"Terror Cries In The Night"
(Preview of a work in progress)
Written by : Jeffrey R Hilton
PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
Asylum's dedicated to just housing the insane, started showing up in the mid 1940's. Before that, people deemed insane were locked up in a 'Narrenturme' or a Fools Tower that some towns had. Others were housed in special wards that some hospitals had complete with cells and still others were housed in Monasteries. Of course others were kept at home in a locked room or attic by their parents or even housed with dangerous criminally insane in prisons. The conditions of those places were often horrible and many patients or prisoners never saw the light of day again.
In later times most institution were called Lunatic Asylum's and the word Psychiatric hospital never came into play until much later. Mad House was a more common name used by people. More often than not, these institutions were ran in a fashion of strict rules and harsh punishments meted out by any number of the institutions employees. Medical experiments and abuse were rampant and with the onset of various shock therapies and barbituate induced deep sleep therapy, many of these asylum's became more like houses of horror.
The characters in this book are fictional, as is the asylum in this book, and any references herein are not meant to offend or portray any specific person. Most, if not all of the events in this book happened in real life, for a very long time. Many people were locked up that were not insane or mentally ill, and escape was the best thing you could do, if only you could manage it.
***
Chapter 1
You're Right Where You Should Be
You're Right Where You Should Be
Lidia Connell's eyes fluttered open groggily as she tried to remember where she was and why she was there. Her head turned towards the sound of something making noisy bursts of, "Oh, it's rain pounding against the window in the room as she fuzzily made out the bars on the windows and jerked to alertness with uncertainty. She made a motion to sit up in bed, but quickly realized her she was in restraints and a look of panic swept across her face as little fragments of memory came back to her.
She looked around the room and saw that there were 3 other beds in the room and at one of them, a nurse was removing the restraints from a motionless girl in the bed as a male doctor and a female orderly stood close by. Her hair was cut short and matted to her head on her lifeless form.
She looked around the room and saw that there were 3 other beds in the room and at one of them, a nurse was removing the restraints from a motionless girl in the bed as a male doctor and a female orderly stood close by. Her hair was cut short and matted to her head on her lifeless form.
Lidia strained to hear what they were saying. The doctor was inquiring why the patient was given such a high dosage of some sedative she had never heard of.
The orderly left and came back with a gurney and the lifeless girl was rolled onto the gurney, covered with a sheet, and rolled out of the room. The doctor came toward Lidia and her heart skipped a beat. "Good morning" the doctor called out in a voice way too cheery for Lidia.
He spoke in his best English,"Vell, you made quite grand entrance to our peaceful facility here." " Lidia tried to gain enough saliva in her dry mouth to speak. " Where am I
and why am I her ?", she spoke in a hoarse whisper. "
The doctor looked at her intently and said simply, "Welcome to Cherry Hill Lunatic Asylum", in his cheeriest voice. " We will discuss why you are here later this week when I personally will conduct an interview and examination with you." Lidia tried to hide her obvious distaste and fear for the answer she was given and simply said Oh, Okay doctor, thank you.
The orderly left and came back with a gurney and the lifeless girl was rolled onto the gurney, covered with a sheet, and rolled out of the room. The doctor came toward Lidia and her heart skipped a beat. "Good morning" the doctor called out in a voice way too cheery for Lidia.
He spoke in his best English,"Vell, you made quite grand entrance to our peaceful facility here." " Lidia tried to gain enough saliva in her dry mouth to speak. " Where am I
and why am I her ?", she spoke in a hoarse whisper. "
The doctor looked at her intently and said simply, "Welcome to Cherry Hill Lunatic Asylum", in his cheeriest voice. " We will discuss why you are here later this week when I personally will conduct an interview and examination with you." Lidia tried to hide her obvious distaste and fear for the answer she was given and simply said Oh, Okay doctor, thank you.
Cherry Hill Lunatic Asylum opened in the fall of 1943 in a remote part of the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. It was built to replace a much smaller institution 60 miles away. A sudden increase in parents wanting to get rid of their troubled kids seemed to be in vogue now and the older institution just couldn't handle all the new patients. The director of Cherry Hill, Dr. Dominique Volstad was a recent immigrant from Russia and eager to begin with all the new patients filtering into his newly built asylum. Dominique oversaw all the hiring and hand picked his new staff from a vast array of applicants and conducted interviews and even performed operations on patients there.
The asylum had 600 beds on 5 floors, and the sixth floor was used for operating procedures. A further wing off the 1st floor served as a cafeteria for patients that didn't require 24 hr lockup, and in the middle a large kitchen stood where a staff of only 5 employees, prepared all the meals for the entire hospital. A lovely sunny garden surrounded by high walls, occupied the back of the institution. Most of the orderlies were male in the all girls institution.
