Voices in My Head

         I must get my business going, going in the right direction, not backward. Let’s see what I can do, I thought.

         I searched the books again but could find no wiggle room, no profit, nothing … Wait, one of our customers made a mistake on his check. Rather than $1,000, the check is made out for $100,000. Whew, that could – no, that’s wrong.

         As I reached for the company checkbook, I heard from somewhere by my left shoulder, “Forget it. He made the mistake, not you. Use the money.” The seductive voice called to my desire to succeed.

         My eyes slid toward the left. I knew I was in the room alone. I couldn’t see anyone in my peripheral vision. I shook my head and placed the checkbook and a pen in front of me.

          “Leave her alone. She’s doing what’s right,” a tiny voice to my right said.

          I moved my eyes rightward, no one.

          “Look, little Miss Do-gooder, go away. This is the chance for her to keep her business going. She won’t be breaking any laws. She didn’t change the amount on the check. Leave her alone.”

          “Never. I won’t be quiet. What you’re suggesting is wrong, wrong, wrong, whether it’s illegal or not.” The second voice was so soft I could hardly hear the speaker.

         The voice to my left gave a snort. “Go away. You cause nothing but trouble, never help. Why don’t you consider the person in need for a change?”

         I won’t answer. I won’t react. I’m going crazy.

         Lefty added in a louder voice, “You know she wants to do what will save her business. If you would keep out of the situation, she will and save her business. Go away.”

         I stared at the blank check in front of me, not letting the voices know I heard. If I admitted or showed they were heard … No, I have to ignore the voices in my head. I won’t let them know I heard. Not real, just voices in my head.

          “I won’t allow you to ruin this woman. She’s always been honest.” Something poked into my right shoulder, causing me to flinch. “Ohhhh.” The tiny cry ended with a slight thump on the floor.

          I didn’t feel that. I didn’t hear anything.

          “Teeeheeeeheee.” The laugh by my left ear tickled, and I shivered. “Eeeeeek.” The slight scream came to an abrupt halt with a soft bounce and thump.

         No. Nooo, I didn’t feel anything, didn’t hear anything.{/e} Some grunts and bumps and oofs came from the floor behind me, but I picked up the pen and wrote the client’s name on the Pay to line. A tiny circlet of gold flew by my nose and landed on the check. Then a tiny black set of horns joined the golden circle. I swallowed, picked up the circlet, and tossed it over my right shoulder. I threw the set of horns over my left shoulder. I then finished the check, signed it, and addressed an envelope. I slipped the check and a short note into the envelope, sealed it, and slapped a stamp in the corner.

         A minuscule scream echoed from the floor. “Noooooo! Noooooo! You didn’t.”

         A silvery laugh came from the other voice. “What’s wrong, not make your quota for the week?”

         Crazy. I’m going crazy. Voices in my head. I stood and carried the envelope to the basket for outgoing mail. Just voices in my head.


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