The Mind Eater

Nicole felt a sense of accomplishment as she read Marie's email. A smirk appeared on her lips which flattened into a smile as her 'lover', Brenda, prepared to leave.

Brenda was the latest in a cycle of young women who were just 'coming out' or whom she had 'brought out'.

Nicole's typical procedure was to encourage confused women between the ages
of 20 and 30 to 'experiment'. These were not patients. Never patients. These were women she met socially over whom she could exercise her 'power'.

Nicole had the amazing ability to convince people she spoke the truth. As a child she could fool her mother into believing she was sick to avoid school. She could convince her teachers into believing she was bullied.

She could always make her friends feel guilt for doing anything she had not fully agreed to.

Nicole had often stolen small items from those who came into her space and was able to convince the owners they were hers.

This ability led her to become a psychologist where she could be paid for manipulation.

The only person she couldn't fool had been her elder sister, Sandra.

Nicole had spent her life in the shadow of her sister. It was only after Sandra married and moved away she could begin to emerge.

Nicole was a version of Sandra. A version missing all that made Sandra beloved.

Although Nicole tried to act like Sandra, talk like her, be her, it didn't work. As years passed, Nicole developed a hatred for Sandra. As there was no contact between them Nicole did the next best thing.

She would invent stories about Sandra, rewrite history, hold to false memories, which she could get others to believe.

Nicole rewrote Sandy from the happy person who was bright and courageous, into a sick violent harpy.

Nicole's parents, having rejected Sandra for her revolutionary zeal, had only Nicole. To reject her would leave them empty. Knowing this, Nicole punished them, being as overt as possible, and then claiming all sorts of abuse and forcing their capitulation.

Nicole knew the abuse didn't happen. Getting her parents to accept the lies to please her made her despise them a little bit more.

Brenda, had now left the flat.

Nicole's rules were simple. Get out and give me MY SPACE between 8 am and 5 pm or move out.

Although adhering to her rules, Nicole would soon replace Brenda. Her lovers always bored her. They were just too easy to manipulate.

She sat at the computer and reread Marie's email, relishing it. How stupid could anyone be? Marie was always stupid, but after forty years, hadn't she learned anything?

Nicole lit a cigarette and went to the balcony her mind going back, remembering when they were children.

Marie had been a tubby little 'Please like me' type which Nicole had always exploited. Even at the age of ten, Nicole knew how to use people like Marie.

Marie had been her 'best friend' for seven years. Then, Marie, just seventeen, married a man in his thirties who Nicole wouldn't wipe her shoes on.

The friendship ended, and Nicole moved on to others.

When Marie's marriage collapsed, when she reached out, Nicole turned her back.
It was Sandra who brought Marie back into their 'family'.

As far as Nicole was concerned, her 'best friend' Marie was a pair of old shoes
she'd thrown away.

However, to please Sandy more than Marie, Nicole allowed the friendship to be reignited at a very low flame.

It was about a year later Sandra married. Married and moved far away.

Every Sunday, after Sandra married, before she moved away, Nicole would visit her. Every Sunday, hot, cold, rain, snow, Nicole wanted to see her sister. She loved her sister...

Then Sandy left the country with her husband. For the next years there were letters, phone calls. Nicole, feeling confused and neglected, decided to try her 'abuse' trick on her sister, just to see what Sandy would do.

Sandy who had 'everything' didn't respond to Nicole's fantasy. She didn't answer the ten page letter Nicole had sent.

Of all the people in the world Nicole needed to impress, to best, to vanquish, it was Sandy. And Sandy chose not to participate.

Years passed.

Nicole was now 59. She had been an active lesbian for 39 years. She never had a steady partner. The word 'partner', suggesting equality, didn't exist in her vocabulary. Nicole had victories. Stupid confused girls she could give their first lesbian encounter. Easy victories over weak females whose lives she could twist.

It was so boring that Nicole decided to 'track' Sandy and find anyone who might have contact with her, and destroy the relationship. Marie was a true success.

Nicole learned that for over fifteen years Marie had tried to find Sandy. Marie had also tried to contact her, but she was not interested.

Nicole considered Marie a waste of time since that ridiculous marriage decades ago, and had ignored her. Until Operation Sandy Stalk was implemented.

Nicole forced herself to connect with Marie.

The fool poured out her heart, unaware she was writing to a psychologist who majored in manipulation.

It didn't take long for Nicole to repaint the past.

Marie was stupid. She didn't remember that Sandy didn't have a phone. She didn't remember that it was Nicole who told Marie's mother what she was doing. And even if Marie had a perfect recollection of the past before this contact, Nicole was more than competent to rework memories.

She was a professional, who'd been playing people, (and being paid for it) for over a quarter of a century.

For weeks Nicole put up with Marie's stupid emails, actually having to open a file to keep track of her embellishments, redirections and fabrications..

After all the years of trying to find Sandy, Marie, falling for Nicole's fabrications, could now write so proudly how viciously she responded to Sandy's email and how she had told Sandy to never try to contact her again, working for Nicole's 'approval'.

Nicole had to laugh. It was just too easy.

Nicole, having achieved her success, wrote a one sentence response to Marie's email, then nothing more.

Even if Marie realised that for fifteen years she had pursued Sandy, that the events constructed by Nicole, never operated on her thoughts, even if she realised Nicole had manipulated her, it wouldn't matter.

What mattered is that any connection between Marie and Sandy had been destroyed. The vicious email Marie had sent to Sandy ended all possibilities.

Smiling, Nicole returned to the living room, glanced at the clock. She had time for another cup of coffee before her first patient would arrive. She glanced at the file.

Today she should be able to bring Denise Dressler to 'remember' how her father
'abused her as a child'.

She laughed, it was all just too easy.