A Stir of Echoes - By Richard Matheson Page 0,12

by a woman who is convinced she's irresistible.

"Nothing," I said.

"You're blushing!"

I knew I wasn't; and realized that it was a trick she used to fluster the men she flirted with.

"Am I?" I said coldly. That desire was thrusting itself through me; the desire to push her violently from the house.

"Yes," she said. "I'm not embarrassing you in this suit, am I?"

"Not at all," I said. I felt physically ill standing so close to her. She seemed to radiate something that wrenched my insides. I turned to the door and opened it. "I have a little headache, that's all," I explained.

"I was just about to lie down."

"Oh-h." The sympathy was false too; I felt it. "You lie down then. Lying down can help a lot-of things." She finished as if it were an afterthought.

"Yes. I will."

"I'll bring the glasses back tonight," she said.

"No hurry," I answered. I wanted to scream into her face- Will you get the hell out of here!

Repressing it made me shiver.

"That was quite a party we had last night," said Elsie. Her voice seemed to come from a distance. I couldn't see her face distinctly.

"Yes," I managed to say, "very interesting."

"You really knew what you were doing, though, didn't you?" she told me. I nodded quickly, willing to say anything to get her out. "Yes. Of course."

"I knew it," she said, satisfied. I closed the door halfway. "Well." Elsie took a deep breath and the bathing suit swelled in front. "Thanks for the glasses," she said as if she were thanking me for something else.

I closed the door behind her and gasped dizzily.

"Get in that backyard!" Elsie screamed.

I jumped so sharply I banged my knee against the door. As I bent over, rubbing it, I heard Candy outside in the alley, whining.

When Elsie was gone I sank down at the table and closed my eyes. I felt as if I'd just climbed out of a well. I tried to tell myself it was only imagination but that didn't work. Mind ran second again, poor competition for my emotions. I felt dazed and weakened. On the surface that was senseless. Elsie was quite ordinary, not very attractive. She'd never bothered me before. I'd always felt slightly amused by her antics.

I wasn't amused now. I almost felt afraid of her.

And, no matter how I went about it, there was only one explanation. I'd seen behind her words, behind her actions. Somehow I'd been inside her mind.

It was an awful place.
Chapter Five
I TOLD ANNE ABOUT IT that night after Phil had left for Berkeley. Richard was asleep and we were getting ready for bed. I was in my pajamas, Anne undressing by the closet.

"I don't understand what you mean," she said when I'd finished. I shook my head slowly. "I don't blame you," I said somberly. "I don't understand it either."

"Well... what is it?" she asked. "You say you felt repelled by her but-" She didn't finish; just stood there looking at me.

"That's it," I said, "I-I think I must have known what was going on in her mind. I don't mean her thoughts exactly; not words or sentences." I gestured helplessly. "What was behind her words I guess. What she felt."

"My God," Anne said. "You make her sound like a monster."

"Maybe we're all monsters underneath," I said.

I saw her shudder a little as she drew on her robe. She came over and sat down beside me. We were quiet for a moment.

"All right," she said, "forgetting about Elsie for the moment. Do you think this is a carry-over from last night? Like... seeing that woman?"

"I don't know what else it could be," I told her.

She bit her lower lip. "What could have happened?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said. "You saw it. Did I act-strange in any way while I was under hypnosis?" She looked at me worriedly. "Not that I can remember," she said. "I've seen people hypnotized before. I've seen Phil hypnotize other people. They didn't act any different from the way you did." I sighed. "I don't get it then."

"You should have told Phil," she said. "Maybe he could have done something."

"How?" I asked. "As far as he was concerned the hypnosis was everything he wanted it to be. He'd just say I'm a little keyed up."

"I know, but..."

She looked so disturbed that I tried to sound a little less worried about it.

"Telepathy, you can have it."

"You really think that's what it is?"

"I don't know what it is." I shrugged. "I guess that's as good a