The Locked Ward

The Locked Ward Cherie was known by friends and coworkers as a pleasant, adventurous, attractive young woman. When she wasn’t working in computer science for New Era 777 Enterprises, she loved traveling to new cities, swimming in clear blue water, and searching for memorable meals in tucked-away restaurants around the world. Her life seemed ordinary and happy. Then one night, after having far too much to drink at a celebration, everything changed. She awoke the next morning in the locked ward of a psychiatric institution. The memories were fragmented and confusing. She remembered harsh fluorescent lights, unfamiliar faces, and what she believed was the sound of Dr. Thompson laughing nearby. In her hazy state, she became convinced that he had taken advantage of her while she drifted in and out of consciousness. Terrified, she begged a nurse for help. When Dr. Thompson overheard her accusations, he dismissed them as evidence of worsening mental illness. He documented her statements as delusions and ordered additional medication. The more Cherie protested, the less anyone seemed willing to listen. She held onto one hope. Court. Surely, she thought, a judge would hear her concerns and protect her rights. The following morning she was brought before Judge Farok for a hearing regarding her involuntary confinement. Desperate for help, she tried to explain everything she believed had happened. Judge Farok proved no better than the institution itself. Rather than helping her, he exploited her vulnerability and then used his authority to silence her. Every complaint she made was twisted into supposed evidence that she was becoming increasingly unstable. Months passed. Cherie remained confined. Whether her allegations were true or not no longer seemed to matter. The institution had become a place where power protected itself, and where the voice of one frightened patient carried little weight against those who controlled her fate. She cried nearly every day. She felt forgotten. Hopelessness slowly consumed her. One afternoon, after six months of confinement, Cherie made a tragic decision. Convinced she would never be heard and never escape the machinery that surrounded her, she broke open a hospital window and leapt. The institution recorded her death as the act of a severely disturbed patient. But among the staff, rumors lingered. Some wondered whether she had been telling the truth all along. Others preferred not to ask. And in the years that followed, the story of Cherie became a cautionary tale whispered by those who feared what could happen when immense power is placed in the hands of people who are never required to answer for it. Speculative Fiction by Dr Harold Mandel