Mr. Starling
Drandmrslecter
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Summary: Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Ms. Clarice Starling reconcile with Mr. Starling.
Timeline: During the Hannibal.
Rating: PG
Copy: Part 1 of 1
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Part 1
Dr. Hannibal Lecter, MD, walked over to the headstone and saw the name STARLING carved in the granite. It did not stir him in the way others would react to seeing their loved ones names associated with death. He knelt down and pulled out of his inner coat pocket the single red rose he had brought with him and laid it down. He then began to speak out loud:
“Mr. Starling, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dr. Hannibal Lecter and I am a physician specializing in Psychiatry. I had the pleasure of making your daughter’s acquaintance over 7 years ago. We had some rather interesting exchanges. She is charming, beautiful and strong. You would be proud of her. However, she is also stubborn, naïve and melancholy. I came here to tell you that I happen to be in love with her. I will have her and claim her as my own. I will reinvent her, ravish her and conquer her. However, I will need your assistance. I need to exhume your remains in order to accomplish this. I need for Clarice to acknowledge her anger at you for leaving her, your wife and your other children. I can not say I blame her..that was rather foolish of you to follow those hoodlums into that drug store with that old shotgun. Now you are rotted in the ground while your daughter clings to whatever is left of her petty career.
“I will be her refuge. I will be all she will want and need. I will be her father, brother , friend and lover.
“I am not asking for your blessing, as I do not want or need it. However, I do want you to know that I respect and admire the love that Clarice has for you. You are a large part of her psyche, but too large a part-It’s not healthy. She will need hypnosis-that’s where I come in.
So, Mr. Starling, it was a pleasure meeting you. We shall meet again, on the shores of the Chesapeake…you will see Clarice again, but it is the last time she will see you. Your daughter will become unrecognizable to you…she will soon disappear to be replaced by her true nature. This may shock and disappoint you, however, I assure you it will please and delight me beyond all measure.”
Dr. Lecter was then met by the cemetery director who assisted in making the preparations for the remains to be exhumed according to Texas law and sent to Mr. Starling’s final resting place…a bedroom in the rented home of Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
Part 2-
Clarice sat on the bed clutching the skull of her beloved late father. Dr. Lecter had taken great care to lay out the bones anatomically correct and Clarice, under the influence of the hypnotic drugs in her system, had managed the best she could to understand the significance of what was taking place. She had to cope with the painful recollections of his untimely passing, but there were pleasant memories as well…the kitchen memories where she was met with oranges and Sno Balls…all of which were already shared with Dr. Lecter, but now, she was left alone with this skeleton to grieve privately. After some silent reflection, Clarice began to speak to her father’s remains..
“Oh, Daddy…why did you have to leave us? Do you have any idea how hard it was on Mama and us? Do you know what it was like watching her cry herself to sleep…watching my brothers and sisters get separated?…watching her scrub toilets?
“Do you have any idea what you did to us?”
“I hated you for being so stupid. You of all people should have known better than to follow those jerks into that drugstore. You deserve what you got, do you know that? Mama had to send me away. I had to go to that damn sheep and horse ranch in Montana...then to wind up in an orphanage…do you have any idea what it was like for me there? Do you even care? No one gave me a damn thing: I had to do everything all on my own: College, the Academy, work.
“Why did you do it? Why did you try to be a hero? Did you think it would win you a promotion? Did you think it would bring you praise? Did you think it would get your name in the local paper or on the evening news? You know what Daddy? As I got older, I understood, I understand now…maybe I’m not that different from you, Daddy. Maybe I hate you because I see some of myself in you. Maybe I see more of me in you than I care to admit. I’m just like you, aren’t I Daddy?”
Dr. Hannibal Lecter waited patiently for Clarice as he played his theremin. He was very curious as to the goings on in the bedroom, but respected Clarice’s privacy and space and would never even think of intruding. He would be waiting for her when she returned and wondered what, if anything, she would be bringing out with her.
In the meantime, Clarice continued the discourse with her father:
“Daddy, I can’t go through this anymore. I need to let you go. I will never forget you and I’m not mad at you anymore. I’ll always love you and remember you, but I need to get on with my life now. I don’t know what is going to happen to me, but I know that whatever does, I can handle it now. I’m stronger than I ever thought I was. There is a man…a Doctor…he seems to really care for me and want to help me. He seems to understand me. He’s a different man…a criminal…someone you would have protected me from. I think he loves me, Daddy, and I think I feel the same way about him. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that whatever happens…I will be able to face it.
“I love you, Daddy. Please don’t be disappointed in me. I’ll be okay now…I’m becoming the person that I was always meant to be. I’m just beginning to realize who I am. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Goodbye, Daddy…I love you.”
After several minutes, Clarice made her way down the hall to where Dr. Lecter was waiting for her. He noticed her empty hands and soft, sad, smile. He then saw that Clarice had all of her father with her that she needed. While part of her life had just ended, another part was just beginning.
Fin
Copyright 2001, Drandmrslecter