SHARED HALLUCINATION

In March 2021 I went public with the fact that I pressed charges against Mr. Richard Stanley for Domestic Abuse and Battery in October 2014 after speaking with his then partner who had just pressed charges against him for Domestic Abuse and Battery. Her accounts mirrored my own and were in some ways more horrific. I realized my silence had been enabling him to continue to abuse women so I spoke up. There is a court date for the current set of charges at the beginning of next year. I am making my charges public and have blacked out the names of my parents (one of whom is in hospice right now) and my friends in France who helped me at the time. This is not subversion on my part but rather an attempt to protect them from Mr. Stanley’s internet accomplices who are quite virulent in their trolling and general online harassment. Also, yes, I took a nom de plume many years ago when I started writing. I apologize for the translation but I don’t speak the French language well. The Doctor’s Repo

I filed charges for Domestic Violence, Assault & Battery against Richard Stanley, my then long term life & creative partner in October, 2014, after he beat the shit out of me in our car parked behind the Banque Postale in Lavelanet, France when we were returning from a film festival in London. It was not the first time he had beaten me. In fact, he beaten the shit out of me numerous times, but I finally pressed charges against him that time. I had been taken to the doctor with a badly sprained possibly broken finger, throttle marks around my throat, bruises all over my head, chest, and shoulders, and a concussion. I also had bruises on my head, chest and back that were still healing as he had attacked me at a friend’s apartment in London a few days earlier. A friend of mine in London saw the bruises and urged me to leave him.   The first time Richard hit me was after the filming of  Mother of Toads . He was convinced I had lost a couple of books of his which had been used for

Artwork by Jean Delville         I awoke to pounding at the door. Opening it a crack, I spied Stephanie standing on the porch looking  anxious. Breathing a sigh of relief, I let her in.      “Hey. You weren't answering your phone. I even tried to email you. Jesus, Anabelle,” she exclaimed,  eyeing me up and down. “Are you still wearingthe same clothes from the concert?”       “Yeah. Long story,” I replied, rubbing my eyes and stifling a yawn. “Sorry. I must have forgotten to turn  my phone on.” Glancing over to the far side of the room, I noticed it was still on the charger.      Removing her coat, she sat on the couch. Folding her hands in front of her, she announced, “we have a  problem.”      That woke me up. “What kind of problem?” I asked.      “A porno problem,” she answered. “Haiden's been busy.” “What? But how...?” My heart sank.      “He's been uploading pictures again,” she said. “Anonymously, of course, but it has to be him.”      “Fucking great,” I replied. “I s

      Artwork by Jean Delville        Waking up earlier than planned, I decided to take a walk and do some unnecessary shopping. The skies  were blue and the weather was surprisingly warm for early winter. After picking up some overpriced,  blood red lipstick at a boutique, I'd found a tiny park and sat on a bench to watch a young hippy guy make  giant bubbles with soapy water. When he blew smoke into them they garnered a colorful sheen, like an oil  slick in the rain, and I cursed myself for not having brought my camera. The nice weather seemed to bring  the best out in people who smiled and said hello as they passed by with their dogs.       Deciding to wander further, I spied a new agency on the corner of an unfamiliar street. Inside, next to  the door, was a stack of the latest edition of The Reader waiting to be unbundled. The guy behind the  counter noticed me staring at them and came over with a pair of box cutters, opening it for me. Grabbing a  copy, I thanked him and left