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At first, Abigail hadn’t thought much of it.
Larry Daley was just another patient.
It wasn’t that she thought her patients weren’t important. They all were– equally. It wasn’t like there was a certain patient that caught her attention more than others.
But Larry Daley…
There was something unusual about him.
There shouldn’t have been. He was the most ordinary-looking man in possibly the entire country. He dressed in plain clothes, and his graying hair was like every other man in his early seventies that Abigail had met. She’d only found out that he was once the CEO of Daley Devices while talking with her wife, Eloise, after she’d come back after his first appointment with her.
“Anything interesting happen?” Eloise asked.
“No,” Abigail replied. “But I did see a new patient. His name was Larry Daley.”
Eloise frowned. “Larry Daley?” she repeated. “Wasn’t he the CEO of something… Daley Devices?”
“Was he?”
“Yeah, it was a really big thing when we were in middle school. You know, the Glow-In-The Dark Flashlight?”
“Oh, I know that. Dad bought one when I was younger. Surprisingly useful.”
“Anyway, he sold his company about a year later. Went back to his old job as a night guard– he was the guy behind the moving exhibits thing.”
“That was him too? He sure gets around.”
“Yeah. Always thought it was a shame when they ended that program.”
“Same. I wonder why.”
But Abigail didn’t need to know that Larry had been a CEO to know that this was going to become a peculiar case. His illness was common enough. Abigail diagnosed him with Alzheimer’s…
…But then there were the hallucinations.
“You say he experiences hallucinations?”
His son, Nick Daley, nodded. “He talks to people that don’t– aren’t there.”
“Could I ask exactly who he imagines?”
“Uh…” Nick gave a small, nervous laugh. “Um… Theodore Roosevelt?”
“Hey, Teddy’s real,” Larry interjected. “You should know that Nicky.”
“...So you believe you aren’t imagining anything?”
“I’m not, Teddy’s my friend, and he’s real.”
“Dad!” Nick exclaimed, and then he whispered something to Larry. Abigail couldn’t hear anything but she swore she had heard something about “the Tablet” . To which Larry responded something along the lines of, “Well, they said it’s not a secret anymore.”
“...Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
Nick shook his head.
“How long has this been going on?” Abigail asked.
“It started around three years ago,” Nick answered.
“Why have you come now, then?”
Another nervous laugh. “To be honest… I didn’t think it was that serious.”
That had been the first day Abigail had met Larry. She hadn’t pushed on about what she had overheard as she wasn’t sure if she’d get anything out of it, but it was clear that something was off. She’d sent Larry home after asking more questions and prescribing some medication for the hallucinations and Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer’s had only just started up but Larry turned out to be sunk deep into his hallucinations. She has figured out the cause quickly– Larry’s hallucinations were deeply connected to his former job as a night guard, although Abigail wasn’t certain of any specific trigger. Nothing Abigail tried was improving Larry’s situation– medication, therapy, etc. It didn’t help that Nick seemed to be reluctant to let his father speak.
“How long have you been… seeing this supposed Jedediah?”
“Oh, he’s a good friend…” Larry said. “He’s… He’s a cowboy, about three inches tall… Best friends with Octavius…”
“And who is… Octavius? ”
“Roman… Roman general.”
“...I understand. So how long has it been?”
“Since… since when I was a night guard… at the museum…”
Abigail raised an eyebrow. Nick laughed that nervous laugh again.
“Yeah… I think Alzheimer's is messing with his sense of time, you know? It’s pretty common, right?”
“...Of course.”
For a year, Larry’s Alzheimer’s became worse as he slowly lost his memories. He found it difficult to remember new tasks or find his way home. He started to forget recent events, and he frequently forgot about his appointments with Abigail.
The year after that seemed a bit more promising. Larry’s memory wasn’t exactly getting better, but it wasn’t worsening. He could remember Abigail’s name once more.
But the hallucinations became more common. And Larry sometimes described them as if they’d been going on for much longer, such as since he was a night guard. The only reassurance Abigail could give was that she wasn’t sure if she could pinpoint them as bad. Compared to other cases of hallucinations, Larry’s seemed relatively harmless.
That year was also when it came up again. “The Tablet”.
“Could you describe your father’s hallucination?”
“Yeah, he was in the backyard, looking at some flowers. And he started talking to someone next to him– except no one was there.”
“Do you have any idea who this person might be?”
“Uh, I think it was… Sacagawea?”
To Larry, Abigail asked, “Do you remember this?”
“Yes, it was… it was only a few hours ago.”
“Dad, it was yesterday.”
“Oh. Right, that’s probably right.”
“Do you remember what you conversed about?”
“About… the Tablet. Yeah, the Tablet.”
“The Tablet ? Could you describe this Tablet?”
“It’s… it’s gold. And it belongs to… Ahkmenrah.”
To Nick, Abigail asked, “Do you know of this?”
“Uh, yeah, I think he’s referring to the Tablet of Ahkmenrah. It was an exhibit in the Museum of Natural History, but it got moved.”
