The Professor

“Severe shocks to the system can cause trauma…exacerbated by any physical damage, which could certainly involve Olivia’s brain getting thrown around like a pea in a balloon,” Professor Hoyte announced, after listening to Caroline explaining my symptoms, and their cause. He was an old man, mostly bald with a ring of white hair, wearing an old tweed suit. He sat behind an oak desk, staring mostly at me, twiddling a pen between his fingers. His office, which Caroline had called his consulting room, was full of clutter, all antiques. “But one should not ignore the severity of the shock itself…Olivia was thrown about like a feather in a wind tunnel…and that must have been very frightening…the memories of that alone could quite possibly cause what you have described as episodes, Mrs Montague?”

“But what can we do to stop them recurring, Professor?” Caroline asked, sitting beside me and still holding my hand.