– Do you have a job?
– No. I am incarcerated.
– And they let you out to come see me?
– No, I didn’t get permission.
– And you don’t think that instead of going to see a psychiatrist, it would have been better to look for a lawyer, for instance?
– There’s nothing a lawyer can do for me.
– And what about me? What can I help you with?
– I am a lifer. I would just like my sentence to be commuted to something lighter.
– OK then, you would like a reduced sentence, for psychiatric reasons. And was it necessary to run away in order to get it?
– That I didn’t seek permission doesn’t mean that I escaped. In fact they are here with me.
– Outside the door?
– No. In this room.
– I don’t see anyone.
– Neither do I.
– So they’re in your head?
– Now we’re making progress.
– And so my job is not to convince a jury to acquit you, but to somehow make your punishment lighter.
– Exactly. Finally, we understand each other.
– Very well. Then let’s try to work this out together. But in the meantime, there’s a formality I need to go through. I can’t exactly write Incarcerated under “Occupation,” in your file.
– Actually, I would like you to highlight my sentence there.
– OK. How about “Condemned to Forced Thoughts”. How does that sound to you?
– Yes, but don’t you write “Awaiting Trial”!
– I would never!
– Good. Let’s proceed, then.
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