Missing the Queen

This is a story I wrote for a school project. This story was written with the intention of showing readers what it is like to be a person who has Alzheimer’s disease.

Missing the Queen

 

A Short Story

By

Nadav Amiri

 

 

December 23^rd, 2012

 

Today was the first day of Jess’ visit. I haven’t seen her since before her first semester started, and now she’s staying here for an entire week. We’re going to celebrate Christmas together, for the first time since Debbie passed three years ago. I’m so glad that she’s here, but she doesn’t seem very happy. She keeps pursing her lips and shaking her head slightly, almost as though she is disappointed with me.

I get tired very quickly now, so I have to sleep a lot during the day. I can tell that Jess is bored of sitting around the apartment doing nothing all day, but there’s not much more I can do. Earlier today I tried preparing myself a sandwich, but Jess had to stop me because I tried to spread the mayonnaise on the bread with a fork. I guess I just get confused sometimes.

After the whole sandwich incident, we decided to play a game of chess. I taught Jess how to play when she was younger, and we always play a few games when she comes to visit. She beat me today, after I left my queen unprotected and one of Jess’ bishops defeated her. When I lost my queen, Jess gave me this look. She tilted her head and squinted her eyes slightly.

‘How did you miss that?’ She asked me. I couldn’t answer her. I didn’t know how I had missed it.

‘I- uhh- I let you take her,’ I said with a nervous wink. I could tell she didn’t buy it.

‘You never miss something as important as your queen in danger,’ she said with a note of worry in her voice, ‘and you definitely never go easy on me.’ I didn’t know what to say. I just shook my head slightly and smiled.

‘Let’s just continue with the game.’ I said. After that, Jess won very easily. There wasn’t much I could do without my queen. As I packed the set up back into the box, Jess kept staring at me, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed. I ignored her. There was nothing wrong with me. I didn’t need her help.

We ate dinner in silence that night. I could only hear the clanking of my fork and knife against the plate as I cut through the tender chicken that Jess had prepared for me. I could feel her still looking at me, never once touching her food. I avoided her gaze for the entire meal. I knew she was thinking about telling me something, but I could also tell that I could do without hearing it. When I went to bed, I could hear her in the next room tick tacking away at the keyboard on my computer. I had half a mind to go ask her what she was doing, but I thought better of it and rolled over in bed and pressed my pillow firmly over my head.

 

 

December 24^th, 2012

 

            Jess brought me breakfast in bed this morning. As I ate, she sat at the foot of my bed and sighed deeply. I looked up from my scrambled eggs on toast and looked at her.

            ‘I did some research on the computer,’ She started. Her voice was heavy and full of sorrow. ‘I’m not sure obviously, but- I think you might need help. I’ve been noticing some things that you’ve been doing recently. The whole sandwich thing yesterday, and you missing your queen in that game of chess. It just doesn’t seem like you.’

            ‘Jess, I don’t need you to babysit me. I’m just fine.’ I said to her. She shook her head and wiped newly formed tears from her eyes.

            ‘No, dad. I"I think you might have Alzheimer’s. Or at least some sort of dementia. It’s not just yesterday. When we talk on the phone you always seem to lose your train of thought. And your landlord called me the other day because apparently you haven’t been answering his calls and you’re late on the rent. You need help, dad.’ She said this last sentence with tears flowing freely down her cheeks. I couldn’t stand to see her so sad.

            ‘Okay, sweetie.’ I said, my heart heavy. If you think I need help, I’ll get help.

            ‘Thank you.’ She whispered. I knew that I didn’t need help, but I would do anything to make my little Jessie happy.

           

 

December 25^th, 2012

 

            It’s Christmas day. Jess seemed a bit morose this morning again, but I fortunately got her mood up. We opened presents after a nice breakfast. She got me a new shower curtain. She looked embarrassed when I opened it.

            ‘I didn’t really have enough time to get a better present,’ she said, her face going red and her head bowed.

