Behind Locked Doors: Part 1

1. Lucy


The crisp autumn air greeted the young girl as she stepped out of her car. Her broad brimmed, blue hat sat daintily atop her curly, blonde hair. The light blue dress that she wore only magnified her beauty. She had blue eyes, the same color as her apparel. Her thin blonde hair was almost white, yet it was breath taking.


The young woman walked towards the tall brick building. The landscape on the property was spacious and full of trees and bushes. The woman ascended the stairs towards the entrance. The New York Asylum for the Mentally Insane was carved in the arch of the doorway.


Inside, there was a sitting area. Three couches sat on a rug in the center of the room. On the left, a check-in desk was positioned. The woman walked up to the desk. The old woman there looked up from her paperwork and said, “Hello, may I help you?”


“Yes, I am Lucy Bradford and I wanted to see my sister,” she asked.


“What’s your sister’s name, dear?” The woman asked. She looked over to the computer and brought up the guest list search.


“Amy Bradford,” Lucy answered.


The woman typed in the name. Then she grabbed a sign-in paper and asked Lucy to sign in with the time of her arrival. Lucy took the pen that the woman offered and signed her name on the line.


“Thank you. She is on the second floor, room seven. Do you know how to get there?” The woman asked as she took back the paper and filed it.


“Yes,” Lucy said. It was not the first time she had been here. Four months of visits resulted in this knowledge.


Lucy made her way over to the elevator. She pressed the button and waited. There was an audible noise announcing its arrival. The doors opened and a woman and her son stepped out. The woman was blowing her nose as tears streamed down her face. She must have been a first timer.


Inside, Lucy pushed the button for the second floor. The doors closed and she began to rise. The lift came to a stop and Lucy waited for the doors to open. As soon as they did, she made her way out and down the hallway to find her sister’s room. A scream came from one of the rooms and Lucy saw two nurses dressed in white head to find the source of the noise.


In the middle of the hall sat Amy’s room. Lucy knocked gently on the door. She turned the knob and opened it slowly. Lucy asked, “Amy, are you there?” Then she noticed Amy sitting at her window on the ledge there. Lucy took off her coat and set it on the bed. She walked up to her sister but hesitated.


Amy wore a white dress-like, hospital gown. Her dark, brown hair was in disarray. She had her arms tightly wrapped around her legs. Amy rested her head against the wall as she gazed with wide green eyes at the world outside. Lucy could not help but look at her sister. It looked like she had lost a little weight, but it was probably only because of the large gown she was wearing. The black rings under her eyes showed how tired she was. Her skin looked pale and she looked out of it- more today than other days.


“Hey Amy, it is Lucy, your sister,” Lucy said. Amy made no movement. She remained locked in gazing out the window. “How are you?”


There was a long pause. Then Amy said, “I’m sorry Mr. Rabbit, I cannot have tea with you today.”


“Mr. Rabbit’s dead,” Lucy tried to explain. Amy never could let go of her childhood pet. She used to dress him up and play tea, like Alice in Wonderland, she would say.