also push itself outside of the comfort zone. When the effect of physical pain is too much to endure, the chances of survival diminish unless the mind and body can push through. Michael, some sort of dissociation takes place that allows the body’s hardwiring to take over the running of things. Instinct takes over.

‘We also have reports suggesting the majority of near-death experiences involving visions occur whilst in this state. Many of these subjects speak of deceased friends and relatives waiting for them at the end of a bright tunnel, their mother and father welcoming them, taking them by the hand to lead them into the light.

‘We wouldn’t have heard these stories if these witnesses to near death weren’t suddenly pulled away, back to earth with a bump. Sometimes the subjects recall viewing themselves from above as they are resuscitated or operated on.’

‘Have you got something wrong with that eye?’ Anderson said, narrowing his own as if it pained him.

He remembered how at that time, he’d needed to rub that eye with increasing frequency; always intending to have it looked at. He did, but much later, when the damage was irreversible.

In his recollections, he suddenly realised he was seeing with both eyes again.

‘You know Michael, in many cases and there were studies – the survivors reported a heightening of the senses that lasted for a long time afterwards,’ he paused to push the lead back into the tip of the pencil, brows knitted together; concentrating the way a cat might, when the mouse is in its sights. The set of his jaw, tongue tip poking between his lips, he was intent on instilling orderliness into something as small and insignificant as a pencil lead.

A minute had gone by. He looked up as if awakened from a dream, blinking.

‘Where was I? Oh yes, we have studied several cases involving young adolescents or children – cases where serious, life threatening accidents occur with a frequency that exceeds that of chance. In these cases where subjects have survived multiple incidents, they seemed to develop a type of early warning system, something that enables them to continue surviving.’ Ryan hesitated briefly, taking a sip of water from his glass. He raised his eyebrows, inviting comment from Anderson, who obliged with the question. ‘Are you saying you think he has ESP?’ Anderson had the look of a pupil in the presence of a talented and inspiring teacher.

‘One of the things that I’m suggesting, is I don’t think proper attention is given to the fact a few of these people may be psychic already, and that’s how they have the capacity to get themselves out of these situations in the first place. It gives them an edge in the survival stakes.’ He reached into his pocket and produced a packet of mints; he took one, and offered the packet to Anderson. ‘I think because Milowski was so young when he began experiencing near fatal accidents and surviving them, it triggered the development of a survivor’s instinct much earlier than you'd normally expect – and it’s grown stronger and stronger with each successive survival.’ Ryan considered the implications of what he’d just said. ‘He just gets better and better at it.’

‘He can’t just go on like that, though, can he?’

Ryan’s good eye withered him under its gaze.

Anderson squirmed. ‘Well, it’s obvious isn’t it? He’ll end up dead.’

‘Yes, he may very well have a death wish.’ Ryan put his pencil down. ‘There’s no doubt, subconsciously he sees a bleak future for himself. Scared of any form of human closeness, because he believes people die if they get close to him.’

Anderson continued along the same lines, ‘And if he doesn’t talk, we can’t help him. What do you think will happen to him?’

‘He’ll die eventually by indirect suicide. Indirect, because he wouldn’t knowingly kill himself, but he may very well put himself in a situation that is impossible to survive. In many ways, that’s what he’s been doing all along.’