Icing kisses,
JS
Asylum Letter IV from May-May Macabre at the Bastille Asylum for Misfits and Miscreants
Feeding Time.
I looked at the smiling young woman in front of the cell. Her dark hair was pulled back behind her white nurse cap. She wore a simple black colored gown and a white apron over it. She had white stockings and black shoes. A silver crucifix dangled from her neck. Jay managed the slip the brick back into place without the woman noticing. Her lavender-like eyes passed over to me.
“Well, well, well, who do we have here?” She smiled. Was I supposed to respond to that?
“May-May Macabre, madam.” I whispered and gave a small nod.
“That’s an interesting name for an interesting boy.” She said. “Good thing you were admitted today. Tomorrow is Bath Day and we’ll have to do something with that hair of yours.” My hands quickly came up to my head. “It’s just such a mess. We’ll have to straighten it out.” Her grin suggested something sinister; thankfully I had Jay with me.
“What do you want, Lobotomy?” He asked.
“That’s Elizabeth, Scarlet.” She snapped.
“My apologies, Lizzie.” He smirked.
“You better learn some respect.” Lizzie Lobotomy spat at him. Jay chuckled and walked to the bars of our cell.
“When are you going to realize that you don’t scare me?” he laughed. “You can poison me with all your pills and potions or lock me away in Solitary but I’ll still be smiling. You want to know why? Because one day soon I’ll see you behind these bars, Lizzie, and when that day comes you’ll see how much respect we all have for you.”
“You amuse me, Jay.” Lizzie smiled. She looked down to see the unconscious guard. “Playing ‘Straight Jacket’, Naughty?”
“What can I say?” He shrugged. “I’m a fool for big dumb men, but you know all about that don’t you, Lizzie?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Mmm…sure you do.” Naughty smiled as he passed his hand down the bars. “Late at night, when the Doctor Sodheim is working on his case notes, you slink in and help him relax.” He chuckled at this. “We can hear you screaming throughout the whole asylum.”
“Horace! Jasper!” She cried and the guards rushed over. “Take this rat to the bleeders. I bet the leeches are very hungry for you.”
“Well of course they are.” Naughty said. “I’m delicious.” The guards opened the cell door and quickly shackled him. “But seriously, Lizzie, you should learn to be quieter. We all know each other’s screams by now.” He smirked. The nurse slapped him across the face. The entire mad house was silent for a few moments. Naughty, or maybe it was Jay, threw his head back and laughed as the orderlies carried him off.
“Remember one thing, May!” Jay shouted. “Your mind can take you anywhere in the world! The moon, the royal courtyard, or even the ocean…” He stopped struggling and the guards took him out the doors. There was something odd about that last bit…almost as if Jay knew about my past. But that’s impossible. He couldn’t know about that…could he?
“So…May-May…” I looked to see Lizzie Lobotomy looking me up and down. “What brings you to our lovely establishment?”
“I was taken here after being found on a beach.” I said. “I had made several fires throughout my lifetime and Chief of Medicine believes that is insane.”
“I’d watch what you say about, Dr. Smyth.” Lizzie smirked. “I have a special relationship with him.” I cocked my eyebrow. “He’s my father.” She said in a deadpan voice. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Then why is your last name…?”
“My father lets me assist in all the asylum’s lobotomies.” She smiled. “Thus my nickname at the hands of inmate C319 or Scarlet to you.”
“I could think of better one for you.” I said.
“Really?” She asked.
“Nurse Kitty.” I smiled and playful stretch my hand like a cat stretching it’s paw.
“Come again?”
“Because you’re catty and you move like a cat.” I explained. “I could swear I saw a thin black tail swish behind you when I you first came in.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment…” Lizzie said staring at me, quite confused. “You seem like a good boy. If you promise to stay that way I can make your life here much more enjoyable.” I took a step back from the bars. “But if you become a nuisance like Scarlet…well…you don’t want that to happen.”
The sound of heavy feet echoed throughout the hall. I glanced over to see two new guards emerge from the far end. I looked over to Lizzie. Our eyes met before she turned back to the guards.
“Guards, take the patient to Dr. Purge. He needs to get his first feeding over with.” She gave me a smirk. “Try not to scream or thrash about.” The guards unlocked the door and reached in for me. Each one took my wrist. The look in the nurse’s eyes told me not to resist. I was quickly pulled out of my cage
“It seems a little early for supper.” I said.
“Who said anything about you eating?” A smile slowly came to Lizzie’s face. “And when I told you not to make a fuss? I wasn’t just talking about the guards.” She patted my cheek and then wiped it on her apron. Lizzie Lobotomy turned on her heel and headed down the opposite. “And when you’re done with the boy, take care of Emmet.” She sighed. The guards nodded and proceed to take me down the hall where Jay had recently gone down.
