The New Doctor

 

            Hospital waiting rooms were the worst. Brandy fidgeted while she watched the clock. Her appointment with the new doctor was supposed to start twenty minutes ago. Mom had gone down the hall to the vending machines to get them both a snack.

            Waiting for Mom to come back, Brandy hoped this new doctor would be able to help her. Her previous doctor hadn’t been able to do much for her illness, so he referred her to the specialist. The new doctor’s office was in the large downtown hospital.

            Now she sat in the waiting room, trying to calm her nerves. Where was Mom? The vending machines weren’t that far away. Suddenly, there was a crash from the hallway. “Mom?” Brandy called out. She got up and walked toward where the noise had come from. She looked down an awfully long hallway. (Much longer than it had appeared when she first arrived.)

            Her breath stuck in her throat when she saw a large, powerful black panther bounding down the hall. Brandy yelped and turned to run. She ran blindly, without knowing or caring where. She just had to get away from the panther. She heard it crashing behind her and swore she could feel its hot breath on her neck.

            Chancing a look behind her, she ran faster when she saw that the panther was getting closer. Her illness had left her weak, but adrenaline helped her find speed. She hadn’t been able to run like this for at least a year.

            Brandy followed the long hallway in front of her. Strangely, it didn’t appear to have any other hallways or doors intersecting it. There was only one way to go – straight.

            She pushed her body faster and felt her heart hammering in her ears. There had to be somewhere to hide. Why weren’t there any doors off this hallway? She felt like she’d run at least a mile. How big was this hospital, anyway?

            Finally, the eternal hallway seemed to have an end. A closed door rushed up to greet her as she ran toward it. Praying that it wasn’t locked, Brandy turned the handle and threw herself inside, slamming the door shut behind her. She locked it and leaned against the door, listening for the panther.

            There was an enormous thud as it seemed the panther had run headlong into the door. Loud snarls and scrapes told Brandy that the panther was still trying to come through, but the locked door held fast. She breathed a huge sigh of relief and looked around at her hiding place.

            It was the strangest hospital room she had ever seen. The floor was made of tile near the door, but it merged into what could only be described as a forest floor. Dirt and roots had pushed up through the tiles, and trees were growing inside of the room. Brandy moved forward to get a better look and saw that there was a path through the undergrowth.

            She breathed in the smell of pine and earth before setting off down the path, feeling more and more like she had come outside somehow. What she thought had just been a small room, turned into something enormous. The further she walked, the more confused she became. How was this possible? Soon, trees surrounded her, and she could no longer see the walls. This inside forest was immense.

            She continued walking along the path, looking for anyone who would be able to help her. She knew she couldn’t go back the way she had come. She did not want to get close to that panther again.

            Soon she heard the sound of water running. The trees were starting to thin and bright sunlight shone down on her. When had she come outside? Suddenly, the path ended. A large, grassy field sprawled out before her, and a beautiful fountain stood in the middle of it. She walked up to it and admired the water shooting out of the top and traveling down several small waterfalls, before it was caught in the stone basin in front of her.

            This fountain had to be at least twenty feet tall. It was a few moments before she noticed the sign standing next to it. It said: “Come and drink of our cool, clear water and enjoy its many benefits! Only 25 cents!”

            Next to the sign was a small vending machine full of paper cups. Disappointment filled Brandy. She never carried any money with her. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and started walking again. Her right hand closed around something circular in her pocket. Pulling it out, she was amazed to discover a quarter!

            She happily inserted the quarter into the small machine, and a paper cup came out. Brandy held it under one of the waterfalls until it filled. She put the cup up to her lips and drank the water.

            It was the best water that she had ever tasted. Usually, water didn’t really have a taste, but this was amazing! She drank the entire cup full and felt the water move through her body all the way to her fingers and toes. She closed her eyes and savored the taste of the water still on her lips.

            Mom shook her shoulder. “Are you all right, Brandy?”

            Brandy’s eyes shot open and she was once again sitting in the waiting room. Mom was looking at her in concern with a chocolate bar in her hand. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Brandy said quickly.

Mom didn’t look quite convinced. “I’m sorry I was gone so long. I went over to the nurses’ station to see how much longer we would be waiting. They asked me which doctor we were seeing, and they said that there was no Dr. Fountain that worked anywhere in this hospital. I told them that we had been referred here by your other doctor, Dr. Youth, but they had never heard of him either.” Mom’s look of confusion was total. “So, now we have nothing to do here. I’ll have to find another doctor for you, apparently.” She held out the candy bar. “I got this for you anyway, so this won’t be a totally wasted trip. I’ve never seen this kind of candy before, and I thought you might like it.”

            Brandy took the candy bar without looking at it. She stood up and followed Mom out of the hospital to their car. Brandy was amazed at how good she felt. Normally, she would have had to stop and take breaks, but she felt full of energy. Walking was finally easy today. She still felt good when she got in the car. Then she looked down at the chocolate bar and smiled. She had never seen this kind either, but the events of the day almost made sense when she read the name of the candy: Fountain of Youth.