Fire and Rain

2

"Leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you. I told you I'm not interested!"

Rebecca banged her fists against the green papered wall. The game room was crowded but most of the patients had no problem ignoring her.

"Those voices giving you problems again?" Gregory leaned against the wall beside her and began stroking the papered wall with his free hand. His other hand was in his pocket stroking something else. "I can help you get rid of them."

Rebecca didn't blink, instead she spit on his face. He groaned and the hand in his pocket moved a little faster. Disgusted, she shoved him and with only one unoccupied hand, he fell hard on the cold floor.

"What the hell is your problem?" Gregory yelled.

"I don't want to talk to him," she screamed and pointed at the smudged wall, "and I don't want to talk to you!"

She stormed off to the opposite end of the room because they weren't allowed to exit the game room until bedtime. But even from her distant corner she kept a wary eye on the wall.

Martin had watched the whole scene. All he ever did was watch. He left his table and the image of a mountain he'd been drawing to help Gregory up. He knew which hand not to grab so he had to wait until Gregory begrudgingly offered the hand that hadn't been playing pocket pool.

"What's her deal tonight? She's being a real bitch."

Martin only shrugged – he didn't speak much. Really, he didn't speak at all. If he had something to say he would take the charcoal from his mouth and scrawl a note on whatever was nearby. Gregory was still talking but Martin didn't hear any of his rants. He was looking at the wall where Rebecca had been arguing and as he touched it he started looking for something, feeling for something. Like he knew something was there. Out of impulse he pulled a long, thin piece of fresh coal from his pocket and began drawing. It didn't have a shape or purpose; instead it looked like a gigantic black hole. Gregory had wandered away mumbling and when Martin was done filling in the enormous blob, he went back to his drawing as if nothing out of the ordinary had just taken place.

Rebecca stealthily made her way back to the charcoal spot that would need scrubbing later, and pressed her hands and face to it reminiscent of a young child peering into a toy store.

"A window. Martin, you made a window."

Martin took no notice of her present state of wonder. She was smiling and giggling to herself as if she were actually staring at something other than markings on a wall. Whatever happy sights Rebecca's delusions were showing her quickly soured.

"No. No, he can see me. Martin he can see me!"

She clawed at the spot only smearing it and making the spot larger. Her hands and face were covered in the black dust as she cried obscenities and begged for help to remove the drawing. "He's coming – it's not time. Somebody help me!"