Another day, another insomnia attack, hey another fic!
So I was reading letters from Rainer.M.Rilke to Lou Andreas Salome and I got this wacky idea...wacky cause hey what the hell do these two have anything to do with ghosts or Buffy? Well, nothing! Yet my brain cooked up a connection between them all. I'm in serious need of help, me thinks.
If this blows let me know. It's a three part story. Here's the first, so if it sucks, let's save everyone the misery and say so and I won't post the rest.
TITLE: ANALYZING THE SPIRIT
RATING: NC-17 TO R
DISCLAIMERS: I DON’T OWN THEM, JUST WISH I DID. I’LL PUT THEM BACK WHEN I’M DONE PLAYING.
SUMMARY: AU FIC: EVA PFEIFFER (WILLOW ROSENBERG) IS A DOCTOR AND PSYCHIATRIST IN THE EARLY 1900’S AROUND 1914 OR SUCH. SHE IS WRANGLED INTO TAKING A STRANGE CASE IN A SPANISH VILLA WHERE THE YOUNG NIECE OF A BARONESS, VIOLET OLENKA MUNCHHAUSEN (TARA MACLAY) IS HAVING NIGHTMARES AND EXPERIENCING VISIONS.
IS THE YOUNG VIOLET INSANE OR ARE THERE REALLY DANGEROUS SPIRITS HAUNTING THE VILLA?
Notes: I took some liberties and invited some of my favorite people from that era to make a guest appearance. I hope they forgive me. I don’t know how’d they feel about Buffy.
ANALYZING THE SPIRIT:
Did you ever wonder whether true love could be found? Is there really such a thing as a soul mate? Someone who can be, is, your other half? Perhaps even your better half? That one person out of millions in the world that can help you feel like a whole being? I think we all wonder and even the most skeptic and cynical at the very least, one day, hope for it all to be true. To admit to this would be to admit then, that such a thing as a soul exists and this admission would lead to another set of profound questions for which humanity has yet no answer.
I admit I have battled with many of these questions within myself many times. You see both the scientific and the esoteric have appealed to my nature throughout my life. I have studied both trying to come to a final conclusion that would satisfy both my mind and dare I say my soul? This quest has led me here, to a crossroad and to the most important question of all: which path shall I take and travel from here on?
I should start at the beginning so that you might understand me better. When I was a young girl I lived mostly with my grandmother, a dear, sweet and wise woman who believed in the power of dreams and magic. My mother on the other hand was a cold, distant and scientific woman who preferred her laboratory studies and books to the company of people. While I lived with grandmother I heard tales of ancient myths and Gods, we cultivated medicinal herbs in the garden and we discovered together the hidden meaning of the changing winds and the distant sounds of the sea. I remember this time fondly, though not extensively. My nana, as I called her, died one winter morning. A part of my life was buried with her forever the very next day.
My mother being the practical woman that she was immediately saw to it that all references of magic and ancient teachings were stricken from my education. While my nana had been alive it had been a constant point of conflict between the two women and now it was solely my mother’s decision. I was too young and my protests were soon silenced by her strict brand of discipline.
In the following years my inquisitive mind led me to pursue studies in science, much to my mother’s delight. I became a doctor and later specialized as a psychiatrist. I have done very well in my field, studying with such great minds as Sigmund Freud and Otto Rank who in recent years have had quite a falling out over the course that psychoanalysis should take in the present and the years to come. I distanced myself from both, trying to draw my own conclusions. During all these years of study and medical practice my life has been orderly and methodical. I would not even contemplate questions of the soul and my nana’s memory waned with each passing day.
One day I awoke to find myself bored and in need of a change, by chance I met a respected colleague at a conference and though I did know it, it would be a meeting that would change my life.
