Rainmaker

A shade traverses across the earth
Watering the continents as it goes
Sad eyes scanning for company
There is none to be found
How envious of the people down below
They don't deserve each other
With their petty squabbles
The shade is Gulliver
and the people Lilliputians.

La Resistance

Niclas and Lucas were stationed a few kilometres outside of Montoire, the heart of German occupation in France. They were brothers and had enlisted in Hitler's army together in search of revolution and glory. They both had the identical tone of yellow hair and the same handsome blue eyes. They were quite the opposite in every other aspect, Niclas had a round figure but he wasn't necessarily fat, Lucas on the other hand was very slim, his appendages looked like tentacles attached to a pole. The brothers were closely knit and their trust was unfaltering until the day they met Melanie.

It was a warm Sunday evening and Lucas proposed to raid some of the French cottages just to scare people and have a laugh. Niclas merrily complied. They had never harmed any civilians during the war and they didn't intend to start now, it was all for the purpose of having a good time. The brothers had a thing for cars and they had confiscated a 1940 Plymouth which they drove now. They spend the next couple of hours knocking on farmhouse doors and drinking booze while the house owners attended to their needs out of fear. It didn't bother them that the locals hated them, it was war after all. They decided to visit one more farmhouse before heading back to the inn. A young girl not older than twenty opened the door. She had round emerald eyes and a beautifully sculptured nose with a round tip. Her heart warming smile turned into a baleful frown when she saw the crooked cross. Niclas didn't notice her frown because he'd fallen in love with this petite French lady but Lucas didn't take note of this, he was too drunk to take note of anything. He pushed the door open and yelled “fetch us some wine girl”. The girl looked at Lucas and said defiantly “My name is Melanie and you can go fetch your own damn wine you German swine”.

Lucas looked at the girl in disbelief, he wavered a bit and burst out laughing which startled Niclas. Lucas then slapped the girl with surprising strength considering the amount of alcohol he'd taken in. Melanie collapsed on the floor and just as she was about to get back on her feet with an almost feline agility, Lucas kicked her in the groin. Her white skirt had opened up during the commotion, displaying her smooth silky legs. Niclas watched inanimately as Lucas unzipped his pants and leaned for Melanie's shirt. Lucas was laughing wildly as he tore off her clothes. Melanie then remembered the way Niclas had looked at her when she opened the door. She looked at Lucas with tears running down her freckled cheeks. “I love you” she said, her eyes set on Niclas'. “Help me” she whispered. Lucas reached for his Luger, lifted it slowly and shot Niclas after a moment of hesitation. He stared at his gun for a minute while Melanie shook off the bloody corpse and regained her composure. “I love you too” Niklas said after leaving his trance and hugged Melanie with compassion. The agile girl hugged back and smiled, “I'm glad you do”. Her dexterous fingers seized the gun from Niklas' hands and she pulled the trigger. Her white dress soaked in blood and her hair wet with blood, the emerald eyed French lady grabbed a towel to clean the blood and whispered “Les faiblesses des hommes font la force des femmes.”

Snow White and the Seven Deadly Dwarves

Once upon a time there was a princess named Snow White. It's wise to assume that her name was due to her extremely pale skin. It was said that her skin was so pale that if you stared at her long enough, she would seem transparent. Her skin was so pale that it was impossible to look at without squinting. Her skin was so pale that if Native Americans saw her, they would never call white people "pale-face" again.There was also this queen, who thought her skin was the lightest of them all. Upon learning of Snow White and her pale skin, she wisely employed a soft hearted huntsman to kill Snow White and bring back her heart. The sentimental huntsman failed this simple task and told Snow White to run for her life and seek refuge.

