Once Upon a Free World

Part 1.

It was the early morning of March 3rd, 2157. Sylvia had one thing on her mind and that was having an old-fashioned, held graciously by her hand. She wished she was back in her 20s when liquor was still sold on every corner store, legal to buy since she was 18. Sadly, she has to ask her doctor's permission every time she wants to drink.

Freedom is a word used by few, forgotten by the government, and an idea fought for by the rebels. Sylvia's memories are the only evidence of her ever being free. She plays them every night before going to bed - it is soothing and helps her sleep which in turn induces vivid dreams of a utopian world. She longs for late nights running through empty streets with her long-deceased friends; they are only alive in her memories...

-How do I convince my doctor that I need it this time? -Sylvia asked herself, thinking of the most convincing argument.

Dr. Grath has been one of the most difficult doctors to crack; his techniques outdid Sylvia's mind games. She loved to play with her attending doctors' psyches and it has been quite easy up until him. He is young and has been trained by the top psychiatrists in the country but after 3 years, she should have figured out his tricks.

Sylvia heard high pitch clanks outside her door; they were getting louder. She realized her morning nurse was on the way to give morning injection. Sylvia hated her morning medication, it made her feel fuzzy, and gave a funny taste to her mouth. She quickly fixed herself up and covered up with a blanket to create an illusion as if she was still sleeping; most times she was able to fool the nurse and they would leave, she knew they were prohibited from giving medication to a sleeping patient.

The door opened suddenly and hard - nurse Ms. Bitch was in the room. Sylvia knew instantly her morning will be nightmarish and if she put up a fight, the nurse will make sure Sylvia would pay during their weekly outing.

-Miss. Torn, it is time for your morning medication, are you awake?

Sylvia was pretending to sleep and was putting up her greatest act.

-Miss. Torn, I need to give you your morning dose, I know you are always awake at this time, please do not make this last longer than it should.

Nothing.

The nurse approached the bed and gently shook Sylvia but got no response. She waited a few seconds then repeated to shake her a bit harder. Sylvia did not budge. The nurse checked Sylvia's pulse to make sure she was physically alright. Pulse was normal, however, Sylvia continued to act to delay the medication administration.

Nurse muttered something under her breath then proceeded to stomp out the room and slammed the door.

-What was that all about?-Sylvia whispered to herself.

Usually nurse Bitch just leaves without screaming her attitude at Sylvia but today she was upset. Something bothersome was going through her mind. Sylvia almost felt bad for her; Ms. Bitch was not always mean to her. Even her name Ms. Bitch, is spelled Bisht but almost all patients refer to her as Ms. Bitch because no one likes her. Sylvia almost always agrees to hate the nurse with her hospital buddies but today was very different.

-Anyways, I need to start getting ready, today they are taking us to the zoo... Like every other week, animals are apparently "therapeutic to disturbed minds". -Sylvia said mimicking her therapist's speech in a childlike tone.

No one else was in the room while Sylvia talked to herself other than her stuffed penguins; she preferred the company of stuffed animals, they never gave her judgy looks or sympathetic replies.

Sylvia first got dressed in the finest clothes she possessed since she wanted to appear as someone who was feeling and doing better. For her to get that old-fashioned, she will have to act as a model patient.

She opened her door slightly to peek into the hallway to make sure no one was passing through. Sylvia stared for a few long seconds before she noticed Ms. Bitch at the end of the hallway; she was talking to Dr. Grath but Sylvia could not hear a word exchanged between them, therefore she knew for a fact the conversation was about her. Sylvia waited another minute until they both went their separate ways. It was time to shine.

Sylvia opened her doors and stepped into the hallway leading towards the community room where everyone she has known for the past 7 years hung out. As she approached it, her hallmate Trevor was lounging on one of the sofas in front of the TV. It wasn't on, but he was staring at it as if it was. Sylvia quietly approached him and gently touched his shoulder.

-Trevor, hi, what are you watching on TV? -playing along in case he was hallucinating.

-Oh God, Sylvia, don't do that, I told you before I hate surprise approaches... -Trevor replied as he jumped up from the half-laying position.

Sylvia looked at him with a micro smirk, knowing too well she enjoyed doing this to Trevor.

-Nothing too interesting, the president is discussing Cold War resolution. It is such a relief it was called off, I am not prepared to be drafted... -Trevor answered.

Sylvia knew, his delusions were 168 years old and to better play along than to disrupt it. She simply went along with it or kept it neutral. Trevor was too old to be drafted anyways but he was stuck in a mind of a 24-year-old man. When Trevor had moments of clarity, he opened up to Sylvia about what happened that year, it was traumatic, too traumatic to even be told out loud, as if she should not be hearing it.

-I am so glad it was, Trevor, I could not possibly imagine how terrifying it would be to be forced to war... -Sylvia replied, knowing he might be close to another breakdown.

-Anyways, are you excited to go to the zoo today? I heard they finally added a family of penguins! -keeping it cheerful for the sake of Trevor.

Although Sylvia thought the zoo was childish and the therapist would always try too hard to get everyone excited about it, she truly was excited about the penguin family.

-Yeah, a little, I guess. -he said with the tiniest spark in his eyes.

-At least we get to be outside for those few hours, my skin needs real sunshine, not this artificial light bulb crap! -Trevor exclaimed a bit louder as he finished his sentence.

To be continued...