Trollheart

Not one of us

“Welcome back. The headlines on SCNN: still no verdict in the Rosco Peterson trial, now in its sixteenth day.

(VT rolls)

“I'm coming to you live from the victory speech of our new Prime Minister, Jurgen Reynolds, whose party, the HLRP – Hard Line Right Party – swept to power in a landslide election victory yesterday. The speech was marred by the attempt of one man to assassinate Mr. Reynolds. As the assailant was led away by police he was heard to scream “He's a demon! He's a demon!” Mr. Reynolds' interrupted speech then included a mention of the attempt, calling for psychiatric aid for the man, and pointing to it as a stark example of the dangerous freedoms allowed by the liberalism of the previous government. The new Prime Minister promised tighter security checks and better screening for hereditary mental problems. Harry Doveturtle, for SCNN.”

(VT ends)

“That was the scene over two weeks ago, the attempt resulting in the swift passing of the Draconian Acts, which I'm sure have made us all feel much more secure.”

“Thank you, Harry. We welcome to the studio the very eminent Dr. Indira Patwani. Dr. Patwani, you were called as an expert witness at the trial of Mr. Peterson. Why was that?”

“Well, Maurice, I specialise in certain conditions of the brain, and it was my belief – and remains so – that Mr. Peterson was suffering from a rare case of DPRD.”

“D... P... what?”

“Oh I do beg your pardon. We psychologists are so used to using acronyms, we tend to forget people may not know what they stand for. DPRD stands for Degenerative Personality Regression Disorder. DPRD occurs in, oh, maybe one in a million, one in two million brains. It is a condition that can go undetected for years, decades even, and then be triggered by some major event. In this case, it seems to have been set off by the HLRP's shock election.”

“Yes. It was a shock, wasn't it? Rumours of election tampering?”

“Not my area, I'm afraid, Maurice. I'm only a doctor. But in that capacity I have seen, in my time, perhaps three cases of DPRD, and I am convinced this is one of them.”

“So, how does this bear on the case, Doctor?”

“I'm getting to that. You see, a patient suffering from DRPD sees reality literally fragment before him. He sees his world break apart. It no longer makes sense. Things, as I believe one poet had it, fall apart.”

“The centre cannot hold.”

“Precisely. And in this case, the fragmentation of his world made Mr. Peterson believe utterly that Mr. Reynolds was, and is, a demon.”

“But surely, Doctor, we all -”

“I'm coming to that. DPRD is insidious, Maurice. To one suffering the symptoms, everything else can seem real and only one tiny part is wrong. But – and this is the important, and indeed tragic part – that one part that he sees as being wrong is in fact the only part of his world which is still, as it were, right. He is imagining all the rest, but believes it to be a true reflection of his world. What this means is that when Mr. Peterson saw our Prime Minister as a demon, he didn't realise --”

“Sorry to cut across you there, Doctor, but I'm told we have breaking news down at the courthouse. Sally Wilson is on the spot for us. Sally? You there?”

“Hi Maurice. We're told that the jury has just returned, and that a verdict is indeed imminent. This will bring to a close the longest-running criminal case in recent history. Rosco Peterson has been accused of having links to the liberal – ah, right. Yes. Thank you. And here it is, Maurice. The moment we've all been waiting for. The jury has found Rosco Peterson NOT GUILTY, by reason of insanity! Quite unexpected verdict there, Maurice. This is Sally Wilson, for SCNN, returning to you in the studio.”

“Not guilty. Are you surprised by the verdict, Dr. Patwani?”

“Not at all.”

“Really?”

“I knew he would be found not guilty. How can you blame a man suffering from DPRD for his actions?”

“And you are certain he was afflicted by this – what did you call it? DPD?"

“DPRD. Without a doubt. Worst case I've seen in my time. Mr. Peterson was unable to see himself – and the world around him – for what it is. He saw the Prime Minister as a demon, but it would not occur to him, in his sick state of mind, that this was the natural order of things, and that we are all demons.”

“I see. Well there you have it folks. A sensational end to a sensational trial. Thanks to Dr. Indira Patwani for sharing his insights with us. Looks like that book is going to be a bestseller, doc! That's all from Sixth Circle Network News on the day Rosco Peterson, attempted killer of our Prime Minister, was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Remember, for all the news from the Sixth Circle of Hell, keep it here, on SCNN. Good night.”

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