Disguises

Fregoli syndrome is a real disorder. It is defined in the DSM-5 as "A rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that different people are in fact a single person who changes appearance or is in disguise." I studied up on this affliction when I created a tabletop game where the players were in an insane asylum and they took real mental afflictions for their characters. This writing, while a little odd and disjointed, is an attempt to write from the point of view of someone who suffered from this.

I'm in an insane asylum called the Capgras Institute. It's in the middle of a lake with only one bridge that leads in and out. There are no boats that come to the island so no need for a dock. My name is Phillip and I'm here because I killed my wife. Now before you go judging me I did have a good reason for what I did. She was lying to me about who she was. She was just wearing a disguise like everyone else around me. He was only one person who just wore a bunch of disguises and could make multiples of himself. The 'doctor' told me I had something called Fregoli syndrome. But I knew the truth. That all the people in the world were just one person.

Day in and day out was always the same thing. I got up, had my breakfast alongside my first dose of pills, go and talk to the doctor, have lunch alongside my second dose of pills, recreation time, dinner with my final dose of pills, and then bed. My medication dulled out my ability to see 'Him'. Sometimes I wondered if everyone were actually different people but then I'd skip a round of medication and be right as rain again.

Unfortunately this was my life now locked up in the Institute all because I knew 'He' was real. During recreation every day I would try to convince my fellow inmates about the truth. But none of them would listen because of course they were Him too. That's what I had taken to calling the person who hid behind all these disguises since I had never seen the real person.

One evening I heard tapping across the floor outside my room. It sounded like something walking but I couldn't tell what. So I got up to go look out of the small window of my door. There was some large insect-like creature stalking the corridors. It was a bright purple with six legs that looked something like an ant but it stood easily three and a half feet tall, maybe four. It had mandibles that extended a foot out from its face clicking as it walked. Large antennae that were twirling all around its head trying to locate something. I wondered why He had decided to take this form, probably just to scare me.

The next day at recreation I noticed that one of the other inmates was gone. I think the name that particular disguise had was Jason. I asked the others if they knew what had happened. But none of the disguises seemed to know what was going on. Maybe He had decided that 'Jason' was no longer a needed disguise. The rest of the day was uneventful and He didn't make any other changes to the disguises around me.

I laid awake in my bed wondering if the creature would come back tonight. Lights out was at nine so I wasn't sure how long I would have to keep myself awake. Eventually I fell asleep and slept through the rest of the night. When I woke up the first thing I noticed was that the nurses seemed preoccupied with something. I had to wonder what was happening that was making more of His disguises act out of the ordinary. I didn't have to see the 'doctor' when I normally would and we were given extra recreation time. I asked all the disguises that would listen what had happened to the 'doctor'. But no disguise seemed to know. When night time came I decided not to take my normal pills, I hid them from the nurses when they checked my mouth. Without the pills closing my brain maybe I could get a better look at Him under the disguises.

During the day a nasty storm had started sweeping over us. Something about the lake seemed to always make bad storms even worse. When I was put to bed I was able to see outside as we walked by a window. It was going to be a noisy night. Shortly after lights out I began hearing the tapping I had heard the other night. I got up to go look through my window again when the lights cut out. I heard the electronic lock on my door open when it did. All the other doors unlocked as well. The creature stopped in the corridor waiting. He seemed to know someone would open their door. But if so why would he bother another one of his disguises? Right after that thought a door three down from mine opened. I couldn't remember which disguise was in that room but the creature swiftly rushed it and attacked. Now I knew I wasn't crazy. He was! Why else would he attack one of his own disguises and kill them? At least I think that's what happened. I couldn't really see that well.

I wondered what was happening when I suddenly understood. The bug creature was the real Him and for some reason he was angry at all of the disguises. He was punishing them for wearing disguises and not showing their true appearances. I didn't know why this was happening but I figured I would take advantage of it. I quietly opened my door and snuck my way down the corridor. The other disguises were all yelling and screaming. I guess they were afraid of being eaten by the real Him. I wondered why the generators hadn't kicked in yet but I would take good luck while I could get it. At the end of the corridor was a guard station. Frank was the name of the disguise for the 'guard'. He was one of the few disguises I didn't mind much. That particular one had always been nice to me.

I took a quick peek in the station to see if Frank was there. The creature had already punished him, apparently seeing as he had been ripped apart. I decided to liberate the disguise of his keys. It wouldn't need them anymore. At that moment another creature walked by down the hallway that connected with my corridor. I ducked into the guard station to hide from it. Now I was confused. I thought the creature from before was the real Him. So who or what was this thing? Maybe this was all just the new disguises and they had to get rid of the old ones. Yeah that made sense. He probably just set up Frank's body here to make me think that disguise had died. But really the creature I just saw was Frank. Now it was coming together. Well they made the mistake of leaving the keys behind. Because while they were changing disguises I was going to escape.

With the keys in hand I snuck my way through the Institute encountering more of the creatures as I did. With each new sighting it only reinforced my understanding of what was actually happening. Thankfully I knew the shortest way to the front door because if they captured me, I knew He would turn me into another one of his disguises. When I made it to the front door I found it wide open because the storm had blown it open. He had been foolish enough to not put any guards here. I had finally outsmarted Him.

I walked outside into the storm. The wind and rain drove fiercely towards me. I had to brace myself against the storm and walk step by step down the bridge. He wouldn't follow me out here in this terrible storm so now I was safe. The lake churned all around me water splashing up on to the bridge as I walked almost causing me to slip a few times. I just kept walking, happy to know I had finally escaped. I started laughing, almost howling in joy. I had finally escaped Him!

Dr. Mantzin stood beside Dr. Capgras and watched Phillip through a two way window. Phillip was in a straight jacket inside of a padded cell. He was pressed against one of the walls walking and laughing talking about how he had escaped. Dr. Capgras turned to the other doctor, "Phillip has this delusion three or four times a week. Where somehow he's able to escape the facility and 'Him'. Eventually he'll come out of it and become very agitated screaming about how 'He' caught him again. The poor man. No matter how much therapy or medication we use we can't seem to do anything for his Fregoli syndrome."

Dr. Mantzin decided to stop watching. Something about the way Phillip was howling with laughter was more disturbing than many of the other patients. He walked over to a window looking outside at the storm, "It's coming down hard tonight. Hope nothing knocks the power out."

Dr. Capgras laughed, "It's fine. Even if something did, the generators are set to kick on after five seconds." Just then the power cuts out. Five seconds pass and no power returns. After about thirty seconds the two doctors start hearing screaming.

Philip's laughter stops, "Is it time to change disguises again?"

I hope you enjoyed this piece. Obviously I put a bit more of a sinister twist on Fregoli syndrome. This is a work of fiction based on no person alive or dead that I was able to find in my research. If you did enjoy this piece please like, subscribe, and feel free to leave a tip. Till next time.