PAVILION 13

FIRST SHOT

PAVILION 13

   Pavilion 13 is one of the 40 pavilions at the Harlan Mental Asylum, the biggest mental hospital in the country. Carrying 5,000 beds, the Harlan Mental Asylum looks like an 18th century Victorian hospital, with various buildings and facilities dispersed across its broad land. Each pavilion looks like gothic buildings with cream and brown walls in uniform.

   An angel statue with approximately five meters tall was in the middle of the long passage before the first pavilion's entrance hall, with a marker under that says "Human mind is like a universe, it is dark, never-ending, and mysterious..."

   From the shrine, cemented roads lined with trees stretch out into the property. The facility is sprawling over 50 hectares of property.

   Aside from the pavilions that house the patients, there are also dormitories for staff who live inside the property, a designated building where all of the patients' food are prepared, and a sports arena for patients who are well enough to engage in activities. Just a few steps away from this sports center is a rehabilitation pavilion for adult women. British empire evidently colonizes us with the type of buildings these have with wards, with the 'quadrangle' as their common area, and with doors that are doubly secured by rustic steel gates.

   Inside the first pavilion, there were women patients wearing pink hospital dresses, all doing a lot of things — playing chess, watching T.V, sleeping, conversing, staring at empty spaces. Some patients remained seated on the plastic chairs.

   "Doc Jungwon, sasakupin na daw tayo ng mga taga-mars next week, sabi ng anak ko." An older woman told me, she was in her 40's and sitting on the ground with a mini anpaman stuffed toy on her hands.

   "Aling Celia, may mga available pong upuan, bakit po kayo nakasalampak dyan sa sahig?" I asked then looked around to find Sunoo, the nurse, who's now serving pills to the other patients.

   He seemed really busy so I took the initiative and gently pulled Aling Celia up and sat her down the nearest chair. "Pakisabi po sa anak nyo, next year na nya padatingin yung mga martians, masyado ng maraming nangyayari ngayong 2020, and another big event would just make this year even worst, wala ng budget ang gobyerno."

   "Jungwon." Someone called me, it was Jake standing on the double doors of that big facility. "Doc Ethan, was looking for us, tara na."

   I nodded then walk beside my co-doctor, Jake.

   Jake was an old-time friend – we graduated from the same medicine school in the Metro. He was way taller than me because his mom was half-Australian. His mom's Australian genes combined with his father's genes perfectly good making Jake a good-looking fella. I bet if he wasn't a doctor, he could be a model or an actor with his eye-smile, prominent jaw and dashing perfect teeth.

   "What do you think it could be this time?" He asked

   "It must be because we're understaffed. I heard nurses and doctors are resigning because of the, you know, low compensation, and the virus and all..." Hindi naman iyon bago, local Nurses and Doctors were underpaid here in the country than the other countries and I'm not even surprised if they would switch countries to serve for.

   As we enter Doctor Ethan's office room, the strong scent of lit cigarette butts after smoking welcomed us. He was smoking again inside the building when it's prohibited by the facilities rules.

   Dr. Ethan Batumbakal, who has been the director of Harlan Mental Asylum for 16 years was seated on his old brown leather chair. On top of his desk are piles of old, hardbound books, an ash tray and different kinds of folders. Just like them, he was also wearing the usual white doctor's coat. Her head bowed while reading a file.