Snow White fled into the forest and found a peculiar cottage. She broke in and examined the house, she tried to sleep in the beds but they were too small for her. Nevertheless she managed to sleep in one of them, messing up all the sheets in the process. Snow White opened her eyes hours later to find seven dwarves standing in front of her, looking at her quizzically through squinting eyes. They all had long fiery red hair which were braided carelessly. Some of their beards were long enough to touch the floor and had bits and pieces of food in them. Six of them were carrying huge double edged axes while the other had a warhammer twice his size strapped on his back. "What ye be doin in our house missy?" the one with the hammer asked in a grumpy voice and without even waiting for an answer he slapped Snow White with his huge shovel-like hand and threw her off the bed. Snow White screamed in shock and uttered strange sounds which included the word "witch" but the dwarves would have none of it. "Grab her by her arms" the one with the hammer said. Strong hands seized her by the arms and immobilized her. She thrashed and wailed but her efforts were futile. The last thing she saw was the huge warhammer descending on her pale face. "Stupid meddlesome humans" the dwarf said as he sheathed his bloody hammer.

Asylum (Part V)

December 11th, It was about 3 A.M when Alyce burst into the canteen. The canteen was empty and the only thing piercing through the pitch black darkness was the flickering fluorescent lamp. She was naked despite the chilly air and her hair was wet. She looked like she had just left the shower. Her unkempt hair whipped against her bare shoulders as she charged towards the middle of the canteen. “Leave me alone, stop this nonsense right now so I can go home” she yelled towards the camera and collapsed to the ground, crying. Alyce dozed off on the floor whether from exhaustion or desperation I could not tell. Her sobs must have echoed through the naked walls of the canteen, for it didn't take long for a nurse to arrive and tend her. Her petite and fragile body was shivering when she woke up and a puzzled expression was planted on her face. I think she was unable to recall the events that had transpired. She got up slowly and walked out, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind her on the marble floor. Alyce returned shortly after, wearing a night gown. She had her pen and papers with her and she seemed quite rejuvenated . It was past breakfast time by the time she finished writing and left the canteen.

December 12th, The canteen was teeming with patients when Alyce entered. Mr. Howard was wondering about, mumbling and muttering, Lindsey was singing at her usual corner, it was just another regular afternoon in the canteen. Alyce didn't pay much heed to the activity around her, she was holding a bunch of papers on one hand while keeping the other in her pocket. She still had her night gown on. She slowly walked towards the corner of the room where the camera was located and stood right below it. Her gaze was fixed on the camera for some time. I found it hard to avert my own eyes from her unyielding glare. I felt as if she were looking at me in particular and not the camera. We looked at each other for what seemed like days until she finally took her other hand out of her pocket and produced a knife. I already knew that the patient was deceased but I couldn't help it as a shudder passed through my spine. The knife kept getting closer and closer to her throat as she lifted her arm. I desperately wished for someone to intervene, even when I knew what would happen. Her grip on the papers was locked tight. I knew she wouldn't let go of them even after death. The knife touched her throat, I felt my own throat itch. She jolted her knife, never taking her gaze off the camera. I closed my eyes shut.

The Daring Wife (Part 1)

Camilla was approaching her forties. She was also approaching the end of her husband's attraction towards her diminishing beauty. Her once sparkling deep blue eyes were becoming hollow sockets of old age. Her slightly curved cherry lips were losing their enchanting colour. Her husband Ricardo was a typical Spaniard, he was macho for the sake of appearances and his twirling dark moustache was his primary source of pride. He would use every opportunity to stroke his moustache and act as if he did it involuntarily. However there was a wound in his masculinity; he didn't have a child unlike his friends. They had tried and tried for years to no avail. Ricardo blamed Camilla for being infertile but his manhood was bruised as well.

Camilla devised a plan to end her husbands lack of attention. Her neighbour had jokingly proposed it, she had laughed at the time but times had changed quickly. She would fake being pregnant. The following morning she got out of bed, rushed for the toilet and shoved a finger down her throat. Ricardo awoke from the puking noises (which Camilla might have exaggerated a bit) and rushed for the bathroom. It was then that Camilla's life changed. "I'm pregnant" she said with a pretentious exhausted half smile on her face. Ricardo spent the next week gloating over his soon-to-come son, who would be the strongest bull fighter in all of Spain. He made sure Camilla was always resting and never doing any housework. He would compliment on her beauty every morning and caress her stomach for hours.