            ‘Don’t worry, I love it.’ I said comfortingly. I reached over to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, kissing her on the head. ‘I understand the student life isn’t easy,’ I said with a wink. She went even redder and put her face in her hands. ‘Come on,’ I said, trying to get the happy mood back. ‘Open my gift.’ Her face came out from behind her hands and smiled apologetically. Her hands slowly made their way to my gift sitting on the table. It was flat, about the size of a lunch tray in a cafeteria. Its wrapping paper had small Christmas trees all over it. I had done quite a horrendous job in wrapping it, but Jess didn’t seem to mind. Her index finger slid under a strip of tape on the gift and peeled back the paper. She gasped as her gaze fell upon the shiny surface of the glass topped picture frame. Inside was a picture of Jess, Debbie and I from our trip to Istanbul when Jess was just a girl. We had asked a local salesman there to take a photo of us. He then tried to scam us into buying his handmade carpets, but luckily we avoided that fiasco.

            ‘Oh my god…’ Jess whispered. Her eyes were wide, her mouth agape. She lifted the painting off of the table, holding it gingerly in her fingers. She brushed her fingertips across the smooth glass, slowly hovering over each of the faces in the picture, staying even longer on Debbie’s bright smile. Jess turned her head to me with tears in her eyes.

            ‘And all I got you was a shower curtain…’ She said with clear guilt in her voice. She carefully placed the picture frame back on the table and stepped over to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

            ‘I take it that you like it?’ I asked, smiling widely.

            ‘Yes. It’s perfect.’ I heard her muffled sobs next to my ear. My heart swelled with joy. Debbie normally never liked having her photo taken, so I knew it would mean a lot to Jess to have something to remember her by.

            ‘I still remember the night she died.’ Jess said, hardly able to get the words out. ‘She went to the corner store. She said she would be back soon; she just needed to get some milk. Then the heart attack…’ She couldn’t finish the sentence as the emotions overwhelmed her. She still had her arms wrapped tightly around me. I patted her back and sighed, clearly remembering that night as well.

            Jess let go of me and sat back down in her chair, wiping the tears that were streaming down her face. She took one last long look at me through her watery eyes, and then quickly stood up from her seat. She picked up the photo and walked into her room. I didn’t see her for the rest of the day.

 

 

February 18^th, 2013

 

            After many visits to the doctor’s, Jess organized for me to live in a hotel for a while. I never got to hear what she said to the doctor but it was always in hushed tones and seemed very serious. I’m just glad she’s not putting me in some sort of old person’s home. A hotel I can deal with. Jess said I’m going to be living there for a long time, so I need to pack my things. We packed in silence. Every once in a while Jess would take a break, and I could hear her crying in the next room. I didn’t want her to be sad, but I couldn’t think of anything that I could do.

            I don’t really have time to write in this diary right now. Moving a place of residence is very time consuming. Hopefully I’ll get some time to write once I reach the hotel. I hope I enjoy living there.

 

 

February 19^th, 2013

 

            The hotel Jess organized for me to stay in is very nice. There are a lot of people dressed in white with nametags that help me with anything that I need. I have a room for myself and there’s a game room, a rec room, and even a dining hall, which is where I have to eat every meal. I asked Jess why there were both a game room and a rec room, because it seemed a bit redundant to me. She was too busy talking to a man with a white coat on. He looked like the doctor I had to visit while Jess was still worried about me having some sort of illness. I guess this man was just a doctor also staying at the hotel. His nametag read “Dr. Gordon.” He introduced himself to me and told me that if there was anything I needed, anything at all, to just ask him. Behind him was a stocky woman. She had black hair and a menacing smile. Her name was Olivia, according to her nametag. I took an immediate distrust to her, although as far as first impressions go I suppose she didn’t do too badly. She was very kind and also offered her assistance in anything and everything. I guess living in this hotel isn’t going to be so bad.

 

April 12^th, 2013

 

I woke up today and Debbie wasn’t in bed with me. I reached up with my hand and patted the pillow where her head should have been. It was cold. I strained my ears to try and hear if she was in the bathroom or not. Silence. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and slid my feet into the slippers waiting on the floor. There was a sound at the door, someone turning a key in the lock. I sprang out of bed and rushed to the door, holding a firm grip on the handle. I raised an eye up to the peephole and saw Olivia. My heart started racing. The handle started to pull against my strength, but I kept it still.

