Free The Best Day of My Life by Deborah Ellis

to look and how to turn the dials on the machine until the picture became clear.
    What I saw was so beautiful I had to back away.
    â€˜That came from me ? It’s so beautiful.’
    â€˜Our bodies are made up of cells,’ Dr. Indra said. ‘A cell is a wonderful thing, and one day, perhaps, I will tell you all about it.’
    â€˜Tell me now.’
    â€˜Another day. For now let me have another look at your beautiful blood.’
    I took one more look myself. Then I slid off the stool and let the doctor take my place.
    There were some chairs with armrests nearby. Nobody told me not to sit in them, so I sat.
    The doctor looked through the microscope for a while. Then she sat down beside me and made a lot of notes on a piece of paper.
    My clothes were still damp and I could smell the river on them. I remembered my coins and I made sure the knot holding them was tight. Although my stomach was full for today, I’d need to eat again the next day.
    Finally the doctor stopped writing.
    â€˜Do you have somewhere to sleep tonight?’ she asked.
    â€˜Of course.’
    â€˜Where?’
    I waved my arms. ‘Kolkata.’
    â€˜Yes, but where in Kolkata?’
    I shrugged. The night was a long time away. Why worry about it when the sun was still shining?
    She changed the subject.
    â€˜The loss of feeling in your feet is caused by a bacteria in your blood. Another sign is the patch of skin on your arm that has no color. You have something called Hansen’s Disease. It is also called leprosy. The leprosy germ goes after your nerves and keeps them from working properly. You didn’t do anything wrong to get it. The disease is not a punishment. It’s just a germ you breathed in. Most people can breathe in the germ and not get the disease. You’re part of the five percent of the population that the germ will grow in. Do you understand?’
    â€˜Sure,’ I said, but I wasn’t really listening. My stomach was full and the chair was comfortable.
    â€˜There is nothing to be afraid of,’ she said. ‘This is a disease that has a cure. We can’t repair the damage to the nerves that’s already been done. But we can get rid of the bacteria and keep the damage from getting worse. We’ll start you right away on the pills, and that will be that. Now, the reason I was asking if you had a place to stay is that your feet need to heal. You have some bad ulcers that could use skin grafts to close them up. For that I’d like to keep you in the hospital here for a while. What do you think of that?’
    I was sinking into the chair. My eyes kept closing.
    She wants to know where you slept last night, I told myself.
    There was a ladies’ garden not far from the hospital. I could go there and lie down in the cool green grass. The heat of the day was on. I was falling asleep.
    Get up and go to the garden, I told myself. But the thought of rising from the comfort of the chair was too much. Plus, Dr. Indra was sitting very close to me. Her knees were pressed against mine. To leave, I’d have to climb over her.
    Too hard, I thought. Too hard.
    I couldn’t keep my eyes open. My chin dropped to my chest.
    I felt the doctor lift me up in her arms. My head rested against her neck and I felt someone carrying me up some stairs. Her skin smelled of flowers. The soft whisper of her voice was kind.
    She put me down some place soft.
    By the time my head left her shoulder, I was asleep.

    â€˜Wake up. It’s time to eat.’
    â€˜Let her sleep.’
    â€˜If she keeps sleeping now, she’ll be up all night and then none of us will sleep.’
    â€˜New girl, wake up. The supper cart is on its way in.’
    Voices reached me through my sound sleep.
    I took my time waking up. I was sleeping on a soft mat in a place that smelled clean. I was very comfortable.
    Then I smelled food, and I would rather eat than sleep. Any day.
    I opened my eyes.
    I screamed.
    Monsters