Anna Watters Essay Example
Anna Watters Essay Example

Anna Watters Essay Example

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  • Pages: 5 (1101 words)
  • Published: September 29, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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Anna Watters had a strong dislike for being by herself.

The fear reached an extreme level, escalating to a pathological phobia. During the day, Anna would have friends accompany her at school while her mother picked her up. At night, her parents stayed with her as she finished homework, with her father staying awake until she fell asleep. The depth of this terror was incomprehensible to everyone, including Anna herself - yet it was just as debilitating and genuine as a physical ailment. When alone, Anna's heart would race until feeling constricted in her chest. If left alone for too long, she would vomit and eventually lose consciousness. This fear began in childhood and persisted throughout her sixteenth year.

Anna's parents were worried about her fear and took action by having a door installed between Anna's room and theirs. However, Anna

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frequently climbed through the door in distress. The parents were also concerned about how both Anna and themselves would cope with her being at home all day after leaving school that semester. In the end, they decided that medical intervention was necessary to handle the situation.

Anna consistently exhibited a composed and restrained demeanor, aligning her mindset with that of her parents. She felt the same confusion as everyone else when confronted with her own challenges. In moments of prolonged isolation, she gradually succumbed to a strong feeling of apprehension. At some stage, she tried to recollect the source of this fear but could only recall her mother's comforting singing in a dimly lit area.

Despite this consideration, it intensified her attacks and prevented her from mustering the courage to ask her mother about that memory. She was

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afraid of accusing her own mother as the cause of her problems. Finally, the day for the psychiatrist's appointment came. Anna, dressed in her typical childlike outfit consisting of a Mickey Mouse tee shirt and denim shorts, dutifully accompanied her parents into Dr. Salzberg's opulent offices.

And very luxurious they were. Since the Stockmarket boom of 1987, Anna's parents, Joe and Mary, had earned remarkable amounts of money through their financial advice business. Anna's home was lavish and she truly lacked nothing- except the simple ability to have some alone time, something that Anna, a typical teenager, often desired. Therefore, when they said they wanted the best, they obtained the best, and Dr.

Without a doubt, Salzberg was the best, having even appeared on Oprah. Anna entered his office with a bit of apprehension. Prior to her fear, she had been a quiet and shy young girl, concealing her slender face behind strands of lengthy, dark hair. Salzberg's office did not help to alleviate her unease.

The office had a very masculine decor, with dark, oxblood colored walls and bottle-green leather cushioning. Stag heads were mounted on opposite walls, appearing as if they were in the moment of death, mouths open in pain. Salzberg, a short man, seemed out of place in this large office, lacking the ability to be intimidating.

'Anna, Anna, my dear girl, don't look so afraid! Come, sit down.' His tone was kind, almost fawning. Feeling better, Anna sat on a cushioned couch. 'Your parents informed me of your troubles, and I may have a solution,' he said with a smile, peering at the small girl on his sofa through his glasses. Salzberg took

Anna's hand as they descended into the asylum. As they walked through the dirty corridor, Anna jumped at the screams, jeers, and howls of pain. 'Don't worry, just close your ears to it all,' he reassured her.

"We're nearly there!" they exclaimed finally, arriving at the distant end of the corridor where Anna believed no humans resided. In front of them was a small door with patchy gunmetal grey paint. A cold shiver ran through Anna's body. This area was colder and darker than earlier; she could even see her breath lingering in the air before her.

Salzberg retrieved a set of keys from his pocket and utilized one to open the door, causing Anna to feel frightened, although she couldn't perceive what lay beyond it. He instructed her to enter and close the door behind her. Amidst the darkness, she heard an abrupt scratching sound, swiftly succeeded by the emergence of light. Her anxiety subsided as she beheld her parents positioned before her, their expressions emanating warmth.

'Mother?... Father?... what... I mean...

Although Dr. Salzberg instructed Anna to be alone in this room, she found solace when her parents came to her with smiles. Her mother released her hair, allowing it to cascade over the black cape she had on, all while smiling at Anna who remained fearful and bewildered.

'We offered you up, my darling. Aren't you happy? You will belong to him... you will rule alongside him!' Her father had remained silent until now, and his words were tinged with a hint of embarrassment. 'I had no other choice. Our business was failing, we were about to lose our only home - that small, dilapidated apartment in

the Bronx. Your mother was pregnant with you... it seemed like the only solution at the time. We would raise you for 16 years, and then he would take possession of you...

"It would be the same as if you had gone to college...," he said, his voice trailing off as his wife tugged at his arm. She smiled at Anna, her features marked with a bitter trace of jealousy. "Consider yourself fortunate, dear child, some would do anything to be his concubine."

Just before they were about to go, Anna's father turned back and embraced his daughter tightly. "I wish... I just wish you couldn't remember when he branded you... since that day, you've been scared to be alone in case he caught you..."

Anna was devastated by her father's departure, desperately trying to cling onto him in the dismal cell. She expressed her anguish through screams, babbling, and tears until her voice grew hoarse. Eventually, she resigned herself to the darkness and noticed a clearly ominous figure patiently awaiting her presence. Surrounding her were murmured words that resembled a lullaby to a young mind. The following morning, nurses discovered Anna's lifeless body curled up on the isolation chamber floor, her hands tightly grasping at her heart. Even in death, she had not found solace from the relentless fear that haunted her throughout her existence.

Unfortunately, Dr. Salzberg was unable to attend the post mortem as he had been discussing his financial options with John Watters.

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