Stuck in a time loop

In the spacious meeting room of the ward, doctors gathered to discuss the condition of a new patient admitted to the psychiatric ward a few days earlier. After exchanging greetings and small talk, Professor Peterson, the head of the psychiatric ward, initiated the session by saying, "We are here to discuss..." he stopped to read the patient's name from the notepad he had in front of him. He hadn't met the patient but had heard from other doctors about his extraordinary claim to be stuck in a time loop. Though he wasn't convinced, he agreed to have this meeting to discuss the patient's unique situation. After checking his notes, he continued, "Mr. Jason Blake."

The other doctors nodded in agreement, but none said anything.

"So, Mr. Blake is experiencing delusions and believes he is trapped in a time loop," Professor Peterson said, looking at Dr. White, who was sitting on his right.

"Yes, he is," Dr. White responded.

"Almost all schizophrenic patients experience episodes of delusions; what makes Mr. Blake different from others?" Professor Peterson asked.

"First, I've never had a patient claim to be trapped in a time loop," Dr. White responded.

"As we all know, no two individuals experience the same delusions. One claims God talks to him, and another claims to be visited by gray aliens. I even had a patient who claimed to be in contact with his deceased father's spirit. Their delusions vary based on their upbringing, culture, belief system, etc.," Professor Peterson explained.

"But Mr. Blake is different!" Dr. White said.

"How is he different?" Professor Peterson asked with a hint of disapproval.

"He asked about my son's condition on his first day here. He knew about Adrian's congenital heart problem. How could he know about my son? He has been my patient for only a few hours, and I've never talked about myself and my son's medical issue with him," Dr. White explained.

"He could overhear the conversation between the nurses or orderlies about your son."

"I've never told the hospital staff about my son's heart disease. It's not possible!"

"He claims he has been admitted to this hospital over a hundred times," Dr. Singh said.

"Is it true?" Professor Peterson asked.

"No, it's not. It's his first time being admitted to this ward," Dr. Singh replied.

"So why is his comment that important to you?" Professor Peterson asked, confused.

"Because Mr. Blake can predict the near future events!" Dr. Anderson, who had been quiet up to that moment, said.

"The extensive research conducted by Soviet scientists between the 1940s and 1980s did not yield any admissible evidence of prophecy and fortune-telling. Of course, as humans, we often predict our near future events based on the facts of our daily lives. For instance, when I woke up this morning, I knew I would come to the hospital, just as I have for the past 35 years," Professor Peterson lectured.

"You are a hundred percent right, professor. However, Mr. Blake can predict things he should not know about them," Dr. Singh responded.

"How come?"

"Yesterday morning, Mr. Blake told me my husband would call me and give me good news about his new job. He had a job interview a week before and was offered a lecturing position at the university's physics department yesterday. Mr. Blake gave me the news thirty minutes before my husband's call. How did he know about my husband's job interview and his following telephone call? From the time of his admission, I only met him a few times, three or four times max, and I've disclosed nothing about myself and my family to him," Dr. Singh said.

"Coincidence?"

"No, it was too detailed to be considered a coincidence."

"He also warned me that the patient in room 21 would attempt suicide at around 11:00 PM on his first day here. How did he know Mrs. Jade and her intention to kill herself?" Dr. White added.

"Did you believe him?"

"I initially gave little credit to his claim until I was called to the hospital for Mrs. Jade's suicide attempt." 

"Interesting?" Professor Peterson said and began musing. "Let's see this mysterious Mr. Blake."

Less than ten minutes later, Jason Blake, a medium-built man in his early forties with a full salt-paper crown, walked into the room. He wore the standard gray patient's pajama-like scrubs and unattractive black plastic slippers. "Good morning, gentlemen," he said politely as he entered the room. He then took the nearest seat to the room's entrance.

"Good morning, Mr. Blake. I'm Professor Peterson, the head of the psychiatric ward in this hospital."

"Yes, I know you well, Professor. You are also a lecturer and researcher at the state university. You have published over forty-three papers on schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease and their effect on patients' brains and behavior. I tried to read some of your works, but they were beyond my understanding. You have also published twelve books. I like 'The Guide to Voluntary Change of Behavior' the most."

Professor Peterson was left speechless, his mouth hanging open. After a moment, he collected his thoughts and asked, "Mr. Blake, how did you learn about my work?"

"I became interested in you and your work since the first time I met you, professor," Mr. Blake replied.

"I believe this is our first meeting, isn't it?"

"No, it's not. As I've explained countless times to you and the other doctors in this room, we are all stuck in a time loop. I've been admitted to this ward over a hundred times. Each time, you all dismissed my claims as being delusional or even schizophrenic. So, after my tenth or twelfth admission and facing your denial, I studied you in order to gather evidence to prove that we are indeed trapped in a time loop."

After a few minutes of silence and musing, Professor Pearson asked, "If your claim is right and we are trapped in a time loop, why don't we see it?"

"To be honest, I don't know. I seem to be the only person aware of this time loop."

"So, the loop restarts every morning, like the movie Groundhog Day?" Professor Peterson asked.

"Something like that, but in my case, it is a ten-day loop. The time will reset every ten days, and I wake up in my bedroom each time."

"You are here for four days, so as you say, will the time reset in six days?"

"No. On every time loop, I was admitted to the hospital on the third day of the cycle. So we are now on the seventh day of the loop, and in three days, everything restarts."

"How does this frequent time loop impact you, Mr. Blake?" Professor Peterson asked.

"At first, I was in denial, but as the time loop repeated again and again, it affected my mental health severely. I was on the verge of losing my sanity, but I remembered the Groundhog Day movie and tried to take advantage of the time loop. During this time, I mastered three languages. Like Phil in the movie, I learned to play the piano and violin. And I familiarized myself with your work, professor," Blake said as he checked his watch. "To give further proof of telling you the truth, your cell phone will ring in two minutes. It's your secretary from the university reminding you of your meeting with your PhD student, Miss Pamela Watson, this afternoon. You are working on a groundbreaking experimental medicine for Parkinson's disease, and it shows promising results, something close to a cure. And you hope it brings you the next Nobel Prize in medicine."

Just as he finished his sentence, the professor's cell phone rang. He quickly answered it and engaged in conversation with the caller. The timely call captured everyone's attention, desperately waiting for the professor's call to end to see his reaction. After the call, the professor returned to Blake, puzzled, and asked, "How did you know that?"

"I have been here, in this room, over a hundred times, and each time, exactly at 10:23, you received the call from your secretary at the university. So I know about the incoming call from my past experiences."

"But how did you know what my secretary wanted to tell me?" the professor inquired.

"After a few time loops, I became curious about your phone call, so I did some research. I called your secretary multiple times to request an appointment with you this afternoon. Each time, she said that your schedule was full and you were meeting with one of your PhD students. Later, I discovered that the student's name was Miss Pamela Watson."

Deep in thought, Professor Peterson rested his chin on his right hand. It was the most perplexing situation he had encountered in his professional life, and he was unsure how to analyze it. Turning to the patient, he asked, "Mr. Blake, what is your opinion about your situation? What has caused it?"

"Do you mean the time loop?"

"Yes, the time loop you are experiencing."

"Um, I don't know what caused this!" Blake said and momentarily went silent. "I believe I am either stuck in an endless time loop due to some unknown cosmic event or..." he paused, thinking.

"Or what, Mr. Blake?"

"Or we could live in a simulated reality, and this event occurred by a glitch in the program," he suggested.