Open Writing

The midday sun hung like a shimmering golden orb over the tranquil lake and lush green lawns of St Hilda's Hospice. It was that quintessential English summer day.

Inside room 21 Maud lay quietly contemplating the view through the French windows and breathed a heavy sigh as she caught sight of the more mobile patients and their visitors slowly walking alongside the lake edge, pausing to gaze at the distant view of the old bridge over the lake. Wouldn't it be lovely, she mused, if only her son and daughter could visit or perhaps the grandchildren. They must be at least twenty now, she thought. Even if only for a few minutes

They had in the past suggested that she sell her large house and move into sheltered accommodation nearby, but even then there was always something they had to do that prevented them, although they always promised a visit soon. It was never possible. Maud turned her head to gaze at the solitary birthday card amid the flowers on the bedside table. She could just decipher the words, “With lots of love on your ninetieth birthday from Matron and Staff at St Hilda’s".

Maud was jogged out of her reverie by the simultaneous knock and opening of the door followed by the cheery greeting of Nurse Janet. “Hello, Maud, and how are we this beautiful afternoon? Are you ready for your injection?”

Maud couldn’t feel any pain, although she knew it was lurking not far away. “I suppose so, Janet.”

Janet held the frail, skeletal arm gently as she slowly pressed the hypodermic into the almost invisible vein. “There, that’s all over now, Maud,“ she said. “Now how do you feel about something to eat?”

“I don’t think so,” replied Maud,

“You really must try,” came the response. “You haven’t eaten for two days now. What about a little ice cream and a cool glass of milk.“

“Oh all right,” conceded Maud. "I’ll try a little.”

After Janet had left, Maud settled back into the pillows. She felt an aura of calm gradually settling over her as the drug started to take effect. Gazing once again through the windows she noticed for the first time a young girl in a flowery summer dress standing by the lake edge looking out over the still waters toward the bridge.

How pretty she is, thought Maud. She reminds me of when I was that age. I used to go boating with my sweetheart. She moved her gaze to a picture of herself on the bedside cabinet. “My,” she said, “she does so look like me.”

Just then the girl waved at the rowing boat moving slowly across the lake towards her with a young man and an elderly lady inside. They both returned the girl’s wave as they headed towards her. Maud mused, they must be mother and son, and that is the daughter or perhaps even the boys’ sweetheart. How lovely!

As the boat came into the shore Maud could see the occupants more clearly They did, she thought, look so familiar. She looked harder still. “No, I must be dreaming,“ she said to herself. “Or perhaps it’s the morphine. Still, that young man looks just like my Ted, but he died five years ago. Oh I do so miss him,” she cried to herself. “Still, that young man does look exactly like him after we had been married.“

Maud looked again at the couple in the boat. Oh dear, she thought I must be hallucinating. That lady looks the image of my dear mother. “Hello, Mother!” she involuntarily cried, then, “How silly of me.”

The cry seemed to catch the attention of the girl, who turned round and catching sight of Maud gave her a radiant smile and wave. Then, holding both arms outstretched, she beckoned Maud to join them. At the same time the two occupants of the boat joined in the invitation, waving vigorously.

Maud was drifting in a calm, peaceful, dreamlike state wondering if someone could wheel her outside to the boat when the voice of Nurse Janet broke the spell. “Hello, Maud,“ she said cheerfully, “Are you ready for your tea now?“

“Yes, please,“ replied Maud, and as Janet approached the bedside Maud caught her wrist. “Do you see that beautiful girl by the lake? Is she a new member of staff, and the people in the boat are they visitors? Do you know, they have all been waving to me and asking me to go with them on the lake. Perhaps if I can get a little better I shall.”

Janet glanced toward the window. "No,” she said, “no one there now. They must have gone home."

Maud looked longingly out of the window. “Oh, no!” she cried. “They do seem to have gone. Perhaps it’s their tea time as well.”

“Never mind,“ said Janet, “I shall go and get yours.” And she quietly closed the door behind her.

Maud once again settled back into the pillows. Perhaps I might try some ice cream, she thought, as she once again started to drift off to sleep. Her gaze was again drawn to the window. " They are there,” she said to herself. "Janet was wrong. They must have come back."

Yes, she could see them even more clearly. It really looked like Ted, and that lady -- it was her mother. “Mummy!” she cried. “Ted Darling!” They both looked up at her and smiled. And that’s me, thought Maud. That young girl is me. They are all there.

The door of the room slowly opened and Janet came in with the tea tray, walked over to the bed then quickly put down the tray. Bending over the still form she gently felt for the pulse, then pressed the emergency call button, after which she slowly drew her hand over the fading eyes. Was that a smile on the face of Maud? she thought. Then tidying the hair and straightening the bedclothes she awaited the doctor.

Later that day Janet ushered Maud's son and daughter into the room where Maud peacefully lay with all the remnants of long days of pain now gone. Neither of them seemed to want to see their mother, but at last a reluctant daughter moved to the bed and gave a perfunctory glance then brusquely demanded, "Where is all her jewellery, and where is her handbag? She always carried a lot of money in it, the old fool."

Janet quietly replied “It’s all in the hospice safe.”

“Well,” retorted the daughter, “get it out of the bloody safe. Then we can get out of this mausoleum.”

Janet bit back her anger and in a soft voice said, “I am afraid we can’t do that.”

“Why the hell not?” was the response.

“Well,“ said Janet in a calm slow voice, “you see, on her ninetieth birthday she had her solicitor and two of the doctors to help her celebrate, and she took the opportunity to make a new will, under the terms of which only those members of her family that were with her on that day or who remembered it with a card or small memento would be beneficiaries. I am afraid that only myself, Matron, the solicitor and the two doctors were with her, and the only card was one from the Hospice.

“We’ll see about that!” snapped the daughter. “We’ll contest the will and have her declared mentally unfit to make it.”

"I don’t think so,” replied Janet with a wry smile. “You see, one of the doctors was a psychiatrist.”

After they had all gone, Janet moved over to the bed and gently kissed a soft and gentle farewell. Then moving over to the window to close the blinds she gazed out over the lawns toward the lake. " Ah! Yes,” she said. “They are still there, and the young girl is in the boat with the young man and the lady.”

The boat slowly moved out over the lake, and as it did the young girl turned round and waved to Janet. " Good God !"cried Janet. “That looks just like the photograph of Maud as a young girl, and the young man is the exact likeness of Maud's late husband.” Janet swiftly went over to the window and looked out again, but there was nothing there except the ripples made by a boat long gone.