KOTS

Carissa stared at the white wall beside her and sighed.

It was another bleak day in the hospital ward. Another day of being shuffled in and out of doctor’s offices, of being stuck with the same kind of hospital food, of being cared for by smiling nurses who whispered “Poor dear” behind her back.

To top all that, she was always surrounded by other sick people who were often carted in and out of the room, just like she was. They didn’t seem friendly, but then again, she wasn’t feeling very excited to talk herself. So she lived her days in silence, punctuated by the occasional cough and the odd visit by her family and friends.

At least she had her books. She looked over the volumes her mother brought over for her and held up Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore. It was her favorite lately, because it made her long for the sparkling blue sea.

She opened the book to one of her favorite passages, and read it out loud again.

“The drowning girl’s fingers
Search for the entrance stone, and more.
Lifting the hem of her azure dress,
She gazes —
at Kafka on the shore.”

Just then, she heard a movement from the bed beside her. She turned to see a smiling old woman peek from behind the curtains.

Flustered, she nodded apologetically. “Oh! I’m so sorry if I disturbed you. I’ll read quietly from now on.”

The old woman shook her head and, with a wave of her hand, beckoned her closer. So she got out of bed and moved towards the old lady, her IV in tow.

Carissa pulled back the curtains a little to see her neighbor surrounded by wires running all over her body. It was a desolate picture, but the old lady’s wide smile radiated the place with warmth. She smiled back.

The woman slowly opened up her hand to reveal a necklace with a glass pendant. Carissa gasped as she saw how it looked like a mini-terrarium, with its pink sand, seaweed, and small seashells.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured, as she gazed longingly at the necklace. “Where did you get it?”

The bedridden lady merely smiled and took Carissa’s hand. She gently placed the necklace in it and closed her fingers over it.

She stepped back and shook her head. “No, no, I couldn’t possibly take this! It’s too pretty!”

The woman patted her arm reassuringly. She then pointed towards Carissa’s bed, where she left the Murakami book. She turned, wondering what the lady meant, and suddenly understood. She grabbed the book and held it up before her neighbor.

“Would you like me to read this out loud to you?”

The old woman nodded. She pointed to the seat next to her bed.

Carissa took the book and sat next to her. She wore the necklace in front of the old woman, who nodded approvingly. Touching the pendant, she opened the book to the first page, took a deep breath, and began to read.

–

For vixen.

–
Image source: deviantart.com/melancolia-neroli/art/kafka-on-the-shore-111377482
First written January 28, 2018.
#119