Psychosis is a dream breaking through during waking hours. – Philip K. Dick
Patrick Trafford has everything he could want or need in his life: a place to call home, a lovely garden to care for, and a friend named Chad, who is a constant and loyal companion, happily spending his days providing company while Patrick does what he enjoys. The only thing truly missing from Patrick’s life, when all is accounted for, is what it means to be entirely present in the world.
Because, you see, Patrick is a little unwell, and this is his story, the tale of a man who’d put his career before the life he’d built with the man he loved, denying who he was, hiding the life they shared with each other. This the story of the events that caused Patrick’s mind to seek refuge within the landscape of illusion, and is the story of the way Damien Abner finds his way through Patrick’s shadows and leads him back from the unreality in which he dwells.
Iyana Jenna has written a beautiful and heartwarming story of betrayal and tragedy and, ultimately, of hope and of recovery from the unforgiving grasp of mental illness. It’s a story that’s written in the language of compassion and emotion, and illuminates the power of faith and persistence. It’s the story of Damien seeing a lost man and becoming his compass, never giving up on the belief that he could help Patrick find his way home again.
If you’re in the mood for something just a little different, perhaps even unexpected, I can’t recommend this short story enough. I loved it, wish it’d been much longer, which is a compliment to how well it resonated with me.
You can buy Just a Little Unwell here: