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Dale  Keene ate dinner with his wife, Ella. In the middle of dinner, Dale stood up, grimaced and looked around the room. “Ella, what’s that?”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear it?”

“Hear what?”

“The voice,” he said, and walked around the bottom floor of the house.

“What are you talking about, Dale?”

“The voice. Someone is saying, ‘Let me out’” Jeez, I hear it clear as a bell, but you don’t hear it.  It’s not my imagination. I hear a voice.”

“Maybe you should check with our doctor.”

“Yeah,” he said and called for an appointment. “Thank you. I’ll be there.” The next morning, Dale and his wife went to see the doctor. “Well, Mr. and Mrs. Keene, what can I do for you?”

“Dr. Marsh, I’m hearing a voice. It’s as clear as a bell.  It’s saying ‘Let me out’ and I can’t figure it out.

“Let’s take a look,” he said and used an otoscope to look in his ears. “Well, I looked in both ears and everything is normal. Maybe you should see a specialist, an ear, nose, and throat doctor. See my receptionist. She’ll give you a name and number,” he said and left.

Dale made and appointment to see Dr. Carmen, a specialist. “Well, Mr. Keene, I can’t see any reason for the voice you heard. I suggest you see a neurosurgeon. A neurosurgeon will probably want a brain scan, an MRI. See my receptionist. She’ll give you a name and number.

Dale made an appointment to see Dr. Kelly, a neurosurgeon. “Mr. Keene, I think it’s time to do a scan. We’ll do an MRI  and take a close look at your brain. See my receptionist for a date,” he said and left. Dale had the MRI, and Dr. Kelly showed him the  pictures. “I believe that inch-long, oblong growth is your voice. I suggest we remove it.”

“Let’s do it.”

“Okay. See my receptionist for a date and time for surgery,” he said and left.

“I’m nervous about brain surgery, Ella, but if the thing stays in my brain, I’ll go mad listening to the voice in my head.”

The day came for his surgery. He was anesthetized, and three doctors and four nurses assisted Dr. Kelly. After two hours, they found the object. “Well done, ladies and gentlemen, there it is,” he said. Let’s be careful how we cut it out,” he said, and as he took a scalpel, and prepared to cut it out, everybody gasped as the object flapped its wings, and, like a humming bird, hovered above the stunned doctors and nurses.

“Well, it’s about time you let me out,” it said and flew to  the operating room door. “Will somebody please open this door,” it said hovering, and a nurse opened the door, and it flew away.

“That didn’t happen, did it?” Dr. Kelly asked the others.

“No,” the doctors and nurses said in unison.

Dale recovered and was happy that the voice was gone. Dr. Kelly never told him what it was, nor did the others who were in the operating room ever mention the talking, flying…thing.

 

The End

 

While teaching speech and English at a community college, Mr. Greenblatt wrote short stories and plays, one of which won a reading at Smith College.  After retiring, he wrote short stories and novellas.  Several of his stories were published in on-line magazines, and others were published in print anthologies.

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