Convicted

“Hello Doctor, I’m here for my test?” The girl strutted inside without waiting for a reply, and gazed across the room at the Doctor, smiling politely. For a moment, the sheer whiteness that surrounded her stunned her, and when her eyes cleared she noticed a strange-looking machine that was covered from top to bottom with wires. These wires protruded out of minute sockets on each surface, and a faint humming sound ran through the entire length of the room. Her eyes followed the snake-like forms as they flowed straight into the Doctor’s blistered hands, different colors fading into a tangled mass that was quickly being unraveled. The Doctor, clad in layers of plastic coats that clung to his stout body with static, bustled around at the other end of the room, and while he only half-heartedly monitored the machine that stood in front of him, he did not notice that the girl had entered.

“Eughh. Could you be a little more gentle Doc?” a rumbling voice groaned, snapping the girl out of her momentary trance. That was when she noticed a middle aged man that sat strapped into the machine, half hidden by the massive tangle of wires. His skin was almost covered with wires that seemed to have been plugged straight into his body, connecting him to the machine, with still more wires being vigorously plugged into him by"the doctor? So the test is some sort of… health check? The girl wondered to herself, rubbing her wrists, red and raw from the handcuffs that had been roughly forced onto her arms; then abruptly taken off her before leaving her outside just a few minutes ago. Nonetheless, it was better than the ugly, scratchy ankle chains she had had to wear before, along with the others in her unit. Convinced that the patient in front of her would take a longer time than expected, she leaned against the wall, settling into a relaxed position. A blunt edge dug into her back, and she looked behind to see a plastic sign that read: ‘Please wait outside until Doctor calls you in.’

Oops. She thought to herself, although she made no motion to leave the room, and stayed, leaning against the wall and quietly watching.

“It’s kinda great to be leaving this place Doc. I mean, sure, the um, living conditions are um, great n’ all"“ at this point the man broke up his stuttering and gave a hearty little chuckle that sounded suspiciously sarcastic: “but um, actually I mean its not that good, err, well " what I mean to say is that it’s just great to see my family again, is all. “ The man stuttered, carefully avoiding saying anything that would cause any hesitation regarding his release.

“Hmph. You got kids?” The Doctors’ voice was gruff, almost hoarse.

“Huh? Oh yeah Doc, two girls. Tell you the truth Doc, it’s been, um, pretty hard on my um, wife these years, what with me in um, prison n’ all. I’m mighty glad to um, go home again, I’m just happy they um, proved me innocent.”

This time the Doctor only grunted. Across the room, the girl smiled to herself. This man would go home again"and soon she would too. They would see their families again, and somehow, living a real life again would make up for all those years wasted away, sitting in an empty jail cell. Outside now, it would be snowing, and she wondered if the snow was thick enough, and whether her brothers were sledding, or sipping piping hot chocolate, or putting up the Christmas tree. Christmas! She would be back in time for Christmas, and even though she could no longer remember the taste of turkey and mashed potatoes she was almost drooling at the mouth. She wondered if her mother would like her, and whether her father was out buying presents for the family, and would there be one for her? She wondered if they had ever forgiven her for what she did, for the Incident. She herself had never forgotten that ugly, cruel picture of her sister, writhing on the ground. Her sister, deformed. Every cell of her body yearned for forgiveness, and she really wanted her parents to like her. When she got out, as soon as she got out, she would go straight home. No, first she would go to that candy shop her mother used to take her to every Christmas, and she would buy… She would buy gingerbread! And she would make sure to save enough for her brothers when she got home. Everything seemed so real now, and with a pang her heart lifted as she pictured the years and years ahead of her, now that she would soon be free.

“You know Doc, I’ll bet the world is amazing, huh? And to think about it, you’re kinda like the guy that makes everything um, come true eh? Like, you get to be the one that sets guys like me free. Well err, I guess it all depends on your machine thinger but I dunno… it’s still kinda you doing everything ain’t it? Say, how about, after I’m um, free n’ all­"“ The man paused, savoring the reality of the word “free” that rolled along his tongue, so wonderfully real, then continued: “"we could maybe um, get together, that is to say, your family and mine and I guess um, well for one it would be mighty nice, and I could at least thank you for, um, well… I dunno for what actually, but like I said; it would be nice.” The man gave a nervous giggle before abruptly stopping, unsure of the Doctor’s reaction.

“I ain’t got no family.” The doctor decided after a long pause, hiding a flicker of pain with an exasperated sigh.

“Oh.”

“Well, um, Doc, I’d like to ask you this, what happens to the um, guys who um, were, um, convicted? Do they err… die?” The last word came out as a barely audible whisper.

“They die happy.” The Doctor’s voice trembled, unusually gentle until his face hardened once more. The girl watched transfixed as the last of the wires were plunged into the man’s skin, and the Doctor slowly walked to the monitoring screen.

“Well Doc, just to say, it’s been great meeting you. You sure don’t um, say much, but err, you’re a good man that’s for sure.” He smiled, a genuine smile, and waited. The girl stifled the urge laugh and cry with happiness for him, and partly for herself too. The machine warmed up as the lights of the monitor began to flash, and the man himself looked like he was in a state of utter happiness. The lights suddenly turned off as the man gave a sudden jerk, and fell limp in the chair. Startled, the girl gave a small gasp that echoed off the corners of the room. The man didn’t move. Sudden realization clouded her eyes like a dense and heavy fog, and a tear slid down her cheek, searing her flesh.

The doctor turned towards her.

“Oh. You’re a bit early aren’t you? Never mind, just wait here for a moment, and then we’ll get you ready for the test.” An insincere smile was pasted onto his face as he scurried out the door and shut it behind him. The girl could hear muffled conversation outside, and she leaned into the door.

“We really oughtta post a guard here to stop things like this from happening.”

“It’s too late for that now ain’t it? What are we supposed to do with her? I might as well tell you this now, some of these guys we convicted, they seem, well...”

“Innocent? Well they aren’t, so we’re doing them a favor by telling them otherwise. “

“I guess. I’ll have to try to handle this one.”

“Shame. It’s so much easier when they die happy.”

 

Reviews

[Kat Collins]

Fascinating! Despite your age, your thoughts and story-telling are quite mature. Very creative. A bit of science fiction. This could develop into a much larger story, even a novel. I'm also extremely pleased with your grammar and spelling! That speaks of a writer who cares about their work to edit it. There are a few spots in this writing where some phrases could be tweaked and paragraph indents would help, but overall excellent write!

[Wolfwind Words]

Fascinating story idea. I wish it had been longer! :) I would really like to know how thing came to the scene being portrayed in the story.
What you have certainly makes a person think about the secrets of society.

Keep up the good work!
Wolfie