She captured my attention immediately; it was rare to see another woman at these affairs and even more so to see a woman such as Lou Adreas Salome. She was also a respected analyst, well, respected by some and shunned by others. In these times an educated woman of science is an oddity of sorts and a woman with her particular life style even more so. I noted the disapproving looks she received from most of the ‘respected’ doctors in the room. She either didn’t notice or didn’t care. The way she carried herself spoke volumes, she seemed to say: yes I live with my husband and have a lover, yes I contest your theories, yes I am a friend to two of the most controversial minds of our time, so what of it? The men in the room seemed to understand the message perfectly. They whispered behind her back, but never dared to engage her in a frontal confrontation.
I was looking forward to meeting her indeed. I got a mutual acquaintance to introduce us and we hit it off right away. It seemed we shared many common interests and we kept in touch through out the following weeks. One day when we were scheduled to meet for lunch she arrived late with a companion, a slender, blonde, pale looking man with a long reddish mustache. He seemed familiar and I struggled with memory, when it struck me: Rainer Maria Rilke, the poet! I was delighted.
We had an amiable chat, he was somewhat quiet and shy, but when he did speak his words were always sad and beautiful, they moved me in an unexplainable way. I was sorry when he excused himself and left us alone.
His presence and sudden absence served to bring forth the conversation that shook me to the core.
Eva: He has a beautiful way with words. Why does he seem so reluctant to speak?
Lou: He has a very beautiful but very tormented soul.
Eva: Soul? Do you really think such a thing exists Lou?
Lou: Yes I do. I know in this age that’s a point of great controversy, especially in our fields. Yet, I am growing more convinced each day that science and analysis is not the answer for everyone. Since I’ve met Rilke I have revised many of my initial views. Freud threw a fit when I told him of my decision not to analyze Reiner and my reasons behind it. I believe that if he were to be analyzed the very essence of his work would crumble and his talent would vanish, taking in its demise his very soul. There are emotions that live within the artist that cannot be taken apart; his love, his pain, his hidden passions…they are the core of his art. Take that away and all that will be left will be the ghost of who could have been a great man.
Eva: You make it all sound almost esoteric.
Lou: In a way it is. Artistic creation like Rainer’s is almost magical I would say.
Eva: It’s hard to for me to believe in magic. My memories about the subject are hardly objective. Throughout the years I’ve searched for it and have not found it. I’ve witnessed dozens of charlatans who claim to be ‘true’ necromancers and after careful observations found that it’s all just smoke and mirrors. Faith in God and the afterlife? that subject has been put on trial by one of your friends and rather eloquently if I may add. As for the soul…one too many cases of hysterics suffering from hallucinations after a supposed séance has put doubts in my mind about its very existence.
Lou: I can’t say that I believe in the magic of Illusionists, but I do believe in the magic of life. As for my friend, I wouldn’t believe all that Nitzche has to say. I’m afraid he has not been well as of late. My question for you would now be, séance, so you think a manifestation of a ghost would prove the existence of the soul?
Eva: Well for me it could. By what we know, what more concrete evidence could there exist? If we do in fact posses a soul that goes on after our mortal bodies have passed on, what better proof than a real ghost?
Lou: This is a grand coincidence then. I think I’m in a position to offer you the chance to answer some of the questions that I see weigh heavily on your mind. I’m a friend to the Baroness Munchhausen. She has just purchased a Villa on the outskirts of Spain and two days ago a letter arrived written by her hand, requesting my help on a most strange matter. She wishes me to attend to her niece, since they’ve moved into the villa she says that the young girl has not been well. Her niece has been suffering from insomnia, hears voices and even claims to see people that other’s just can’t see.
Eva: It sounds like a clear case of dementia, schizophrenia perhaps?
Lou: Ah yes, but, there is another side to this tale, first, the girl has no prior history of this behavior and second some members of the staff claim that there are strange things going on at the villa, like eerie noises and such, plus some of the town’s people swear that place has been haunted for years.
Eva: Then it could be a case of collective hysteria.
