Grace Mansion

A twisted short.

I wake up early, every morning, to watch the sunrise. It’s my favorite time of day when everything is still and crisp, and light shines through an otherwise dark house. I live at work as the receptionist in a mental institute. Although some of the patients use words like circus, prison, or nightmare, I prefer to see its beauty and call it my home, as all my colleagues do.

Unlike most institutions that accept just about any kind of mental illness, we specialize in patients with schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder. At one time, we had two classifications of patients - groups A and B - for observation purposes. Group A was comprised of younger patients, treated with cognitive behavioral therapy alone, and group B were the older, visibly severe cases treated with a combination of anti-psychotic medication and therapy. The staff concluded that everyone needed to be on medication.

The best part of my job is watching the documentary team film us -- we're all such characters and our best colors show in front of the camera! We really need to spread awareness of mental illnesses, and show everyone that our patients are just as special as regular people. To take the stigma out. They said I can review some of the footage in a few months. I’d really like to show my dad when he comes to visit!

I also enjoy observing the three sorority sisters (a nickname they gave themselves). They're all in their 60s with purple hair, winged eyeliner, glittery cheeks; and they all manage to get lipstick on her teeth. They call themselves the sorority sisters because of their secret initiation process. I’m not a patient, so I’m not allowed to know what that is.

Last month, we received notice that the pharmaceutical labs will stop supplying us with medication, and therefore the studies will also come to a halt. Did you hear about that? I guess it hasn't happened yet. Don't tell anyone I told you. I overheard it from one of the nurses. No, silly. I won’t tell you who it is.

Can you keep a secret? I can...I can definitely keep a secret. One time, when I was 7, I walked In on my brother playing pillow fight with my mom. She didn’t know how to play the game, so she went to sleep under his pillow. He said she was cursed….that's what he said. And he said same thing would happen to me if I told anyone. So with that little secret, he saved me. So, I didn’t. I didn't speak for a whole two years! My dad was pretty upset and sent me to work here to work out my social issues. Because there were people here who had it worse. I guess it’s not much of a secret anymore, now that I’ve told you.

Did you know that nurses are paying for medication out of their own pocket? Yeah… it’s because most of these patients have families who had abandoned them. It’s only time until we shut down; Still, everyone keeps working around the clock because they all moved in here! They don’t make enough money to live on their own. We’re all like actual family because everyone looks out for one another. It doesn’t feel like a job to me... this is my life. Sure, we may be more unstable - and definitely stranger - than your normal civilian, but we have heart. What’s normal anyway? At least that’s what Nancy repeats every day. She’s one of the older patients here, always equipped with inspirational quotes and cliché phrases.

Last night, I heard someone screaming from their room because they couldn’t sleep. I think it was Lana, one of the sorority sisters. I overheard her saying that she was having hallucinations, but it turns out that they were just vivid dreams that kept her awake. She said it was like walking through a movie in her head. Shortly after, it seemed to send off a chain reaction, because then everyone complained about the same thing! I was afraid that it was contagious, so I took a pill that I had hidden under my bed to help me sleep.

Sounds so silly.

After the therapists calmed our patients down, silence bellowed through the halls again. Kate, one of the therapists (and my best friend here), came by my room to check up on me. She was always warm and friendly - always in long, summer dresses...like my mom. This job can get intense and overwhelming, and Kate really helps me through it. She thinks I can do anything, and so I’m optimistic. She even lets me assist her whenever I don’t have a lot of work to do at the front. I’m thinking of going to school to become a doctor, because she’s exactly what I want to be. I want to help people as much as she does.

I set up a picnic and watched the sunrise from the front lawn this morning, because I felt happy, and at peace.. The air smelled like perfume, and there was a calm, fall breeze flowing through, so I laid next to the tree and waited for the sun to rise behind Grace Mansion - which, by the way, is the name of our home. The exposed brick walls make it look as though it’s 200 years old, with eerie vines crawling up the walls. I love my home because it truly feels like a home. There are no bars on the windows or people in straitjackets, or any crazy, strict rules. The patients roam as freely as they like.

Charlie, one of the patients here, met me on the grass moments after I sent up camp. I have a secret: I have a little crush on Charlie. He doesn’t seem unstable at all... not to me, anyway. He seems like an old soul. Someone who thinks deeply and who can recite lines out of any book. Just ask him! He can also hum, and does, anything written by Chopin, and he believes in parallel universes and wormholes. Just like I do. He’s too smart and imaginative for his own good. I often wonder if he's a time-traveler! Sometimes he acts like someone who was royalty a very long time ago, with the way he holds himself, and the way he speaks. He looks like a Roman god with his strong, defined, straight nose starting from his forehead, his big eyes and curly hair, and his curved lips. He’s perfect!

No, I know what you’re going to say. I cannot date anyone in this institution because it’s unethical. I can’t take advantage of a sick person!

It was at 8:30 am and I took one last look around before I clocked into work -- Marge and Elise were in a catatonic state again, staring at each other with curious expressions. I wonder what goes on in their heads? The sorority sisters - Lana, Bianca, and Victoria - were saluting each other with water glasses as they gossiped, and compulsively put on make up only to wipe it off and reapply again. The frat boys, as I called them, played football on the driveway dressed in comic t-shirts and sweater vests. I guess everyone out today. It really was a beautiful morning!

A few hours later and ten minutes into my lunch break, Charlie came up to me and said you were conducting your last interviews. So, I got “camera ready” and headed over to you early, before the sorority sisters took most of your attention as they usually do. I can't wait until we can see the footage. Do you think we're going to reach a lot of people? I hope so. I hope we can save this place. Can I help in any way? Should I expose myself? Or create a plea video?

Oh!! Maybe we can get donations!

People do that all the time right? Is that lipstick on my teeth?

Tap Tap

Hello?

Where did everyone go?