Ch 1: Sane

This is a draft!! And I may never finish it. Mom: Do you think this could be the start of a good short story? And yes, it is highly metaphorical.

Any sane person startles to the realization he has woken up here. It is the insane who sit back and call for applesauce. But after I push myself off the bed, dropping the mouthpiece to let it dangle, I am not sure where to go. I have no idea what to expect. My trachea could collapse, for all I know. I might die now.

"I might die now," I say out loud to myself. Something inside replies, Respirators are a promise not worth keeping. I agree. I choked on the tube when I woke up. Stupid respirators.

I seem to be alone. All I can see are the digital numbers and glowing red dots that surround my bed. All I can hear is the whirring and quiet beeping of machines. There has got to be a window in this place.

I hiss through my teeth as I remove the last tube from my left arm. Not really fond of opiates either, or anesthetics, or whatever it is. Stupid drugs.

Where is my night vision? I take a few steps forward. On the third one I meet with the edge of a table. My brief tactual exploration reveals nothing but a short plastic cup full of liquid, doubtless some kind of juice. I pick it up, sniff it. It actually smells like alcohol. I consider for a moment.

My throat is quite dry...

But not that dry.

After more shuffling around, I discover a door. It is smooth and cold with a bit of peeling paint here and there. I clutch the handle and lean against the wall, because I am beginning to realize that I have been dizzy since I woke up. Then I open the door slowly.

I am overwhelmed by more darkness, as well as a caustic, vaguely floral smell and the memory that accompanies it.

———————

“Yes, what do you need?”

That was an unusual greeting from a receptionist.

“I was wondering whether I could... well, I need a place to stay. Just tonight.”

“And what can I do for you, sweetie?”

I wasn't sure how to answer her. I'd just told her what she could do. Was this a trick question?

“Uhh... well. Could I stay here for the night? I realize you guys have, like, your rules and... everything, but it's a hospital and I thought maybe if I stay here in the lobby it won't be much of a problem.”

I was flustered by how eloquent I wasn't. I had thought hard about what I would say just before walking into that foul-smelling building, but all my thoughts seemed to have melted together into a lump. I had to wrest every word from that lump.

“You're from this area,” she stated.

She had caught me off guard. “Uh, no... I'm not, I live—”

“All right. Then we'll have your signature right here, it'll give us permission to take emergency measures should anything happen to you.”

I took it from her hand and had barely begun to read when she said, “Don't worry, sweetie. It's for your protection.”

Ashamed at my rudeness, I laid the paper on the counter and signed my name.