HairNet Productions
       Sebastian


        This was written by Ipsalodis... he didn't sign his name, but I bet
  he says "hi ho" to you all...

                                                      
                            Sebastian

      I am Niles Arbor.  I am about to give an anecdote from my
life.  As a forest researcher, I mainly study trees.  My house is
made of redwood timbers and is surrounded by peaceful sylvan lands. 
I have studied trees ever since I graduated from Oxford University
in 1982.  Trees are my life, my love, and my breath.  But enough
about me.  Here is a story that changed my life.
     One day, while walking through the giant redwood trees of
Eastern Oregon, one of my favorite pastimes, I encountered a tree
with a strange yellow growth on it. The growth was unlike any I had
ever seen before; it was shaped like a human face.  Needless to
say, I was appalled!  Even as shocking as that discovery was, what
remained to be seen would astound nearly anyone.
     As I peered in further, my mind was completely perplexed.
Think about this fact for a minute, the "face" even had eyes, deep
intense eyes, almost life-like eyes.  Every time I gazed into them
they seemed to be looking back, as if studying me.  Those molesting
eyes shall forever be imprinted in my soul.
     Because this growth was anomalous to me I decided that I would
tell no one of this.  (I wanted all the credit, I thought I might
possibly get a Nobel Prize for this.)  I kept detailed records of
everything I did, every angle I viewed it from, every probing touch
with my equipment, everything.  Every day I would set out to look 
for a change in the growth.  I became quite familiar with it.  I
even named it, I called it "Sebastian".  From there on Sebastian
had become my whole existence.
     During some of my visits with Sebastian I could have sworn
that I had heard Sebastian make sounds, even a little "ow" the
first time a removed a sample from him.  But I am a scientist, and
as a scientist I would resolve to find out what Sebastian was, even
if personal feelings got involved.  I fancied that Sebastion might
be a new find of life, foreign to scientific minds.  Or maybe he
was just overlooked as part of an already classified species.  I
would not overlook him.  In all my examinations of my books, I
could never find anything matching Sebastian's description.  I also
briefly mused about the fact that my discovery might be of extra
terrestrial origin.  Call me crazy, but the thought had crossed my
mind. 
     Ah yes, Sebastian's eyes, well, those eyes were intense.  So
intense were those eyes that I honestly thought that Sebastian was
looking at me.  But I did grow used to them, in time.  Those eyes
probed me, as I had probed him with instruments and devices of many
kinds.  Sebastian's eyes radiated with a glow  This glow wasn't
visible, but I could feel it whenever I was in his presence.  
     I even had devoted a little shrine in my house to Sebastian. 
I had pictures of Sebastian, and multi-colored candles, even
incense.  It helped me to"lighten up" a little bit. I was becoming
rather intense in my research.  I didn't want to be so scientific
in my examinations that I would overlook any information.  Even 
during some of my meditations, I had focused on Sebastian.  I
prayed about Sebastian, and for myself, in hopes that I would find
an answer to what or who he was.
     Then one day, help came knocking on my door.  Two gentlemen,
fellow reserchers in fact, came to visit me.  (Remember, I had made
as little contact as possible with the outside world during this
period.)  Imagine my surprise!  They said that they had been
thinking about me from the days at Oxford.  They gained my address,
and had found me here.  So I invited them in.  We chatted for a
long time about old college memories and the like.  When the
perfect moment arrived, I told them of my past months' research. 
They didn't seem very receptive to the idea of Sebastian.  When I
showed them my shrine to Sebastian, I think that they were
suppressing laughter.  I was determined to change their minds!  
     I brought them out to look at Sebastian, and they thought I
was insane!  They said things like, "What is so abnormal about
that?" and, "That thing doesn't have eyes."  But they didn't know
Sebastian the way I did.   
       "Get a hold of yourself, Niles.  Take a good long look at
what you have become!  You are obsessed about a growth on a tree
for Chrissakes!  Look at what you are!"  
     This sudden rejection was very jolting to me.  So I looked
objectively into myself, my life.  Suddenly it came to me.  I had
devoted these last months of my life to what was some kind of plant
life!  I was so caught up in Sebastian that I never saw a clear
picture of myself and my work.  I was wholly absorbed by a a plant! 
How could have I been so blind as to not see what I had done?! 
Sure, I didn't go out and kill anyone, like other psychopaths, but
I was mentally derranged during that time.    
     So I went out to look at the plant (maybe it was a fungus) 
and I could not see its eyes anymore, I didn't feel any radiance,
I did not see anything unusual about this growth.  So I decided to
rid myself of a demon (so to speak) and I cut it off the tree. 
Then I burned it.  Although, it did give off a rather nice smell
for such a bothersome organism.
     So ends my story.  I have since been diagnosed with mild
schizophrenia. I owe a lot to my two college buddies.  Because of
them I still have my sanity.  I think that a scientist needs his
sanity, even though delusions can be an interesting distraction.


<TAA's COMMENT:  Wow, great story Ipster!  If you like, made that bigger with
 a little more background/sub-plots I bet that would like rule and stuff...
 hehe... while I was reading, I thought Sebastian was going to come back and
 get Niles after Niles burned him... hehe>

