Mystery at Devil's Elbow

Martha drove Lisa to the counselor she had chosen for her in Jefferson City. In the waiting room, Martha sat Lisa in a chair next to the children’s books while she checked in with the receptionist.

“Momma, can I get a drink from the fountain?” asked Lisa.

“Sure honey.”

A man stepped into the room from an adjacent office and ushered them in. The man was tall and lanky with a suit too big for his thin frame. His broad smile and bushy mustache made Martha relax.

“My name is Doctor Manning,” he said.

“Hello doctor this is my daughter Lisa, and I’m Martha,” she said. Lisa stood behind her mother, only peeking out a little to see the counselor.

“Please have a seat,” said Doctor Manning.

They both sat down on an overstuffed sofa. The office also had two rocking chairs opposite the sofa. Hanging on the walls were pictures of wild animals in forests, which fit well with the dark paneling on the walls.

“So, you’re Lisa?”

“Hey,” said Lisa as she moved closer to her mother on the couch.

“Let’s first start by having your mom tell me what brought you here.”Martha explained what happened with the swamp cooler. The doctor took notes and nodded.

“Wow, that’s quite a story. Is that the way you remember it, Lisa?”

“Yeah.”

“I recommend you bring your husband and Mary in for a session too,” said Doctor Manning to Martha.

“Okay.”

“Mary might feel some guilt that it was Lisa that was shocked and not her. Your husband may think it’s all his fault as well.”

“I never thought of that.”

“Today, let’s just to get to know one another a little bit. Next week, we’ll meet again and explore more deeply what happened.”

“Sounds good,” said Martha.

“So, you understand what happened to you, Lisa?” asked Doctor Manning in a calming, low voice. It was different than the matter-of-fact tone he’d used with Martha.

“I was shocked by electricity and almost died.”

“Yes, when you contact electricity, your heart can stop, as yours did. When that happens, you need to have someone start it again. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to restart a heart. Your father and the medical technicians got it started again.”

“Okay.”

“Lisa some people who’ve had this same experience have had problems with their memory. They also have pain in their joints and spine. Others have anxiety that occurs afterward. Do you understand all that?”

“What is anxiety?”

“Well, anxiety is being afraid. Sometimes people who survive an electric shock like you become afraid for no reason.”

“I’m not afraid.”

“That’s good. Will you tell your mother if you start to feel afraid?”

“Yeah.”

“These things can happen, but if you tell us, I can help you understand them.”

“Should I expect this, doctor?” asked Martha.

“More than likely. The question is how severe it’ll be.”

“I see.”

Doctor Manning looked at Lisa. “Do you have any questions for me?”

“No.”

“If you think of one, tell your mother, and she’ll call me.”

“Okay.”

“She seems to be doing fine. My husband and I haven’t noticed any changes,” said Martha.

“That’s good. Please keep an eye on her when the school year starts. It might be a good idea to ask her teacher to keep an eye on her for the first few months. You can explain she was shocked,” said Doctor Manning.

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“What kind of grades did she get in school last year?” asked Doctor Manning.

“She got As and Bs,” answered Martha for her.

Lisa eyes and smile filled with pride.

“That’s really good. Was Lisa prescribed any medications after she left the hospital?”

“No, they just told us to give her children’s aspirin for aches and pains.”

“Has that been enough?”

“Yeah, she hasn’t had any aches and pains.”

“Sounds like she is recovering well from electric shock. I will see you both next week.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

Martha and Lisa stopped at the receptionist to get the time and day for the next appointment.

While waiting Martha thought that Lisa might be recovering well physically, but perhaps not mentally. What they didn’t share with the doctor was what Lisa had said that night about the Watchers.