Charlotte Gaspel: Demons and Ghosts

VII: Visits

A new dawn broke in. Charlie woke up excited to go for a walk, and he was lucky, because that day was Sunday, and on Sundays the family goes for a walk. But this time they were going to a different place than usual.

A hospital doesn't sound like a very nice place to spend the morning, but it can be a great place to organise an escape to break free from the mob. Jeff and Clara had a great friendship with the receptionist; she would help them escape, so they took advantage of the fact that it wasn't a busy day and started talking. Charlie stayed away from the adults and their boring conversations as any child would. He seemed much more attracted to the waiting room. There were interesting toys for any underage child to play with.

Charlie sat down on the greyish carpet and began to play with a plush monkey. He chose that one in particular because it was one of the few that could come off the floor; besides, the other option was a plastic truck with no wheels and no compartment. The other toys were limited to incomplete puzzles and small mechanisms to develop the minds of younger children.

The plush monkey Charlie was playing with had special features: It was a yellow monkey with brown and white spots from the moisture and dirt that was lodged in the hospital. It also had a pink nose, a somewhat unusual colour for a yellow monkey's nose, but it was charming. Its limbs seemed to be in place, which is a strange thing for such toys; its arms were long enough to use it as a backpack, and it had its two ears, which sounds very pious, but at that point that was an achievement.

Charlie could play with the monkey for half an hour, but something caught his eye. In a chair sat a medicine student with a big book.

Charlie walked over. He looked friendly. He was very thin, wore glasses and a jumper. He looked focused, although a bit stressed; he was making that expression that some people make when they're anxious; you know, repeatedly lifting his heel. Charlie didn't quite understand the young college student's concern because he didn't yet understand the complexity of the education system and how exhaustive it is to study for six years the sacred art of understanding and healing the human body using only the mind and government-supplied chemicals.

Charlie was no fool, he knew he shouldn't talk to strangers, but there was something about him that made him curious; besides, his parents were twenty-two feet away, so it didn't seem like a dangerous situation.

The college boy looked up and saw Charlie. Their eyes met, and it seemed like a good opportunity to start a dialogue.

"Good morning," said Charlie with forced eloquence.

"What's up?" replied the university student, coughing a little.

"What are you reading?"

"Not much, it's a notebook where I write down what I need for my exams. I don't know if you know what I mean."

"I know what the word 'exam' means, and I also know what the word 'notebook' means, and that book is too long to be considered one."

Fortunately, one of Charlie's favorite books was the dictionary.

"You're smart," the college student reacted in surprise. "Where do you study?"

"I'm not supposed to answer that."

The young man laughed a little laugh and then asked,

"What's your name?"

"Charlie," he answered, looking at the monkey in his arms.

"My name is Arthur, and I made this notebook myself to write down everything I need to know to be a future surgeon."

"What do surgeons do?"