            ‘Joseph! It’s breakfast time! Let me open the door now.’ Olivia’s voice chimed from behind the door. My head spun at the sound of her. The door handle was still trying to wrest from my grasp. I tightened my grip and firmly planted my foot against the bottom of the door. ‘Joseph! Let me in now!’ Olivia’s voice rose to a yell.

            ‘Where’s Debbie?’ I shouted back through the door. I felt the handle stop wriggling under my hands. There was silence for a few seconds.

            ‘Debbie can’t see you right now, Joseph.’ Olivia said hesitantly. ‘Just come out so I can bring you to the breakfast hall.’ I sighed. Maybe if I did what she wanted me to I could see Debbie later. I slowly let go of the handle, and I could see it swing down and the door was pushed on forcefully. ‘Please move your foot, Joe,’ I could now hear Dr. Gordon’s voice from behind the door. I moved my foot and took a step back as the door swung open. Dr. Gordon and Olivia were both standing there, looking at me with anger in their eyes, but smiles on their faces. 

            Olivia stepped forward through the entrance, and I stepped back. I wasn’t going to let her touch me. Olivia sighed. ‘Okay, Joe, I won’t touch you. Just follow me down the hall, okay?’ I nodded curtly and grunted in accordance. Olivia started towards the door, but Dr. Gordon held a hand out in front of her chest.

            ‘If you don’t mind, Olivia, I’d like to ask Joseph some questions first.’ Dr. Gordon said in his gruff voice. Olivia pursed her lips and shifted her glance from Dr. Gordon to me a few times before rising up on her toes to get closer to Dr. Gordon’s ear. She was whispering, so I couldn’t hear what she was saying. The exchange lasted no more than a few seconds, but by the end of it Dr. Gordon had his brow furrowed as Olivia backed away. She then started walking down the hall, but not before turning her torso and giving me a friendly wave and a devilish grin.

            Suddenly Dr. Gordon moved directly in front of me, and Olivia was hidden from sight. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew it wasn’t good. Dr. Gordon ushered me back into my room. He led me to my bed and motioned for me to sit down. He grabbed the chair from my desk across the room and dragged it until it was right in front of me. The soft muffled sound of the plastic chair legs on the wool carpeting made the hairs on my arms stand on end. Dr. Gordon sighed as he lowered himself into the chair. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and propping his head up on a closed fist. For a few seconds, he just stared at me. I shuffled uncomfortably.

            ‘When will I get to see Debbie?’ I asked, trying to cut through the silence. My eyes moved between Dr. Gordon’s eyes, looking for some understanding.

            ‘When was the last time you saw her?’ he asked.

            ‘Well, I fell asleep with her in my bed, as always.’ I answered. I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t helping me reach her. He reached into the front pocket of his white coat and pulled out a small notepad and a pen. He flipped to a new page and began scribbling something. I stretched out my neck, trying to read the page, but he deftly flicked the cover of the notepad back over the top and palmed the small rectangle of paper in his large hands.

            ‘Joe, I need to tell you something about Debbie.’ He said with a grave tone. I shifted in my seat again, suddenly aware that my palms were clammy.

            ‘Did something happen to her?’ My voice shook as I spoke. I could feel it.  Dr. Gordon itched his nose and avoided my eyes for a few seconds.

            ‘I’m afraid Debbie passed away about three years ago, Joseph. You’ve been living in a home for Alzheimer’s disease patients for the past few months now, and this is not the first time you’ve been told of your wife’s passing.’ He said all this very fast, not once stopping for breath. My chest felt cold. My breath came short.

            ‘You’re lying to me!’ I began to shout. ‘Where’s my Debbie?’ I rose to my feet at those words; my hands balled into fists and my eyes wide. My heart was racing. Dr. Gordon quickly stood, holding his hands out in a calming gesture, reaching out to me. I tried to back away but tripped over the bed behind me. I fell back, hitting my head on the headboard. Everything was black and fuzzy for a few seconds. I could still see Dr. Gordon’s silhouette above me. I was blind with rage. They were trying to keep Debbie from me. I stood back up, and, head still spinning, I threw myself at Dr. Gordon. He toppled from my body hitting his, and we both fell to the floor. He yelped as we landed, and I had my hands on his face, scratching, clawing, doing anything I could to hurt the man keeping me away from my wife. He began to shout for help. Suddenly I felt strong hands forcefully find their way under my arms. I was lifted off of Dr. Gordon, still kicking and screaming. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Olivia walking up to me, holding a syringe. I struggled more as she approached me. I couldn’t feel the needle being stuck in my arm, but I did feel me drifting away, until I was floating in a sea of black.  

