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The Maniac – A Realistic Study of Madness from the Maniac’s Point of View – E Thelmar

The cousin whom I had been unable to rescue out of hell turned into a most appalling harpy.

She came one night to my bedroom door, shrieking my name, and banging on the panels of the door with the weighted end of a knobbed stick, wanting to murder me. I cowered under the bedclothes in terror. Her shrieking voice was frightful.

The door, I believed, was not locked; but it appeared she was unable to enter my room unless I myself said to her "Come in."

The voices told me I must do so, and allow her to enter. I was to keep my eyes shut, so as to escape being terrified to death at her appearance; I was to lie perfectly still, and the instant the harpy touched me she was to be strangled.

I did as ordered, although terrified past all expression. I lay perfectly still whilst she raged round the room, banged deafeningly on the floor with her knobbed stick, prowled round me, raving, thirsting for my blood. Then she scratched the back of my right hand that lay outside the coverlet. Instantly she was seized by my helpers, and strangled where she stood.

I could hear her gurgling gasps and groans-her frantic struggles her gradually weakening resistance. Then the window was thrown open, and two people dragged her heavy, dead body to it, and flung the corpse out into the garden with a crashing thud.

It had not been completely strangled! It resuscitated-and escaped!