Literary Escapade

Who Are You? (3)

2009-01-01T22:51:00.003+08:00

Professor Shimiwaka was nothing like she had expected him to be. A frail old man with his eyes hidden behind glasses so thick that his eyes get amusingly magnified, was booted out of her imagination by an image of a suave and well groomed gentleman. His neatly combed hair and chiseled jaw had her staring for a good few seconds before she was flung back to reality.
"You must be Mrs Tan! Its my pleasure to meet you and I thank you in advance for your kind allowance of your husband to participate in our research."
"My husband here as you can see is no longer who he was. I think I should be the one thanking you for allowing me the opportunity to get him back again."
They struck off a great rapport from the start. Kelly liked the Professor and she felt safe to hand her vulnerable husband to the team of researchers. She had no idea what the procedure entailed and what would eventually happen. She rejected a proper discussion with Dr Marcus due to her impetuous hurry to ferry her husband over to Japan. Time was to her, of the utmost essence. She couldn't really bear to see Keith in that state for another day. She wanted to eradicate the possibility of anyone sowing the seeds of doubt in her mind regarding this surgery. It just had to work. What could she possibly lose?
Professor Shimiwaka motioned Kelly into the leather seat opposite his across the marble table.
"Mrs Tan, a surgery that carries this amount of risk requires me to explain every single risk and the complications that could occur."
Kelly stared at the stack of paper in front of her, convoluting her sense of judgement with the flurry of small fonts that ran across the pages.
"Don't bother, I'll just sign it. I'm already at the bottom of the pit, I can't go deeper. The only way to go is up, or given the worst scenario, I'll just stay put."
The professor opened his mouth. "But-" before Kelly interrupted, "No buts. Just do it."
She picked up the pen from the holder and put her name to ink. She then smiled at the professor before rising from her seat and walking out of the office, leaving him contemplating his next move in a bout of stunned silence.

5th August 2015
She cradled her bag in her bosom, trying to pacify her active heart. She could hear her heartbeat, pounding like the war drum she saw at the movies.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
She stood up and walked briskly towards the vending machine. She slotted the coins into the machine and waited for the machine to dispense the coffee. Coffee aroma had the uncanny ability of soothing her nerves, no matter how frayed they were. She sipped at the black drink, billowing curls of white steam at her face. All the while she had kept her gaze unwavering on the lighted sign that read "Surgery in Progress".

Who Are You? (2)

2009-01-01T21:05:00.005+08:00

Her vision blurred for a while before the face of Doctor Marcus came into focus. "How are you?"
Kelly nodded, circling her temples with her index fingers.
"I'm sorry Mrs Tan, if you don't mind, as I was saying just now..." he began, before Kelly held up her hand to hush him up.
"Anything that can bring him back, I will try."
"But there are risks you have to understand. This is still a relatively untried procedure, and the process is not as yet polished to perfection."
"What have I got to lose?" Kelly said, her voice choking. "I need him back. I really do."
Doctor Marcus's image began to distort again as she struggled to keep her eyes from blinking. However the tears that welled up at her eye stung and forced her eyelids to shut. Her tears cascaded down her cheeks as she felt her suppressed emotions liberate themselves. Doctor Marcus nodded in an expression of sympathetic understanding. "I will draft an email to Professor Shimiwaka and if all runs smoothly, I will be sending Keith over to Tokyo for the surgery."
Kelly cupped Doctor Marcus's hands and whispered a soft thank you, before pulling a piece of tissue from the box and began dabbing at her eyes.

