Silent Mountain: Chapter 1-D

Ian still stood in the doorway, timidly looking at David and Jennifer, who were both in an apparent state of disarray. Finally, David broke the silence moving out of the doorway.

“No, no, it’s fine. Come on in.”

“You seem happy,” Jennifer noted mischievously, as Ian entered the home, “You meet a girl?”

“No, no,” Ian replied rapidly, returning to his previous exuberance, “This is amazing.”

“And falling in love isn’t?” David replied quizzically.

“I have to show you something,” Ian said, completely ignoring David's comment.

With that he headed towards the kitchen. David and Jennifer exchanged concerned glances as they followed him. Before they could reach the room they heard him exclaim.

“You guys have a fight with the pickles or something?”

David entered the room, non-chalantly retorting, “At least we won.”

Ian shrugged, conceding the point and then went back to his previous excitement.

“Now, watch this,” he said, smiling mischievously.

As he continued smiling, David and Jennifer looked at him and around the room, unsure what Ian was trying to show them. David was about to ask something of this nature, when one of the pickles on the floor burst into flames. They were quite taken aback at the sight, not to mention rather concerned about the effect this was having on their floor.

“Um . . . Ian?” Jennifer began, cautiously.

Soon, the worries about the floor were over as the pickle slowly began floating off the floor. Ian was quite surprised at this himself and not quite in control of it. Soon the flaming object was raising itself higher and higher until it was eye-level with Ian.

“Okay, Ian, that’s impressive, now put the pickle down,” Jennifer implored.

It was too late. By the time she had finished saying it, the pickle was careening out to the dining room, where it crashed through the window and landed in the yard. Ian rushed out after it, followed closely by Jennifer and David.

“Oh, man!” Ian exclaimed as he rushed toward the door.

He burst out the front door into the small yard, and soon thereafter was joined by David and Jennifer. They looked out and saw the pickle, which now looked like a piece of charcoal, lying in a burnt ring of grass.

“I’m so sorry,” Ian burst out, “I had no idea I could . . . Look I’ll pay for the window. Dude, I’m really sorry.”

He turned around and saw David and Jennifer looking at him in a complete state of awe.

“How did you do that?” David asked.

**********

Perry sat in the back corner of the waiting room. The doctor had ordered a number of test for Helen, and so she was left to wait. She had wandered down to the cafeteria where she tried to eat, found she didn’t have much of an appetite. A walk through the garden had similarly failed to distract her from her worries, so she had ended up here.

At this point she was attempting to read a magazine, but somehow the travails and celebrations of the rich and famous didn’t seem to matter so much. She was confused, and she just wanted to forget everything that was going on around her. She set down the magazine, closed her eyes, and tried to push it all away.

There it was again, the pushing sensation. She stopped and opened her eyes, curious about her newfound talent. She looked across the room, where a young child was running and screaming, as young, untamed children often do. She focused all of her mind on the child, pushing again. Sure enough, the child slowed down, stopped running and sat on the floor.

She quickly stopped pushing and the child returned to his mischief. This was absolutely amazing. Next her gaze fell on a fidgety middle-aged man. Like clockwork he stopped his fidgeting and slouched in his chair. After that it was the elderly woman with the magazine. The magazine dropped to her lap and she closed her eyes, nodding off. Perry then looked out the window where a bird was flying across. The bird perched itself on the windowsill and stayed, she began to wonder if it was even breathing.

She tried several more of these experiments, but it was clear to her that this was no coincidence. She wondered if she should be given some tests herself, but decided that this would be her secret. No one else had to know. She had just reached this conclusion, when she saw Helen entering the room. She look a bit dazed, worry etched across her face.

"Hey," Perry said standing to approach her.

Helen attempted to force a smile as she replied, "The doctor took some blood samples. He, uh, also wants me to go in for some other tests tomorrow. I have an appointment."

"Okay," Perry said, barely hiding her concern, "Does he . . . Is it serious?"

Helen just shrugged her shoulders and moved to the receptionist in the front. She paid without a word and as he headed for the door, without turning to Perry, said, "We need to stop on the way home. He prescribed something for the pain."

Perry nodded her agreement and the two women headed out.

Silent Mountain: Chapter 1-C

Jennifer and David had settled well into married life. They shared a small home in Silver Springs that they rented from a generally good landlord. Granted, marriage hadn’t come without its snags, but for the most part everything was going along smoothly.

David had gotten off work early and was home by 2:30. His job at a local train station wasn’t always easy, but it paid the bills and the hours were reasonable. He walked in the door and saw Jennifer in the kitchen from the large opening leading in from the foyer.

“Hey, honey, I’m home!” he called to her.

“That’s nice,” Jennifer replied, her voice strained by some great effort.

David enter the kitchen, curious what all of the ruckus was. As he entered, Jennifer let out a frustrated sigh, as she set a jar of pickles on the counter. She turned around looking at David, annoyed.