Camilla enjoyed the attention, the admiring glances of his husband and the breakfasts in bed for a month until claws of worry started scratching her. What would she do in two months when her husband asked her why her stomach hadn't grown at all. She knew what she had to do. Every morning she would promise herself to sneak out and solve her problem but she couldn't find the courage. She had to sleep with another man and become pregnant.

Egg Diaries (Revised & Complete)

Day 1 – The Fridge
My name is Dave and I'm an egg. Me and my five friends were promptly placed into an egg box today and relocated to a new home. Sadly the electricity is a bit buggy since the lights are only working when the door is open. Eddie said he overheard the giant creatures speak of our new home as “The Fridge” which we decided was an appropriate name. These creatures called “humans” were kind enough to carry us into our home and would check on us from time to time by opening the fridge door.
I managed to take a few glimpses of our new home while the lights were on and realized we weren't alone. The fridge was made up of several shelves. We were at the bottom shelf; the first floor. Through the transparent shelf I could see others on different shelves. After some introductions we found out that the second shelf was occupied by the bacon strips while bottles of milk lived on the third. The walls were white and naked just like my shell. I might grow to like this home if we can get the lights working all the time and get rid of the chill.

Day 2 – First Blood
The fluorescent light of the fridge pierced through my shell and awakened me. I looked around hazily and noticed Eddie was startled as well. “Top of the morning to you” I said and yawned widely. “Where's Susie?” he asked in distress as his eyes darted around in search of Susie. He had a thing for Susie but didn't have the courage to open up to her. Susie's slot in the egg box was empty, it's not usual for us eggs to walk out of our boxes since we enjoy a stationary life. Then I noticed that a hairy hand had grabbed Susie by her shiny forehead and was taking her out of the fridge. She didn't seem awfully worried though, eggs are carried around all the time after all. We figured she'd be back soon and perhaps the humans wanted to talk about rent and stuff, we were in good hands though, Susie was a master in the art of haggling.
The lights went dark again and we heard a deep baritone voice from the second floor; “She ain't coming back”. It was one of the bacon strips. “What do you mean she ain't coming back?” Eddie yelled but got no answer. We looked at each other quizzically and shrugged. Surely Susie would be back.

Day 3 – The Revelation
Sleep eluded us all night; Susie hadn't returned. Eddie was frantic and small cracks were beginning to appear on his shell which had become a sickly yellow since last night. Finally the fridge door opened and I spotted the same hairy hand making it's descent towards us. “There, she's back” I said to Eddie and smiled sheepishly. “No she isn't.” Eddie replied sombrely. He was right, the hand was empty.
We watched as the hairy hand grabbed Greg and lifted him effortlessly. Greg didn't speak much but he was a good listener. The human also picked one of the bacon strips on the upper shelf and walked away. He'd left the fridge door wide open so we could see what he was doing. The human whistled merrily as he took out a frying pan and placed it on the stove. Greg was sitting on the counter watching the human go about his business. Then, the unthinkable happened. The human picked Greg up and smashed his head against the side of the frying pan. Eddie and the others screamed in horror while a stifled scream escaped from my throat. The human then spilled Greg's guts all over the frying pan along with the bacon strip. I was appalled by the sight of the macabre scene and threw up. Eddie was crying at my side, no doubt thinking about Susie's demise. The others were stunned by the brutal event. We didn't speak at all that day.. The only sounds echoing through the naked walls of the fridge were the silent cries of the bacon strips and the sobs of my fellow eggs.


