NeoCaesar
June 24th, 2013, 03:55 PM
I had no idea where to post this -it is kind of a horror story but has a quirky ending.
Standing Room Only
The television image crackled and the speaker droned on. What was on had little consequence as it served merely to punctuate the silence of the room and mask the frequent moans of pain. It had no remote and was out of the reach of all who were wheeled under its watchful gaze. I stared at it, not trying to decipher the picture but contemplating the thick yellow coating of nicotine. Just how old was that TV? No doubt older than many of the employees here. I call them ‘employees’ as the term ‘carer’ doesn’t quite fit the bill. True, they often give care but then they have the power to take it away. One is reminded of the Stanford Prison Experiment; the staff have become corrupt and drunk with power. It is for that reason that I am watching. Always watching and noting down everything. I was a reporter by trade and I had no inclination to stop now. Taking notes was too risky so I would relay my findings to my son John when he visited. He would be here any day now. How long have I been here? 4 days? Must be 5 days, the monotony was so palpable they had all merged into one.
Nurse Saeva walked past me unsettling my train of thought. She looked at me and affected a face of false compassion. “Are we feeling better today, Mr. Smith?”
I had no appetite for being patronised and I had been playing dumb to lure them into a false sense of security. I groaned. She tutted and went on her way, pretending to care about the other residents. That was how most of our exchanges went in common areas. It was a different story when she got you alone, her cruel body fingers jabbed and grabbed at you and she snarled like a dragon. I wanted to ask her if my son had given any indication of when he would visit but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction. I looked at the clock, 7 o’clock. We would soon be wheeled off to our individual rooms. There was 2 hours of visiting left. I moved my head ever so slightly to the left to see a few people being wheeled through to their rooms by family members. So strange to see them smiling and laughing against such an oppressive backdrop –did they not tell them how cruel they were? Their brains must be addling and rotting at a faster rate than their decrepit bodies. No doubt Nurse Saeva and her icy claws will be preparing me for bed again this evening. I will not say a word and pay special attention to how criminal her actions are.
I must have dozed off as I looked up and the clock read 8:45. There was a young man sitting quite close to me on my right hand side, I tried to look at him but I must have slept on my neck awkwardly and was unable to move very much. He was speaking so I just relaxed and tried to make out what he was saying.
“…to see you like this is so hard for me. I know I haven’t been as much as I should have in the last 5 years, but you were always so capable I find it very hard to see you like this. I don’t know if you can hear me, they say your responses are limited to instinct only. Even so, I thought I should come and see you. I am moving away…”
Poor boy had me confused with his father; I would have to tell John when he comes.
Standing Room Only
The television image crackled and the speaker droned on. What was on had little consequence as it served merely to punctuate the silence of the room and mask the frequent moans of pain. It had no remote and was out of the reach of all who were wheeled under its watchful gaze. I stared at it, not trying to decipher the picture but contemplating the thick yellow coating of nicotine. Just how old was that TV? No doubt older than many of the employees here. I call them ‘employees’ as the term ‘carer’ doesn’t quite fit the bill. True, they often give care but then they have the power to take it away. One is reminded of the Stanford Prison Experiment; the staff have become corrupt and drunk with power. It is for that reason that I am watching. Always watching and noting down everything. I was a reporter by trade and I had no inclination to stop now. Taking notes was too risky so I would relay my findings to my son John when he visited. He would be here any day now. How long have I been here? 4 days? Must be 5 days, the monotony was so palpable they had all merged into one.
Nurse Saeva walked past me unsettling my train of thought. She looked at me and affected a face of false compassion. “Are we feeling better today, Mr. Smith?”
I had no appetite for being patronised and I had been playing dumb to lure them into a false sense of security. I groaned. She tutted and went on her way, pretending to care about the other residents. That was how most of our exchanges went in common areas. It was a different story when she got you alone, her cruel body fingers jabbed and grabbed at you and she snarled like a dragon. I wanted to ask her if my son had given any indication of when he would visit but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction. I looked at the clock, 7 o’clock. We would soon be wheeled off to our individual rooms. There was 2 hours of visiting left. I moved my head ever so slightly to the left to see a few people being wheeled through to their rooms by family members. So strange to see them smiling and laughing against such an oppressive backdrop –did they not tell them how cruel they were? Their brains must be addling and rotting at a faster rate than their decrepit bodies. No doubt Nurse Saeva and her icy claws will be preparing me for bed again this evening. I will not say a word and pay special attention to how criminal her actions are.
I must have dozed off as I looked up and the clock read 8:45. There was a young man sitting quite close to me on my right hand side, I tried to look at him but I must have slept on my neck awkwardly and was unable to move very much. He was speaking so I just relaxed and tried to make out what he was saying.
“…to see you like this is so hard for me. I know I haven’t been as much as I should have in the last 5 years, but you were always so capable I find it very hard to see you like this. I don’t know if you can hear me, they say your responses are limited to instinct only. Even so, I thought I should come and see you. I am moving away…”
Poor boy had me confused with his father; I would have to tell John when he comes.