The Plain White Room (14 page)

“Throw that sword in the pool,” the dragon boomed. Lepus scrambled to the pool and raised the sword above his ear. The humming was now a loud resonating buzz. He looked deep into the pool, and it contorted and bubbled, rising up towards him. The shape of a hand emerged from the pool. The scorpion struggled and hashed under the dragon. Trying to sting with its tail. The dragon’s tail wrapped around the scorpion and held it down. The scorpion claws clamped here and there but did not connect with anything. It screeched and made horrid high pitched noises. Lepus looked back at the pool, but couldn’t bring himself to throw the sword it.

“No,” he said flatly.

“What?” the dragon called, not seeming to have heard.

“No!” Lepus yelled back over the commission, “Why should I? You threw this thing at me; that damn crow didn’t tell me a blasted thing! What on earth is going on? What on earth is going on? Where am I!? Tell me something or give me a good damn reason to throw this thing in a random bubbling pool. I almostdied here over this stupid thing.”

The dragon twisted its long neck and looked at Lepus. Still holding down the scorpion it spoke with a calm, compassionate voice. “Look around Lepus; we did this. The further these things get away the worse it will get. Send us back, end this madness.”

Then the dragon turned its head down to the scorpion and started breathing a thin, long stream of fire onto the scorpion. With this, the scorpion went eerily still. It's high-pitched cries turned to fearful, very human screams.

The screams of great, tortured pain. Lepus said a prayer under his breath. Hoping he was doing the right thing and thrust the sword into the pool. In an instant half of the blade was gone, consumed by the liquid. The rest of the sword was sucked in, pulled from Lepus’s hands.

An explosion emanated from the pool. Pushing Lepus to the edge of the clearing. Objects started flying out of the surrounding brush into the area and were dragged by an invisible force into the pool. All the liquid nearby started to gravitate to up the glass and convergeall around it. The liquid was all black. At first, the objects were small; Lepus recognised the gold cuffs the crow had been wearing leep and disappear into the pool.

The cockroache’s vest other gold trinkets, a few big books, and a top hat. Thebag around Lepus’s shoulder started to tug and then quickly became an unbearable pull. It wrapped around his neck being dragged in.

He started to choke and tried to stop himself being dragged in. As he fought to stay upright and away from the liquid, he saw a man fly out of the brush nearby. As he oved,the man grabbed furiously at anything he passed, twigs as they flew from the brush, the large shards of glass, amdother objects as they flew past. He caught one of the other glass shards embedded in the ground. Lepus then noticed he was wearing a pointed hat and a robe. But he was preoccupied with undoing the bag choking him close to unconsciousness. He undid it just in time. As it was swallowed bythe pool, almost taking Lepus with it he realised that the strangely dressed man was the wizard figure from inside his jar.

The wizard yelled and pleaded. “Please, please help me! Oh god!” his hands were leading from gripping the sharp glass edge. Lepus grabbed for the man, but the wizard lost his grip before he had chance and, instead of grabbing his hands he caught the wizards long white beard. He pulled the wizard towards him as random objects kept flying past. “Don’t let go!” the wizard called. Lepus took hold of wizard’s hands. “I won’t me promise.” He yelled over the gushing as a piano crashed through the brush and smashed into the dragon, breaking into pieces. The dragon was still holding the scorpion down, but they had stopped struggling. The dragon seemed to be whispering in the scorpion’s ear as it lay pinned.

A boat at that point rushed in from above the pool and disappeared in an instant. “No, no” the wizard whimpered as it did. “I can’t go back.”

Lepus pulled the man close, sitting on the ground and held him tight, “It’s not fair” the wizard said, just before a tiny rhino in armour hit Lepus on the side of the head. He blacked out for a moment on the ground as the wizard vanished screaming in terror and anguish. When Lepus came to there were no whirring objects but still the wind sucked things towards towards the pool. The scorpions tail was half in the pool, and the dragon was standing on its hind legs next to a shard. Its claws gripping the ground and its tail wrapped securely around the shard. The scorpion was clawing all the ground, trying to move towards Lepus.

“Throws us a rope me ol’ chum!” he called then laughed.

“Come on, it was just a bit of fun. Just a party, have a boogie, lighten up.”

Lepus walked up to the clamouring creature. The wind pounding against his face.

“This place is a hoot. I might holiday here next year. Oh yes. I’ll see you lots soon. I’ll find a way. I look forward to it, I sure like the cut of your jib.”

“Be seeing you then,” Lepus said, putting his foot on its face and pushing it back. It laughed and vanished. The dragon’s voice travelled with ease over the whirring sound of the wind.

“My apologies for my impetuous, stubborn friend. He’s very young. Much to learn.” it ruffled behind its ears with its free hand and took but a pair of glasses. The dragon delicately placed them on his face. “Might work on his big mouth first, though. “The dragon smiled and let go. It was gobbled up, and the pool was then gone with a flash of light.

