The Plain White Room (11 page)

I suppose it is late; I just spent an entire night listening to lesbians yell at punks,
he thought to himself. He thought about all the time he could have spent on his work.

As they drove the road lights flashed overhead, eliminating the car in millisecond flashes.

Nikita started to mumble, her eyes still closed, “You know, my parents. They don’t take it so seriously,” Lepus looked in the rear view. But wasn’t sure if she was even speaking to him or just speaking to herself, “…they consider it a lot, lots of people do. I blame all these little bratty girls running around and making out with other girls at parties. Saying their 'lesbians,' then two weeks later get with a guy.” She hissed under her breath. “I know so many straight guys who say ‘every girl is just bisexual. They're only gay till they find the right dick’ “And that's their legitimate mind-set.” She slurred the word legitimate and then under her breath said what sounded like “…ignorant… mean” then passed out.

***

Lepus’s hands fumbled along the granular cement wall. He was fearful of straying from the wall and walking into the brush. So he kept his feet and body pressed against it as he moved along.

He heard the crow behind him. Scattering forward fast every so often to keep up with him. But she was standing still. Listening for any other sounds of movement. Every now and again she would hasten him. “Quiet” she would command. Her tone is betraying her staunch demeanour. The fear unhidden by her authority whispers. Lepus hands were becoming cut and grazed as he went.

He stood more upright and used only his feet pleased against the wall to feel his way. But the brush started to hit his face. At first just leaves and twigs, but soon a sharp branch scratched his neck. He muffled his surprised yelp but the crow still skidded forward and growled, “What? What is it? Be quiet you fool.”

“Nothing, I’m sorry,” he said with a meek, defeated voice. It was just a branch.

A loud laugh echoed from the brush.

“Too late” the crowd gasped, flinging its wing over Lepus and pushing him to the ground.

She leaned in close and breathed, “Do not fight them, just run if they find us.”

Lepus wanted to ask what she was talking about. But dared not to move or whisper a word. They both stayed crouched holding their breath. Lepus was concerned with what could command so much fear from this frightful avian warrior. The evil mocking laugh came once more.

This time, it seemed to come from all around. Lepus parted two of the crows feathers gently and peeped out at the shrubs. The light was cast everywhere in the thick nest of twigs and bush unlike the forest filled with cockroaches. Yet Lepus saw nothing beyond them. The sky was growing dim.

As the crow had said, the night would soon fall again. With her other wing, the crow pulled back a branch and bobbed her head back and forth looking through.

“Oh no,” she gasped, as a Scorpion's tail struck through the hold and pinned her by the neck against the wall. It moved with the speed of a and Lepus didn’t know what to do. A spider crawled from under the brush and crawled up the bird’s front. It face in front of the bird’s.

“Hello, mother of the murder. What a pleasant treat.” it said, caressing the trapped bird.

It flapped in protest, unable tospeak.

“What’s wrong, the Grand Envoy lost for words?” it hissed.

“My children, at least the one that survived, tell me you always have so much to say!” Lepus caught the eyes of the birds, still shocked at the spectacle.

The crow’s voice resounded in his mind.

Run! Don’t fight, RUN.

“I bet you have your last brave, battle worn, words all planned out don’t you?” the spider hissed,

“Well, not today! Today the words belong to Drewzelda, queen of the silken maze!” She stretched in a crescendo. Lepus was already running, pushing through the shrub as she said her name.

As he moved through the shrubs, tiny cuts and lacerations speckled his chin. But he didn’t care.

He could hear spiders moving fast, scurrying under and through the bush. Finally, he came to one standing next to the wall. Ready for him. His hand did not move to his belt, for his steady blade, but he ran straight into it, trying to knock it over. It stumbled back only a little, trying to grab a hold of him. He called out, trying to make himself feel like a warrior and not a helpless school boy who was all alone. It helped a little, but the spider caught a grip of his arm. He fell to the ground failing and slid underneath the thing. Picking up speed once more he took out the sword to help clear his path. He started to feel spiders behind grabbing at his leg, so he swung wider and ran faster. No longer caring for the noise. He slowed his race when he noticed the wall was gone. He had out his way deep into the brush. He spun around, but no spider was behind him. Thinking fast he saw that light was sweeping through all the gaps in the shrub only on one side.

