Asylum Letter VIII from May-May Macabre at the Bastille Asylum for Misfits and Miscreants
The Peaceful Reign
It has been a month since Dr. Smyth’s death and the Asylum has had an eerie calm loom over it. Almost like the eye of a hurricane. There is an overabundance of silence. So much that you think that they very air from your lips will break and shatter all around. And in a blink of an eye the world turned over and the gale force winds break and destroy everything in their wake.
Ever since Jay’s episode, Naughty keeps more and more every day. It’s not because he frighten me but it’s the fact that Jay is hardly ever around. He’s usually more in control but Naughty seems to be taking the reins. And another puzzling thing is that Naughty hasn’t been himself. Normally he would have seduced an orderly, bashed someone’s head against the bars, kissed an inmate, or at least mock Nurse Lobotomy but he hasn’t. He’s quiet most of the time talking to himself or Jay. He keeps mumbling and scheming about how to escape. I would love to see the sea again but I wonder how Naughty would find us a way out. There are many floors and many locked doors between our cell and the main gates. Before Dr. Smyth’s death some windows were left unbarred but now every opening in the Asylum either as a lock or iron bars over it.
For the first week every inmate was interrogated by police and staff. Dr. Sodheim and Dr. Purge took great enjoyment in this. To them, along everyone else outside these walls, we were lesser creatures and therefore they were allowed to use any means necessary to extract whatever information we had about the dead doctor. Which was nothing. When it was Jay’s turn to be interrogated he told him of his visions of a man pushing Dr. Smyth out from his office window. Of course they didn’t believe him. The police ruled the death as an accidental suicide much to Lobotomy’s disappointment. She believed her father was sane and therefore could not have killed himself. She kept claiming that he was murdered. The police never told her about Jay’s visions because to them it was nothing more than the ravings of a lunatic.
I believe Jay saw something when he dealt those cards. He knew that I imagined the sea when I had my first leeching with Dr. Purge. He has a gift and his words should be heeded…yet things have been well here. Hardly any problems have risen. Maybe once, just this once, he could be wrong?
When I was a child I hated baths but now I miss them terribly. Bathing at the Asylum consists of standing outside, nude, against a cold stone wall and all the residents, of whatever ward you are in, join you as the orderlies throw buckets of cold water at all of you. You only have a few minutes to wipe away whatever filth that doesn’t cling to you. Afterwards you were given back your rags and then you are locked back in your cell. This happens once a week. But now that winter has begun to set in we’re allowed a small warm bowl of, questionable, broth. Enough to keep us warm and not catch pneumonia.
It was after we got locked back in our cell that Naughty spoke to me.
“Well, handsome, we’ve finally have a plan to escape this godforsaken place.” He purred.
“What do you mean?” I asked. He closed his eyes and opened them again.
“May,” Jay began as he took over. “Naughty and I have been watching and listening. We’ve mapped out the Asylum, orderlies’ schedules, and made a list of things we’ll need to finally leave here. And our moment will be soon, very soon.”
“But how?” Jay went to speak but stopped as an orderly approached. His eyes were set on me.
“Dr. Purge is ready for you.” Another orderly appeared behind him as the first one unlocked the door.
“Soon.” Jay whispered.
“Have fun, handsome.” Naughty winked before returning to his usual corner as I was taken by the arm by each of the men and led down the corridor back to Dr. Purge.
“Werr rook who hele now”. Dr. Purge grinned. “Babies,” He called. “Time for dinnaw!”
I was strapped down to my usual chair and the metal cage was placed over my head again. The orderlies left as Purge danced off to the leech jars. After my first feeding with Purge I was terrified of being strapped down again and have the leeches on my arms. The first week I had nightmares of falling into a sea of leeches and being devour by their many teeth. But after several more sessions my unease for the creatures passed. They could not control their actions. They were hungry and this was their meal. It was no different for a person thirsty for water. No, I no longer feared the leeches. Dr. Purge wielding anything sharp was a different story. The blade would change for each feeding. Today he held a butcher’s knife.