Day 4 – Perdition
Another night without sleep. A nerve wracking wait for the fridge door to open began. The cold was starting to get on our nerves. It was me, Eddie and the twins; Meg and Peg left. A blinding light showered us as the fridge door opened and the vile hand reached out for Meg. Eddie and I screamed in protest and Peg wailed in anguish as the hand picked Meg up and the human went for the stove. Our shells clattered as we shook in anger and yelled threats at the wretched human.
The human didn't close the door again, it was as if he was enjoying making us watch his sadistic deeds. A saucepan was on the stove this time, filled with boiling water. I couldn't help but flinch when I spotted the saucepan. Without even a second of hesitation, he threw Meg into the boiling water. I wanted to go deaf to stop Meg's cries of pain and the devilish man's lilting whistles of delight. Tears were running down Peg's shell as she watched her twin burn to death. The human took Meg out of the saucepan and started peeling her smooth pristine skin. Peg was shaking in horror and cracks started to appear on her lovely shell, her insides were starting to spill everywhere. Eddie and I tried to calm her down but she appeared to be in an emotional lockdown and our efforts were futile. It wasn't long before her cracks connected and her shell began to fall down like the leaves of a tree saddened by the coming of fall. The twins had died.

Day 5 – Brothers in Shells
We must have fainted from exhaustion because there was no way we could have fallen asleep. Eddie looked rejuvenated and his natural colour had returned.
“Today is the day we say our farewells old friend” he said with acceptance.
“I realize it's over Eddie, we spent five days in this stinking cold prison, five days of watching our friends get slaughtered and five days of wishing it to stop. Our wish will come true soon.” I replied in a croaked voice.
“That's why I hope he picks me today”
“Why would you say that?” I asked.
“Because I don't want to stay in this cold abyss all alone”
“I suppose you're right. Let's hope he picks us both so nobody has to stay behind.” I replied and just as the words escaped my mouth, the door opened. I closed my eyes and waited for the hairy hand to touch my chilly head but nothing happened. I opened my eyes to darkness, the fridge doors were closed. “Eddie, Eddie, he didn't pick us up” I shouted. “Eddie?” I called out again. I was alone.

Day 6 – The Vigil
The cold was stinging my hardened shell and the darkness was not only shrouding my sight but my thinking as well. I had lost Eddie. What kind of monstrosity had that human employed to devour my best friend. I kept staring at Eddie's spot in the eggbox and talking to myself. I could feel the small cracks appearing on my shell as I trembled in fear, anger and longing. I longed to be back together with my egglings. The door opened with a nerve breaking thud, the light didn't startle me any longer. I looked up, expecting to see my hairy nemesis but the loathsome hand just went for a bottle of milk and closed the fridge door. “Come back, come back and pick me up you bastard” I yelled and yelled for an hour to no avail.

Day 7 – Of Eggs and Men
Just as I was thinking the human would never pick me up and that I would rot in this awful place, three fingers seized me by my head and lifted me. I felt like a feather gliding with the wind as he carried me across the kitchen. I felt the heat of the stove on my shell as we got close. I braced myself for the impact with the side of the frying pan but then the human froze. He dropped me to the floor and my shell cracked with a loud noise from the impact with the wooden floor. I looked down and saw a transparent slimy liquid oozing out of my crack. The human collapsed on the floor right after me, He was clutching his chest and shaking uncontrollably. As the human gave his last breath, I felt my life force draining, my last vision as I looked up was the blurry forms of my friends smiling wistfully at me.