Lou: I knew you would say that. That’s precisely what the Baroness wants, someone to test all possible theories. She loves her niece dearly and hates to think that she might be going mad, but at the same has trouble believing in ghost stories and such. There is another possibility, she says that many were not happy about her buying the property she fears some spiteful enemy might somehow be manipulating the circumstances in order to scare them away. You’ve just told me that you were good at discovering magic tricks so this might just be the right job for you. I was about to reply my negative due to some engagements that I cannot break. But you could go instead.
Eva: I don’t know…
Lou: What’s not to know? This is a one in a lifetime chance for you to answer some of those burning questions of yours.
So just like that I was off on the next train to Spain. I was both excited and worried at the prospect of working for the Baroness. This situation could either give me the hope of regaining that part of my self, which I thought I had lost forever or it would crush all that was left of my nana’s teachings. When I arrived I instantly fell in love with the landscape; the rich valleys and the colorful flowers blooming everywhere made me sigh in contentment. The buggy ride from the station to the villa was over far too quickly for my taste.
The villa itself was an impressive structure it looked more like and Irish castle that a colonial house. The architecture was certainly an odd mixture of cold stone and wood as soon as set foot on the ground I felt a shiver run up and down spine. I wrote off as silliness and proceeded to greet my hostess who had come out to greet me. The baroness was an impressive woman tall and stocky dressed in a fine silk gown that flowed freely right down to the floor, not at all up to the current fashions, it was more like something out of the 1700’s and it looked lovely on her.
She greeted me with a warm embrace and kisses on both my cheeks. “ Doctor Eva Pfeiffer. You don’t know how glad I am that you have come. Lou has spoken great things about you. I do hope that you can help us. This situation is beginning to wear out my nerves.” The baroness spoke quickly and signaled with her hands to have my luggage taken care of. She ushered me inside still speaking in an agitated manner, “ My niece extends her apologies for not being here to greet you. She’s not feeling well today, as you know she hasn’t gotten much sleep in the past few weeks and I’m afraid all of this madness is taking a toll on her health.”
We took a seat in the ample sitting room with a view to a magnificent yard and garden. I made myself comfortable and spoke gently. “ That’s quite all right baroness. I understand. I would of course like to speak to your niece as soon as possible. If her health is already compromised then I would like to start figuring out this business once and for all.”
The baroness smiled. “ Spirit, that’s what I like in a woman! No nonsense whatsoever. My niece is very much the same way and that is why I am so worried about her. She’s changed since we’ve come here.”
I scrunched my brow. “ Baroness if I may? Did she want to come here? Perhaps this all just an adverse reaction to these surroundings and this is her way….” The baroness interrupted me in mid sentence.
“ Oh no, none of that. I’m sure of it. She welcomed the change. We were living in London and if anything she didn’t like it there, the grim weather and all. She was excited to come here, she loved the scenery, the colors, the people….everything! Even now when I suggested that we just move out of here she protested against it.”
I was still curious and wanted to start collecting facts so I questioned the baroness further. “ Will you please tell me the whole story from your point of view as completely as possible please?” I requested and took out my pad and pen to take down notes with.
The baroness ordered us tea and sat with her hands folded in her lap facing me. She took a breath of air and began tale.
“ I bought the villa and sent some of my employees in advance to clean and generally prepare the estate before my niece and I arrived from London. Several of those workers quit upon our arrival and vowed never to return. They claimed to hear strange sounds at night and to see shadows scurrying about. I thought it was a bunch of nonsense, I told them that it was probably just animals from the near by woods scourging for food. But no amount of reasoning convinced any of them to come back.
I hired town’s people to take their place and they started murmuring about the spirits of the house and how it had been haunted for as long as they could remember. This of course made everyone all the more nervous. Even I could swear that I’ve heard an eerie sound or two in the halls, but I can’t say if it’s been real or my mind playing tricks on me.
At any rate at least one or two members of the staff have to be replaced each week. I’m running out of people to hire. And the worst part of this mess is my niece’s state of mind. She was perfectly happy, healthy, young girl before coming here. It all started from the moment we moved in. The first night she had a terrible dream and I had to run into her room to shake her awake from it, she was screaming her lungs out and crying hysterically. It took her quite awhile to calm down, when I asked her what the nightmare had been, she answered that couldn’t remember.