II

24th July 2015
Kelly will always remember this date. At 9.18 am, Keith had stirred slightly in his bed after his week long coma.
"Oh Keith," she flung her arms around him and kissed him repeatedly. "Oh baby I missed you so much!"
She lay on his chest, feeling his sturdy chest heave up and down in a beautiful rhythm of a renewed hope. Suddenly, she shot straight up when she felt something wet on her hand.
Kelly looked up at the air conditioning pipes, scrutinising along the ceiling for any small crack that was the supposed source of the water droplet that fell on her hand. When she could not find any, she sat back down and rested her sight on her husband again. Keith was drooling, his saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth, which now had an awkward shape to it.
"What is wrong baby? Talk to me! Stop making funny faces!"
Her cheeky smile cut itself short when she caught Keith staring at the ceiling. She shifted herself and cut her frame into his line of vision. She waved into the black pupil and saw her reflection wave back. Still, there was no reaction. The eyes just stared dead straight, unmoving and empty. An occasional blink was all that disrupted that trance. Kelly felt her heart sink into the hollows of her ribs and rubbing itself against the rough of the bones. She dropped back to her chair, feeling so much pain that she could not heave her body out of the slump.
At 11.45 am, the nurse carried a tray that held a bowl of porridge and a plate of cut fruit. Kelly snapped out of her daze and thanked the nurse. Dr Marcus had confirmed Keith to be incapable for any form of conscious response for a very optimistic estimate of the few months to come. However, deep inside Kelly knew what he really meant was that Keith will be a vegetable for the rest of his life unless she does something about it.
26th July 2015
Kelly was walking along the hospital corridor when Dr Marcus ran up to catch up with her. "Come, Mrs Tan! Professor Shiumiwaka just sent me his reply."
30th July 2015
Kelly leaned over and fastened Keith's seat belt. She pulled a napkin stuffed into her husband's collar and began wiping the line of saliva threatening to drip on his pants. She then nestled into her seat and let out an expectant breath. She really hoped this would work.
'Unchained Melody' was playing over the speakers. She had her arms draped over Keith's neck and their conjoined bodies were swaying in accordance to the beautiful melody that escaped from the innocuous black box. She closed in on Keith's face and kissed him on his lips. Keith sucked her deep into his mouth and darted his tongue deep into hers. She allowed her tongue to snake around his and then their lips parted, only to join again after the briefest of pauses. I love you , they whispered into each other's ears before Keith reached his hands beneath her silk dress. Kelly embroiled herself in a dizzying sense of total submission and allowed Keith to totally possess her.
"I'm sorry Madam!"
She opened her eyes, only to be greeted by a visibly embarrassed old man whom she had began stroking in the middle of her sleep. Kelly sat up straight and ironed her clothes with her palms, not knowing her face had turned a bright scarlet under the stares of the many passengers on the plane.

Who Are You?

2008-12-30T00:00:00.004+08:00

I

Kelly retrieved the paper cup from the dispenser. The aroma diffusing from the coffee tickled her senses, prompting her mind into overdrive. It has been three nights since the accident. She could still recall the sick feeling she felt when the receptionist from Alexandra Hospital woke her from her slumber with the news. She was having a dream then, one in which Keith was tied to her with a thick nylon rope and both of them were suspended by yet more ropes running along harnesses attached to their bodies. They were on the Eiffel Tower and they were about to bungee jump off it. Just as she closed her eyes and left her body to free fall along with Keith, she heard the ringing of her house phone.
That was the last dream she has had for the past few days. Eye bags hung thick beneath her eye sockets. She had prayed-hard, for any sort of miracle to surface. She cast her gaze upon her husband's body, now riddled with bruises from the incessant changing of needles and drips that occurred throughout the days.
She leaned on Keith's face, tasting his faint breath. At least the air he exhaled reminded her that he was still alive, despite the doctor's grim estimate of him having only 0.01% chance of being able to open his eyes and talk to her like he used to, to tell her that everything is okay.
"Mrs Tan?"
Kelly sat up, unaware that she had fallen asleep beside Keith. Her fingers were still interlocked with his. She slowly uncurled his fingers and gently lay Keith's hand on the soft bed. She then adverted her attention to the doctor standing by the door.
"I've something to discuss with you Mrs Tan. Could you spare me a few minutes at my office?"
Kelly nodded and began walking towards the door which was held open by the doctor. After navigating their way through the long corridors, she found herself seated on a cushioned seat in front of a long oak desk which was, as typical of a doctor's work space, cluttered with half read documents and opened giant binders.
"Mrs Tan, I would like to bring to your attention today's news," the doctor said before directing Kelly's attention to the headline stamped across the front page of The Straits Times.
'Four Year Research Culminates In Phenomenal Medical Breakthrough'
Kelly scrutinised the small font that followed the headline and scanned through the article.
Professor Shimiwaka, the brain behind the project, claims that the research has brought about a technology that allows for complete neuronal reconstruction. This would suggest the possibility of brain transplants, which is up till now, considered a medical impossibility.
Kelly read no further. She had collapsed, a slight hint of a smile showed on her pale and now unconscious face.

Intro!

2008-12-25T01:18:00.002+08:00

Merry Christmas to all! I hope the new year brings about some festive joy to offset the doom and gloom surrounding the recent recession!

Just a little self introduction! I'm a recently liberated male (from army that is!) and I'm currently working in a bookstore while awaiting my matriculation into FASS NUS. I read whenever I can and I write occasionally for leisure. It has always been a dream of mine to see my work in print and I seriously hope to get appropriate feedback on how to improve my writing.

I adore Jodi Picoult and I urge all who chanced upon this blog to try her books. She is truly awesome and I would love to be able to meet her in person one day!

Although English is my preferred communication medium, the same cannot be said for my taste in music. I'm a huge fan of Wang Lee Hom and Jay Chou, both hailing from the world of Chinese Music. I'm also a huge fan of Manchester United :)

That's about it! Enjoy and if possible leave me comments when you pass by! :))