Eppur si muove ~ Galileo Galilei

  "I am the devil," a male voice had shouted in her mind, seething with venom. The voice then began hurling a torrent of profanities at her, each word heavy with loathing. "We found you, bitch! Now we're going to kill you," he snarled. Alarmed and terrified, Anne sprang from the bed where she had been napping, her heart pounding. She fell to her knees, trembling, and began to pray.

  In her mind's eye, Anne saw a heavyset man with coarse features, dark eyes, and brown shoulder-length hair. His closely-trimmed beard did little to soften his menacing appearance. Behind him, she caught glimpses of a dimly lit laboratory filled with strange equipment. Despite the man's lips and facial muscles remaining eerily still, his voice reverberated in her mind.

  After a few minutes of the man's tirade, Anne reached for the Bible she kept on her dresser. She opened it randomly to the Book of Job. Then, she flipped to another section, the first chapter of the Book of Daniel.

  After about an hour of the voice's vulgar monologue, Anne realized it sounded oddly familiar, resembling Al Pacino. Despite never having experienced anything like this before, the familiarity of the actor's voice gave her the courage to challenge it. She asked, "Why use Al Pacino's voice? Why not Dustin Hoffman? Didn't they both play the devil in a movie?" The voice abruptly stopped.

  Anne was alone in the house on Saturday. Her husband, Tomas Estrada, was not around. Tom, who owned a custom home-building business in Houston with his brother, often worked weekends inspecting construction projects. Anne decided to clean the windows to let in some 'light.'

  Anne taught biology at Northside High School, an inner-city school in Houston that served a predominantly Hispanic student body.

  Growing up, she always had a passion for learning, but reading was a different story. Diagnosed with dyslexia at an early age, Anne faced significant challenges in her academic journey. Yet, through sheer determination and relentless effort, she managed to overcome these obstacles. She didn't just scrape by—she excelled, earning her bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from the University of Texas at Austin.

  After working as an elementary school special education teacher, Anne found her true calling in teaching high school biology. She relished the challenge of making science accessible and engaging for her students. Anne transformed the school laboratory into a sanctuary for those seeking solace from the chaos of their lives. It became a place where curiosity thrived, and the troubles of home seemed to fade away, even if just for a little while.

  One of her brightest students, Carmen, stood out for her intellect and resilience. Carmen's home life was far from stable, making the dream of attending college seem nearly impossible. Anne offered Carmen a lifeline upon graduation from high school by hiring her as a lab assistant. This role recognized Carmen's potential and provided her with a stepping stone toward a future she might not have otherwise been able to envision.

  The shared elements of their backgrounds forged a strong bond between Carmen and Anne. Both of their mothers, as a lingering result of childhood abuse, were bipolar and self-absorbed drug users. Anne and Carmen also sensed the presence of various energies in the world and their lives, which they chose to understand through their Christian faith. For Anne, this manifested as a palpable sense of God and Jesus.

  Carmen discovered a sense of stability and support in Anne that she had never experienced within her family. They shared a connection that transcended the ordinary, exploring the spiritual dimensions of their lives together.

  Carmen had always shown heightened psychic sensitivity. She could perceive human auras and spirit energies, and her insights into a person's mental state were remarkably accurate. This talent was hereditary—both her mother and grandmother had similar abilities. Unfortunately, the older women's spiritual gifts were suppressed by the family's fundamentalist Christian background and further complicated by mental instability. Carmen, in contrast, embraced her abilities, finding comfort and understanding through her bond with Anne.

  Anne's parents, Nina and Lewis, were absorbed in society, politics, and commercial pursuits. Emerging from working-class roots in the post-war period, they viewed the affluence they provided their children as a significant improvement over the financial uncertainty of their younger years. However, this perspective brought its complications. For Anne, the material luxuries offered failed to compensate for the emotional distance and neglect that pervaded her upbringing.

  Although the family outwardly adhered to Episcopalian beliefs, Nina delved into various psychological and spiritual practices, seeking meaning in her life. Her bookshelf was a chaotic treasure trove of self-help books, Jungian psychology, and Eastern mysticism. Lewis, in contrast, identified as agnostic and embraced a hedonistic lifestyle. He was a man of appetites—fine wine, beautiful women, and the thrill of high-stakes litigation. Both were physically attractive and highly intelligent, evaluating themselves and others by those criteria. Their sharp minds and striking looks made them a captivating couple, but Anne always sensed an underlying emptiness in their activities.

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  Nina and Lewis's detached, laissez-faire approach to parenting might now be described as "free-range," but it was far from idyllic in practice. Anne acutely sensed Nina's unresolved psychological traumas, often perceiving her as judgmental and confrontational. Nina's erratic behavior created a challenging dynamic, straining her relationships with Anne and her older brother, Jason.

