The moonlight glistens on the silk bedsheets through the small opening of the window. The room was white with shadows lurking in every corner. There was a slumped form in the corner, a patient who had been stuck here for years. Suddenly rain pours down. That rich earthy smell lurked into the room, making everything better. The rhythmic pattern of the rain hitting it made something at ease of the patients’ unsettling silence. She hadn’t talked to anyone, always keeping to herself as if everything was a secret to be kept from the world. Everyone was used to it by now. Except for one.
There had always been this figure looming over her. Dark red eyes which would stare into your soul. Pale skin, which always rejected any form of light, and the black hair. The figure’s hair was always so neat, even without brushing it. The patient always talked to the figure. Only to the figure. Even upset or frustrated, the patient felt evaporated when she saw it. Although not everyone felt the same about this.
The nurses always gave a disapproving look. Why? As for the figure the patient is talking to, it doesn’t exist. Only when the patient forgets the medication, which was all the time. The patient was in the mental asylum for years. Deliberately forgetting medication to talk to the figure. A common question asked by staff was, “Are you for real?” Months passed since the patient last took her medication.
Until one day, a physiatrist had enough. He stormed into the patient’s room. He shouted, “Are you for real?” and forced the patient to take the medication. The figure disappeared with a sad look. The patient grew highly aggressive, as her only friend was stolen from her. In the end, it resulted in the patient being locked away again. Hidden from the earth, to shine its light on it.
The moonlight shone through the window. The clock strikes midnight. The world lies asleep except for the patient. She plans to escape this hell she’s trapped in. The plan she had was simple: the guard outside is always tired and turns a blind eye to everything, so sneak outside to the willow tree. There you could climb over the fence. However, when she finally manipulated the lock of the room’s sight, she was greeted with something that made her change her mind. It was the figure at the end of the hall with his arms crossed, leaning against a doorframe. It was a warning to her about something. Next to the figure sat a new guard, someone fresh out of college. This makes her plans even trickier. She didn’t know this new face or how he reacts to everything. She wasn’t sure how to pass this new guard. Or if she could even bribe her way out, but with what?