The rest of the morning and early afternoon was tense in the Dilly Mansion. Sophia had retreated to her room in tears; despite the concerned knocks of her Aunt Augusta her door remained locked and only soft muffled sobs could be heard from within. Minnie was also in a bad state, repeating the same phrase over and over but with little sign of improvement. As the hours passed by, it was clear William was becoming increasingly concerned about her.

"Jerome," he called out to his butler, "Did Dr. Fossey indicate when he would be arriving?"

"No, sir," Jerome replied, entering the room, "he just said 'as soon as possible'. Dr, Gramheist, however said that he-"

"-Yes, well, Dr. Gramheist is less urgent at this time," William interrupted impatiently, "besides, he has to come all the way from the city. He will not be arriving any time soon. Minnie is in a bad state right now- I fear she is only getting worse. Dr. Fossey should have been here hours ago."

"I can call him again, sir," Jerome said.

Suddenly, there was the sound of heavy knocking coming from the front door.

"Is...is somebody here?" William looked to the large sitting room window. He was, at first, afraid it was Menelaus Winslow Groat, lighthouse keeper of nearby Phoque King Light, returned once more to offer ominous commentary. But as he looked down at the rocky beach below and to the dock, it was clear it was a taxi boat that had dropped off the visitor.

"Perhaps it is Dr. Fossey, finally arrived," said Jerome, "would you like me to show him in?"

"Yes! Please! And hurry!" The Dilly patriach commanded. Jerome rushed off as instructed. William took the moment alone to clasp his injured wife's hand once more. "Don't worry, my dove," he said softly to her, "Dr. Fossey is here. You're going to be alright."

"The sealman..." was all Minnie said back.

At the sound of approaching footsteps William stood straight. Jerome, as was custom, entered the room first, hands behind his back. However, he had a strangely uncertain expression to his face.

"Sir," he remarked, "Dr. Gramheist is here."

"Ah, welcome, doctor!" William exclaimed, extending his hand, though he froze after a moment of processing. "Wait, you said Dr. Gramheist is here?"

At mention of his name, the visitor too stepped into the room. He was a tall and portly older man with a handlebar moustache and curly dark eyebrows. He wore spectacles that were thick and slightly bent, but otherwise he was dressed quite well. He carried a small black bag under his left arm. With his free right arm, took William's out-stretched hand with a firm grip and shook vigorously.

"Mr. Dilly!" he almost sang back, "I am Dr. Vesuvius Gramheist. Honored to make your acquaintance- after all, you are the undisputed teddy bear baron back in the city. That you've called for my services, well, I am happy to be of service to such a respectable family."

Dr. Gramheist had a slight accent, though placing where exactly he came from was not entirely clear.

"Dr...Gramheist," William said, not hiding his surprise well, "I wasn't expecting you so soon."

"Why, it just so happens I was taking my own holiday in Portland this week," Dr. Gramheist answered, "I was unaware your family was staying on an island so close by. Pure coincidence! When I heard my services were needed I made sure I came as soon as I could!"

"Well, I...I'm sorry to intrude into your holiday time, Dr. Gramheist," William replied, "but I do appreciate your coming to Sharpy Island on such short notice."

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"So this is the poor girl," the doctor continued, his eyes falling on Minnie on the sofa. He rushed over to her side, placing his hand on her forehead. "My word, she has such a fever like she's on fire, yet she's wearing but her bathing clothes!"

"N-No, Doctor," William replied, "This is my wife, Minnie. She was hurt earlier in an unrelated accident so we were actually expecting the visit of a general practioner as well for her situation. You were called to address my daughter, Sophia."

Dr. Gramheist stared at Minnie a moment then removed his hand from her head. "Oh, I see. Do forgive my mistake, your wife was just so young and beautiful, I assume she was your...you're a very lucky man, Mr. Dilly, to be married to such a lovely woman."

"Thank you, doctor. You are not the first to confuse her for my daughter, though I assure you, despite our age difference what my wife and I share is quite the true love."

"Of course it is," Gramheist replied, almost dismissively. "I hope you don't mind my offering, but while pychology is my main field, I do have some experience in other medical areas. You had said you were expecting another doctor, but as I am here and see your wife in this terrible state, may I offer assistance?"

"Oh, yes!" William answered quickly, "anything you can do to help her!" He turned again to his bulter. "Jerome, please call Dr. Fossey as discussed and see what the hold-up is."

Jerome nodded and slinked out of the room. Dr. Gramheist set down the small black bag down and began rooting through it for something.

"How long ago were her injuries sustained?" he asked as he dug around. "I can see she is starting to develop quite the large bump on her head."

"This morning- I would say about ten. She was running very fast and in a panic and stumbled right into that large rock outside."

"The...sealman..." Minnie uttered, causing the doctor to jump a bit at the sound.

"Oh my, so she's still speaking?" he exclaimed, "what was that she just said?"

"She's...she's saying 'the sealman'," William slowly answered, "That's all she's been able to say since then."

" 'The sealman'?" Gramheist repeated. "How odd."

"Yes, well, that's part of the reason I called you here, doctor. My daughter, Sophia...she has become obsessed with the idea of a sealman."

The doctor stopped his rustling for a moment and again returned his eyes to Minnie. "Hold on, Mr. Dilly, I thought you just told me this was your wife..."

"No, no, this is my wife," William reiterated, "but it's my daughter who started this all. You see, she's convinced she saw a sealman yesterday on that beach you just came up from."

"I see. And what exactly is a 'sealman'?"

"What it sounds like. A seal and a man. At least, that's how she described it. She herself wasn't very clear but has become quite hysterical and convinced that is what she saw."

"But then why is your wife speaking of sealmen now?"

"Well, last night, my daughter..." he trailed off, not sure how to relay the strange behavior of the night before. "My daughter has been trying hard to convince us all that the sealman is real. I can only assume she put the idea in my wife's head or scared her earlier to lead to these injuries. I imagine her intention was not that my wife be so gravely injuried, I assure you, but her obsession with sealmen and their existence has gotten out of hand."

Dr. Gramheist was quiet a moment. "It seems I will have quite a bit to discuss with your daughter once I meet her. I assume she is in this house somewhere?"

"Yes, she has not left her room for some time. As I said, she is quite certain of what she saw and feels I am wrong to accuse her of anything otherwise being the case."

"Women," the doctor sighed, "such hysterical beings."

"Yes," William nodded, "So hysterial."

Suddenly the doctor pulled what looked like a brace; on its end was a very sharp drill bit. "Ah ha! There it is!"

William stared at the bit as it glistened in the light. "Er, doctor, what is that tool for?"

"Your wife's head is swelling," Dr. Gramheist said matter-of-factly, "I intend to relieve some of that swelling with this handy fellow." He waved the brace around in a rather unprofessional manner.

"The...sealman..." Minnie said again.

"I...it looks rather sharp," William confessed, a bit uneasy at its sight.

"It has to be! How else could I drain the fluid from her head?"

"Are...are you sure it's necessary in her case? You don't think there's something else that can be done for her before such an extreme step."

Dr. Gramheist looked at his brace and then back at Minnie. "Mr. Dilly, the swelling is only going to get worse until we help her."

Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps, coming from the direction of the main staircase.

"Hold on, Doctor," William said, taking any excuse to postpone what looked to be painful and unnecessary surgery to his wife's body. "It sounds like Sophia- my daughter, you see- may be approaching."

Were those Sophia's steps approaching? William had no idea. But he was hopeful.