Mermaids' Lament (2023)

[bunniefuu]

Day one, begin dictation.

Working title, "Trauma,

Psychosis, and Delusions"

by Dr. Nell Jameson.

Figmental experiences and hallucinations

are associated with all types of trauma.

This is consistent with the current data

where increased delusional

fantasies are found in people

exposed to a greater

number of traumatic events.

One psychiatric syndrome

involves a fantasy,

that the affected person

can transform into

or has changed into

an animal or part animal.

Bring attention to your body.

Open yourself to the present moment.

Let all your other thoughts fade away.

This is you time.

Focus on each of your breaths.

Hello?

I'll see you at 8:00 sharp.

It's okay, doc. It's just...

Ed, just be patient.

It's not right.

My granddaughter not getting to school.

They may as well be homeless.

Things don't always go as planned.

I was seven when my parents

finally figured it out.

Got us a place. Give her time.

You are cherished,

accomplished,

aware,

connected.

You are loved.

You are worthy,

seen,

virtuous,

innocent.

You are loved.

You are successful. You are happy.

You can do this. You

have everything you need.

Success starts with you.

Everything you do today is a

result of your personality,

your motivations, and your habits.

Think about the future you want and be it.

Mom.

No, please, don't go.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

and even suicidal ideations,

encompassing both physical

and mental health problems.

Interview more study subjects

as part of a mixed-method investigation

of trauma exposure, and

delusional experiences.

Day five goal: find more data.

Hey, hun. Have you eaten today?

Here, take this.

Buy some food.

Hey.

Oh.

Push the button.

Oh.

Oh.

Let's get you some warm, dry

clothes and some munchables.

Okay?

Oh, thank you.

Did, did you make this?

Did you make this?

Hey, look.

See?

Let's put this away

Go ahead.

This is cute.

Do you like this color?

How about this one?

Hmm.

This'll work.

Come on.

Oh, okay. It's okay.

Let's bring this. There.

Yeah.

Tell them it's Nell, Dr. Jameson.

I need a 24 hour hold for...

She meets all the criteria.

Don't Freud with me.

She walked right into traffic.

No, she's not my patient.

If you don't have space,

why does that matter?

sh**t

Want some food? Noodles.

Noodles?

What is it?

Where are you from?

Where are you from?

Ocean?

O-sea.

Nell.

- Nell.

- Nell.

- Oee.

- Oee.

Nell.

- Oee.

Oh, good. Oee.

Oee.

Mermaid?

Oee, mermaid.

It's very pretty.

Here, why don't you take

the sandwich and the drink?

Umbrella? Okay.

Oh, darn.

Okay.

Um, I've gotta go now.

Um, you're gonna be okay?

You have place to go?

Hasta, arrivaderci, aloha?

Um, goodbye.

Bye, bye.

Okay.

Everything all right?

We'll just begin where

we left off last time.

Damn it.

Hey, it looks like the

fish are coming to us.

Knock it off. Leave her alone.

We're just talking.

- She'll be okay, right?

- Yeah, man.

Adam's all talk.

Oee, what's wrong?

- Hey, two for one.

- Stay the f*ck away.

We're just having some fun.

You are going to leave now.

- Yeah? What if we don't?

- Get in. Get in the car.

Get in the car.

And what are you going to do with that?

Either bash you in the head with it

or f*ck you in the a*s.

Whatever it takes to make my point.

Woo, you got some fire. I like that.

You like docile little b*tches

like those guys behind you.

f*ck off, lady.

A very thick f*ck off to you, too.

Bad man. It's not safe here.

f*ck them.

Come. Come on.

It's okay.

Oh.

It could rain.

Comfy.

- Comfy.

Comfy.

Come on

There. Legs up.

There you go.

It's okay. Blanket.

Blanket.

Blanket comfy.

Comfy.

- Comfy.

- Yeah, good.

Blanket.

Okay? Yeah.

Good.

Good. Okay.

Sleep well.

Found ideal candidate for investigation.

Homeless. Evident physical

and mental trauma.

Most likely a runaway.

Subject A thinks she's a mermaid.

Day 12.

Days of no solid food.

Countering onset of

hypotension with infusing water

with small amounts of

protein and electrolytes.

Careful. It's hot.

- Hot.

- Hot.

It's okay. It's a brush.