April 15^th, 2013

 

I met Benny today. He was sitting in the corner of the activity room in his wheelchair, just staring through the window at the parking lot beyond with a wistful look upon his face. I was sitting at the table across the room when I first saw him. The kind man with the white shirt and the nametag that said ‘Brad’ on it had given me a line drawing of a hilly landscape with the sunrise on it. He told me to fill it in using the watercolors on the table. I wanted to please Brad, but when I saw Benny I forgot about the drawing. I lay down the paintbrush and made my way over to where he was sitting. I grabbed a chair from the nearest table and positioned it next to the wheelchair. I sat down.

            ‘Hello,’ I said hesitantly, keeping my eyes straight ahead looking through the window. There was no response from Benny. ‘I’m Joseph, but you can call me Joe.’ I continued, this time turning my head to look at his face. His eyelids were droopy, and his mouth slightly open.

            ‘Benny.’ He said, hardly moving his lips. ‘Name’s Benny.’ He raised his hand absentmindedly and twirled it around in a complex flourish. It abruptly stopped and fell back down to the armrest on the wheelchair. I looked at him in wonderment as he kept staring through the window.

            ‘What was that for?’ I asked, my eyes wide. Benny twisted his head around to look at me. He squeezed his lips shut tight and then parted them, but only slightly.

            ‘When did you get here?’ He asked. My courage faltered.

            ‘I just came up to you a minute ago…’ I said, my voice trailing off. I wondered why I approached him in the first place.

            ‘No. When did you get here.’ He said, this time raising both of his arms above his head and waving them around with grandeur. I realized he was talking about the hotel.

            ‘I started living here a few weeks ago,’ I replied. ‘Why do you ask?’

            ‘Evil place, this is.’ Benny said, very matter-of-factly. ‘You need to get out. Come with me. I know how to get out.’ My heart skipped a beat. I didn’t like living here, but I never imagined the possibility of escape. Benny had gotten my attention.

            ‘You… You know how to get out of here?’ I asked, my mouth dry with anticipation. Benny grunted. His chin dipped down to his chest and for a few seconds I thought he had fallen asleep. Then suddenly his chin snapped back up, and his eyes were wide and alert.

            ‘I know how to escape,’ He said, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked around cautiously, making sure there were no people around. He motioned for me to lean in closer to him. ‘Every day,’ he began, ‘there is a five minute window where there are no guards in the first floor corridor.’

            I looked at him in bewilderment. ‘Guards?’ I asked. ‘What guards? There are only hotel employees walking in the corridors.’

            ‘Ah! That’s what they want you to think.’ He said, wagging his finger at me. I didn’t appreciate being gestured to as a child. ‘These people aren’t here to help you, trust me.’ Benny continued, not noticing the angered look upon my face. ‘They’re only here to make sure you can’t leave. And then once you’ve been here long enough, they steal you and you never come back. I had three friends that went missing. I kept asking the guards where they went, but they never gave me a straight answer. I’ve learned to stop asking.’ He sighed and shook his head slightly. ‘Don’t let them fool you, Pete. These people are not your friends.’

            ‘My name’s Joe, actually,’ I said. I didn’t know what to think. Could Benny be right? What if these hotel employees"these guards"really were just here to make sure that I never leave? The thought scared me. I snuck another glance at Benny. He was staring out of the window again, with a blank stare etched across his face. I decided to leave him alone. I needed some time to think about what he said. I walked back over to the painting table and sat down when I was immediately approached by Brad.

            ‘I see you’ve talked to Benny.’ He said to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I wriggled out from under his touch and turned around in my seat to face him.

            ‘Yeah,’ I said to Brad. ‘Seems like a nice guy.’

