A Strange Day

A Strange Day

Eli Vetcherebin

On the morning of this hot summer day John did not have the slightest idea of what he was going to do, although he had an idea of what his grandfather would have suggested. But, unfortunately for both John and the grandfather, John's grandfather passed away four years ago. So, as stated above, John had no idea what he was going to do on this hot summer day. In fact, John was not even aware of the fact that it was a hot summer day because today, John opened his eyes for the first time in three months. For all he knew, it was still snowy and stormy, as on the night of the accident.

At this point in time, John was not aware of many things. He was not aware of the fact that the accident left his fiancé dead. He was not aware of the fact that he was now in a different country. If truth be told, John was not even aware of the fact that his name was John. The accident created a situation in which John simply could not grasp the seriousness of his situation at the present moment. He did not know that he had a collapsed lung and he did not know that both of his legs and his left arm were horribly mutilated. For all he knew, or could care about, he was simply a head; and a head that was not doing so badly either. He remembered what his father would say at times like these: "At least you didn't fall in love, son...Having a broken heart is worse then having purposefully broken every bone in your body!" The truth of the matter was that John has had his heart broken before and he could agree with his father that that hurt more than his present condition. John tried to lift his head up but it felt like a cartoon anvil. John thought to call for help, but when he tried to speak he did not even feel his breath reach the inside of his mouth and touch his lips. John realized that this has happened: he was not dreaming, as he would sometimes do as a little kid, fantasizing about the feeling that the absence if a limb would create, and only at that time began to understand his critical state.

Three months after his rude and sudden awakening, John is walking on prosthetic legs and is able to use both of his hands again. John was now only concerned with one thing: having a proper burial for his dead fiancé. John was also semi-interested in what exactly happened that day on the plane. When John made sure that his wife had received proper death rites, he turned his undivided attention to the issue of the cause of the accident. Many people around him told him that it was simply an accident, but they were not there. And besides, he knew otherwise; he was vehemently convinced of it. John knew that this was another cruel way that his father paid him for not marrying the recommended family friend. He has already tried to kill him and his, at the time, girlfriend. However, he was unsuccessful because John knew what was going on. When a mental institution was mentioned for the first time, John gleefully agreed to seek asylum at the local "nuthouse".

After John got out of the Mental Health Institution of Yokonapawtha (MHIY), he discovered several other murder plots, in which the main acting figure was his father, but there were others helping him. One of these helpers was the infamous Steve Dryden, the grandson of one of the most popular actors of the 1950s. Steve lived next door to John's parents house and often played basketball with him when he was not too busy spending his time with girls and spending his parents money on drugs and alcohol. On one of these days, John noticed that Steve had a shotgun, and he was sure that, any second now, it was going to erupt in his direction. So, he ran over to Steve, grabbed the shotgun out of his hands and shot him with it twice.

This time, an asylum was unacceptable and improper. John was put in jail. So now, 11 years later, on the morning of the hot summer day, John did not know what he was going to do. This time around, though, he did not have as much choice as he did when he was in the hospital. However, this time around he was not the one having to choose. The just and politically correct citizens of the United States of America decided that John ought to die for what he has done and was given the sentence of death. On the morning of this hot summer day, John knew exactly what he was going to do: he was going to die.