"Someone took a whole chunk out of it,
and you took what little was left of it.
Now, I'm left with nothing."

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Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The building loomed ahead as the taxi driver drove into the silhouette of the building, heading towards the driveway. The sight of the building roused a couple of sweet memories, each laced with strawberry ice cream and what sorts. ‘It’s been only a year,’ she thought, ‘yet it feels like a long, long time ago.’

The taxi driver got out of the taxi and helpfully opened the door for her grandma. ‘What a rare sight!’ she could not help but think. This just further proves that there is still A WHOLE LOT of nice people out there, no matter what people say. She smiled at the taxi driver and said her thanks to him. Thereafter, her grandma and her sauntered into the air conditioned building and waited at the reception area for her aunt.

She yawned and gazed mindlessly around. Just for this trip, she had had to wake up at six in the morning. Trips to doctors are always taxing, she thought randomly. Her glance landed on the elderly couple nearby. She smiled at how loving they are. Somewhere nearer to the escalators, a young lady was helping an elderly woman onto the escalators. Everywhere, no matter how she turned, the significant presence of the aging population constantly haunts the society. ‘I shall live till 30 if I remain single,’ she thought to herself. ‘That should be enough.’

It was not long before the arrival of her aunt. After saying their greetings, they slowly made their way towards the neuroscience department. There, begins their long wait. It was, wait. Wait. Wait. Ladies adorned in their smart uniforms with pocket watches clipped onto their front pockets caught her attention. She gazed at them with admiration. It was an ambition that was never meant to be. For years, she had envision herself in that attire, but atlas, it was merely building castles in the air. She sighed and quickly looked away. It shall remain a dream.

An hour slipped past. They were still waiting patiently for their turn. Even if it were their turn, they would have to wait again at the pharmacy. At hospitals, the act of waiting heads the list of things to do, as that is what one will be doing at least eighty percent of the time there. Early birds do not escape the torture of waiting either. She vividly recalls heading down to a polyclinic at 7 in the morning just a week ago, only to wait at least an hour and a half before it was her turn. These days, she sees the doctor more frequently than her mum.

And thus, the wait continues and her eyes darted from the television screen ahead to the book on hand. Occasionally, she would lapse into a conversation with her aunt. Tick Tock goes the clock. The numbers above the rooms buzzed, but never was it their number. It was going to be a long day.

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Dark.

It was really dark. The gentle breeze shuffled the leaves on the ground and the branches overhead swayed with the wind. She breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted the gates that were left ajar. Quickly, she slipped into the school and smiled again. It’s been a long time since she has had to be in school so late at night.

As she approached the tuck shop, the distant laughter and chattering of students could be heard. The bright light greeted her as she stepped into the tuck shop. Spotting the familiar chairs and tables, she could not help but reminisce. Students turned to stare, but only for a brief moment. Slowly, she made her way to the stage area under Lecture Theatre 1. Things were as they were. As usual, there was a noisy bunch of people crowded round the stage. No doubt, they were most probably the newly elected student councilors, she thought.

Soon, she arrived at the end and left the bright lights behind and stumbled on into the darkness. Funny, there were no lights along the path. Not that that was surprising. It was a refreshing change, in fact. She could not help but recall the days after guitar practices where she had had to walk down this very path amidst the darkness. Ahead, light from beneath Lecture Theatre 2 beckoned her.

She lifted her head as she approached the stairs, a habit developed during her schooling days. Then, it was to see if there were any teachers heading down the steps. That night however, the picture that smiled down at her shocked her. The entrance was barricaded with shutters! Her eyes widened and she paused in her steps. ‘Oh no!’ she thought. ‘Is there no other way up?’

It didn’t take her long to figure out what a fool she was. She laughed as she walked towards another flight of stairs leading to the staff room. Taking the steps two at a time, it was not long before she came face to face with the pigeon holes, or letter slots as the teachers call it. Still, it will always be known as pigeon holes to her.

The darkness that resided in the area was overwhelming. Luckily for her, she brought along her handphone. Sliding her phone up, the light emitted by the phone was sufficient for her. Slowly, she searched for her teachers’ pigeon hole. Though it felt like it took forever, it probably took her only five minutes to find the two pigeon holes. Thereafter, she started making her way back down.

As she descended down the stairs, she started checking to see if the two letters on her hands were indeed hers. At the same time, she was admiring the formality and classiness of the envelopes. Silly, but true. Suddenly, a click of the shutters brought her out of her stupor. She looked up and quickly flew down the stairs, just in time to avoid being locked in. Phew! What a close shave.

Glancing at her watch, she finally realised how late it really was and briskly made her way to the entrance of the school. At the same time, she decided it was only decent of her to SMS a certain someone. Walking as quickly as possible so as not to get lock up in school, she started typing her message, and sent the message just as she left the tuck shop behind.

It was the end of another day.

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"Sweet memories you gave me.
Imprisoned by them, I am now.
Damned."