            ‘Just be careful Joe, okay? I wouldn’t trust everything Benny has to say.’ Brad said with a small frown showing on his face. Yeah, right. I thought to myself. You just can’t wait to get rid of me like you did Debbie and all of Benny’s friends. I gave Brad a fake smile and nodded to show that I understood what he had said. He patted me on the shoulder again, at which I tried to squirm out of the way to no avail, and walked off to check on the other people’s paintings. I looked back to the window where Benny was sitting, but he had disappeared, wheeled off to who knows where.

           

 

April 22^nd, 2013

 

Today I went to find Benny. Ever since our last meeting, I couldn’t stop thinking about what he had said to me. I walked into the game room and looked around for a few minutes. It took longer than I wanted it to because every time I saw a guard I made sure to give them a wide berth. I searched the entire game room and then moved onto the rec room, where there were still the double rows of senior citizens painting the same scene of a sunset for the millionth time. I walked to the window at the far side of the room and found him sitting there in his ever-present wheelchair. I strode over to him, again dragging a chair right beside him so that I could talk to him.

‘I’ve thought a lot about what you said,’ I said in a hushed tone. ‘I’m in. I want to get out of here.’ Benny turned to me with a lot of absolute astonishment upon his face. He blinked multiple times before turning back to his normal seating position.

‘Do I know you?’ He asked, staring straight through the window again. I looked at him for a few seconds, not knowing what I should do.

‘We talked the other day,’ I said unsurely. ‘You told me that you know how to escape. I would like to join you.’

‘I never said I wanted to escape, did I?’ Benny asked with a raised eyebrow.

‘But…’ I started, ‘you want to get taken by the guards?’ At the mention of the guards Benny stiffened, his hands clutching the wheelchair’s armrest and tensing to the point I could see the veins bulging.

‘The guards… You can’t escape the guards.’ He said with a tone of defeat.

‘But we can together!’ I said, trying to encourage him into helping me.

‘Listen,’ he whispered to me. ‘I’m too old now; I could never get out of this wheelchair. If you want to get outta here, go to the corridor right outside of this room at exactly quarter past four in the afternoon. The guard patrolling that corridor gets switched right around then, and their replacement is always late. Just walk right out of the emergency door. It’s the only one that leads to the parking lot where you can sneak through the fence.’ I looked at him in amazement.

‘How on earth could you know that?’ I asked him, completely baffled.

‘I’ve been staring out this window for the better part of three years, Phil.’ Benny said with the tone of a seasoned veteran. ‘Just so happens to be right in front of that little gap in the fence.’ I followed his gaze to the far side of the parking lot on the other side of the window. Along the tall wrought iron fence was a small gap in the bars, just large enough for a grown man to crawl through. I saw a ginger cat hop through the hole with a mouse clutched in its jaws. It scampered away as a car entered the parking lot. I looked at Benny, who was still staring absentmindedly through the glass pane.

‘Are you sure you won’t come with me?’ I asked. I didn’t want to leave him behind after he helped me so much. Benny raised a hand and waved me away.

‘I’m too old, Mickey. Go on, enjoy your youth while you still can.’ He said with a wink. He then placed his hands on the wheels of his chair and huffed and puffed as he wheeled himself out of the rec room. I was left sitting in my chair, staring at the spot he had just left.

 

May 1^st, 2013

 

I have decided that I’m not going to leave this place until I’ve found Debbie. I don’t trust Dr. Gordon or Olivia or any of the other guards. There is no way I’m leaving while there is still the possibility of my Debbie being held hostage by these people. I’ve been spending my time looking for her in all the places I could throughout the building. Whenever I see a guard I look around myself, trying to look confused. It mostly works. Sometimes they ask me if I’m okay and try to bring me with them to wherever they’re going, and that slows my search for Debbie. I need to find her, and soon. I’m not sure how much time I have left in this place before the guards decide they want to take me too. I can’t write anymore right now, I hear one of them coming down the hall.

 

 

May 9^th, 2013

 

I woke up this morning, and Benny wasn’t in the rec room. I looked everywhere for him, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. I knew I couldn’t go to Olivia, because she was the one who took him. I couldn’t trust her. Not that I ever did before. I need to tell Benny something. I can’t remember what, but I know its important. While I was looking for him, Dr. Gordon walked past me in the hall. He gave me a strange look, as though he expected to see me in a different mood.

