Office Call by Charles E. Fritch - When brilliant mathematician Charles T. Moore steps into Dr. Rawlings’ office, he carries a groundbreaking revelation that could redefine the very fabric of reality. But as he grapples with the terrifying implications of his discovery—mind control and the potential to traverse alternate universes—will he find the help he needs or push the boundaries of sanity even further?
Dr. Rawlings sighed a long sigh born of frustration and impatience and went wearily to the bookcase. Almost methodically he removed a large gold-titled volume of Freud's A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis and withdrew the bottle from its hiding place. The bottle was half filled with an amber fluid which jiggled pleasantly as he held it in an unsteady hand, observing with a practiced eye how gaily it sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight. Then from the cavity he also extracted a small whiskey glass.
He took these tools to his desk, poured himself a stiff one, downed it, flopped into his swivel chair and closed his eyes. Chicken farms, he thought. He felt the fiery liquid seep through him, warming his insides with its silent flame, bringing a pleasant glow of satisfaction to his mind.
He closed his eyes tighter and regarded the darkened world with a calmness that was somehow conducive to rational thought even in this irrational world. To thought and to sleep, he realized suddenly, as he found his head tilting.
He rose quickly, blinking off the effects of the liquor, and carefully returned the utensils to their proper niche behind the volume of Freud on the bookshelf. Good old Freud, he thought, always knew he'd come in handy one of these days.
