Sebastian

Dr. Liem leaned back in his downy sofa and gave a smile. 'Well, David, how can I help you? What's the matter?'

The patient, whose eyes were roving around the room until that moment, looked at the doctor and faltered, 'Sebastian'.

'Sebastian? Who is he? Tell me about him.'

'He is my room-mate. I moved into new lodgings on Golden Road two weeks ago. The landlord hadn't mentioned about another man', Dave shrugged and gazed into the empty space again. 'I was quite surprised. But just that. In fact, I hadn't asked if somebody was already there, and it' s not so uncommon accident when you rent a house. Maybe he had come in later the same day, before I arrived. Anyway. Actually, Sebastian wasn't a bad man. We even took to each other. The only problem was that he had really weird habits and was never leaving the house. At first, I didn't consider it something... out of the ordinary. He was just a strange man, like many others. But then inexplicable things started happening.'

'What kind of things?', the doctor asked, evidently intrigued.

David hove a deep sigh. 'Well, even I can't tell exactly. Once I saw him going to the toilet and remaining there for several hours. I thought that something bad had happened and went to check. I was just about to knock at the door and noticed that the lamp switch is off. I remembered clearly how he turned it on before entering. This puzzled me and I tapped. Nobody answered. I finally ventured opening the door. The bathroom was empty, like no one had entered there. Sebastian had just vanished. He couldn't have possibly left the place. It had no windows and the only door went through my room, where I was all the time. Before starting getting stuff and nonsense into my head, though, I decided to go through the flat. And I just turned away and Sebastian came out from the toilet.'

'Interesting...' Dr. Liem rubbed his chin. 'Did you ask him what had happened?'

'Of course. He said that he had been there all the time and it had been just five minutes since he entered. Bullshit. I didn't believe him until I looked at my watch. He was indeed telling the truth.'

'Hmm...' Dr. Liem scratched himself behind the ear. 'You could have experienced an unusual case of somnambulism. It happens sometimes, even to the healthiest people who claim they never sleepwalk.'

'I would agree with this, doctor. But things don't end up here. Not at all. Since this... incident happened, I decided to watch over my room-mate, because there was definitely something wrong with him. And I was right. I found out that Sebastian ate secretly from me. Or he didn't eat at all, if that was even possible. I asked him why, and he just said he's on diet. And to prove himself correct, he took a fresh apple from his pocket and started nibbling at it. Very convincing... only he couldn't have gotten it without leaving the house and buying it, because I hadn't brought any fruits in there. And Sebastian didn't go out. I was sure in that because I locked the door and kept the key with me all the time. Unless he did that in a different way I wasn't aware of. At first I refused to believe that, but now I'm not so confident. His mysterious disappearing continued and increased in frequency. For God's sake, I didn't know where he was going and what he was doing, but the flat is on the fifth floor. You can't possibly leave it except through the main door. The locked main door. I started wondering if there weren't some, you know, secret passages through the house. I didn't lose sight of him, doctor! And he would just go to the bathroom, close the door and vaporise. Or in the kitchen. Or while I am sleeping. Or in any goddamn moment I am not watching him! I checked the entire apartment. Not even the slightest trace of something wrong or abnormal. No hidden doors behind the sink or the bath, no rotating bookshelves. Nothing. I called the landlord maybe twenty times. He was swearing that I was the only tenant and there wasn't anyone else in this flat. I didn't believe him... I was sure he was party to Sebastian, part of a twisted plot against me, or even a bloody experiment. Either that or Sebastian was a magician. I just couldn't stand anymore. But this crazy game went on and before leaving these digs, I wanted to unravel the affair. To reveal the mystery, namely what he was doing in the damn bathroom. I might be crazy. But I did it. I installed a hidden camera in the bathroom to capture everything! A camera in the bathroom – sounds so perverse. But I had no choice. Well, I... shot the film. And I finally saw everything. The entire mystery. I saw Sebastian entering the toilet, I opened the door and he was gone as usual. Ha-ha, "usual". And well, then I looked at the recording. Sebastian hadn't actually entered at all. Within a second I understood everything. And that's why I came to you, doctor. Because I actually am crazy. Don't you see, doctor? I am mad, mad, mad, because Sebastian didn't exist at all!' Dave was now screaming in hysterics. 'He doesn't exist, he's nothing, an illusion, hallucination, phantasmagoria, I am crazy, sick, insane, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...' And his laughter slowly faded away.

The door opened and an attractive, perky nurse came in. 'Are you seeing imaginary patients again, Mr Liem?', she asked and laughed kindly.

Sebastian Liem slowly rose in his hospital couch and quietly responded, 'No, Ms Johnson. It's OK. I was just having a rest.'

She gave him another larky look and receded through the corridor of the schizophrenics' sector. The day was wearing away.