Asylum (Part IV)

December 9th, Visitors Day. Alyce brought her parents to the canteen, judging from their uncomfortable posture and the looks exchanged between them, it seemed as if she had insisted on bringing them here. She sat them down at the middle of the room and rushed for the vending machines to grab some beverages for the nervous couple. Her mother seemed to be on the verge of crying and her father seemed oblivious to all that was happening. From the looks of it this was either their first or second visit. The father kept flashing his watch to the mother, implying that they were supposed to leave by now. Her parents got up before she had even brought them their diet cokes. I could tell from the desperate look in Alyce's face that she was begging them to stay a bit longer but they would have none of it. Her father darted off without so much as a goodbye, closely followed by her mother who at least managed to throw back an apologetic look her way. Clearly she was a disgrace to them. Alyce slumped onto the nearest chair with a deep sigh, I could see tears welling in her deep blue eyes. Her shoulders sagged as she drifted off for a few seconds. She recomposed herself shortly after, threw a quick look at the camera and ran off. I felt a sensation of bonding with Alyce since my parents never approved my line of work and they made sure that the visits to the hospital were as short as possible. The patient returned later on to continue with her scribblings, her mood seemed to have ascended drastically, she was no longer teary eyed, the gleam in her eyes had returned. Even her stance seemed more concrete.

December 10th, Alyce arrived at the canteen shortly after supper time, she went straight for a chair, took out her pen and paper, wrote what seemed to be a single sentence and left the canteen.

Drunk Robots

They were born in factories
Worked their lives off without a salary
Not even a pension was given
Gutters and junkyards became their graves
"What about the children?" one would ask
The kids evolved through generations
Working much more efficiently
But still underpaid and uncared for
Each was a shimmering star
In an astral mass of flesh and bone
But none could notice their shine
So they drink and drink now
Drowning their circuits in booze

Dragon Slayer

Sir Geralt was a knight of the round table, a loyal servant of King Arthur for many years now. King Arthur had requested a final quest from Sir Geralt, to slay the mighty dragon in Ooz's castle. Sir Geralt accepted this noble challenge with pride and thought it as his last duty before he retired into a life of hermitage. He'd developed a reputation as an esteemed monster hunter ever since his victory over the chimera raids on Camelot. Sir Geralt took great haste to reach the castle of Ooz and complete his task. He imagined himself returning to Camelot after defeating the dragon where he'd be showered in rose petals and the kisses of maidens with the widest foreheads. After a perilous journey over treacherous mountains and misty swamps, he arrived at the infamous castle. Sorcerers patrolled the outskirts of the fortress, there was no way he could fight them all. He lurked beneath the shadows and stealthily made his way into the castle. The castle was filled with creatures of all kinds but luckily they were either caged or beyond invisible barriers. He made his way through deep tunnels and managed to locate the dragon's den. A blood lust overcame him at the sight of the vile beasts, he summoned a mighty battle cry from his thick lungs and charged the creatures. With just a few steps left between the dragon and himself, Sir Geralt launched himself towards the leviathan but was forced into a sudden halt by an invisible wall. “What kind of sorcery is this” he shouted. He had dropped his sword and shield from the impact and had lost his composure. Suddenly strong hands gripped his arms and started dragging him. His armor made a screeching noise as he was dragged away by two men in police uniforms. Tourists were staring in shock at the crack he'd made on the glass cage of the Komodo Dragons.

Girl with a Spider

They have cats and dogs
All the other girls
I see them cringe when they see me
And whisper amongst themselves
They point at my spider
Mom wouldn't let me get a cat
So I found a spider instead
She sleeps with me at night
And hides under my shirt in class
I don't need friends anymore

Asylum (Part III)

December 8th, This was the day of Alyce's weekly interview, which she'd requested that we have in the canteen. She was waiting for me when I got there.
“How are we today?” I asked her, like I ask all my patients.
“All's well Dr.Layce, I've grown fond of the canteen lately” she replied.
“You look lovely today” I said. She did look lovely. Her pale skinned face was smooth and unlined, it was almost like a mirror image of myself.
“Thank you doctor, you look lovely as well, you have to teach me how to do make-up like you and I love your dress” she smiled with adoration.
“Have you made any friends yet?”
“I wouldn't call them friends but I've talked to a few people” she looked at the camera.
“Does the camera make you uncomfortable?” I had noticed her attraction to the surveillance camera.
“No, not really, I was just wondering if it's running all the time and if anyone even watches it” she asked as if out of curiosity alone but I easily saw through her facade.
“Yup, it's always recording but we only watch it in case something happens” I said.
“Something like what?” she asked.
“Umm...Thievery, vandalism or a fight perhaps”
“You know I don't belong here right?” She stated, matter of factly.
“How so?” I asked.
“It's not me that's insane” she said and looked up at the camera again.
I didn't put much thought into her questions about the camera but I wished I had. As I left the canteen I looked back and saw her take out a piece of paper from her pocket. The other patients and some of the staff kept staring at us during our conversation which I found to be curious. I remember questioning the staff about it but they all dodged my questions.

