The Button
“What is this?”
“A distraction.”
“From what?”
“Indeed.”
He no longer enjoyed the view. He had wanted a change and requested a change, but did not expect them to answer it so quickly. This was wrong. This was not what he expected at all. There was no going back now, but he only wanted a small change, not this.
He had grown accustomed to the old view, but it was just so damn boring. A brick wall is a brick all is a brick wall. There were four hundred thirty five bricks visible from his window. Two hundred bright red bricks, one hundred twenty brown bricks, and one hundred fifteen burgundy bricks; he thought about naming them, but that would be insane.
There was a small beehive embedded in column sixteen of the great brick wall. The bees would fly in and out of his window when it was open and hover over the flowers his wife would bring him. He was allergic to bees, but had no fear of them here. There was no better place to be stung than in a hospital.
He had no idea how long he had been in the hospital, but it was certainly a long time. The brick wall room was not even his first room there so it had to be at least six months. He could check a calendar and find out, but it would probably just upset him. He was just happy to have the bandages off his face. They were really starting to itch.
Now he was no longer in his brick wall room with the bees. He was in the yellow room of glass. It had an eerie sanitized lack of feeling. It was just a room with two yellow walls and two glass walls. It had a bed and toilet and a shower, but lacked any personality. One glass wall overlooked an epic fountain seven stories below. The other glass wall looked into a room where the lights were always off. He could not see anything in that room.
The “doctor” had given him a new toy to play with. A distraction it was called. He had no idea if the man really was a doctor or not, but he had the snotty superior air of a surgeon. The toy looked like a remote control with only one button. It resembled a garage door opener.
He tried as hard as he could to not push the button. He lasted four hours before he pressed it. He did not trust this “doctor” and had no real idea where he was so he was not likely to push a strange and anonymous button. The problem was that he was a born button presser.
He closed his eyes tightly squeezing his eyeballs deep into their sockets as he slowly raised his middle finger to push the button. He chose that finger as a final message to the doctor just incase the button mashing went poorly.
His finger slowly moved down towards the button. Pressing it was no longer an option, it was a compulsion. He wanted to see just how long he could milk the anticipation of the moment. He moved the finger so slowly it appeared to not be moving at all. He had no idea what the button was going to do and that was all the fun of this entire thing.
“Hurry the hell up” the remote control beckoned him. The pressure of the moment was starting to overtake the entire room. Even the bed was sweating from the stress. “I don’t have all day ya know.”
His finger finally found the button, but no pressure was applied for release just yet. He danced his finger around the edges of the square button enjoying the suspense. Once the slightest amount of pressure is used the anticipation ends and that saddened him. It was a war within his being between his need to know what the button did and his fear of this moment ending.
He really missed the bees. Why did he never name those bricks? Do they know what this button does? Four hundred thirty five bricks and a beehive were boring, but it was better than two walls and two windows. Even if the view was amazing he could not enjoy it. The damn button was teasing him.
“Fuck it” he said has he pressed the mysterious button with all his might. Tragically all of his might was a touch too much and he broke the remote before he could find out what it did. He should have just pressed it and not messed around so long.
It was going to be one of those days. He went back to bed and decided to start again in the morning.
“A distraction.”
“From what?”
“Indeed.”
He no longer enjoyed the view. He had wanted a change and requested a change, but did not expect them to answer it so quickly. This was wrong. This was not what he expected at all. There was no going back now, but he only wanted a small change, not this.
He had grown accustomed to the old view, but it was just so damn boring. A brick wall is a brick all is a brick wall. There were four hundred thirty five bricks visible from his window. Two hundred bright red bricks, one hundred twenty brown bricks, and one hundred fifteen burgundy bricks; he thought about naming them, but that would be insane.
There was a small beehive embedded in column sixteen of the great brick wall. The bees would fly in and out of his window when it was open and hover over the flowers his wife would bring him. He was allergic to bees, but had no fear of them here. There was no better place to be stung than in a hospital.
He had no idea how long he had been in the hospital, but it was certainly a long time. The brick wall room was not even his first room there so it had to be at least six months. He could check a calendar and find out, but it would probably just upset him. He was just happy to have the bandages off his face. They were really starting to itch.
Now he was no longer in his brick wall room with the bees. He was in the yellow room of glass. It had an eerie sanitized lack of feeling. It was just a room with two yellow walls and two glass walls. It had a bed and toilet and a shower, but lacked any personality. One glass wall overlooked an epic fountain seven stories below. The other glass wall looked into a room where the lights were always off. He could not see anything in that room.
The “doctor” had given him a new toy to play with. A distraction it was called. He had no idea if the man really was a doctor or not, but he had the snotty superior air of a surgeon. The toy looked like a remote control with only one button. It resembled a garage door opener.
He tried as hard as he could to not push the button. He lasted four hours before he pressed it. He did not trust this “doctor” and had no real idea where he was so he was not likely to push a strange and anonymous button. The problem was that he was a born button presser.
He closed his eyes tightly squeezing his eyeballs deep into their sockets as he slowly raised his middle finger to push the button. He chose that finger as a final message to the doctor just incase the button mashing went poorly.
His finger slowly moved down towards the button. Pressing it was no longer an option, it was a compulsion. He wanted to see just how long he could milk the anticipation of the moment. He moved the finger so slowly it appeared to not be moving at all. He had no idea what the button was going to do and that was all the fun of this entire thing.
“Hurry the hell up” the remote control beckoned him. The pressure of the moment was starting to overtake the entire room. Even the bed was sweating from the stress. “I don’t have all day ya know.”
His finger finally found the button, but no pressure was applied for release just yet. He danced his finger around the edges of the square button enjoying the suspense. Once the slightest amount of pressure is used the anticipation ends and that saddened him. It was a war within his being between his need to know what the button did and his fear of this moment ending.
He really missed the bees. Why did he never name those bricks? Do they know what this button does? Four hundred thirty five bricks and a beehive were boring, but it was better than two walls and two windows. Even if the view was amazing he could not enjoy it. The damn button was teasing him.
“Fuck it” he said has he pressed the mysterious button with all his might. Tragically all of his might was a touch too much and he broke the remote before he could find out what it did. He should have just pressed it and not messed around so long.
It was going to be one of those days. He went back to bed and decided to start again in the morning.
posted by Unknown at
9:10 PM
4 Comments:
Oh, my! This guy's got some major baggage going on, doesn't he? I wouldn't have lasted nearly as long as he did. When I see buttons, I'm compelled to push them. Fast. So, what would have happened had he pushed it? Will he ever get a chance to push it again? Is he in an asylum? Inquiring minds want to know. Whatever's going on with him, it's a very good and thought provoking story.
Thank you. I assume he was in an accident. He is recovering, but things are not quite right where he is.
ANTICIPATION......its making you wait....
Now what the hell did the button do?
If I only knew I would tell you. It broke before any of us could find out. Perhaps it did nothing and was part of some larger test the "doctor" was performing.
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