FICTION
Arms Length: Part 3
The blinding light of truth
As the group fell back into total darkness, the shouting and bickering quickly turned to soft moans and whimpers. Stevie sat silently, trying desperately to ignore the ache in her empty belly, and the constrictions placed on her body. Everyone else must be feeling it, she thought to herself. How long can this go on?
The minutes stretched on, and Stevie heard the quiet snorts of someone dozing off. It could have been Mike, but she wasn’t sure. Another wept openly. That had to be ‘The silent’ one. She looked so weak and helpless.
Stevie was about to succumb to the bliss of slumber herself when suddenly, a flash of light came on from above. The entire room blasted quickly into focus, and then just as quickly, the light dimmed to the level of a candelabra. There was enough illumination now for everyone to see each other and their immediate surroundings.
The circle that the group of eight sat in was necessitated by an enormous round table, and on it sat place settings for each, guest. Strewn across the table’s surface was a feast of every delicacy imaginable. All their plates were filled with a full course meal.
Mike, ‘The Narcissist’ shouted out, “What kind of cruel joke is this?” He struggled to free his stiffened right arm but to no avail. ‘The Supremacist’ and ‘The Sycophant’ chimed in with their own version of complaint, and ‘The Silent’ continued to cry.
Without a word or an expression, Stevie reached out with her straight right arm and picked up a fork at her place setting. Moving the utensil over the plate, she picked up a morsel of food and steadied her grip. Slowly, she swung her arm to her right and held the food-filled fork in front of ‘The Sycophant’s’ mouth.
‘The Sycophant’ snapped at the food morsel without hesitation and began to chew the meat. His eyes closed involuntarily as he sat back and savoured the small piece of nourishment. ‘The Silent’ nervously followed Stevie’s lead, and provided a forkful to ‘The Supremacist’. He accepted ungraciously and turned away.
‘The Righteous’ prepared a fork for ‘The Bystander’, but she angrily turned her head away, adamantly demanding she won’t eat meat.
“Get me some food. Now!”, ‘The Narcissist’ demanded of ‘The Bystander’. With a loud sigh of annoyance, ‘The Bystander’ picked up her fork and fed him some vegetables.
“Meat, damn it!”, Mike screamed, and the woman dropped her utensil on the floor.
‘The Silent’ burst into tears, only to be admonished loudly by her immediate table mates.
‘The Sycophant’ started to reach for his fork when ‘The Narcissist’ clapped, “What are you doing, man? You’re not her servant!” Mike himself, made no move to offer Stevie any sustenance.
‘The Supremacist’ sneered at ‘The Militant’ and growled, “If you think I’m going to feed you, you can wait until hell freezes over.”
“It probably has by now.”, was all she replied.
Stevie had seen and heard enough. The weakness of her undernourished body was causing her arm to shake uncontrollably. She pounded her arm down on the armrest and said as calmly as she could muster, “Look at yourselves. You are all so wrapped up in self-pity and self-importance, you won’t even help a stranger when they’re most desperate.”
A few people opened their mouths to protest but they never got the chance. Stevie kept talking. “I might be the first to die. The chain will be broken, and soon, you’re all going to follow. Think about that.”
‘The Righteous’ implored Mike to feed Stevie, “She‘s right, Mike. Please, give her some food or we’re all going to die. This is no time for stubbornness.” ‘The Narcissist’ snorted his disdain for the other man, but he refused to be moved.
‘The Supremacist’ ordered ‘The Silent’ to feed him again, but it was too late. She had become overwrought with the fear of her certain death.
One by one, each of them collapsed from fatigue and hunger. Their limp bodies had given up their will to fight. Stevie’s world began to spin out of control as she started to say, “You’d all rather die on your narrowminded…” She never finished the thought. The darkness had come again.
***************
“Ms. Middleton?”, a faint voice was whispering. “Stevie? Can you hear me?”
“I think she’s coming around”, said another female from a distance.
Stevie slowly opened her eyes, amazed, and bewildered that she was still alive. Everything was foggy at first. She blinked a few times to adjust her eyes. The first thing she could focus on was the doctor’s hospital ‘greens’ as she sat on the bed beside her. “Hello, Stevie”, she said. “It’s good to have you back.”
“How?…”, she tried to move. “Where am I?…”
“Easy now. Take it slow. Your parents are here. They’ll answer all your questions.”
Stevie’s mother and father came into view over the end of the bed. The doctor rose from the bed, “I’ll leave you to some family time”, she said, and left the room.
Mrs. Middleton sat down beside her daughter and softly stroked her hair. “That was quite a tumble you took, dear. Your father and I have been worried sick.”
Groggy and confused, Stevie struggled to understand. She could only ask what happened to her.
“You were walking with Mickey, and your foot must have found soft snow. Down you went.”, informed her father.
Stevie’s dad leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “You bumped your head pretty hard, honey. You’ve been out for a couple of days now.”
Stevie started to scan her surroundings. Her head was propped up on two pillows, so she was able to look down the bed to inspect her situation. She was able to move her legs. Thank goodness!
Then she noticed the full length cast on her right arm. Locked straight.
“It’s a pretty bad break”, her mother said, following her gaze. “But, don’t worry. It will heal in time.”
“I’m so hungry”, Stevie blurted out suddenly.
Mr. Middleton chuckled, “I’ll bet you are.” He touched his wife gently on the shoulder and said, “Why don’t we go and get Stevie a nice big pizza. There’s a visitor here who would like to see you while we’re out.”
“Yes”, her mother said as she stood up. “The person who found you in the woods has been anxious to see if you’re alright. I’ll send him in, and we’ll be back with your meal.” She leaned over and kissed her daughter, and together, her parents left the room.
A moment later, a figure appeared at the door. He wore a dark khaki coat with a fur-lined hood, the kind you would find at a surplus store. He approached her bed hesitantly and sat down in a chair next to her feet. “I’m so happy to see you’re back among us, Ms. Middleton.”
Stevie blinked repeatedly, trying to believe her eyes. The older man had a kind face, and she simply smiled. “Thank you for saving me, sir. I don’t know what to say.”
“That’s alright. You don’t need to say anything else”, the man replied. “By the way, I hope you don’t mind, but I have been looking after Mickey at my place. Until you’re back on your feet, of course.” He chuckled a bit and continued, “ He’s been a wonderful house guest, I must say, but he’s very anxious to see you.”
“You took Mickey in, for me?”
“It was the only logical thing to do. The poor fellow sure missed his master though.”
“How did you find me?”, Stevie asked hesitantly.
“I was out collecting firewood, and I heard you scream when you tumbled down the slope. MIckey stood over you, barking for the moon.” The old man scratched the whiskers of stubble on his chin. “I will admit to you. It was quite a job dragging you back up the hill.”
Stevie sat silently for a moment, and then she added, “They say I bumped my head.”
“Quite hard, indeed. I was afraid I might lose you on the way here to the hospital.” The old man perked up a bit and smiled, “But, here you are. Safe and well, almost sound.”
“You’ve been so kind to me and Mickey”, she said, “How can I ever thank you?’
Without responding right away, the man in the dark khaki coat got up from the chair and walked toward the door. He stopped there and turned back to face Stevie.
“No thanks are necessary young lady”, he said. “In fact, it is I who should thank you.”
And with that, he simply winked, and he left the room.
As always, I’m grateful for your time. My appreciation goes to the people at ILLUMINATION who inspire and support me. Dr. Mehmet Yildiz Liam Ireland Tree Langdon Britni Pepper Agnes Laurens Terry Mansfield Phil Truman
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