            ‘Is everything okay, Joe?’ He asked me as I shuffled past. I ignored him. ‘Are you looking for Benny?’ he called out to me before I rounded the corner of the hall. I stopped.

            ‘Do you know where he is?’ I asked him. Dr. Gordon pursed his lips and shook his head.

            ‘Sorry Joe,’ he said with a small frown. ‘He can’t see you right now.’

            ‘Oh. Okay.’ I replied. I felt a rush of relief flood through me. I knew I would see Benny again. I started back towards my room. I was so happy that Benny was okay. I trusted Dr. Gordon, after all. I passed by the front desk of the hotel, where I got a friendly smile and a wave from the desk clerk. I kept walking towards my room, but suddenly I found myself lost in a maze of identical paths. I looked at the walls, trying to find a hint of where I was. I saw a painting of a vase of roses. It seemed familiar to me somehow. A nearly empty room filled with drab furniture and a chess set on an empty table flashed through my mind. Must have been part of a dream from long ago. I shook my head and kept walking, hoping to find my room.

Suddenly, I was in the game room. I looked around in alarm only to find Olivia standing behind me with her arms open and that devilish smile on her face.

            ‘Come with me Joe. I’ll show you to your room.’ She slipped her arm through mine and tugged at me until my feet began to move. I knew something was wrong. My feet started dragging on the carpeted floors. Olivia turned her head and scowled in annoyance. ‘Come on Joe! Stop being difficult.’ She said, clearly peeved. Her hand squeezed my arm harder, causing pain. I tried to wrest my arm from her grasp.

            ‘Where’s Benny?’ I shouted at her. I could see the conflict in her eyes as she decided on what to tell me.

            ‘He can’t talk to you right now, Joe.’ She said, her eyes drifting to the floor.

I couldn’t believe this was happening to me again. First they took Debbie from me, and now Benny. My heart began to race. I could feel my rage building. The sensation felt familiar, but I couldn’t tell where I felt it before. Olivia’s face morphed into a mix of anger and pity as she wrapped her arms around my body from behind and squeezed. I tried to wriggle free, but her strength was too much for me. She kept shouting at me to calm down, that I’ll see Benny soon enough. I didn’t believe her. I had to get out of there. I raised my right foot off the ground and brought it back down, kicking Olivia’s shin with my heel. I felt her arms loosen their grip around me, until slipping off completely to instead wrap around her leg as she hopped in place on one foot. I bent down so that my face was directly in front of hers. I grabbed her chin and forced her eyes to mine.

            ‘Don’t follow me.’ I croaked. Her eyes smoldered with frustration and a hint of fear. I released her, and she continued to hop on her one foot. I spun on my heel and strode towards the end of the hall. There was a door marked “Emergency Exit”. I lifted my hands and shoved against the bar. The door swung open and beyond I felt a breeze hit my face. The bright rays of sunshine fell through the leaves of the trees like honey from a comb. I closed my eyes and raised my chin, listening to the soft chirp of a bird in a branch far above me. A small smile crept up the edges of my cheeks, widening until it could widen no more. I heard muffled footsteps on the carpet behind me, still inside of the building. I twisted my neck to see Olivia limping towards me with a look of twisted contempt on her face. I quickly turned and started walking as quickly as I could. Long past are the days I could have run.

            ‘Joe! Come back!’ Olivia shouted after me. I could hear her voice getting further and further away the more I walked. She abandoned her chase. I kept walking, never once looking back. After a while, I found myself alone. I was walking through the gardens outside of the hotel. It was quiet and peaceful. The sun shined bright across the gravel path that wound its way through the grass. I stopped in the middle of the path and stood still for a few seconds. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply through my nose. I hadn’t felt this free in a very long time.

            I’ve been searching for Debbie for far too long now. I have honestly lost all hope of ever finding her. After what had happened with Olivia I fear that my days are truly numbered if I wish to stay free. I needed to attempt my escape today.

            I made my way through the park until I reached the other side of the building. Pushing through the side door, I found myself two corridors down from where my room was. I quickly walked into my room and collected my diary, a pen, and a fresh pair of socks. I shoved the socks in my back pocket and made my way back through my door and down the hall. I started for the rec room, ducking behind corners and maid carts on the way whenever I saw a guard. I took a wrong turn and ended up by the entrance to the building. There were guards everywhere, standing behind the big front desk and pushing around carts and pulling suitcases behind them. I gulped nervously. I turned around and headed back down the corridor. I couldn’t find where I was anymore. I wandered aimlessly around the halls, looking around for any familiar objects. Finally, I found the dining hall. Just two halls away was the rec room.