Yeah, a brush.

Okay?

Okay.

- Mm.

- Okay. Oh.

You all right?

We can't go out

in our pajamas, silly.

Comfy.

Come on.

Come in. It's all right.

It's okay, come. Come here.

We'll brush your hair, okay?

It's okay.

That was my mom's.

It was the last thing I saw her in.

Ed, sure.

I'll put you down for Tuesday.

You're not a mermaid!

- I mermaid.

- No!

You could have drowned.

No.

I am not the bad guy here.

I'm trying to keep you safe.

Chilean salmon industry

continues its slide,

saw 208 million wiped off

its value, sliding 25%.

Blanket.

Comfy

You're not a mermaid!

Not a mermaid! Not a mermaid!

Comfy.

Oh.

Oh honey.

It's okay.

Drink.

Yesterday I really

didn't know what to say

I wasn't making any

sense, but it felt okay

Asked you if it was my birthday

This kind of thing

don't happen every day

Hey, hey, hey

Hey, hey hey

I didn't think an angel

would get in my way

Hey, hey hey

Hey, hey hey

I didn't think an angel

would get in my way

Yesterday I felt just like a child

A little curious, a little wild

Live in the moment and

you'll never go outta style

You know, it's really been a while

Hey, hey hey

Hey, hey hey

I didn't think an angel

would get in my way

Let me tell you

Yeah, excuse me, won't you step aside

Hey, hey hey

I ain't got room for you in my life

I don't got the patience to love again

I don't got the guts

to keep you as a friend

Be an angel and fly away

Hey, hey hey

I hope you reach some heavenly place

If you come back when you're all done

Bring me some raindrops from the sun

Sun shines through the

raindrops from the sun

The sun shines through the raindrops

From the sun

In my life

Raindrops from the sun

The sun shines through the raindrops

Week three.

Subject A is immersed in her fantasy.

My father used to always say,

"never shrink yourself to

fit in a world that says

that your greatness is to be less."

To thrive, you need to

find your true self,

and be a-

Mermaid.

Where would you like to be after here?

I understand.

Before we met, do you

remember what happened?

This was my mom.

Oh God.

You are starving. You need to eat.

Are you okay?

Oh, God.

Mom?

Mom, mom, mom.

Mom.

Mom, mom, mom.

Mom!

Mom, mom, mom.

Mom, stop.

Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.

Mom, please don't go.

Mom!

Week four.

Testing the psychological

benefits of aquatic spaces

for increasing positive emotional states

and lowering levels of distress.

This one.

Yeah.

Go back? Okay.

Where to?

O-sea.

Ocean?

Are you sure?

No, no, no, no!

Mom!

I, I can't!

No, no, please, don't go.

I can't.

Mom!

Week six and I had success

adding citalopram to the regime.

Appetite has returned.

No other intervention seems necessary.

I'm going to get ready for work.

You just keep eating.

That's your job for today.

Food and water in little amounts.

Hey, are you okay?

You're making things hard on yourself.

You see things in such bright colors.

Too bright for your own good.

Can you talk about it?

Hon, what happened out there?

You're repressing.

You need to let me in so I can help.

Don't be like that.

I'm trying to help.

- You, come here.

You.

Man, you.

You, you waste.

You trap.

You in net.

You drown.

You, man.

- Stop, stop!

- You waste.

Waste, waste, waste, waste,

waste, waste, waste.

- Stop, stop.

Don't be like this.

You think I'm a bad man,

but you don't what I'm dealing with.

Okay.

It's okay.

I'll be right back, okay?

Be right back.

Week eight.

It's worth noting that

this has been triggering for me.

Okay. Okay.

Come on.

Come on, honey. It'll help you sleep.

Past trauma might not be as it seemed.

Yeah.

Treatment.

Here you go.

Medication.

Overshadowed by systemic causes.

Yeah, okay?

Good, good, good.

Okay.

These doubts are not

enough to sway my research.

My granddaughter and I,

we, we painted her room.

I pick her up from school every day

and she's all smiles.

I bought her an elephant.

She's gonna start astronaut

training next week.

Doc. Nell?

You okay?

Yeah, I...

Sorry.

Let's clean that foot of yours.

It's going to be okay.

Okay.

I have it together. I have it together.

I've got this.

This is what it takes.

