By Reason Of Insanity.

I’ve been doing some brainstorming for another story and came up with a possible psychological thriller. Here’s an excerpt:

“Karen, I need your help with this bed,” Ron said as he struggled to force a mattress through the bedroom doorway. They were both in the process of clearing out their son Jeff’s bedroom now that he no longer lived with his parents.It was about time, too, considering Jeff was nearly 40 years old and slow to start his own life.

Then Ron was startled to see Karen standing with her purse and car keys in hand.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Ron asked.

“I’m going to go bring Jeff home,” Karen replied.

“But Jeff thinks we’re dead!”he exclaimed.

“So?” she interjected.

“If you show up and Jeff sees you alive, he’s going to freak out.”

“I’d rather Jeff freak out over the truth rather than have him live a lie for the rest of his life.”

“And we’ve already committed Jeff to the sanitarium,” Ron added.

“So?” Karen interjected again.

“Getting him out won’t be easy.” he said.

“There’s nothing wrong with trying,” she insisted, “And besides, there’s nothing a mother can’t do.”

As she turned to face the front door, she suddenly let out a startled shriek. Standing in front of the door and blocking the way was Jeff.

“What are you doing here?” Karen whispered in a voice of great shock.

“That’s funny,” Jeff replied, “I was about to ask the same thing.”

Jeff walked to the living room where he saw Ron standing there, too shocked to say a word.

“I got it all figured out,” Jeff explained. “You’re so desperate to retire that you brainwash me and lock me up in the sanitarium with a subliminally implanted thought that I burned down your house with you and Mom inside. Nice try, except you oversaw one minor detail.”

Jeff leaned close to Ron and Karen for effect and whispered,”You forgot about the healing power of the human brain.”

Pacing around the living room, Jeff continued. “Oh, your scheme did work, for a while anyway. I was confused and struggling with these dark patches in my mind that were once memories. Over time, though, those memories came back. Oh, did they come back. I began to recall overhearing your conversations in which you and Mom were planning this scheme of yours to get rid of me. That’s when I got so pissed off that I escaped from the sanitarium, and now here I am, home and about to have the last laugh.”

Developing…