“Do you have to put the cap on so tight?” She asked him.

“Sorry,” David replied innocently, “I’ll get it.”

He grabbed up the jar and began trying vainly to force it open.

“Wow, this is tight,” he exclaimed.

“Let me get it,” Jennifer said, reaching for the jar.

“No, no, I’ve got it,” David insisted.

Jennifer dropped her hands and sighed. David continued to struggle with the jar, clearly growing annoyed. Jennifer noticed his face growing red and his veins beginning to protrude from his face and neck. She was concerned and frustrated.

“I can do it,” she said, sounding quite stressed.
“No!” David snapped back.

Jennifer was taken aback by this response. She had never known David to be easily angered.

“Dear?” she timidly inquired.

Just then, David let out a primal yell, a thing Jennifer had never thought him capable of. As he did the jar shattered into pieces, which showered onto the floor in a sudden fury. Both stood for a moment, stunned at this new development. They were pulled out of their shock, by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

The two avoided eye contact as they shuffled to the door, hearing the bell twice before they got there. They opened the door and there, on their doorstep was Ian. He looked as if he was on cloud nine, beaming with the type of pride and excitement a child has when presenting a report card with straight A’s to his parents.

“Hey,” David greeted timidly.

“Is this a bad time?” Ian asked.

**********

The silence was deafening, in the tiny hospital exam room, where Helen sat on a hard hospital bed with Perry by her side. The cold, grey walls seemed to tower over Helen, unmoving, unconcerned with her dilemma. She was silent, her thoughts a whirl of pain and fear.

The obtrusions in her back grew more painful by the moment. Since Perry had first noticed them, the pain had increased to nearly unbearable proportions. She clenched her fists tightly and closed her eyes, trying to keep from losing it. All Perry could do was watch her friend, unable to ease her pain.

The strain of this watching grew on Perry as she waited for the doctor. She clenched her fists tightly and closed her eyes, trying to force away the thoughts of Helen’s suffering. As she closed her eyes she felt an odd sensation. To her it seemed like a motion, which helped to release her stress, much like hitting a punching bag or screaming out loud.

After a moment, she opened her eyes, still forcing the odd motion. She let out a gasp a she looked over at Helen, who was now lying on the cold bed. She jumped up and rushed to here side.

“Helen? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Helen mumbled, “I just needed to lay down.”

Perry found herself beginning to panic. This couldn’t be a good sign, she thought. She turned to run for a doctor, but as the door came into view, she saw one entering. He was holding a clipboard lazily in his hands, and didn’t look very interested in being there.

He shuffled over to a counter across from the women and leaned up against it, speaking slowly, like a man to tired or disinterested to care for speed.

“What’s wrong?” he said blandly.

“She’s sick,” said Perry, appalled as the doctor’s seeming lack of interest.

“Obviously,” he retorted, sighing deeply, “How so?”

“She has two lumps in her back.”

“Yeah?” the doctor said, not moving, “That’s not so good.”Perry was outraged by now. She tried to hold back from screaming at the doctor in a fit of rage.

“Well, are you gonna check it out?”

The doctor threw Perry a sideways glance and sighed once again as he, with great effort, lifted himself from the counter to shuffle over to the bed. Perry had had enough.

“I’m gonna find a real doctor.” She shot back at him, as she stormed out the door.

Once Perry left the room, Helen felt a second wind. She sat up in the bed and looked at the doctor, who seemed to have a similar reaction.

“I’m so sorry,” He said to Helen with the utmost sincerity, “I don’t know what got into me.”

“It’s okay,” Helen replied.

“I’m Dr. Harden,” he said shaking her hand.

“Helen Belleview,” she responded.

With that the doctor approached her bed, facing her back.

“Where, exactly are these lumps?”

“Between my shoulders,” Helen said, motioning to her back, “Right here.”

The doctor slowly pulled down her shirt so he could see the lumps. He immediately felt a wave of weariness rush over him. It was as if suddenly nothing mattered to him any more. He didn’t care about Helen, his job, his life; he just wanted to stop.

“What is this, Apathy General Hospital?” came Perry’s voice from the doorway.

“What do you mean?” Helen replied flatly. She too had been overcome with apathy.

“Everyone I run into here seems too lazy to help anyone.”

“Maybe, it’s not them,” Helen replied.

Perry looked at Helen oddly, trying to gauge what she meant. She thought for a moment, before remembering the strange sensation. She was still pushing, as she had come to think of it. Releasing it seemed just as natural as grabbing it, and she immediately stopped the pushing.

As soon as Perry did this, the wave of apathy passed over both Helen and Dr. Harden. They once again cared about what was happening around them and strength rushing back into them. Perry stood in awe at the realization of what she had done, and the look in Helen’s eyes seemed to confirm, that she too knew what had transpired.