Verso

Verso -Opening

"Of course. No we understand....I want the best possible care. Of course, we will meet you there...but I don't think it best to bring my granddaughter....." he trailed off and removing the pipe from his mouth grandfather clenched it. "I understand. Yes. "He put the phone down and replacing the pipe chewed for another minute.

She frowned again and pushed slightly further into the room. He looked up and saw her but did nothing. Instead, he crossed to Granny and placed a hand on her shoulders.

"Elizabeth." He said gently. Granny looked up at him then followed the direction he looked. Her face was red, her eyes tired and watery like she was crying...but Granny never cried.

The older woman twisted pearls on her neck then quickly, fluidly crossed the room to her.

She had time to wonder if Granny had been cutting onions and that was why she was crying before she felt herself enveloped into a hug. The soft rhythmic stroking on her pyjamas wiped the thought from her mind. "Oh petal...." Granny said and shook slightly as she hugged.

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October 13, 1990 1am

The place they had taken her was much brighter than it looked from outside.

She wandered along peering this way and that taking in the strangeness of the place. It smelled like a swimming pool, the air had a similar kind of feel. Hot and clean but with the undertone of something else that made her think of the time she had licked a penny. It was still night outside but she had the feeling it was very very late. They had been here for a while and she had napped on the bench beside Granny while they waited.

But now Granny had fallen asleep and Grandfather seemed to have wandered off to yell at the man in the White coat. That was the trouble with being four years old. No one told you anything assuming you couldn't tell when something was amiss. Adults were so stupid sometimes. Of course having no frame of reference for both this place and what was going on only increased the desire to find out. Sure that Granny was not likely to miss her any time soon she had gotten off the bench, an arduous task at that, and walked to the end of the corridor.

A glance back and then around the corner had revealed...nothing. So she had walked up this corridor to the next corner, and then the next and then again and assumed she would end up back where she had started with Granny still sound asleep. There was no Granny in this corridor and no benches either instead a set of double doors and buttons. An elevator! As if by magic the doors opened and a man with another white coat on exited reading a clipboard. He didn't look up at her. The elevator stood open beckoning her. She bit her lip in indecisiveness but jumped forward and in as the doors pinged and began to close. She waited staring at the buttons then with a small shrug pressed the ones she could reach. Five orbs of light blinked into existence under her hand and off they went.

The first time the door opened there were people and noise and she shrank back from it unsure why, one light went out. The second time the corridor was dark and spooky looking and she waited wide eyed for the door to close again taking with it the second light. The third time the corridor looked very similar to the one she had left but with a desk and a funny looking bed on wheels against one wall instead of a bench. A coke machine stood humming nearby. She walked to it fascinated by the sound and the elevator closed behind her.

For some time she stood in the relative calming combination of hum and light from the vending machine tracing the words on the front with her small fingers. She paused hearing a rattling sort of sound and stepping away from the machine walked a few steps back towards the big empty desk, her head cocked towards the sound which appeared to be coming from the far end of the corridor. So focused on the noise trying to figure out what it was she didn't notice the doors behind her burst open nor the call of the man who was kneeling on another bed on wheels until they were almost on top of her at which point she stood frozen and exposed mid corridor with nothing to do but stare wide eyed at the commotion.