Lidia said a weak good morning back to the doctor and he proceeded to loosen the restraints and take her blood pressure. Lidia's mind suddenly began to flood with all the memories that brought her here and her eyes welled up with tears. "Now now" said the doctor. "No reason for tears, ve are here to help you." I will send the nurse back to take you to your new room. She should be here in about 15 minutes as he patted her on the shoulder.
The doctor left the room and Lidia wished he hadn't tightened back up the restraints as she was suddenly all to aware that she needed to relieve her bladder. twenty minuted passed and the nurse was still nowhere in sight. Lidia couldn't hold it any longer and she felt the warm pee running down her legs and soaking the bed.
Ten minutes later the nurse came back and when she saw that Lidia had wet the bed. She turned red and angry and the big woman grabbed her hair and gave her a hard smack across the face that caused Lidia to see stars. "See what you've done, now someone will have to clean all this up, you stupid little witch." Lidia said nothing and the nurse walked out of the room and returned shortly with an orderly. twenty minutes later, she was taken to a room and given her own bed with 3 others in the room. Her eye was turning a nasty black and green and the other women avoided looking at her. Lidia settled in as best as she could and was terrified at the prospect of what could happen next.
Her mother was an abusive alcoholic and her father who was kind to Lidia and tried to protect her from her mothers constant abuse had died earlier in the year from heart failure. Lidia had never been a particularly bad child and her grades were average and her Mother had decided that this would be a good way to rid herself of Lidia once and for all, so she could bring other men home in peace without her daughters constant interfering.
Lidia jumped when she realized that one of the women in the room had come close to her bed as she was lost in thought and was now staring down at her with a glazed look in her eyes. She reached out and touched Lidia's hair and spoke like a child as she said, "Hair, Blonde !" Lidia had to remove the girls hand from her hair and then she went back to her bed and climbed back into it. She now understood that she was being held on an isolation ward where the new patients could be observed and then either put into a locked ward or one where a little more freedom was possible.
Lidia looked at the other women in the room. The girl that had stroked her hair looked as nutty as a fruitcake and the others appeared to be in a catatonic state. She was more alert now as the medication had worn off and she remembered now how her mother had tricked her into coming here, and how she had screamed and screamed as the attendants dragged her off down the hall and the needle being jabbed into her thigh.
She had to escape, that was it. She heard about some of the things that go on in places like this. She had heard them being whispered quietly, but she had heard them all the same. She got out of bed, painfully aware that her pants were still wet and she walked to the door. As she did she heard a girls voice from behind say " locked!" She turned around and went back to her bed defeated. The other girls all had white linen gowns on. The girl who had spoke came over to Lidia and spoke. " my name is Charlotte", holding out her hand. Lidia shook it and introduced herself.
Just then a key turned the lock and as the nurse opened the door, Charlotte scrambled back to her bed and jumped in.
Lidia was handed a towel and facecloth and a gown and led down the hall to the shower.
Lidia jumped when she realized that one of the women in the room had come close to her bed as she was lost in thought and was now staring down at her with a glazed look in her eyes. She reached out and touched Lidia's hair and spoke like a child as she said, "Hair, Blonde !" Lidia had to remove the girls hand from her hair and then she went back to her bed and climbed back into it. She now understood that she was being held on an isolation ward where the new patients could be observed and then either put into a locked ward or one where a little more freedom was possible.
Lidia looked at the other women in the room. The girl that had stroked her hair looked as nutty as a fruitcake and the others appeared to be in a catatonic state. She was more alert now as the medication had worn off and she remembered now how her mother had tricked her into coming here, and how she had screamed and screamed as the attendants dragged her off down the hall and the needle being jabbed into her thigh.
She had to escape, that was it. She heard about some of the things that go on in places like this. She had heard them being whispered quietly, but she had heard them all the same. She got out of bed, painfully aware that her pants were still wet and she walked to the door. As she did she heard a girls voice from behind say " locked!" She turned around and went back to her bed defeated. The other girls all had white linen gowns on. The girl who had spoke came over to Lidia and spoke. " my name is Charlotte", holding out her hand. Lidia shook it and introduced herself.
Just then a key turned the lock and as the nurse opened the door, Charlotte scrambled back to her bed and jumped in.
Lidia was handed a towel and facecloth and a gown and led down the hall to the shower.
***
Chapter One To Be Continued
***
SHARE
JOIN
FOLLOW
SUBSCRIBE
COMMENT
Do Have A Good Day
And A Pleasant Evening.
Jeffrey R Hilton
No comments:
Post a Comment