'Hey Phil.'
'Phillip.'
'Right, Phillip. Sorry. What you doin' out here?'
'While the children are on break, I thought I'd get some fresh air.'
'In this polluted stinkhole? Lemme know if you find any!'
'I thought I'd see if anyone was at the dog park. Sometimes the owners will let me pet them. No luck today. What about you?'
'Fag break.'
'A smoking P.E. teacher? I hope your students don't see.'
'They've seen worse.'
'....'
'....'
'Sooo...do you want me to wheel you back inside?'
'I'm plenty capable of wheeling myself about.'
'Right, sorry. I think it's admirable, y'know, that you're still here. Still counselling the students, despite...well.'
'Well what?'
'...The hoard of that man's kids coming through here.'
'Don't admire me, I'm not doing anything worth it. Literally the only reason I'm still here is because I can't afford to move away. But speaking of his children, I have a session with one scheduled for in a few minutes, I'd best get back to the school. Goodbye, Mr Copur.'
'...Fuck.'
* * *
*Knock knock*
'Come in.'
'Hello Mr Dowsdell.'
'Hello Wednesday, good to see you. Please, take a seat.'
'So tell me. How have things been since our last appointment?'
'Not a lot different. Dad's still the same, Indigo's still arguing with him. She hit him the other day.'
'This isn't the first time your sister's been violent towards your father, is it?'
'No.'
'Tell me about it.'
'He called me to watch TV with him, he really insisted we watched a movie together...'
'Which he doesn't normally do?'
'No... He prefers me to stay away. He put on a horror movie... A really scary one... Afterwards he shoved me into the car and drove to the C-Ment Shoe Factory. There were some nasty looking people there, and he kicked me out... Drove away...'
'He abandoned you?'
'Not really... He came back an hour later.'
'How did you feel?'
'Scared. I thought he was going to leave me outside all night.'
'Was he glad to see you?'
'He laughed at me being scared... Does that count?'
'...Not really. Anyway. Father aside, how else have you been? How has your head been?'
'Not great... I'm sad a lot, and my teachers complain I don't pay attention. It's hard to pay attention, though... Nothing feels real.'
'Can you elaborate?'
'It's like...I'm in a dream. I'm in a dream, but it's set in this city. It's based on my life. I still go to school, get yelled at by Dad, watch Indigo yell back, my tulpas still talk to me... I don't feel fully in control of myself a lot. It's like, I'm not the one moving my body, someone else is. Or something else. Am I real? Am I dreaming? What is real?'
'What are your emotions like when you have these moments? Do you feel trapped in a dream right now?'
'Right now...? No. I feel okay. A bit dreamy...but okay.'
'And during these other moments?'
'Nothing. I feel nothing. Nothing's funny or happy...but nothing's upsetting or scary. I feel...numb.'
'I'm sorry for cutting you off so abruptly Wednesday, but I've just seen the time. You should go back to class. Take care of yourself.'
'I will sir, you too.'
'Goodbye.'