  Anne often felt more like a caretaker than a daughter, navigating the emotional minefield of her mother's psyche. She tiptoed around Nina's moods, trying to avoid triggering another outburst while simultaneously yearning for the warmth and stability she observed in other families. Her father's indifference compounded her sense of isolation. Lewis focused on his own world, leaving his children to cope with the emotional chaos largely on their own.

  Despite their shared experiences, Jason seemed to escape into his own endeavors, his stoic demeanor masking the toll their upbringing had taken on him. He offered her silent support but was often too engrossed in his own battles to provide the comfort she craved. The bonds between them, though strong, were strained by the weight of their parents' dysfunctions, leaving Anne to wonder if they would ever truly break free from the shadows cast by Nina and Lewis.

  During her formative years, Anne explored New Age philosophies and occasionally used marijuana, habits she continued into adulthood. In her twenties, driven by a thirst for adventure and a need to distance herself from Nina, Anne lived in several vibrant cities—New York, San Francisco, and even Paris. Each place offered unique experiences and challenges, shaping her into who she is today.

  In her early thirties, Anne found contentment in her marriage to Tom. Though they didn't have children together, she relished the lively company of Tom's children from his previous marriage. Their family gatherings were filled with laughter and warmth, contrasting with her childhood.

  Anne and Tom met at a nondenominational church that combined Christian teachings with New Age spirituality. It provided the perfect forum for Anne, whose mystical inclinations found a place to thrive. Their connection was immediate, serving as a beacon of light in both their lives.

  On Monday morning, when Anne returned to work in the school science lab, she confided in Carmen about the unsettling incident with the voice. Carmen listened intently, her brow furrowing with concern as she observed Anne's aura. Normally, Anne's energy shimmered with pink and pastel hues, reflecting her nurturing and gentle spirit. However, that day, it was marred by a dirty shade of brown, an ominous sign that something was deeply amiss.

  That afternoon, the man renewed his verbal assault, his words laden with malice. Carmen's senses heightened, and she started to perceive a spirit hovering ominously in the hallway outside the science lab, its presence thick with foreboding energy.

  Desperate for protection, Anne turned to her Bible once more. As before, it seemed to speak to her, opening randomly to the Book of Job. Seeking comfort, she flipped to another section and found herself on the first page of the Book of Daniel. Determined to find a different answer, she consulted another Bible from the school library. It, too, opened to the same unnerving passages—the Books of Job and Daniel. It was as if the universe was trying to tell her something she wasn't ready to comprehend.

  Believing that Anne's visions, voices, and spiritual sightings were demonically inspired, Carmen consulted a Catholic priest she knew. The priest recommended sprinkling holy water around the lab and Anne's house to cleanse the spaces of any malevolent presence. Despite their efforts, this action did not stop the relentless assault of the man Anne named Job in honor of the random Bible openings. It was as if his spirit was bound to her, a constant shadow in her life that neither faith nor ritual could disperse.

  That night, Anne called Jason, her voice trembling as she recounted the latest encounter with the voice. It had become too overwhelming for her to handle alone, and the siblings agreed it was necessary to seek professional help. They decided to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist, hoping to find some clarity amid the chaos.

  Anne nervously retold her story when they finally sat down with the doctor. The psychiatrist listened intently, nodding occasionally, before delivering his diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. It felt like a punch to the gut. He prescribed her several medications, explaining how they could help manage her symptoms.

  Over the next few weeks, the medications effectively reduced the immediacy of the voices, but at a steep cost. Anne's mental acuity seemed dulled, her once sharp focus now muddied. It was as if the vibrant colors of her personality had been washed out, leaving a muted version of herself.

  While delving into schizophrenia, Anne and Jason found that the disorder usually manifests in women during early adulthood, making Anne's late onset highly unusual. They stumbled upon research hinting at a connection between marijuana use and psychosis, leading them to question if this might have played a role in Anne's condition. Despite their worries, they relied on medical expertise, trusting Anne's psychiatrist had provided an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

  In the following months, a new profane male figure emerged in Anne's consciousness and began engaging with her. This figure was tall and muscular, with shoulder-length black hair and intense dark eyes. Following her biblical naming tradition, Anne named him Daniel. Like Job, Daniel was vulgar and hostile, further exacerbating her already fragile state.

  Thanks to the unwavering support of Tom and Carmen—one of whom was always by Anne's side throughout the day—and the medications prescribed by her psychiatrist, Anne managed to complete the school year. It was a small victory, but it came at a significant personal cost.