Align

Chelsea clenched her teeth as the chiropractor pressed on her hips. CRACK.

“It’s okay, just relax,” said Dr. Warner, making her way to Chelsea’s upper back, “You have a lot of tension up here. Breathe in... and out.” Chelsea exhaled. SNAP.

She chuckled nervously through her face pillow.

“How am I doing?”

Dr. Warner examined Chelsea’s shoulders.

“Well, that snowboarder really did a number on you. Could you turn over please? I’m going to make some adjustments to your neck now.” She helped Chelsea sit up and turn onto her back.

As Chelsea lay down, Dr. Warner’s steady hands formed a supportive nest around her neck. It felt strange. Chelsea struggled to let the full weight of her head go.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that I still-- I’m still new to this. It’s a little scary.”

The chiropractor nodded. “That’s okay. It’s important for you to fully relax, though. It’s actually much safer if I have total control here. Breathe in.”

Chelsea took a deep breath, trying to relax. She stared at Dr. Warner’s face above hers. The chiropractor did not make eye contact, but examined her body like a specimen. Chelsea’s heart pounded. She imagined the joints of her neck cracking.

The warm, strong fingers cradling her head tightened. “Okay, now breathe out.” Chelsea panicked. She couldn’t do it.

She sat up.

POP .

Chelsea’s head detached from her body.

Dr. Warner screamed. Chelsea felt stunned. She couldn’t tell what was happening. There was Dr. Warner’s face, still floating above her... and there was her own body, sitting up on the table. With no head.

Chelsea gasped. Her body jumped and stood up. Somehow she could still control it. She turned her eyes back to Dr. Warner, who was frozen in shock.

“Whatever you did, take it back!” she yelled. The chiropractor screamed again and dropped Chelsea’s head onto the table’s looped face cushion. She backed up against the wall.

“I don’t underst-- I never thought-- it’s impossible.”

Chelsea struggled to turn her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched her body stumble around the room. It tripped over a chair and fell down. Ouch. She couldn’t see the chiropractor or her body anymore, but she could still feel the hard linoleum floor beneath her knees. She crawled...somewhere. And bumped into the metal and plastic of the table.

Clumsily, Chelsea willed her body to stand up. Her hands slapped the table cautiously until they found her face. It was a strange sensation to lift her own head.

Stoic, she tried to align her neck and shoulders. Although it seemed like a clean split, this magical connection preventing blood or tissue from leaking out, Chelsea’s head would not fuse back to her body. She looked back at Dr. Warner.

The chiropractor huddled in a corner. Chelsea stepped closer, trying not to trip.

“You need to help me put my head back on.”

Dr. Warner gulped. She shrunk back and tried to inch her way to the door. Chelsea blocked her. “Please.”

The woman shakily drew a card out of her pocket.

“That’s all the time we have today. Please call my office and you can use this card to get 10% off your next appointment.”