The Wheelchair

Wandering around the hospital corridors late at night, looking for a way out. God, I hate hospitals. Makes another turn down another long corridor - sheeesh - where is the damned elevator!

I pass another hall running off to the right and keep going. A small voice, "Are you looking for the elevator honey?" I back up slowly. There halfway down the hall is an older lady in a hospital gown holding the elevator doors open. She beckons me, "come on honey".

I say thanks and hurry to get to the doors. We walk in together and turn to face the doors. They haven't closed yet, and there is a group of people huddled on a bench in front of us. They look up at me strangely, but I get that a lot so take no mind. The doors close and I face the older woman. She points out the empty wheelchair in the car with us. "Isn't that strange? An empty wheelchair in an empty elevator." I get a slight chill with this comment, but decide to make a joke anyway, something about that's why they can't find these things; they are sitting in the elevators. She is still pointing to the chair, and I give it my focus. I get the impression that whoever last used it has departed, left it where it stood, for a more peaceful place.

The doors open - the gift shop is in front of us - and the woman walks out. She has a spring to her step and is smiling. I follow her, like a buoy swept after a boat. We turn right and there is an empty chapel - rows of chairs, an altar, stained glass - the whole room is bathed in a golden light. The elevator doors close and the woman turns to me. "Oh no honey, you don't want to get off here". She runs over and pushes the button - the doors immediately open and she ushers me inside. She turns to go towards the chapel as the doors close again.

I think - this was a strange interlude. Wonder if it had meaning?

The next day I'm at the hospital again, during daylight hours. The person I'm visiting and I decide to go downstairs and take a walk. She takes me to the same elevator (no wheelchair) and we get off on the same floor. There is the gift shop. We turn right - into a lobby?! I tell my friend about the night before. There must be another elevator somewhere near here, near the gift shop. We hunt and search, to no avail. Then another odd occurrence - we start to take the elevator up, and I can't get on. My friend finally goes on the 3rd try, but I'm left standing there 3 more times. I finally decide to take a walk of my own, to explore this little space. The lobby is huge - glass walls and modern furniture. Doctors meeting doctors. Very busy. I finally give the elevator another try and make it on the 7th try.