主播大秀

Through faded drapes a small ray of sunlight illuminates fine wisps of silver hair. I watch the steady rise and fall of the woman芒聙聶s chest; hear her rhythmic breathing coincide with my own. Surrounding her are familiar black and white photographs, only ever telling half a story.

Deeply immersed in her past, the woman runs freely back in Sri Lanka. She becomes the young girl she once was, letting her bare feet carry her down winding beaten paths. High-pitched laughter harmonises with a distant bird. The girl quickens her pace and it hits her. Bitter sea salt sweetened by fresh ripe mangoes pours into her lungs. The aroma envelops and embraces her like an old lost friend.

A passing tea trolley rattles by, almost shattering the woman芒聙聶s delicate fantasy. Leaning forwards I attempt to understand the mutterings of her untold tale; unable to I sit back full of regret. The sharp taste of cleaning fluid hangs in the stale air reminding me of where I am.

It is here where time drags by, painfully slow; almost undetectable in the faces it has aged. My mind wanders back to the woman. What is like to you? You are forced to live in the past because you have no real future. The present is timeless, tomorrow is the same as today. Today is the same as yesterday. Yet unlike so many, your dreams are your beautiful reality. Eternally young, free and careless. A rare, diverse bird roaming the world from this secluded room. For you there are no boundaries, but you don芒聙聶t know how confined you are. A flightless bird held in this forlorn cage.

In the woman芒聙聶s regal presence I feel so small, so insignificant, so irrelevant. Just another toy to wield away the endless hours, another forgettable face.

Unlike her, the hum of the television in the next resident芒聙聶s room held me in harsh reality. I begin to wonder what she is hearing. Whispers of a hidden snake, calls of a lost bird, all are buried deep in the tangled jungle of her memories. As time creeps by the jungle slowly engulfs them all, keeping them shrouded and unknown forever.

Somewhere in the near distance the clock calls me away. The woman meets my gaze. Cautiously I approach the bed and dutifully kiss her on the cheek. She turns her clouded blue eyes to my face and vacantly makes the same hollow promise,
芒聙聹I芒聙聶ll be better soon, don芒聙聶t worry.芒聙聺 Once again I hear myself tell the empty lie to her,
芒聙聹I know you will Granny, any day now.芒聙聺 I watch as the woman sinks back into her subconscious reality with the traces of her smile dying on her pale lips.