Sometimes Words Escape Me

“Tell me, Jasper, what is the name of the mythological creature that sucks people’s blood?”

Dr. Deed sat across from me in my cell, and I couldn’t remember if I wanted him there or not.

“The blood. The funny man with the, the…” I snapped my fingers, trying to make the word come out, but it was either hiding or it just wasn’t there. I sighed, “He has teeth.”

“That’s right,” said the doctor, “He has sharp fangs.”

“Fangles?” I asked, curious.

“No, fangs.” The doctor pointed to his teeth. He had a large tongue. “Can you remember Count Dracula?” he continued, trying to lead me to the right word.

“I don’t remember him,” I replied, honestly. “I mean, I didn’t see him anywhere.”

“He’s not real,” replied the Doctor, “He’s fictional. Make believe.”

“I see,” I said, losing interest.

The doctor wrote something on a clipboard that was sitting lazily in his lap.

“Why do you have that?” I said, pointing nervously to it.

“It helps me remember,” he explained.

“Remember what?”

“My meetings.”

“Who do you get to meet?” I wondered.

“Important people.  People like you.”

I looked up at the ceiling, curious to know if I had fangles.

Doctor Deed looked at his watch. He looked like he was a bored man. A very bored man, indeed. “Who else do you have to see today?” I asked, trying to show some interest.

He smiled, “You are my last patient.”

“I am the first patient,” I corrected him.

“How do you know?” he laughed at me, thinking he was so funny.

I sighed, “Because I am the first person to show you any patience today.”

He smiled again, and stood up from his chair. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see him again or not. “Very good,” he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I can’t guarantee that,” I said, shaking my head, “And neither can you.”

“True,” he replied, opening my door.

As he moved out into the hallway, I suddenly felt alive. “Oh, oh!” I shouted, “It’s a cat! A vampire cat! They go bang in the night.”