The bare white walls surrounding them, enclosing them, protecting them; they were their home. The home they had known for so long.
The green leather sofas formed a harsh contrast against them and yet they were much more comfortable than the thin bed laid out for them with bleached and starched white bed sheets. They had gotten used to this, for this was the way they had lived for more than a decade now. They had become used to the peace and the deafening silence; in fact they looked forward to each coming day as a portal out of reality, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, an opportunity to lay back and reflect. In fact the only disturbance they faced in the silence all day was the metal click on the cold steel door as a pretty young woman dressed all in white brought in a tray of food.
The food here was standardized as was everything else. Morning began at 9 am with pea soup and two slices of bread. The day ended at 9 pm with a single baked potato and two grilled pieces of chicken or beef. They were all allowed out of their rooms at exactly 3 pm everyday for a lunch of rice and stew and were permitted to “mingle” with the opposite sex and “socialize” with their neighbors; find out why patient 119 was heard screaming Friday night, why 215 was no longer living with them, how 313 fell off a tree, what 318 needed all that extra medication for. But today was different.
The sky was a strange color of gray visible behind the lunch room blinds. The air was chilly and the usually musty scent of the room was replaced by the fragrance of sweet roses and wild berries mingled with the smell of medicine and people’s sweat. The tables were cleaner than usual and each person sat anxiously and uncomfortably at them, looking around, whispering, and growing increasingly uneasy.
No sooner had everyone settled down with their lunch that the gray metal doors to the entrance of the cafeteria burst open and in walked a short stalk man dressed in black with a red tie. A blood red tie. Almost immediately the entire hall fell silent; an air of stillness settled. The man walked to the center of the room and clapped twice. As if that was necessary; as if he didn’t already have the attention and the menacing glare of every person in the room, upon him. Words began tumbling out of his mouth in a booming voice that crackled through the stillness of the room. He introduced himself as a doctor, a trained psychiatrist of some sort who pledged to help everyone there. He was there to assume responsibility of the asylum in place of Mr. Green and to help turn it around. In short, he was an intruder to our home.
What did we need a doctor for? There was nothing wrong with us. No one had the flu or even a slight cough as far as we knew. No. he wasn’t here to help us, he was here for something else. He wanted to take over our home probably. Keep us as his slaves. He thought we were weak, but we’d show him. We wouldn’t let him win just like that. This couldn’t be what Mr. Green wanted. He was our friend, he would never do this to us. Never. This man must’ve done something to harm him. Just look at the arrogant way he’s standing and talking. He already acts as though he owns the place. Jerk. Didn’t he know he’d never fit in here? We were all pure. We had a clean soul. Him? Just his pitch black clothes betrayed the darkness that surrounded him; the evil that clouded his eyes. His perfume was overpowering, suffocating, nauseating. We felt we couldn’t breathe. But what had become of Mr. Green? Oh! Poor Mr. Green! What had this man done to him? Wait a minute. Was his tie really this red? Or was that blood we were seeing?
One thing was certain. This man had to go.
***
There was silence. Only the sound of soft controlled breathing echoed through the cafeteria. A considerable weight had lifted from everyone’s chest. Each person smiled in spite of the horrific sight that lied before them. They watched the wall, their wall; the beauty of it; the wonder of it.
One man whispered through the silence, “This was for you Mr. Green. We know you’ll be proud of us. The dark man got what he deserved.”
The bare white walls surrounding them, enclosing them, protecting them; their home; was now splattered with red.
