THE RETURN OF KNORGE by John Iwaniec aka taxigringo

This story is a continuation of the story, Lonely Guy
Officer Alvarez was laughing so uncontrollably that he could barely keep his police car in a straight line. The laughter was infectious, and his partner, Officer Johnson, could barely breath from the laughter. At last even the two apprehended burglars in the back seat of the Crown Vic joined in.

"Heh heh heh heh," Alvarez wheezed, "Ah ha heh heh... so you broke into the apartment and a giant cockroach, Heh heh ha ha, cornered you and kept you from leaving."

The two culprits in the back seat were so relieved to be rescued from their encounter with Knorge, the imaginary two foot cockroach, that they did not mind being in the police car.

Back at the apartment, John was not so amused. Everything was in a shambles. Knorge, his imaginary pet, was not real, or was he?

After an hour of straightening the place Knorge came out from under the bed. In a cockroach kind of way Knorge grinned. "I did good, didn't I?"

"Yes,” John replied, “you did real good at making me lose my mind. How...how is it that the burglars saw you? You're an imaginary pet."

Dr. Belfiori’s office was so modest that one would think he was a struggling bookkeeper instead of a world renowned psychiatrist. It usually took at least three weeks to get an appointment with him. When he heard the story of Knorge and the burglars he agreed to see John immediately.

John began, "I appreciate you seeing me without an appointment, but how much is this going to cost?"

Belfiori waved his hand with a dismissive gesture, "Do not concern yourself. It won't be a problem. Please sit down and tell me about this imaginary pet.”

John began, “A while back I was playing with the idea of an imaginary, giant cockroach. I became so absorbed into this idea that I actually began to see him and even had conversations with him.”

The doctor interrupted, “How long did these appearances last?”

“Weeks.” John answered. “Knorge became as real as me talking with you. Today some burglars broke into my apartment, and according to the police, they saw Knorge the way I do.”

This captured the doctor’s complete attention as he made notes on his clipboard. Belfiori began a complete battery of psychiatric tests on John who found himself in the ambivalent situation of being the center of so much attention and at the same time fearing for his future. These psychiatrists had unusual legal powers to detain people, and a psychiatric history is not something that he wanted on his resume.

At nine o'clock in the evening the doctor folded his arms and smiled with great satisfaction. "Sir," he said, speaking to John, "you have confirmed a theory that I've held for many years. I even have a name for it. I call it Psychological Resonance in Mass Populations. Essentially it is a mechanism where the belief of a large number of people infects others to perceive the same thing. "What puzzles me is how your singular imagination was able to transfer to the burglars without you being there. "

Dr. Belfiori picked up the phone and turned to John, "I am going to have you stay at a special facility where we can study this more thoroughly. It is a pleasant place and there will be some very nice people to help you."