I made it to the corridor outside of the rec room, and at the end of the hall I saw a door clearly marked “Exit”. I looked around for a guard, but it seemed that Benny’s intel had been accurate; there was no one in sight. My heart started racing. I took one step towards the door, then another, and another. With each step I could feel my breath shorten and my strides lengthen. I made it to the end of the hall, and the door was right there in front of me. With a deep breath, I raised my shaking hands and placed them on either side of the wide bar attached the door. With a strong heave and a gasp of fresh air, I was outside again.

            I took one step outside of the door when my eyes fell on Olivia standing not ten paces in front of me. She had a squad of guards standing behind her in formation. Her arms were crossed and a smirk was spread clearly on her wide face.

            ‘Where do you think you’re going, Joe?’ She asked, her smirk growing wider and wider as the guards flowed from either side of her to grab me by the arms. I struggled, trying to escape. I could see the wrought iron fence a stone’s throw away. The ginger cat was standing beside it, holding a bird in its jaws. It seemed to taunt me as it turned around, lifted its tail high above its back, and deftly hopped through the gap in the bars. A scream left my throat as I kicked and punched the guards holding me. Olivia walked right up to my face and pulled a syringe out from her shirt pocket. I couldn’t do anything to prevent the needle from entering the skin on my arm. I tried to keep kicking as whatever was in the syringe took effect. The blackness took over again.

 

Unknown

 

I woke up in a white room. I was lying on a white bed with white sheets and a white pillow. The walls were white, as was the carpet beneath me. A harsh white light emitted from the fluorescent light bulb above me hurt my eyes. I found my diary in my pocket, but my spare socks were missing. Tears came to my eyes as I remembered what had happened. I was so close, but now I had no hope of ever seeing Debbie or Benny again, or the outside world for that matter. I suppose this is where all those people were taken, into a dozen different white rooms. My pen is running out of ink. I don’t think I’ll be able to write much more. Not that I want to, anyways. I think I’ll just wait for Debbie. She said she was coming back soon. 

Author's Note

Excuse the awkward spacing in between entries, those are the page breaks from the document.

Reviews

[747]

Sad, but not unrealistic. Interesting how you merge a story into journal entries. We are not perfect when we journal, and I rather like the format you chose here.
However, one thing I would suggest is that you remove all the extra spacing between entries.

Good work, keep it going!

[Nadav]

Thank you! I know the spacing is a bit weird, but I copied and pasted it from a Word Document. On the document itself the spacing is just fine. Thanks for the review again though!

[747]

Yes, this site often jumbles up formatting. It is best to correct it on the site, even though it is still fine in your documents.
Presentation can be a very important factor in writing, considering that you've already got the content down!

[Nadav]

There I fixed it, thanks for the advice. :)

[Cyndy Robinson]

I love this! It is very well written and makes you wonder if that really is how an alzheimer's patient thinks and feels. Good Job!

[Sanhorsey]

Nice writing! Although I got the feeling at places as if you were in a hurry to let the reader know about the characters, especially in the beginning. Also there are a few grammatical mistakes.
But it is nothing you can't fix, so continue the wonderful work.

[Nadav]

Thank you! I did struggle a little bit with the introductions of the characters in the beginning, as I was mainly trying to get to the main point of the story which was to show his struggles with the disease, but I realize now that I should have done a better job on that. Thanks for the feedback! :)

[M P Ramesh]

Nadav Amiri (janky),
The approach of new generation fiction and its overlapping with the proximities have been closely watched .
Can I make a sincere compliment?
I am not a bloggist in any language.
After joining this blog for the last 7 days I was searching for any such real talent and with a hope of future excellence tip off.
Its really challenging and surely if High school talent can reach to this level, one can trust and SAY

the writer is still ALIVE and shall ever be


Really amazing
carry on''''''''''''''''



M P Ramesh

[Nadav]

Thank you very much for the positive review! :)