Once Crazy

Daniel, 40, isn't new to the prison system. Years of unfavorable circumstance and less-than-stellar behavior have landed him in solitary confinement. Due to the cruelties often associated with solitary, the prison makes an effort to patch the mental wound. They place a phone in the cell - calls can come in, but can't go out. A psychiatrist calls in semi-frequently to check in and give the prisoner opportunity for a few minutes of social interaction. Not long after the phone is installed and Daniel starts talking to a psychologist, the phone rings and a different voice is on the line. An old woman. She repeatedly asserts to Daniel that he is not Daniel, but her grandson Samuel. His corrections go unnoticed by his new senile acquaintance. Day after day, the calls keep coming in. He gives up on correcting her, and eventually takes on the identity of Samuel. He lives vicariously through the stories he tells her and as he lets himself live in Samuel's world, his surroundings change. He is a businessman in a business suit. He has a dog, he has a living room. Is Daniel really crazy, or can this all be real? How long can he keep living this lie, and does the lie even matter if it satisfies both parties? —LeeAnne Lowry