This is what it takes to be healthy.

Just eat.

That's your job again.

Food and water in little amounts.

What the f*ck? Take it off!

What are you doing? Take it off.

No!

Take it off!

How would

you describe your feelings?

Betrayed,

frustrated,

lonely.

Trap.

You in net.

Drown, you.

Oee.

I'm s-so sorry. I, I didn't mean.

I thought you were some...

Oee!

Oee!

Oee!

Oee!

Yes, I wanna report a missing girl.

No, I can't wait 24 hours.

She swam out into the ocean.

You f*cking gotta be kidding me!

Hello? Hello?

Oee! Oee!

Oee!

Help! Oee!

I'm so sorry!

Please come back! Oee!

Please!

I can't do this alone. I can't!

Oee.

Oee.

Oee.

My mind is floating, unanchored.

Through ideas of interdependence,

celebratory change and acceptance.

Wetsuits

are actually supposed to be

very snug on your body in order to work,

so they can be a little

bit challenging to put on

when you're new to this.

- Ah, it's tight.

- It's tight.

Okay.

To learn new things,

to explore a new world,

The goal of the breathe out,

for me, is to clear my head,

stop focusing on what's

going on around you

and turn your focus within.

Go ahead and visualize

how you're gonna take the deep breath

when I finish the countdown,

and after you finish that last breath,

you'll simply put your face in the water

and then you'll float on the surface.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1,

big breath.

Drop your face in the water.

Go ahead and drop your

hands. Relax everything.

And Oee, we're gonna practice

this buddy system strategy

where you check on her and then

she shows you a signal back.

Good. Perfect.

You're just feeling contraction.

That's to be expected.

And then you can slowly bring your feet

down to the bottom of the

pool before you

Perfect.

And then all that's left to do,

lift your head and focus on breathing.

Good. Catch your breath.

All right, excellent.

- That wasn't so bad.

And you're simply gonna try

to hold your breath for about a minute.

All right. Here we go.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Good. Drop your face into the water.

Good. You're almost at five minutes.

Give us a couple more

seconds. You can do it.

You are almost at seven minutes.

Go ahead and get your feet down below you.

Good. Focus on breathing

now, recovery breathing.

There you go. All right.

Congratulations. You made 7:05.

That's extraordinary.

How do we live in this new world?

To learn to swim,

swim into the eye of the storm, unafraid.

Another reality where time stands still.

I see why one would want

to stay down there forever.

We can't, of course.

We must return to the surface,

to breathe, to survive,

to learn to thrive in our imperfect lives.

You wanna pick that one?

Doc?

This is my granddaughter.

- Hi.

- Isn't she a sweetheart?

- How old are you?

In this world driven

by selfishness and greed,

it is no measure of sanity

to deny the existence of mermaids,

and we mermaids are not giving up.

Time swam.

She, Nell Jameson, gave me the words,

showed me human worlds.

I took her to the sea.

Slipping into the ocean current

among secrets that words do not speak,

floating beyond time.

We are full.

We are free.

We are home.

If ever you lose your mind

I will know where to find it

I'll keep it somewhere

close to my heart

So when you're ready to think straight

Just come to me

I'll give you a little piece

And then I'll let you be

If ever you run outta time

I will give you some mine

I got minutes, hours,

days

Take all that to me

To gather speed for the flight

Hold on tight

Bumpy ride

Let me take a look

outside my lighthouse

You're only lookin' at blue skies

While you're feelin' the sunshine

If we take a walk

Inside your nightmare

We're gonna get all the bad guys

While we're laughin' at good times

If ever you lose your faith

I'll lend you my namesake

Just close your eyes and call my name

There's no more clouds uptown

The storm is over now

Goodbye rain on the windowpane

If ever you lose your way

I will be the light of day

See you to where you're going safely

I've got one eye on you

I've got one on the truth

We'll get through this

Nothin' to it

Let me take a look

outside my lighthouse

You're only lookin' at blue skies

While you're feelin' the sunshine

If we take a walk

Inside your nightmare

We're gonna get all the bad guys

While we're laughin' at good times

Let me take a look

outside my lighthouse

You're only lookin' at blue skies

While you're feelin' the sunshine

If we take a walk

Inside your nightmare

We're gonna get all the bad guys

While we're laughin' at good times