So he cut and chopped his way in that direction. The light got stronger but had an orange thing the closer he got.

The sun must be low
he thought and slashed faster. Fearful of the spiders in the night. Then the orange light became pink, then blue. With only a thin layer of brush left, Lepus stopped backing. Crouched and listen. Behind him in the distance, he heard loud crashing sound and indistinguishable yelled words. Nothing forward, though. Staying low he parted the bush and looked out.

What he saw was a perfect circular clearing. In the middle were large shards of glass. Five or six at least. Most sticking out of the ground half buried. Lepus looked back and forth but saw no one in the clearing. Two of the shards were much bigger than the others, one of them almost ten feet tall and stickingout at an angle. The tip of it looked as sharp as any blade; like it could slice a man in half with ease.

The other larger piece was not buried at all, but stood straight. It was the shape of a bottle base, with one side longer than the other. The bottom part of it, which was still intact and the right the way around, held a thick liquid. Itwas illuminated blue but gradually changing to green. Lepus listened and looked around once more, then stepped into the clearing.

He paused and held his sword. Listening and alert. Even the distant sounds of the spiders had stopped, and Lepus saw no movement. He approached the liquid and gazed into it. It was oily, and some of it seemed to be on the ground around the clearing. Lepus leaned in and smelt it, but it had no odour. He tensed in surprise as he heard a humming. He stepped forward and crouched, raised the sword and spun around, all in one motion, case something had snuck up behind him, but nothing had. With the sword in his hand it was easier for him to see the gem in the middle, glowing green. The same colour was cast around the clearing. The sword continued to hum in his hands. He turned back and moved it closer to the glass, and the hum got louder. He stuck the sword in the ground and looked again around the clearing. Finally recognising the glass jar which he had smashed weeks before, the rain had washed it under a nearby bush. Which was now to Lepus the size of a stadium.

***

Lepus sat, staring out the window next to a quiet young Asian girl who was reading. The book was in some sort of textbook protector. It was purple, and looked like the symbol on the front should be a hello kitty, not a plain black circle.
 

Lepus sat staring at a blank page. Trying to recall the equation for propulsion in a vacuum. An equation he had used daily. For him a simple equation which was imperative to all his studies.
 

Lepus had sat down next to her for two simple reasons. First, that she didn’t seem to be talking to anyone, only reading. A trait usually only found in the catatonic patients here. Also, if he didn’t sit down next to someone, anyone could have. He would have to sit next to him and started talking. Not with him. Other patients assumed they were talking to each other. That if he was sitting writing, reading or doing any of his work in any way, in any of the communal areas, this was a request for them to impart their life story to him.
 

Another perk of placing himself next to the sweet looking girl was that he, in his mind, was in the best position in the ward to watch the rain. Which for some reason was especially beautiful here. As if the hospital’s reflection of pewter white and welcoming calm could be seen in each drop. The dark clouds in the sky never seemed gloomy, just gorgeous. Like when you watch a powerful distant storm over the ocean, from the beach. It’s just wonderful. Except it wasn’t ravaging, today, just calm and tranquil, constant but bright. If Lepus didn’t know better, he would say this is where rain was born, beautiful and fresh.
 

A patient he’d never seen before, slumped into the chair to his left. The patient seemed absent yet confused. He stared back at his paper and started jotting down random equations. Everything he knew, nothing that would be useful later for his work.
 

Lepus began to relax, realising that the stranger had not seemed intent in starting to ramble on. Something pushed him to be emotional and slumped back in the chair as tears dripping from his eyes.
 

Then Lepus sensed a movement from his right. The sweet looking Asian girl leaned forward. With a calm voice inviting voice she said, “I can see you're upset, would you like to know what God is saying about you?”
 

