Short Story: Next
Keith is a patient with learning difficulties. Only with the help of his medication, his routines, and his carer, Eddie, is he able to function at all.
But when a strange doctor appears at his clinic and hauls him off for tests, everything starts to fall apart for Keith. Reality and delusion become indistinguishable.
And still the doctor keeps demanding, "Do you know what will happen next?"
Extract
Last month they stopped my Epilim (that's the Sodium Valproate, in case you didn't know). They thought I was getting better. I started biting my arms until the skin came off, and they were covered in blood. Now I have to take the Epilim again. I'm happy. They were messing up my lists.
Some children shout at me when I'm walking to the clinic. I'm very good. I ignore them.
I'm proud of you, Eddie says.
Eddie's my carer. I have other carers too, but Eddie's the one who's always with me. He helps when I have one of my turns. That happens a lot, but Eddie doesn't complain.
I'm in the clinic for my music therapy, but I'm early. Eddie always makes us early. It's not his fault. He has a few problems. He's a bit slow and he worries a lot.
There's a new man in the clinic, standing behind a desk. He shouldn't be there. Sally should sit behind that desk. I start to get angry. I think I hear one of my teeth crack. But then Sally appears.
Hello, Keith, Sally says.
Hello, I say.
No one says hello to Eddie. They never do. That used to annoy us, but now we're used to it. Eddie says it's because I'm their client and he isn't. I think it's because they're a little afraid of Eddie. Eddie's pretty big. He wears a black padded anorak with its hood up, even indoors. The anorak's too short for him, but he won't get another one.
- From Next. Read story free online in Abyss and Apex.
Free Online
Read Next free online in Abyss & Apex.
Publication Details
First published in Abyss & Apex, Issue 14, 2nd Quarter 2005.
Reviews
...the protagonist is brilliantly portrayed, and the leaps between hallucination and reality make this story special.
Jason Fischer, Tangent Online.
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