The Toilet
--..--
Mark stretched his arms upwards, he looked up to the skies, and closed his eyes. Leaves were tumbling down from the weary twigs of the trees, the air now smelled like old wine, and Mark’s tears came running down his pale cheeks.
People were chattering about the wretched man at the bench and Mark knew it was him they were talking about. He knew better than anyone else that he was in a depressing situation right now. But if he can’t let out his sobs and tears, his world too, will crumble. Then and there at that perfect spot at a bench just under a disenchanted tree, he let his long-kept emotions explode.
He remained in that position for a while. It has been tough for him to try and conceal his solitude inside. All this time, he was trying to keep a resilient image so as to not burden everyone even though he knew himself that it will slowly devastate him.
He started wiping off his dried tears. While consoling himself, he searched for his phone to dial an unknown number.
But as soon as he started the device, there he saw the smile he always adored. And for a magical reason, an upward curve was also formed on his face.
Remembering those good old days really did lifted his soul. It’s funny to think that that laugh really did subsided his fury. Although his eyes were now reduced to a squint, he looked at the lovely girl’s face for seconds with passion and thought, “As long as I can remember, that was the first time I felt a bullet in my heart.”
He felt no remorse loving Laura, and she was not his burden, but his emotional capacity could only do so much. After all, he’s still human and just like any other man in love, he can feel and choose not to feel. He found a reason to keep living, and that is her. Without her, he’s just a line without a hook.
The unknown number answered the call. Mark breathed deeply before he uttered these words, “I’ve finally decided, I’ll send you the location, meet me there within 20 minutes.” Then he went to take his car and drove away.
--..--
Many memories begin with smell, and patients like Laura need to be constantly reminded of their happy memories otherwise, their mind would create an alternate reality that might block their perception of what’s actually real. Psychological dysfunctions have been widely studied by scientists and medical professionals for centuries. But Laura’s case is unlike any other. If a human mind could not distinguish real from not, the latter might consume it. Worse, it might trap their consciousness inside an endless pit they themselves created.
On the bedside table, placed in a resin vase were Freesia flowers, her favorite. It has been a therapy for someone like Laura to be close to familiar scents. In that manner, she might find her way back home.
Laura was still in a deep trance in her hospital bed. She was stable for now but who knows when the next attack would commence. For the record, her worst case was when she had six cardiac arrests in just a day. That was also the first time they discovered Jeremy’s slight paranoia.
The clock strikes at 12 midnight and the new intern Nurse Ben overheard two nurses talking about the condition of the patient in room 242.
Nurse 1: “Although I really pity her, I’ve never thought about her condition as purely unpredictable.”
Nurse 2: “What do you mean?”
Nurse 1: “I think that part of it, she’s faking it.”
“Nurse 2: “Hey lower your voice. Somebody might hear you. Also, we can’t know for sure about your claim. The human mind is mysterious after all.”
Nurse 1: “I know that, and I also thought about this recently.”
“Nurse 2: “What is it?”
Nurse 1: “She’s creating her alternate reality to escape something.”
Nurse 2: “What? But her family loves her. I don’t see any reason why she would do that.”
Nurse 1: “We can’t know for sure. I mean have you seen her little brother? What about her mother? And most especially have you seen her fiancé?”
Nurse 2: “Well they do look strange except for Mr. Schneider.”
“Nurse 1: “You really have no clue at all. I’ve worked as a psychiatrist for three years before I moved here. I know for a fact if something’s wrong with a person.”
Nurse 2: “And with Mr. Schneider, you’ve seen something?”
Nurse 1: “Yes but I still need more observations.”
Nurse 2: “Care to discuss the details?”
Nurse 1: “I’ll tell you if you’ll treat me to dinner.”
Nurse 2: “That’s cheating.”
Nurse Ben didn’t have the strength of character to listen to the remaining of the conversation as it gets more personal and intimate. But one thing is for sure, he developed the curiosity and the desire to investigate the matter. In order for his queries to be answered, he must do some precautions first before he can proceed to his observations. He entered room 242, observed the patient, and touched her arm with his cold hands.
--..--
Amelia felt the cold breeze as she closes the remaining open windows. It was raining so hard. She fears insects, bugs, especially cockroaches. Being alone in the house made her a skilled observant of all the things around her. You can imagine her as someone who has a vivid imagination.
One night, it rained so hard that only heavy raindrops on the rooftops could be heard. Amelia went downstairs to the bathroom to pee. As she opened the door, the immediate sight of the tub horrified her. It was a monstrous nightmare! The tub was full of various kinds of insects, bugs, and worms. The cockroaches flooded the sink, worms crawled out of the toilet bowl, and spiders with their web covered the walls and the light bulb making the room dim.
Amelia screamed but no words came out of her trembling lips. She tried to run but couldn't make her legs move. She tried to move her head away from the horror but her eyes got fixated on the scene. She could not find the strength to move away. It was as if an invisible force was keeping her still.
She just stood at the doorway completely unnerved, her senses heightened reaching its peak, eyes wide open, her fingers stretched, until her veins couldn't contain the blood flow anymore.
The rain was still pouring heavily and the upright, frozen figure wasn't Amelia anymore.
--..--
Laura’s mind was apprehended and got transported somewhere, and the scenes she just saw were rapidly shown to her as if to tell her that she needs to wake up as soon as possible.
She’s still trying to open her tired eyes, she felt a strange cold hand, and later on heard a whisper, “I know it sounds scary but by taking some sample behavior patterns from you, I can eventually help the other patients. I know for a fact that you have memory deficits Laura and it will not take long enough for you to lose track of time.”