Lepus collapsed to the ground. He closed his eyes exhausted. His nose caught a whiff of cinnamon and then an uncomfortable feeling on his face. Opening his eyes, twigs were pushing against his face. “Oh god,” he moaned, pushing them away with his hands. He let constricted and started thrashing to get through, rolling into and opening away from the brush surrounding him. Looking around he was in his back yard, covered in dirt. Twigs in his hair and half his size. Soon enough he was normal size again. He looked around, and no one was to be seen.

The moon was big and bright overhead. It must have been three or four in the morning. He ran to his front door. His shoes filled with mud, making squishing sounds. He snuck into his house and up to his room quietly. Stripping his filthy tattered clothes and crawling into bed. He fell asleep quicker than he ever had before. In the morning, he got quite the earful from his parents. They never did get an explanation from him about where he had been.

***

Lepus sat slumped over his exercise book, sitting in the middle of his exercise book. Sitting in the middle of his plain white room. Papers behind him and to the side of him a circle of him. All laid out so that he could pivot and read at will. He cracked his neck then his knuckles. He stretched his back and sat up straight. Closing his eyes and taking a long steady breath in. He had been in the same position for hours without noticing.

He opened his eyes and relaxed his back. Now that his focus was broken, the image of Alice’s face appeared like the parting of a cloud in his mind’s eye.

The thought of you is always just beneath the surface of my mind.
He thought.
At least, today, it’s just your beautiful face. Today it’s only a vague pain. Not an agony. Not the prickly feeling in all my veins. Sometimes like today you are faint and small
. he thought as her face faded from his thoughts.

Today you are just a whisper in the dark. Tomorrow, though. Perhaps you will be unbearable. Like a freight train rumbling through me. At least, I can rely on that, whatever the case. You will be there.’ He sighed softly and looked back down. Perhaps time to stretch my legs
. He sat still for a few moments more. Debating the pros and cons of braving the communal areas of the ward. The voices in his head were his own at first, sounding like him.
Go on; you can’t think as effectively without oxygen. Go for a walk.

You’ll get cornered by a patient.

Don’t be silly; you can come back here so quickly if someone bothers you.
Slowly the voices sounded different. The more they argued, the clearer their tones. One became the voice of Scorpius. Pushing him to act. To move.

“Do it. Get up you slow, stupid fool.” The voice was hissing and abrasive. The other became deep and slow.

“Do not worry, take your time. Stay if you need to stay.”

Lepus walked to the edge of his room. Standing on the threshold, he looked down the hall. The ward was buzzing with sounds. He followed the noise out into the common room. Most of the patients were playing board games and laughing. Looking outside Lepus realised it was already night time Tony was sitting outside.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

“No please, sit,” he said.

They sat in silence, looking up at the stars. There were no words spoken between them.

Perhaps because there were no words in any language to describe what they were both thinking of. Those burning lights they stared at was the only thing which came close to the words they were searching for. There was one word that occurred to Lepus although he chose not to say, though. Shame. Shame, when he thought about himself compared to Tony. That the universe had torn his love away. That she hadn't left out of choice.

***

A car far in the distance woke Lepus, its brakesskidding then, throated speeding up.

Lepus shuffle backwards, in bed, turning on the light. Lepus sat staring at the graphs on my whiteboard. His eyes dropped, so Lepus switch off the light and lay back down. Lepus stares at a blemish on the roof. He closed his eyes but did not feel sleep come.

As Lepus opened his eyes, he realises the blemish on the ceiling has cracked. Lepus feels a slight rumbling below him like an earthquake. The crack began to grow, and others emerged close to the walls. The entire room groaned.

The roof began to bend and contorted in the middle. Then shook as the bed started to rock back and forth. Lepus gripped the sides with his hands. It was wondrous, exciting, scary and exhilarating all at the same time. The roof was
torn
off and plaster fell from the walls.

Above him the dragon tilted his might head, relieved from the cramped cavern roof. His great talons coil around each of the walls as he leant close to Lepus. Out of the dragon’s nostrils seethed a pleasant, earthy smelling smoke. Rich brown dirt fell in clumps from its talons. Even though the creature was breathing softly. His great lungs pushed the air around the room. Sheets of paper flying rampantly, some sticking to his nostrils. His catfish-like whiskers crack the windows as they dropped in carelessly. The dragons head came close enough, that it could have rubbed against Lepus’s legs. He reached out and stroked its dark red scales. With every shift of movement moreore light, sweet-smelling, almost chocolate, dirt wisping about the room. Swirling from the gaps in his scales. He groaned deeply, a sound of pure pleasure almost like a purr. He moved with such a tired and used up look. Like patting an old kind cat. A grandfather trapped in the body of a huge mute beast. His eyes dart to a shining black shell against the deep red of the dragons distant. Almost out of sight, behind the beast's tail. 