“Look what I have fow you today.” He said passing his hand along the blade. He brushed the side of it along my upturned arms. I almost flinched as the cold metal touched my skin but thankfully I was able to compose myself. Purge liked seeing his subjects in fear.
“What? You no play today?” Quickly, he made shallow cuts along my arms. I bit my lip hard so no sound would escape. “You think you stwong? You bweak soon enough.” He snapped on some gloves before dipping his hand into the jar. “They ahways bweak.”
I closed my eyes as I felt the familiar teeth sink into my skin. I didn’t want to be here with Purge. I wanted to be home with my family and my captain.
*****
“LAND HO’!” I heard someone shout from the crow’s nest.
I climbed up the steps and out on to the deck. The sky was painted with orange, yellow, and purple. The clouds were scarce and the stars were beginning to appear. I looked over to see the shore of some beach and what looked like a village beyond that.
“Thank God.” I heard Captain Mad Ness exclaim. “I’ve been dying to have a drink for days.”
We soon docked for the night. The captain and the rest of my shipmates made their way to the pub and market as I watched over the ship. I hadn’t been with them for long, maybe a month and a half. I was cleaning the deck when someone called out to me. It was Mr. Vance, the captain’s first mate.
“May-May!” He cried out.
“Sir?” I asked poking my head over the side of the ship.
“Have you finished cleaning, boy?”
“I’m about done.”
“As soon as you get done come to the far side of the beach, supper is being made.”
I nodded to him and began to hasten my pace. I finished a few minutes later and hurried to the beach. The sky had become dark by then. I saw light coming from where Mr. Vance had said everyone would be at. I found many of the men drunk and laughing. Some were playing music, others were eating. I found the captain sitting by the roaring fire talking to Mr. Vance when she saw me.
“About time you get here, cabin boy.” She said. “Hurry and get yourself something to eat.”
“Aye, Captain.” I said grabbing some bread and fish.
I sat around listening to stories and laughs from everyone until the captain turned to Mr. Vance.
“Play me something, Vance. I feel like dancing.” All the chatter stopped suddenly and I looked up to see that everyone was gathered around me. All eyes were on the captain as she removed her coat. She rolled up her sleeves and removed her bracelets. She grabbed her bag and picked up two metal rods with something blacks on each of the ends.
Mr. Vance began to play a tune on his flute and someone else joined in on violin. The captain poured some kind of liquid into a silver chalice and walked over to the fire and passed the rods through the flames. The two ends caught on fire and the captain began to twirl the rods between her fingers. Soon she was skipping and spinning making the flames dance. Even the camp fire seemed to sway with every move. She smiled as the flames jumped and even more when we all started to clap in time. The music began to get faster and faster and we all clapped along. Suddenly the captain threw both of her torches into the air. I gasped in fear. What if something happened to her? But no one seemed at all frightened. In one quick motion the captain took a swig from the chalice and grabbed both the torches before spitting a beautiful arch of fire into the night sky. She took a torch and slowly brought it to her mouth. She popped the torch into her mouth and extinguished the flame blowing the smoke from her lips.
We erupted into applause as the captain bowed to us all.
*****
Not long after we all returned to the ship to get some rest before we left in the morning. But I couldn’t sleep. I was amazed by the captain’s performance. As soon as everyone had turned in for the night I snuck out of my bunk. I made my way quietly up the stairs and to the captain’s quarters. I brought up my hand and knocked on the door.
“Who the devil is it?” She asked from behind the wood.
“May-May, Captain.” There was a brief pause.
“Enter.”
I opened the door. I saw maps of all the seas covering the walls as well as strange and exotic trinkets from the captain’s past adventures. The captain’s bed was on the far side of the room and desk near the window. Candle lights flickered by the window as Mad Ness looked up from her papers.
“What is it, May-May?” She asked. “It’s late and we have to ship off tomorrow.”
