[ WP ] Sanity is a corporeal thing that can escape from you . It 's the job of mental health professionals to track it down and return it .

I finally tracked it down in the biggest, cleanest, park in the city. 
 
 It took me longer than I'd hoped. Miss Myst would be watching, I knew, and writing down the extra seconds in that notebook of hers. I could practically hear the pencil scribbling across the crisp white sheets. 
 
 I shook myself back to the task at hand. I knew the Marble was close; the air was still cold here, and there were traces of ice on the bushes. 
 
 I wandered, in a mostly orderly fashion, watching for anything out of place. When I found it, the Marble was standing next to the lake, leaning on a guardrail and looking out over the smooth water. Somehow, it had obtained a hat and a trenchcoat, which hid most of it from view. But I could see patches of dark, places where skin should be, but was n't. 
 
 I reached into one of the pockets on my jacket, but hesitated. Technically, I was supposed to use the net. But when I saw it, gazing mournfully out at the ducks and children, I could n't bring myself to just tie it up like a wild animal. 
 
 Instead, I sidled up next to it, crossing my arms over the bar and resting my head on them. I knew it could see me, that it was fully aware of my presence. But it stayed, and we watched, together. 
 
 `` Why is the world so cruel?'' 
 
 It surprised me when it spoke. I'd never known them to have a voice before, never even thought of it. `` Well,'' I said, `` I suppose... I suppose it seems cruel because we have no real control over it.'' 
 
 It turned to look at me. It's face was simple, flat, dark blue skin, swirling colors across its flesh. It's mouth was a slit, and it had no chin. But it's eyes... it's eyes were bright, white, shining. Both the pupil and the iris were a crystal blue, and it's eyes flicked across my face, searching, searching, as if I might have the answer. `` Then why do we stay here? What is the point of this-'' it waved a long arm out over the park, encompassing the picnics and playgrounds, the fields of grass and the children that ran in them, `` if outside, the cities are filled with smog and criminals, and people are in pain?'' 
 
 I thought about that for a minute. Every Marble was different, but there were distinct similarities between them all. The biggest thing was that they only focused on the present and the past, ignoring the future. They never thought new thoughts, at least not by themselves. 
 
 So I had to be the one to introduce that new thought to it. `` I think these things, parks and forests and places that are clean a cheerful... these are our attempts to counter the bad in the world.'' I looked it in the eyes, those eyes that looked sadder than ever. `` But let me tell you something. Without you, we ca n't make places like these. Without you, the whole world would be the same mess you are afraid of.'' 
 
 It sighed, and stood up. `` That makes sense.'' Holding out a thin, dark hand, it nodded to itself. `` I'm ready to go back.'' 
 
 I took its hand. The fingers, too many fingers, were cold, and I knew I could n't hold on for too long, or I would get frostbite. But the Marble was n't bad, it was n't something to be feared. Too much contact could freeze, or even burn, but it never meant harm. 
 
 And so I led it back, through the park, to the car with my client. 
 
 The man in the backseat was short, and wearing a brown suit. Miss Myst had n't told me where he came from, but I assumed he was a rich businessman, who had finally lost this Marble one day after coming home from the office, to an empty house, with pictures of passed friends and family hanging derelict on the walls. Those were a large number of our clients, the old and lonely, in a job that he hated. 
 
 I opened the door, and he tumbled out, barely catching himself before he fell flat on his face. He slouched a bit, his suit rumpled and his hair ( what he had left of it ) pointing every which way. He looked at me, then at a dog running past, then at something rustling in a tree, then back to me, restless. He wrung his hands, and his cheeks flushed. Just from standing close to him, I could feel waves of heat emanating from him, whatever still in him when his Marble escaped burning up. 
 
 He could n't talk, not without his memory, for those without their Marble never thought of the past, and rarely of the present, instead focusing on the near future, of immediate joys and pains. But when his Marble stepped forward, he straightened, and they looked each other in the eyes. The Marble reached forward, the two touched... 
 
 And the Marble vanished, the hat and coat dropping, empty, to the sidewalk. The man stumbled backward, curling up like the weight of his Marble was crushing him. But then he stood, slowly. 
 
 His expression was normal... puzzled, but normal. He patted himself down, straightening the wrinkles in his suit, then looked up at me again, comprehending. `` Thank you.'' 
 
 I smiled gently at him, and watched as he wandered off to compose himself. Quiet footsteps walked up behind me, accompanied by the furious scribbling of a pencil on paper. `` You were slow, very slow.'' Her tone was harsh. 
 
 I turned to face my mentor, and opened my mouth to argue back. Argue *what*, I was n't sure, especially after talking with that Marble. But her face, normally sharp and unforgiving, was unusually soft. `` But you accomplished something important here. It's not often that we find ourselves able to return a Marble to its owner without force. But those that do comply are the ones that stay strong.'' 
 
 We both glanced out at the man, who was now sitting at a bench with a young couple, tossing bread to the ducks. 
 
 I was baffled at her sudden change of demeanor. She noticed my jaw hanging, and her face hardened again. `` But do n't expect any of your future cases to be so compliant!'' She scribbled one more word on her pad of paper, then ripped the page off and handed it to me. `` You have passed, congratulations. It only gets harder from here.'' 
 
 She stalked back to the car, and slid into the drivers seat. I followed, sitting in the passengers side and buckling up. As we pulled away from the curb, I read through the paper, noting my mistakes and reminding myself for later. 
 
 All of a sudden, the radio crackled, and a deep voice burst out of the speakers. `` Myst! This is an emergency! A Marble has escaped, and it's wreaking havoc downtown! We're calling all personnel to come and deal with it.'' 
 
 She leaned forward, and pressed a button. `` I am-'' she paused, glancing over at me. `` Ahem. *We* are on our way. What are the details on this Marble?'' 
 
 The voice returned, trying to sound formal, but twinges of panic bursting through. `` It's gone totally rogue, running everywhere and starting fires. Half of the fire trucks in the city have been dispatched to follow it, and put anything out before it grows too large. But we need to subdue it quickly.'' 
 
 Miss Myst frowned, and I knew what she was thinking. Starting fires? No Marble started fires. Fire was chaotic, uncontrollable, and hot. They could n't stand in its presence for too long without being hurt. 
 
 `` We will be there soon, Jack. Stay calm.'' She let go of the radio, and I caught her eye flick over to my seatbelt, making sure it was secure. She punched another button, and a siren started wailing Then she leaned over the wheel, and I heard an audible *thump* as the pedal hit the floor. The car took off, and we sped down the roadway, swerving around other vehicle and running red lights. 
 
 My mind was racing almost as fast as the car. Why would a Marble be setting fires? 
 
 All of a sudden, I remembered the man, without his Marble. He was hot, like a furnace, practically giving me a sunburn. What if... what if the Marble was n't cold because people were warm. What if the heat was something else, another being that was the opposite of cool and rational? 
 
 What if there was something burning, hidden in each of us, one that had escaped? 
 