Again, I was taken down a series of twists and turns and more halls before we pushed through the final door. Inside the room were a few metal slabs. Straps were on either side of the slabs. There were a few wooden chairs with straps on the arms as well. I saw a few shelves but my eyes were transfixed on the ground. The floor was filthy. It had rusty brown streaks all over. I could see that another door lead out of the room into something else. A deeper chamber perhaps? The guards forced me over to one of the wooden chairs. They forced me down into it. In a flash my hands, feet, and neck were all bound by thick leather straps. It was pointless to fight them off but still I tried. Because of this a strange metal cage was put on my head. I was at their mercy.
“Wer, who this?” I looked up to see a short, bald, skeletal man. The Asian man beamed at me and clapped his boney hands happily. He wore a dirty white coat that covered all but his black shoes.
“New arrival, Dr. Purge.” One of the guards said. “The Chief of Medicine wants him properly bled.”
“Goody!” The small man exclaimed. “Don’t wowee, I take cawuh him.” The guards nodded and left the room. I did my best not to tremble. “So, you have name?”
“Y-yes sir.” I stammered. “It’s May-May—”
“QUIET!” He screamed at me. “To me you nothing but food fow babies.”
“P-pardon?”
The man slowly swayed to one of the shelves and hummed to himself. He picked up a stool and climbed so he could reach one of many jars. He hopped down with a heavy jar. I heard liquid sloshing inside. Beads of sweat began to fall from my face. What was he going to do to me? Dr. Purge set the jar down and slipped on some gloves. He smirked at me and in a flash produced what I would later come to know as a scalpel.
“I know I need no cut for babies.” He said bringing the blade to my arm. “But it fun.” Quickly he made several tiny cuts along both my arms. I bit my lip down so I wouldn’t cry out. “Now, feeding time.”
The strange man began to giggle and then he dipped his gloved hand into the jar. He pulled out several squirming black slug-like creatures. Dr. Purge placed them on each of my cuts. I felt teeth sink into me. I held back my screams. I wasn’t here. It was a dream. It was just a terrible dream. I was back with my family, back at sea with my captain.
****
When I was a young boy I lived in a small village in Ireland. I had a father and mother but I hardly have any memories of them. I was so little when I left. I was on the beach near our house. I was playing with some sticks and shells when I came upon a small rowing boat. It was beginning to get late and I was very tired so I climbed upon the boat. I found a white blanket and I covered myself with it and soon I was asleep. I awoke to the sound of someone yelling, a woman. I rubbed my eyes and opened to see an amazing creature before me. Her hair was orange, like fire, and her skin was milky white. She was small and slender but she seemed so strong. Maybe it was the way she was yelling at the several men that stood around her. I crawled out of the small boat and saw that I was on a ship. The sails billowed in the wind and I could hear the sea roar all around us. I took in the sea air and sighed happily.
“Who is this here?” I looked up to see the woman towering over me. “How in blue blazes did this kid get here?” She looked down at me. “How did you get on my ship?” I was silent because I really didn’t know.
“Well boys.” She said. “Looks like we have a stowaway…what should we do with him?”
Several of the men wanted to throw me off the ship but the woman just looked at me.
“We are in need of a cabin boy.” She said to the men. “And he looks like he could be a hard worker.” Some of the men groaned. “And if he does a bad job then we can throw him off the ship.” This got a few cheers. “Now, boy, what is your name?” I told her. “No, that not nearly good enough of a name to be on my ship. Let’s see…how about…May-May?” She looked at me again. “That seems fitting. May-May Macabre. How do you like that?”
“Very much, Miss…?”
“We’ll have none of that.” She said. “I am your captain, Captain Mad Ness. I will be called that or just ‘Captain’. Understand?” I nodded. “Good then. Now if you are a good cabin boy then I’ll take care of you.” Captain patted my head. I smiled. This would be the first in many happy years.
****
I felt the cold hard floor as I was tossed back into my cell. The room was spinning and I felt so tired and hungry.
“You’ll get used to it after a while.” I looked up to see Jay staring out the window. It was dark outside, the rain poured down and some of it fell into our home but Jay didn’t seem to mind though.
“Why do they do this?”
“Leech us?” Jay asked. “Because they believe all sickness lies in the blood. If they keep draining us then maybe we’ll be cured.” He looked over to me. “Did you take my advice and think of a better place?”
“Yes…I did.” I mumbled.
“What did you think of?” I didn’t say anything. I was so tired. “The sea?” I sat up despite the room spinning. “Thought so.” He said to himself.
“How did you know?” I asked him but Jay ignored my question and just continued staring at the rain.
“Something is about to happen.” He said. “Someone’s coming.”
Sincerely,
May-May Macabre
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