The Pendant

As she moved around the ballroom
Every gaze lingered on me
I sparkled with elegance and beauty
They all envied me I was sure
Only when she took me off I noticed
It was not me they were looking at
But her cleavage.

Egg Diaries - Day 9

Just me and Eddie left, all the others were brutalized by the hairy hand. It's dark now which means we're safe but it won't be long before he wakes up. We glance nervously at the pepperoni, his case is as bad as ours. Every morning the hand grabs him but I guess he puts up a good fight since he manages to return to the fridge even though some of his parts are cut off. A sudden flash of light blinds me, the door opens and the stench of the hand fills the refrigerator as it reaches out to grab the wailing pepperoni. Eddie looks at me with tears in his sleepless eyes. I don't know what to say to him, maybe it's better off to be taken now instead of waiting for another day in distress. Before I can even mutter a word of farewell the shadow of the hand descends upon our white and innocent shells. Fear of a horrible death immobilizes us while we stare at our hairy arch nemesis. It grabs Eddie by his head and lifts him with an unmatchable force, the last thing I see before the darkness descends is the frightened expression on Eddie's face. I'm alone now, it's going to be a long night.

Deadly Red Riding Hood

The wolf burped loudly after devouring the grandmother and wasted no time in donning her clothes while going to the bed. He licked his lips as he waited for Red Riding Hood. Shortly after, he heard a strong knock on the wooden door and yelled in a soft voice, “Who's there?”. “It's me grandma” came a firm voice beyond the door. The wolf then asked Red Riding Hood to come in. “What kind of trickery is this” asked Riding Hood beneath her crimson cowl. The sinister wolf replied with a croaked voice “Don't you recognize your old granny?”. Red Riding Hood looked at the wolf for a few seconds and slowly raised her hand towards her back to reach out for something, her eyes gleamed dangerously and her red cloaked flapped wildly against her bare legs. The wolf was stunned by her piercing gaze and failed to see the huge broadsword she had produced out of nowhere. His hypnosis was disrupted by the flash of Riding Hood's blade as it sliced through the wolf's left arm, dismembering it. The wolf stared blankly at his left arm, lying on the floor. He looked back at Red Riding Hood and saw his own death in her radiating eyes. “How could such a small girl lift a sword twice her size, and strike so swiftly with it.” he thought in disbelief. With a fluid motion, Riding Hood thrust her sword forward and effortlessly decapitated the awestruck wolf. She heard a stifled scream from the severed head but paid it no heed. It didn't take long before she abandoned the bloody shack and disappeared into the misty forest, leaving a trail of blood dripping from her crimson cloak.

