Psychiatrists -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
"But, Georgie," the waiter complained, "you know you won't drink it.
You ask me to bring you drinks and then you just look at them. Boy, do
you look funny when you're looking at drinks. Honest, Georgie, I want
to laugh when I think of the way you look at a glass with a drink in
it." He did laugh.
Price fumbled with the cigarette stub in the black iron ashtray,
examining it with the skill of scientific observation. "Mr. Infield is
buying me the drink and that makes it different."
Reggie went away. Price kept dissecting the tobacco and paper. Infield
cleared his throat and again reminded himself against such obvious
affectations. "You were telling me about some organization of the
Cured," he said as a reminder.
* * * * *
Price looked up, no longer interested in the relic of a cigarette. He
was suddenly intensely interested and intensely observant of the rest
of the cafe. "Was I? I was? Well, suppose you tell me something. What
do you really think of the Incompletes?"
The psychiatrist felt his face frown. "Who?"
"I forgot. You haven't been one of us long. The Incompletes is a truer
name for the so-called Normals. Have you ever thought of just how
dangerous these people are, Mr. Infield?"
"Frankly, no," Infield said, realizing it was not the right thing to
say but tiring of constant pretense.
"You don't understand. Everyone has some little phobia or fixation.
Maybe everyone didn't have one once, but after being told they did
have them for generations, everyone who didn't have one developed a
defense mechanism and an aberration so they would be normal. If that
phobia isn't brought to the surface and Cured, it may arise any time
and endanger other people. The only safe, good sound citizens are
Cured. Those lacking Cures--the Incompletes--_must be dealt with_."
Infield's throat went dry. "And you're the one to deal with them?"
"It's my Destiny." Price quickly added, "And yours, too, of course."
Infield nodded. Price was a demagogue, young, handsome, dynamic,
likable, impassioned with his cause, and convinced that it was his
divine destiny. He was a psychopathic egotist and a dangerous man.
Doubly dangerous to Infield because, even though he was one of the few
people who still read books from the old days of therapy to recognize
Price for what he was, he nevertheless still liked the young man
for the intelligence behind the egotism and the courage behind the
fanaticism.
"How are we going to deal with the Incompletes?" Infield asked.
Price started to glance around the cafe, then half-shrugged, almost
visibly thinking that he shouldn't run that routine into the ground.
"We'll Cure them whether they want to be Cured or not--for their own
good."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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