After years of battling depression, I had finally snapped. With enough Tylenol to kill an elephant in my stomach, the doctors said it was a miracle I was still alive. I still remembered opening my eyes to a doctor's hands.
"Adam, Adam! Are you there?"
Those were the worst words I had ever heard. Was I there? Unfortunately, now, that answer was yes. I was most certainly alive. And here was this son of a bitch slapping me in the face, like a cold shower, telling me I had failed. If a person can't even kill themselves, what could they possibly hope to do right? My parents were behind him, both in tears. Well this was not where I pictured myself after last night. Frankly, I hadn't pictured myself anywhere after last night, per the note I had written.
After months of deliberation, it was agreed that I would now spend my days in a psychiatric ward. I was a danger to myself, and I couldn't be trusted around sharp or pill shaped items. Hearing that certainly didn't help things much. I tried to tell them I wouldn't do it again, but I honestly didn't completely believe that myself. This was the last strike. It was off to the crazy house for me. I guess it was time to get good at chess.
Green Gables was the name. It didn't look like a place for crazies on the outside. The cobblestone walls and overgrown trees were almost inviting. A tall door stood at the top of a short staircase like the entrance to a castle. A man in a white lab coat led me up to the door and stuck his key in the slot. He turned to me and smiled. "You're going to love it here. Don't think of this as the end, think of it as the beginning."
I shrugged. He turned back to the door, his smug smile still plastered on his face. He turned the key and the doors swung open. This was definitely a state of the art facility. At least in terms of aesthetics, the floors were bathed in marble and a beautiful glisten, and the walls were as white as the clouds in a bright summer sky. Nurses were scurrying about in perfect white uniforms behind desks with wide screen monitors.
We continued to the dormitories. Here I would find my room mates. This is where the insane people were housed, insane people like me. I peeked into some of the rooms as we passed them. There were two beds that were practically cots, one on either side of the room. There was a dresser next to each one. Otherwise, the rooms were completely empty. There was a person sitting in one, a skinny girl looking at the floor. She looked quite miserable. Even seeing how glorious the facilities were here, we were people with problems, and not even living in Heaven could make some of us happy. I was hoping I would find a way to enjoy these luxuries.
We made it to a door marked 111. The man knocked on the door and waited for a moment.
"You can come in bro!"
He turned to me. "Rick is a funny character. He is pretty smart and has a good sense of humor. I have a feeling you two will be getting along great." He pushed the door open. I saw Rick, a blonde haired, thin kid who was probably a little bit taller than me. He had a big smile on his face.
"Is this my new roommate?"