Romance in Pripyat

The burly man slammed the wooden door open and dove into the small cottage house, his eyes sparkled at the sight of a fragile feminine form. Launching his thick arms wide open, he grabbed her and lifted her off the floor as she let out a scream. His hands quickly found their way through the folds of her checkered crimson skirt and under her white buttoned blouse. “I missed you Kruggie” she said as she drowned the leviathan in kisses. Kruggie was short for Kruglov, they'd been married for twelve years now and had recently moved to Pripyat. “Well here I am!” growled the giant man, he was in a merry mood since the power plant was closed a day for maintenance. He had recently started working in a nuclear plant in Chernobyl, the pay was good and they even provided the workers with lodgings in Pripyat, a nearby town. Kruglov kneeled down and gently laid his giant hands on his wife Moira's smooth belly. “Has he started kicking yet?” he asked with the expression of a child playing with his favourite toy. The skinny Moira giggled, revealing her white teeth with all it's glamour and replied “First of all we don't even know if it's a he, and it's only been a month!”. Kruggy shrugged and grinned widely as he ran his hand through his greasy black hair. Shadows from the fireplace stormed through the warm room as the couple lay cuddled on the tarnished carpet and made plans for their day off.

Asylum (Part II)

December 7th, Alyce entered the canteen with Mr. Howard. They seemed to be in a heated discussion although the crux of the conversation was unknown to me. Alyce talked to many other patients in the canteen today, I could only guess the gist of what was said through the casual and relaxed gestures of the speakers. Alyce was patrolling the room, asking other people how they were doing and what was new. She spoke with Lindsey, the girl who kept singing by herself all day long, and actually managed to stifle her for a short time. She even spoke to some of the staff, who seemed quite enchanted by her disarming smile and deep blue eyes. It was hard to tell but I could spot make-up on her face, which is quite unusual for patients. What struck me as odd was how she kept staring at the camera, even while conversing with others. She also scribbled on her papers again, I think she might be writing a journal or a memoir of some sort.

Egg Diaries - Day 6

We've been sitting here for days now. Our numbers are dwindling and the cold is starting to get on my nerves. We didn't really know where the others had gone, every morning a huge hairy hand would open the fridge, grab two of us and we'd never see them again. Just yesterday the fat bloke left the fridge door wide open and we finally witnessed the awful truth.I watched in horror as he smashed two of our boys against the side of a frying pan and spilled their insides all over the place. I couldn't help but flinch as he mercilessly fried their organs and ate them right in front of our eyes. Some of us were screaming in fear while the others were choking with disgust as we watched the massacre take place. All hope is lost.

Chalk

A lonely life it leads
Always at the hands of others
A flick of the wrist
Is all it takes to break
Grabs all the attention
When the classroom is full
But as the day ends
Only the big black is left
It's only real friend.

Asylum (Part I)

To Doctor Zinnmann, December 11th

As per your future request, considering the patient is deceased, I have written in detail the last seven days of patient number 1024. All of the below are direct observations from the surveillance camera in the canteen.
Dr.Mia Layce

December 6th, The subject entered the canteen alone and sat on one of the corner tables. The rest of the patients were milling about the canteen, some exchanging rumors, others babbling amongst themselves. Patient 1024, to whom I'll refer to as Alyce from now on, seemed to pay no heed to the rest of the inhabitants of the asylum. She took out a piece of paper and a pen from her pockets and began scribbling. From the way she looked around the canteen every few seconds I inferred that Alyce was probably drawing a sketch of the canteen, with it's black and white tiled marble floor, round metallic tables, vending machines and the barred windows. Her dark long hair danced wildly around her shoulders as she continued scribbling. Once in a while she would glance upwards and look at the camera for a few seconds, only to go back to writing again. Patient 512, Mr. Howard approached Alyce and sat next to her without a word. Alyce seemed unperturbed by this, she didn't greet the man, nor acknowledge his arrival. Mr. Howard started muttering, whether to Alyce or himself I could not discern. She gave him an apologetic smile and left the canteen, glancing back at the camera one last time before making her exit. I felt a bit sorry for her since I knew how painful it could be to endure Mr. Howard's ramblings all day long.

Toothpaste

Well built and sturdy
My chest swells with pride
I thrive on the shelves
As they pick me over the rest
How was I to know
They would squeeze me to death.

Matchsticks

Every day is another loss
As another comrade leaves the box
All we can do is watch
While the flames devour them
Our turn will come soon enough
If only we could rip off our heads.