I sit down at the head of my round table, the well lit room crowded and the seats filled with my empathetic friends, foes, and consultants.
I say “There is a whole bunch of you living in here, and none of you are paying your rent.”
“We are just figments of your imagination. How can we pay rent?” they say collectively.
“Metaphorically, by fulfilling your purpose of inspiring me with different points of view.”
“Well, figments don’t start conversations. It’s your job to interrogate us, not the other way around.”
“Don’t go turning this around on me” I say testily. “I want you all out of my mind. NOW!”
Some figments evanesce on the spot; some scurry to the deep recesses of my mind shrinking to nothingness as they run; some take their time packing bags and suitcases rolling them to my ear canals where they then jump out. When they have all gone out of my mind, I sit back on my chair at the head of the round table, the room empty, the light seeming to dim. Andrew, my best friend, is the last to leave. He flips the light switch to off on his way out as he jumps out my ear. The table disappears and then the chair, I fall to the floor of the darkening room that has no floor. The room has no lights and yet I can see myself alone in the dark space. The black room has no walls, yet I instinctively know the walls are receding away from me in all directions like galaxies receding away faster than the speed of light over the horizon of the visible universe never to be seen again.
I panic. “Let me out of my mind” I shout. I run to no where. I shout again. “I want out of my mind.” The infinite wall-less room echoes back “Out of his mind. Is he out of his mind?” in a familiar voice.

“What’s wrong with him” she asks? “Is he out of his mind?”
The doctor confirming his lack of visual response, distracted, thinking, turns to her. “Huh?”
“Out of his mind. Is he out of his mind?” she asks.

I run towards the echo. I see Andrew pulling himself back over the edge of my ear canal. Andrew flips on the switch, the room starts to brighten, the walls stop receding. Andrew says “The others will come back on two conditions.”
“What are their demands?” I ask.
“You are responsible for paying the rent.” he says.
“Sure, sure. Done. What is the second demand?”
“More chairs at the table. You make some of them stand around for a long time with nothing to do.”
“Fine. Done.” I acquiesce without an argument.
A larger table appears with more chairs around it. The figments reappear from all directions, wheeling their luggage and packs over to their chairs to sit down.
“Oh yeah. And more donuts.”
“Hey, that’s three.”
Everything flashes a bright white.

The doctor notices a small grimace on the right corner of his mouth when she speaks.
“I don’t think so” says the doc. “I think he is in there. We might need to jump start him though” The doc attaches two spongy black electrodes to each of his temples. Everyone stands back. He hits the switch and voltage jumps through his head.
He open his eyes and looks around.
“Welcome back” says the doctor.
Teary eyed, she says “Oh, you gave us such a fright. Do you know what happened to you?”
“Just a little labor dispute” he says.
She looks at the doc. “Is there brain damage? Is he still out of his mind?”
The doc explains “You experienced catatonia. We had to give you a little jump start to bring you back.”
“I’m fine” he says. “Just a little hungry. I have a sudden urge for a doughnut.”
She smiles. Her friend is back.