How This Muscle Works

Sarah hurried into the building, late as always. Maureen looked up from the terminal. “Ah, wonderful. Dr. Manifort is just ready for you now. Go on in, Sarah.”

With a quick smile for Maureen, Sarah pushed open the door into the therapy room, finding the doctor, seated with legs crossed, in the easy chair near the bay window.

She took her own seat quickly, pulling the heart shaped locket around her neck out where it could be seen.

“Hey Sarah,” said Manifort. “Are you ready? “

She nodded.

“Great. Let’s get everyone around the table then.”

Sarah pressed her thumbnail against the side of the locket opening it to reveal her family on one side and her closest friends on the other—miniaturized but no less vocal.

Having one’s own support network with one always had been huge for Sarah and huge for the entire field of mental health. As far as Dr. Manifort was concerned, the day the government mandated restorative and balanced therapy via miniaturization was the greatest day of this century, as it freed millions of institutionalized people from the isolation of their conditions.

“So let’s begin with just a quick review of how your week has been. Sarah, you start and everyone else can chime in as usual.”

“Sure. Let’s see,” said Sarah.

“It was a pretty busy work week. And I feel like I got a lot of stuff done.”

Sarah worked at her father’s butcher shop—full time now after the miniaturization.

“Yes, we really did,” chimed in her dad. “The weeks when Sarah is borderline manic are without question my most profitable. But we’re still running into the problem of her not wanting to listen. There were quite a few times when I was explaining how to wrap things more efficiently when she just up and closed the locket. Just like that!” He snapped his fingers. “On her own father!”

Dr. Manifort raises an eyebrow at Sarah. “I thought we had talked about this,” he said. “How important having your family’s support is to you. Am I remembering this correctly?”

Sarah swallowed and then nodded. “Yes, yes. It’s just that sometimes, well a lot of the time, I want to try things on my own. It’s not that I don’t love dad. It’s just the same thing all the time.”

“Are you hearing this?” The doctor turned to Sarah’s father. “Having a channel open doesn’t always mean it has to be filled with sound. Can you be content to observe silently a bit longer before speaking the next time?”

Her dad swiped his hand down his tiny face and exhaled loudly. “Yes, yes. Okay. I can work on that.”

Sarah beamed.

“But I am concerned about this habit you’ve been developing of self-isolation,” Manifort said turning back to Sarah. “Can you tell me more about what’s going on with you?”

Sarah shrugged. “I dunno. I guess, we’ll, the thing is, some of us on the outside have been talking. It feels like we never hav space. We’re out here doing all the work, but my family is always there. Always!”

“Yes, but that was the agreement, wasn’t it,” said Manifort.” They agreed to live inside the locket for a year as your safety and support net with the understanding that you would in the meantime keep the essential parts of their lives going on the outside—that’s the occupational therapy bit.”

“Yes, I know,” said Sarah. “I just can’t wait until the whole thing is over, though. Three more weeks to go!”

Manifort didn’t bother to mention he has the power under law to extend the arrangement for another year, given Sarah’s history and healing trajectory.

“Well, let’s just set a couple of goals for the week ahead,” he suggested.

Sarah’s mom and sisters nodded. And her friends, who had been silent so far, issued a few woops and cheers in agreement, too. In fairness, they probably had other plans to get to soon.

As was customary after each appointment, Dr. Manifort went over his notes, transcribing them into Sarah’s record. As a final step, he opened his own locket to consult with his mentors.

“Excellent work,” said Adler. “The we-ness is really coming through.”

“Do you think so then? It’s a bit hard to tell after awhile. All this emphasis on healing mental health issues across the world is so important, of course. But sometimes I feel . . .”

“Like a drone?” said Adler. “My dear boy, you are. But think of the honey you’re pouring out of the hive mind. It’s really the only way to a more peaceful world.”

Manifort sighed. “Yes. Thanks for the reminder, Alfred.”

Closing his locket, Dr. Manifort stood and began to gather his things. He was one of only two therapists on the outside for this region, and there were still so many families to miniaturize. He had a full schedule to meet for the government advisors and the hospital board. Production levels were at an all-time high along with so much savings from a lower population pool on this side and fewer employment costs.

Dr. Manifort stepped out into the sunshined street, nodding pleasantly to those walking by, every one of them bearing a locket glinting over their chests, beating.