Town of Mercy

A prologue of sorts

   While the flowers may bloom and the roads are kept clean, there are very little safe places here in the town of Mercy.

            There's nothing really special or wrong about the place. If you were to visit, you would probably receive the same treatment that you would get from all the big shot towns. You would be greeted by the clerks, and the firemen, and the doctors, and the occasional fikj that gnaws at his finger to the bone. You would walk down its stuffy roads where the air has an undertone of sulfur and bleach. You would see billboards and posters in buildings that are cheap and uplifting or the ones that are a little too informative on what to do in the event of a stabbing. The steady mechanical hum of the snack machines in the Mercy gas station that haven't been touched in so long that you wonder if it is housing snacks or something else. A pot of coffee brewing in the corner of the cafe where that bloodstain keeps reappearing when only you are around.

            There's a lot of friendly people here in the town of Mercy. For instance, there's Morgan Whitworth, a therapist who's most prized possessions are the bottles he keeps hidden in the bottom drawer of his desk. But no matter what, he always takes his job as seriously as can be. Dead or alive, he treats his patients and their families with the utmost care and respect. So long as he stays clear of the hospital's morgue, he's a nice guy to be around.

            Were you to answer nature's call at the motel, you might see little old Amelia scrubbing at the toilets. She's a very handy cleaner and never complains about the job despite her short temper. Should you leave your room unkempt after 10 pm, I would advise leaving your door (and windows) locked until morning.

If you were to see a child or newborn during your visit at Mercy Brown Hospital, you might even run into the Mercy Brown herself. She "runs" the hospital and is sort of an urban legend around these parts. She likes to stay near the pediatric wing and watch over the babies as they slumber. Some people say they've seen mist fog up the NICU window when there are no nurses around. As if someone is breathing against it. Some say they've seen babies being lifted from their cribs and rocked back and forth through the air – as if someone was holding them, dear, to their chest.

Should you be unfortunate enough to lay eyes on Mercy, don't worry. If she's really there, she's harmless. And quite polite as well. Just don't look her in the eyes...

            There are a lot of interesting things that happen in this town. If you follow all the [unwritten] rules, I am sure you will enjoy your stay.