Let me share with you a fantastic little passage from my current reading, Dracula. To set the scene, a psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Steward is observing his patient, Renfield.
"19 July. -- We are progressing. My friend has now a whole colony of sparrows, and his flies and spiders are almost obliterated. When I came in he ran to me and said he wanted to ask me a great favor -- a very, very great favor; and as he spoke he fawned on me like a dog. I asked him what it was, and he said, with a sort of rapture in his voice and bearing: --
'A kitten, a nice little, sleek, playful kitten, that I can play with, and teach, and feed -- and feed -- and feed!' I was not unpreparedfor this request, for I had noticed how his pets went on increasing in size and vivacity, but I did not care that his pretty family of sparrows should be wiped out in the same manner as the flies and the spiders, so I said that I would see abou it, and asked him if he would not rather have a cat than a kitten. his eagerness betrayed him as he answered: --
'Oh yes, I would like a cat! I only asked for a kitten lest you should refuse me a cat. No one would refuse me a kitten, would they?' I shook my head, and said that at present I feared it would not be possible, but that I would see about it. His face fell, and I could see a warning of danger in it, for there was a sudden fierce, sidelong look which meant killing. The man is an undeveloped homicidal maniac. I shall test him with his present craving and see how it will work out; then I shall know more."
Is this my future?
"19 July. -- We are progressing. My friend has now a whole colony of sparrows, and his flies and spiders are almost obliterated. When I came in he ran to me and said he wanted to ask me a great favor -- a very, very great favor; and as he spoke he fawned on me like a dog. I asked him what it was, and he said, with a sort of rapture in his voice and bearing: --
'A kitten, a nice little, sleek, playful kitten, that I can play with, and teach, and feed -- and feed -- and feed!' I was not unpreparedfor this request, for I had noticed how his pets went on increasing in size and vivacity, but I did not care that his pretty family of sparrows should be wiped out in the same manner as the flies and the spiders, so I said that I would see abou it, and asked him if he would not rather have a cat than a kitten. his eagerness betrayed him as he answered: --
'Oh yes, I would like a cat! I only asked for a kitten lest you should refuse me a cat. No one would refuse me a kitten, would they?' I shook my head, and said that at present I feared it would not be possible, but that I would see about it. His face fell, and I could see a warning of danger in it, for there was a sudden fierce, sidelong look which meant killing. The man is an undeveloped homicidal maniac. I shall test him with his present craving and see how it will work out; then I shall know more."
Is this my future?
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