Benning: Good evening Maddie, it’s nice to see you.
Downs: Hi Doc. Thanks. Today’s really messing with me. It’s not actually just today…but today has been big.
Benning: Have a seat. Let’s talk about it.
Downs: Yeah. For sure.
Madeline sat down and her face showed that she was struggling to figure out the best way to start.
Benning: Why don’t you start with a feeling?
Downs: Ok. Deja vu? Confusion? Hmm…Do you remember when I talked about what happened in Cairo?
Benning: Yes. I know that was upsetting.
Downs: Right. It’s happening again.
Benning: What do you mean?
Downs: I mean, these things keep happening. It’s like…we’re slipping in and out of other realities. They’re similar enough that you could almost ignore it, but…I can’t. So, it’s little things, but also some really big things. I’ll use baseball stuff mostly because I live and breathe that stuff pretty much all the time, right?
Benning: I’m listening.
Downs: Ok, so we had these two kids, prospects, in the development lab. Jorge Trujillo and Jacquot Natta. These are kids we’re excited about.So, we put them in the lab to work on their defense. Both of them came back with reports of no improvement. That sucks, but whatever, we’ll keep trying stuff, right? But then, all the sudden, the reports said that they had poor results but were able to be salvaged so that they’ll basically be what they were before. Same result, right? But still different. And I know they both happened. Like, I know it.
Benning: I know these things can sometimes feel like they really happen, but…
Downs: No. It’s not like that. Ok…another example. So, right at the end of the season, we played Charm City. We had two players ready to be activated off the Injured List.Robert Menzies and Kyuichi Mori. It was my job to submit their reinstatement. I did it. I know for a fact I did. You know how I always have to compulsively check to make sure I have the proper checkmarks on the league website…we’ve talked about that. Well, I did it. And I must have checked like 50 times. Then all the sudden, we’re playing Charm City and those guys aren’t active. Then we have the injury to Dallas Dixon and we’re screwed. We’re shorthanded. And our manager didn’t have the right guys to go to to fill in, or even start. Mori was supposed to be starting 3 of the 4 games because of their lefty starters. Like, do we win another game or two if that didn’t happen? I don’t know. But it’s another one of those weird things, right?
Benning: I understand that’s frustrating Maddie, but is it possible that your mind was trying to protect you from a mistake that you feel was particularly harmful and created those memories to shield you?
Downs: No, no, no. It wasn’t that. Ok, look. There is some real…tangible evidence this time. It’s not just feelings and memories or whatever. Look, I’ll show you.
She took out her iPad and pulled up an article. “See this?” Then another. “Ok…look at the names.” She then opened a current league list of players who are currently free agents. “Look, here’s al Din...and here…look…it’s Isa. See? There are real articles claiming that these guys signed with Montreal…but here they are…still free agents.”
Benning: Is it possible those are just reporters who jumped the gun?
Downs: Look at the articles. There were press conferences. These are reports from press conferences. Press conferences that now, supposedly, never happened.
Benning: Ok. That is strange. I’m sure there has to be some kind of explanation.
Downs: Wait. There are more artifacts left over. Look at this Dev Report. First, look at Lawrence Stewart. It says the scouts downgraded his Contact from 7 to 6, but then, over here, his contact is still 7.
Benning: It looks like it says he’s 6 against right handed pitching?
Downs: Right, but that’s not what the scouting report said. It said a 6 overall. Here, look at Ron Christian. This report says his forkball improved from an 8 to a 9, but over here it’s still an 8. Or, look at Banger Dan. Look here…this report says his AvK, AvK potential, AvK vs R and AvK vs L all dropped from 6 to 5. Now, look over here. What does say for all of those numbers?
Benning: It says 6.
Downs: Right! Do you see it?
Benning: I see there are some discrepancies in the reports, yes.
Downs: Ok. And I also think this is what happened with all of that V-25 stuff they’re talking about. Like, virtually all of the scouting reports dropped like crazy after the season ended. There’s this story out there that it has to do with something called V-25. Some people are saying it’s water from Long Beach that caused the problem. But…hear me out…what if it’s actually that we sort of shifted dimensions, or timelines, or whatever. Like, what if we’re just kind of living in a slightly different version of reality than we were before? Like, things are mostly the same, but actually everything is a little different.
Benning: Maddie…
Downs: I know. You think I’m imagining a lot of this stuff, but it’s real. I swear…It’s real.
Benning: Maddie, I think that I’d like to refer you to see a friend of mine.
Downs: You know what, Doc? I’ve actually got to go. I’ve got to get back to work. I don’t know if I’m going to make it to next week’s appointment.
Madeline got up and walked out of the office. Benning finished jotting down her notes with a concerned look on her face as she wondered if there was something she could do for the woman who was likely not coming back to see her. She also has a slight twinge of concern, remembering how she felt some odd things happening recently that she had written off as stress induced dreams.