“I had a question for you.”
“Yes?”
“How did you that? With the fire?” She smiled.
“I learned that from an old friend many years ago.” She said.
“It was very beautiful.” I said.
“Thank you.”
“I was…I was wondering do you…I mean is there any way I could learn to do that?”
“Are you sure?” She asked. “It can be very dangerous, May-May. Fire hurts those that don’t respect.” She touched her side. “And sometimes even those who respect it are reminded of their limitations.”
“I would still like to learn.” I said. “I want to be as great as you, Captain. I want us to dance together some day.”
She smiled at me. “Come here, May-May” I came to her side as she brought one of her candles from behind her to the desk. “Watch the flame.” She said. “See how easily it bends and sways.” I nodded. “Fire is always looking for an escape. It doesn’t like to be contained. A small candle can easily become a raging inferno. One must learn how to handle it carefully. If I am to teach you, you must be patient and listen to everything I tell you to do. Is that understood?”
“Aye, Captain.”
“You’ll start practice, without torches first, tomorrow night. But for now, I believe it is time for bed.”
“Aye.” I nodded. “But could you show me one more trick? Please, Captain.”
“I suppose so.” The captain smiled and brought three more candles over to the desk. “Watch my hands closely now. Slowly she passed her hands over the candles. Each flame bending in the direction her hand went. Quickly she passed her hand over the two candles to the left blowing out the flames. She brought two fingers to one of the other candles and passed it over into the small flame. My eyes grew wide as the flame passed over on to her fingers. She touched each of the wicks of the candles and relit them before blowing the flame on her fingers out.
*****
I woke up dizzy and found that I was being dragged back to my cell. The walls seemed to spin more after each turn was made. I was tossed back in and I heard the door small shut. I felt Jay’s hand on my shoulder.
“We don’t have long to rest my friend.” He said. “Look.” I slowly opened my eyes to see something dangling from Jay’s hand.
“Is that?”
“Lobotomy’s key.” He said. “She was in a hurry and I was able to take it from her.” He smiled.
“Jay, I don’t think I can run right now. Everything is still spinning.”
“We don’t have the time for this.” Naughty groaned. “We have to go now before it’s too late.”
“Something’s not right.” Jay said. “In my dream there was a storm but the sun is out today.”
“So?” Naughty sighed.
“Something just doesn’t feel right.” He said. “Now’s not the time.”
“Of course it is!” Naughty snapped. “Lobotomy is going to notice her key is missing sooner rather than later and she is going to come back here for it.”
“If we leave now then something worse than a few days in Solitary might happen.”
My head began to ache. I heard Jay gasped and I looked up to him.
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s here.” He whispered.
“Who?”
“The prodigal son returns to reclaim his throne.”
“Jay?”
I heard the doors slam open and the sounds of many footsteps echoed in the hall. I could hear voices too as they drew closer.
“….Really necessary? You’ve only been here for a few minutes.” I heard Nurse Lobotomy say
“I need to see all patients, Elizabeth.” Someone said. “Reading records and reports is nothing compared to seeing them with my own eyes.”
The footsteps stopped. Lobotomy, accompanied by Horace and Jasper, and a strange new man stood on other side of the bars. His brown hair was oiled and smoothed back. He wore golden rimmed glasses and a fine suit and shoes. I heard Jay gasp again before moving back to the corner of the cell. His eyes fixed on the new man. He looked terrified. I looked up back up to the man and saw that his eyes were black. They void in them seemed almost endless. A smile came to his lips and it looked almost hungry.
The sky rumbled outside.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“My name is Eriq Bastille.” The man said. “I will be taking over this asylum as well as the position of Chief of Medicine. ‘Doctor’ or ‘Sir’ will be appropriate.” He smiled to himself. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you both.” I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. This man was not to be trusted. Could he have been the dark figure from Jay’s nightmares?
“It’s good to be home.”
May-May Macabre