“Does this have any significance to your father?”
“Um… No?”
“Yes,” Larry said at the same time. He continued, “It brings life… life to… things.”
Abigail blinked. Nick laughed awkwardly.
“Yeah, I’m not sure about that.”
The Tablet. It came up several times after that, too. Apparently Larry was under the influence that this supposed “Tablet of Ahkmenrah” had the magic power of bringing the inanimate to life, but only when the sun was set. He even claimed that Nick knew of this Tablet. Of course, Nick himself heavily denied any knowledge of this Tablet beyond knowing that it was an Egyptian artifact made for the pharaoh Ahkmenrah(who just so happened to be part of Larry’s hallucinations as well) and that it used to be in the American Museum of Natural History. Abigail consulted with her wife on the matter, and with Eloise’s encouragement, she decided to look into this golden Tablet.
Abigail took a week off from work and booked a flight to Britain with Eloise. The Tablet turned out to currently be part of the British museum, so this was her destination.
The Tablet was located with the mummies of Ahkmenrah and his parents, Merenkahre and Shepseheret. Putting aside Larry’s visions of it being a supernatural resurrection device, it was quite beautiful, or at the least flashy. The entire thing was made of pure gold, with Egyptian hieroglyphics carved on it. Eloise said she found it rather pretty, and Abigail made a mental note to buy something gold for their next anniversary.
“Excuse me,” Abigail said to an old woman with a round face, who seemed to be a night guard, passing by. “What was the purpose of this Tablet?”
“Oh, that old thing,” she said with a heavy British accent. “Doesn’t do much, really. Most people say it was used for decoration. At least during the day. But at night, it’s quite magical.” She winked before leaving Abigail dumbfounded.
“Abby, what’s wrong?” Eloise asked.
“Nothing,” Abigail replied. “It’s just… magic.”
“What about it?”
“It’s just something Larry said. About the Tablet being… magical.” Abigail paused before asking, “Do you believe in magic?”
“Not really,” Eloise answered. “It’s fun, but I would say it’s far from reality. The lady was probably messing with you. You know, to get you interested.”
Abigail went touring around London for the rest of her week, but she couldn’t shake off what the lady had said.
The next year, being Abigail’s third year of meeting with Larry Daley, was possibly the worst. Larry’s Alzheimer’s rapidly became worse. He sometimes forgot Nicky's name, and when he did, he kept saying that the Nick he knew had been younger. Everytime Abigail met him, she had to introduce herself again. He forgot various words and how to do daily tasks like tying your shoes. His hallucinations began to last for longer periods of time, sometimes lasting an entire day. Eventually he was moved to a nursing home, as Nick couldn’t afford to be around his father all the time.
Meanwhile, Abigail's head swam with thoughts of that British lady’s words. Magic. At night. She wouldn’t have over-thought things as much if the lady had only mentioned magic– the Tablet itself did look like it held some sort of ancient power. But night? What were the chances that two night guards from different countries that both watched over the same Tablet would say something related to magic at night, even if one of them was suffering from Alzheimer’s? It was just too much of a coincidence. Abigail tried to ignore it. The logical part of her brain that led her to be a doctor told her it was impossible.
But she couldn’t help thinking.
“Is– Is there seriously nothing we can do?”
“I’m sorry, mister… We’ve tried everything… The best we can do is wait and hope. Have there been any changes with your father’s memory or hallucinations?”
“Not really, but I feel like he’s losing the energy to move. And he’s starting to act paranoid. …Is this normal, or…?”
“It’s not completely unheard of, but that is new… I’ll have to look into it.”
Nick sighed. “Thank you. Come on, let’s go, dad.”
Larry stayed silent.
“...Dad?”
“...Do… Do I know you?”
“Seriously, dad? I’m your son.”
“I… I don’t know you.”
“Your son! You know, Nicky?”
“Nicky…? Oh… yes, I think I remember… When did you grow up so much?”
Abigail watched Nick wipe away a tear.
Larry’s health continued to decline. His memory became worse. The hallucinations were bad enough to make Larry forget sleep and food. And then things took a turn for the worst. He couldn’t speak properly, nevermind engage in conversations. Spasms took over him at times. He was taken into the hospital for examination.
Abigail remembered Nick’s face, with red eyes full of tears. Larry Daley turned out to have Prion Disease. Caused by misfolded proteins that infected his brain. There was no clear reason as to why it happened. It was incurable.
It wasn’t long until Larry met his last days. He couldn’t walk and could barely talk. Nick stayed by his father as long as he could.
Christmas Eve, during the fourth year of Abigail’s meeting with Larry, was his final day.
Abigail was walking home from the hair salon. She noticed the graveyard to the right of her, which just happened to be where Larry Daley lied. Abigail peered in. She could see the spot where Larry was buried over the fence.
Abigail had never found out the truth behind the so-called magic Tablet. And she probably never would. But maybe it was for the better.
Besides, it couldn’t be real.
In memory of
Larry Daley
Guardian of Brooklyn