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Jan 6, 2003 Sunny, a gentle breeze, a pleasant day, walking in the park on a day like this always makes me feel happy. I sit down on the edge of the pond with the fountain in the middle and look around me. It is still early; I’m the only one in the park. But I know it will get crowded and the quiet feeling will go away. People going to work, always in a hurry, yet, do want to feel away from the city for a moment, by walking through the park. The school kids on their way to school, making noise like teenagers do. And all the other people that walk through the park taking its pleasant quietness of the early morning away. I read my book, check my watch every now and then, because, as everybody else, I have to work too and I don’t want to be late. Then I notice the quietness. Not the normal quietness, which is always filled with the sounds of nature and the city in the distance. I miss the sounds of nature as well, no birds singing, no animals what so ever to be heard or seen and no soft noise of the cars in the distant streets. And my watch claims it is 8:30, but still there is nobody. Then I look at the streets, quit far, but still visible, and to my surprise, there are no cars driving. I see cars, a few, and a bus, but they are not moving. Slightly worried I stand up. As I stand up I notice the water of the pond is not moving neither, the tiny waves, caused by the breeze are standing still in the water. Breeze? The breeze is gone too, even though the trees are still shaped as if they were moved by a breeze. I leave the park. The clock in the church tower shows it is 5:57. I arrived here at a quarter to 6 and feel like I have been here for more than 2 and a half hours. My watch agrees with that too. The SUN! The sun should show that time did not stop. I look at the sun, and notice it has not moved much since I got here, still low above the horizon. What has happened???? I reach the street now; I see the cars, and some people. All standing still, not moving at all. A bird in the sky is floating in the sky, not moving at all. What time is it now? According to my watch it is 8:39. I decide to cross the street to go to the office and see how things are there. I cross right in front of a bus, of which I can see the driver not moving at all, both hands on the wheel. Then all the sudden I hear something, as if the city is coming to life again. The bus moves. A short but hard blow to my whole right side is all I feel before everything gets dark. A dim, unnatural light, that slowly gets brighter, shines in my eyes. I see unclear. I feel something around my legs, also around my arms, and I feel a lot of pressure on my chest. I look around me and slowly start to realize where I am. As everything starts to get clearer I see the bed I am laying in, the room, definitely a hospital room. I feel pain, as if every bone in my body has been broken and judging by all the bandages, that is quite close to the reality. Then I remember everything. Time had stopped? Very confused, thinking about everything, I lay there for a while. A nurse enters the room and says: “Ah you finally woke up. How are you feeling?” Still confused I tell I feel some pain, but that it is not too much. She says that it is not that strange I feel pain since I had jumped in front of moving bus. “A psychiatrist will talk to you later.” She says. I wonder why I need a psychiatrist, but apparently she thinks I tried to kill myself. After my body healed I am taken to a psychiatric hospital. My claims of time standing still have made my family decide it is better for me to be treated there until I understand that I actually have tried to kill myself. According to the psychiatrists this is necessary because the chance I will try it again is too big if I do not realize this. It takes them 8 months to make me believe it. Finally I can go home. At nine o’clock in the morning of a rainy day, my family is already waiting for me, and I am just waiting for my personal belongings that were stored while I was being treated. The bag is given to me; I put my wallet in my pocket, all money still in it! I put my watch on my wrist. Surprisingly it is still working, shows the time, 11:42 am! ------------ Peter Faber is Dutch and has recently moved to Brazil. Visit Peter's website. Email Peter: getting_there@uol.com.br Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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