Doctor

Day 14

Henry pushed himself up from the carpet.  The Sun had set.  The room looked cleaner in the dim light from the streets, the thick layer of dust that covered each piece of furniture, almost invisible.  He walked to the window and looked out over the cityscape.  The scene was foreign; Gone was the tiny city to which he had grown accustomed.  Now a dense metropolis spread to the horizon.

"Is this real?" Henry said.

"As real as the Ward," a voice replied.  Henry hadn't expected an answer.  He spun, searching for the voice.  A man sat on the couch, one that either hadn't been there when Henry rose, or had escaped his notice.  "Don't mind me," the man continued.  "It's you you should be worried about.  The Ward was a warm-up, stretching your legs.  You're not out of the woods yet."

"Who are you?"

The man smiled, rubbed his hands against his knees, sighed.  "So full of questions.  It doesn't really matter.  I'll just disappear in the end.  Consider me a starting-off point.  A welcome mat."

Henry looked at the man.  He wore a white shirt, buttoned to his neck and tucked into his black pants.  No jewelry, no adornments, simply dressed.  His face blurred, defying definition.  Trying to focus on him made Henry ill.

"Good luck, Henry," the man said as he got up.  He paused, brushing dust from his pants.  "Maybe you'll even need it."

"Thanks, I guess," Henry replied, trying not to look at the man's face.

He nodded, continued to the door of Henry's apartment and left without another word.