Lepus hesitates, processing the odd new information. Oh, God. He’dplanned to sit in peace. Now he was sitting between a crying madman and a young female zealot. A girl who, it seemed, was religious enough to be committed. Lepus started to shuffle his things. Readying himself politly excuse o himself from the strange scenario. Wonderingthat, if the religious fanatics whoscreamed at him on his way to the tube wereas crazy as this young lass, then perhaps it's not the best place to be a sitting. She could be here for some completely unrelated reason, of course. She might just be clinging to her religion because of whatever horror drove her in here. But hey, why take that crazy train of risk to the end of the station, and stay sitting next to her?
 

He heard the inference that she could talk to God as clear as crystal.
 

The man to the left of Lepus sniffled. It wasn't that Lepus was being uncaring. Since Miriam, he had learnt to keep his head down. That his problems are for him and the nurses. Everyone else's problems are for them, the doctors, and the nurses.
 

Then a cracked voice broke the echoing silence of the room “Yes.” Lepus realised that she was talking pass him. Of course, she was talking pass him. Why would she take an interest in Lepus when a crying man turned up?
 

Lepus eased back in his seat. Hoping this was going where he thought it was. If they were talking to each other and over him. Then he could stay and enjoy the rain. Not be disturbed or put out. Everyone would assume that he was part of the conversation. Lepus found himself cocooned in the conversation of his fellow patients.
 

"God says that he loves you,” she emphasized 'love' as she spoke. “and that you are a good person and the one you love... Loves you too and you know it.”
 

Well I’ll be,
Lepus thought, pretending he is chiming in
what a revelation
.
That is proof that god talks right to you
, the man smiled at her, tears still streaming from his face.
 

“Thank you, yes; that’s so true. I know it is,” he said sniffling.
 

The certainty and elation in the man’s voice, made Lepus feel like a cold, bitter, cynic, and he turns back, a little put off with the rain.
 

***

Lepus stood in front of the mirror in the ensuite of his room. He had just had a shower, and he stood glaring at his face wearing only a towel.
 

He never took particular attention to his face. Not one for taking selfies or changing his look every month. Alice was like that; she’d had six different hair colours in the three years he knew her.
 

There were dozens of photos of them lying in bed which she had taken while lyingin his arms. He would be dozing, and she would nudge her way higher up in bed and hold the camera above them. Half the time he hadn't looked at the camera, but she didn’t mind.

He had been in the habit of showering every day. But neglect had meant he had a few strategy reddish fairs stumbled all over his face. He had never had a beard before, but he realised now if he did it would be blonde with a thick red tinge to it. Rusty and ragged, he imagined it. His hair had grown long too, and his fringe almost covered half of his face. This surprised him; it seemed odd that it didn’t annoy him when he was working. He must have been brushing it out of his face without thinking whenever he was working. He had an elastic band around his wrist which had been using to hold together large sheets of schematics.

He bunched his hair together and pulled it back behind his head and up. Never having had long hair before he wasn’t sure what he was doing.

He looped the elastic band around twice and made a bun on the top of his head. Some of the hair on another side didn’t quite get trapped and flopped on either side.

His hair looked like a lopsided pair of rabbits ears. He noticed how similar he looked to March Hare like that, and he felt crushed. He took out the elastic band and let his long hair bounce around his shoulders.

He put on clothes and walked out of the bathroom. Tony was already dressed and putting on his shoes.

“You’re all packed?”

“Yeah I think it’s time to be moving forward.”

“Time mends all things,” Lepus said, but it felt hollow.

Tony reached his hand out, and Lepus took it in his and shook it.

“I take it you’ll stay here?”

“For a little while, I’m not sure, to be honest.”

“I understand,” Tony said standing up.

“You know Tony, I felt bad  asking, soI never did before. Your wife, what was she like?”

“There was something powerful about her like the sea. It never mattered whether she was still and serene, or in the throes of a storm, there was always a danger of drowning.”

Tony smiled and picked up his bags. He must have walked out without a word but for Lepus time seemed to slow down, and it was as though Tony faded away. Then the room was empty again.

Lepus only heard the distant beeps of a microwave down the hall and the subdued drone and chatter of the ward.

***