***

Lepus fumbled at the front door of his oldest friend Genève’s. He had known her for as long as he could remember. When they were little kids, their mothers used to have ‘mothers meetings’ together.

Lepus sometimes later suspected that their ‘Play date.' was code for ‘oh thank god they are distracted. Now we can put up our feet and have a chat’.

It was during these idyllic days that Lepus had first learnt to cook. With sand, mud, and sprinkles of ants, he would make delicious mud cakes. Or at least, he assumed they were delicious. Luckily, as a bizarre little child andalways interested in science, he had the thought in his head
A master chef should never try his own magnificent work
. Or that lab rats should be subjected to the unknown, and not himself. That’s where Genève had had her main usefulness in friendship with him. Since they grew up they had been sporadic friends, a phone call here or there, passing parties. Lepus had never been the most social type. Never the life of a party and over the years he had had increasing opportunity to becomea recluse.

As he readjusted his coat and bottle of red wine, trying to knock without having to expose his hands to the bitter cold, he finally manages to knock with his forehead; the door opened with a bustle.

“Hi, hi, I’m sorry I’m so late!” Lepus exclaimed.

“Oh, oh not at all,” she says, with glee and excitement, “come in, quick! Quick! We are all just sitting down for dinner.” she lead Lepus through her place with its modern designed, sweeping rooms. Although she was most likely never admit it, Lepus was sure that she had hired an expensive designer. Not ‘thrown everything together’ as she often tried to imply. 
 

A small gaggle of guests were already settled in for dinner, most of whom, Lepus already knew. Everyone began to eat as he placed the wine down into the middle of the table.  He took the last empty seat. 

The girl to the left of Lepus leaned forward and tried to listen to a conversation happening across the table. She seems timid and quiet but has big bright green eyes. Not dull like Lepus’s, which had a tint of grey to them. She had dark chestnut hair. Lepus noticed the girl to her left looked just like her. Their deep concentration was broken when she noticed him watching her intently. She slumped back in her chair upright, shy and startled by someone’s sudden interest in her.

“Hey I’m Lepus,”

She smiled and bowed her head. Her hair falling over her face.

“I’m Alice,” she muttered.

“Oh, how do you know Genève?”

“We used to go to high school together,”

“Oh, I see,” Lepus nodded smiling, “I thought that I knew most of her school friends,” He added gently.

The rest of the table became progressively louder, no one noticing their silent gaze.

***

Months later, a warm breeze swept through their small town. It cast a blanket of serene balminess over the field where Lepus worked, as it washed over the spinach. It was the first day of summer, and the sun beat down on his back. As he walked towards the large metal gate, his rucksack cut into his shoulders. The gravel crunched under his big black boots. His boots went all the way up his shins shining in the morning sun. He clicked his tongue in time with his steps, keeping a steady beat to entertain himself.

Lepus had been working during summers at a spinach field just outside of town for the past two years. He loved the break from his studies and to be outside in the fresh air. Lepus had never had a lot of friends. He shunned away from large groups of people and so summer was an awkward time for him. In winter the streets wouldn’t be as crowded, people would go inside for cocoa.

In summer, though, when the semester was out and Lepus didn’t have a tutorial to teach,the streets would be filled with people taking long summer walks. 

The field spread out over the valley and just seeing it flooded Lepus with a sense of calm and happiness. He felt the warm smell of moss and felt a cool breeze swept past his face. He stood just past the entrance to the farm, still on the gravel. Looking out at the beauty which lay behind the fields. A great snow-capped mountain towered over him, at its base littered a forest of rich green pine. He couldn’t enjoy it long as he had work to be done. He continued onward to the small old wooden house. Erected years ago before the town was built, it was now the base for the farm.

He crossed the threshold and walked to the left, up to the shelving. Placing his bag in his small wooden shelve section, he took out the tools he would need that day. From the corner of his eye, he realised he was being watched. Few were ever inside the old wooden house. As it was only used for keeping possessions and the paperwork for the farm.

Lepus realised that two people were staring at him from the front desk. He turned, brushing his blonde locks out of his eyes. Standing on the other side of the desk was Yana, who was standing talking to Alice. They both giggled at his surprise.

“Hey Lepus,” said Yana, “This is Alice, she’s starting today,”

Alice smiled, her auburn hair was tied up with a loose moss coloured bandana wrapped around her head. Her green eyes enveloped his gaze as he tried to break the stare, but couldn’t. He tried to think of something else to say. But his mouth just turned into a big stupid grin as his brain couldn’t seem to find anything for it.

“Yes we’ve met,” Lepus said, craning his neck and raising his shoulder.

Yana smirked and spun around, “You can show her around, I’m going for a smoke” she skipped out and was gone.

***