She seems to have the same dream every night, at last when she can sleep. One afternoon we were taking a stroll in the gardens and suddenly she paled like a ghost and said ‘look at that!’ I looked to where she was pointing and couldn’t see a thing. She swears she saw two women by the apple orchard and that they were dressed in antique corset gowns, theirs features unclear and their feet not touching the ground. It’s been like that on a few occasions since then in the living room, the dance hall, the dining table…my poor dear, it’s really taking a toll on her. I just don’t know what to believe. I…”
I nodded sympathetically. “ I understand. Believe me I do. I will do everything in my power to get to the bottom this. There are several logical explanations that I can think of so far; one, mass hysteria caused by the rumors of a supposed haunting, two, Lou mentioned something about possible foul play…that could mean that someone purposefully started the rumors of haunting, scaring people can be quite easy all it would take from what you’ve told me so far is to wait around for nightfall and them go around making noises and shadow figures on the walls…”
“ But what about my niece’s visions?” the baroness anxiously asked.
I thought for a minute. “ Well hallucinations can be induced by the use of drugs…something planted in her food…I don’t know, right now I’m speculating. But baroness I must be honest with you and say that the third and most likely of theories is…” I never finished my sentence as a woman entered the room and finished it for me.
“ Third…I’m completely insane.” She said.
I turned my head and nearly gasped as I found myself staring into the most amazing blue eyes I had ever seen in my life.
The baroness rose from her chair and went to embrace the beautiful blonde girl that had entered the room.
“ Darling, that is simply not true and sure the doctor here will prove it. Doctor Pfeiffer, this is my niece, Violet Olenka Munchhausen.”
I nearly didn’t make it out of my chair as I rose and took her hand, bowing my head. “ Miss Munchhausen, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” I couldn’t help but notice the small tingling sensation that I felt on palm as our hands touched all too briefly.
She smiled and took a seat next to her Aunt, also facing me she asked me through saddened eyes. “ Are you here to prove that theory wrong Doctor or have you already made up your mind?”
I shook my head. “ I haven’t enough facts to make my mind up about anything.” I answered a bit more coldly that I had wanted to.
She responded in the same tone. “ I know your kind Doctor. You academics are all the same, all head and no heart, all science and no soul.”
Even though the statement contained more than its share of truth I still found my self hurt by it. In fact I was more or less infuriated by the woman’s attitude. Who did she think she was? How could she presume to know what I would or would not think? My ‘kind’ indeed.
“I assure you I’m open to new ideas Miss Munchhausen.” I said in a calm tone.
She smiled at me almost condescendingly and addressed me with a glint her eyes. “That’s just it Doctor this isn’t about ‘new ideas’ at all, but in fact very ancient ones.”
I think my face turned as red as my hair and I fought not to not show any more emotion than I had to. “ All right, that was very clever. Then let’s say that I’m open to ‘ancient ideas’ and leave it at that.”
At this point the baroness interfered I suspected just in time to interrupt another retort from her increasingly annoying niece. “ Violet please…”
The blonde woman stood and addressed her aunt. “ Auntie…I begged you, no doctors, unless they were willing to see things outside of their scientific approach. I will not be labeled insane, when I know that what I have seen is the truth. Something happened in this house and when I figure out what that was the spirits that live here will be at peace and so will I. I will not be treated like child or a raving maniac. Good night Doctor, I’m sorry you were made to come all this way.” She said before walking out.
+++tbc?
Edited by: nika 
at: 9/6/03 12:21 am
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
at: 9/6/03 3:41 am
and 
work out their differences 
And a little animosity - don't often see that between W/T. Color me intrigued as well...
nika 
I have to say that the 
I can't wait to see how that is going to progress. 
Should be fun. 
more. Update soon, please? 
at: 9/9/03 10:48 pm