I hate hospitals, but when one’s best friend tells you she is having a baby, you linger in the waiting room forever in order to be the first to meet your godchild. Well, one of the first. Of course, as I sit impatiently in an uncomfortable padded chair, I meet the other weirdos who couldn’t resist an excuse to inhale the antiseptic smells of the hospital in hushed silence or the soft scuff of nurses shuffling or rushing by in soft-soled shoes.
A little girl snuggles in her father’s arms, waiting to meet a new baby brother or sister. An old woman wanders in and out of a nearby door every ten minutes to lower her mask and pop a hard candy into her mouth. She gives me a sweet smile each time she pulls the mask back up and heads back into the labor and delivery room. Another little man enters the waiting room and scans the room. He gives off a vibe that makes me uncomfortable even from the protection of my obscure corner across the room.
The little man rubs his hands together as he observes me. I shudder and look away. I am not sure what thoughts dance around his brain, but the gleam in his pale eye echoes their demonic dance. I feel his eyes on me still, so I take a few steps further down the hall. I hear shuffling feet following me. I pick up speed, heading for the bend in the hallway. When I reach it, I let out an eek of surprise. The hallway does bend, but two heavy doors bar me from going forward without an I.D. badge.
“I hoped we could talk,” the man wheezes as he catches up to me.
“That’s okay. I don’t need any.”
He blinks at me, smiling maliciously. “It’s not about you, dear. It’s about me and what I need.”
“Ugh.” I groan and try to push past him.
“I have an offer you can’t refuse,” he says as he takes my arm, gripping it with surprising strength.
I manage to pull free, but as I step forward again, I find an invisible force keeping me trapped in the dead-end hallway. The old man grins, this time revealing crooked teeth. I shudder and push forward again. Invisible arms wrap around me. A hand covers my mouth before I can scream. When my attempts to do so finally subside, he steps forward and leans into me.
“Calm down, girl. You really have no choice except this: you will cooperate or I won’t let you choose which sense gets heightened and which one dies a little.”
As his invisible goon wrenches my arm behind my back and uses it to lever me forward, I ponder those words. None of this makes sense. I’m just an average girl with average problems. How did I end up in this situation?
As if reading my mind comes naturally, the man explains. “You happened to come along right when I was thinking about a new experiment. Call it fate, my dear.”
He giggles before falling into silence. Somehow we manage to run into no one on our way out of the hospital. I guess even a hospital can be quiet at two in the morning.
~~
Despite my struggles, I still find myself in a crude imitation of an operating theater with the surgeon grinning down at me. “Last chance to choose, my dear. Do you want super hearing or super sight? Do you want to hear less of the world’s distractions of smell less of the aromatic wonders?”
He blinks slowly as I stare back at him, fear finally setting in as I realize how deeply his intent runs. “Have it your way. I’ll see you when you wake.”
“But, I…” I finally open my mouth to protest, choking back my words as an anesthesia mask floats over my words.
“Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…” A disembodied voice counts dully as the world around me spins and fades into darkness.
~~
“I don’t want to have my senses altered…” I scream.
I throw my hands up to cover my ears as my own voice thunders in my ears. I lower my voice to a whisper.
“What did you do to me?” It still sounds like I am shouting.
The surgeon’s voice rumbles through my head like a train making its own tunnel through the mountain. “I am sure you can tell me.”
I close my eyes against the pain and realize I only remember seeing the blur of his face. I open my eyes as he waits in silence for my response. The world around me remains blurred and unfocused.
“You took my eyes?” I whisper.
This time my voice registers so low that it sounds like I am speaking normally.
“No, dear. I just dialed them down, so you can harness the power of those beautiful ears…”
My now unusable eyes weep as soft chuckles surround and overwhelm me as they echo through the room.
~~~Ever worry about losing one thing only to find you have found something else? What if you didn’t have a choice? I am trying to tickle your terror. I hope it worked…a little.~~~
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