Patient Admission Record – Confidential

File No.: 0662-C
Ward: Developmental Observation – West Alcove
Date of Admission: June 18, 1886
Assigned Bed: Suspended cot, Room 3-D

Patient Name: Beatrice Crane (“Birdy”)
Age: 5
Place of Birth: White Hollow, ME
Next of Kin: Grandmother (deceased); no known parental claimants

PRESENTING SYMPTOMS:

• Patient does not speak in words; communicates through mimicry of birdsong with remarkable accuracy

• Refuses upright locomotion; prefers crawling, perching, or flapping arms to move from place to place

• Attempts to nest with fabric or paper scraps; hoards buttons and string in hidden caches

• Eyes remain fixed on skylights or windows, often without blinking for hours at a time

NOTES FROM DR. HORACE FELL:

“The girl exhibits what might once have been called 'faerie possession.' She chirps in code — a language? An echo? On multiple occasions, staff have found her roosting in the beams above her bed, arms outstretched, eyes glazed but aware. I once caught her mouthing the words ‘The sky has teeth’ while grinning.”

“She does not cry, nor laugh. She trills.”

TREATMENTS ADMINISTERED:

• Arm-binding therapy to discourage flapping — unsuccessful (bindings removed by patient)

• Food withheld to limit nesting behavior — patient regurgitated birdseed offered by orderly

• Light sedatives in milk — no observed effect; patient dumped milk into pocket and “chirped” over it

• Physical evaluation revealed talon-like pressure calluses on toes and fingertips

STATUS:

Current Location: Loft Cell 3 – West Alcove
Special Containment: Ceiling netting installed; mirror removal ordered
Incident Note: On July 2nd, patient was found humming and balanced atop a curtain rod 8 feet above ground. Witness accounts say she jumped and landed silently, whispering:

“Wings don’t burn when the sky calls them back.”