"cloak of normality" 6 Tales, 1 Story. Humpbuckle Tales 137-142

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Cloak of Normality (1 of 6): why? Humpbuckle Tales 137

Hooper's father drives him through the gates of the psychiatric hospital.

Hooper squirms in the back of the Lexus.

"I'm not mental," he says, through gritted teeth."

His father says nothing as he pulls into a parking space.

"We just want to understand, Hooper, why you did what you did."

Cloak of Normality (2 of 6): findings. Humpbuckle Tales 138

"Don't worry, sir," the nurse says to Hooper's father. "Why don't you take a stroll around the lake? Have a pot of tea in the cafe? We'll come and get you when the doctor is ready to discuss his findings."

Hooper stares at his shoes as his father stalks away.

Cloak of Normality (3 of 6): three categories. Humpbuckle Tales 139

"Every individual is different, but they fall roughly into three categories," the psychiatrist says.

His voice is slow, measured, warm.

Hooper sits in a sumptuous chair, staring through the window at the sparkling lake.

He resists the hypnotic rhythm of the psychiatrist's voice, struggling to keep his heavy eyes open

Cloak of Normality (4 of 6): global struggle. Humpbuckle Tales 140

By the fourth session, Hooper finds himself discussing his anger and his desire to be a part of something important.

"How did skinning your cat fit into these plans?"

Hooper says nothing.

"You remind me of myself," the psychiatrist says suddenly.

Hooper looks up.

"Only, my father never caught me."

Cloak of Normality (5 of 6): try not to offend. Humpbuckle Tales 141

The psychiatrist teaches Hooper how to wear a cloak of normality.

"Try not to offend," he says. "If someone irritates you just smile, put them at ease. You'll deal with them later."

"You seem better," Hooper's father says.

Hooper smiles.

In the back of the Lexus, he plans his revenge.

Cloak of Normality (6 of 6). Humpbuckle Tales 142

Hooper feels less alone now.

Although the psychiatrist is a teacher, not a friend, Hooper can share his thoughts and desires.

He doesn't need to live in his head anymore.

"The night of the Humpbuckle festival," the psychiatrist says. "Meet me on the clifftop path." He smiles. "We're going hunting."

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These fifty-word stories were written using the six @freewritehouse freewrite prompts @mariannewest gave us this week (see her weekend freewrite single prompt post. Check out her Three Prompt challenge for more weekend Freewrite fun!
These are the 137th to 142nd fifty-word stories in the Humpbuckle Tales series. You can find all the tales reblogged on the @humpbuckletales account.

These six stories are part of the Humpbuckle Tales series I am writing. Each tale is 50 words long. They can be read individually but when read together they make up a much bigger story. The 6 weekend freewrite stories are an obvious example of this because you can see that one follows on from another. The other tales might not be so obvious as they are sometimes set a few decades earlier or later than the others.

There are author readings available of the first 22 Humpbuckle Tales on the Humpbuckle Tales YouTube Channel or you can listen to the Humpbuckle Tales podcast.

On Hive, you can find the first 10 tales read here, and Humpbuckle Tales 11-22 are read here

Hive has it first!

Humpbuckle Tales are always published first on Hive!

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If you love microfiction check out the

ZapFic Challenges

#ZapFicMonday and #ZapFic50Friday

every Monday and Friday in the Freewriters Community!

Check out the new @Freewritehouse / @Zapfic.Club collaborations, #ZapFicMonday and ZapFic50Friday, and win! Only in the Freewriters Community!



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