The Spiral Effect (5 page)

“Your move, Alex.” The white man said.

Alex gripped his chin and cheek,
contemplating the move. Other than a move of e4 and e5, all the
other pieces stood guard in their originally assigned spot. Ten
minutes had gone by since the last move. However, since Alex had
always played the game too quickly, which was why, in his mind, he
never won, today, he’d try a different approach.

“Just formulating a strategy here,
Father.”

Alex reached for the knight on his left.

“How many times do I have to tell you, Alex?
Just call me Donovan.”

Alex stopped inches from the white horse’s
head.
No—don’t want to do that. Took that approach last
time.

“Working on my show of respect and civility.
Don’t look too much into it, Donovan.”

Alex finally decided on a move of Bc4.
Donovan moved his Knight to f6.

“A new assignment from Dr. Mattheson?”
Father Donovan asked.

Alex rolled his eyes. “Yes. That man is full
of them, isn’t he?”

“Don’t look at it as a bad thing. You need
something to occupy your time Tuesday to Sunday.”

“Or you could come more than once a
week.”

Move—d3.

“I’m sorry, but others require my time as
well.”

Move—c6.

“What, terminal patients looking for a
miracle, hobos in need of beer money, whores a prayer for a clean
conscience?”

A man dressed in blue scrubs walked up and
stood behind Alex. “Everything okay?”

“Its fine, Chase. In the middle of something
here.”

Chase was a man in his forties. Clean cut,
black hair, and looked like he exercised. Other than that, Alex
didn’t really have an opinion about him or care to know a single
iota more.

“Time for your pills.”

Alex held out his hand, but kept his eyes on
the board.

“Sorry about that.” Alex said.

“It’s okay, Alex, just thought I should—

“Not you, Chase.”

Alex grabbed the little white cup, shot the
pills down his throat, crumpled it up and plopped it back into
Chase’s hand.

“Every Monday.” Chase muttered before
turning to leave.

“Not going to work on your homework with
him?” Father Donavan said.

Alex sighed.

“SORRY ABOUT THAT CHASE. YOU’RE DOING A
FANTASTIC JOB. THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO!”

Chase shook his head but didn’t turn
around.

Move—Bg5.

“I think you hurt his feelings.” Father
Donovan said.

“Hmm? What’s that, now?”

“Don’t think you’ll be getting an A on your
homework assignment when you see Dr. Mattheson today.”

Move—h6.

Alex shrugged. “
I’m fairly
certain it’s pass/fail. Besides, my problems stem far deeper than
my lack of social etiquette.”

Move—Bxf6.

“Has there been any headway in that
department?”

Move—Qxf6.

Alex cringed at seeing his bishop taken by
the priest’s queen. His thoughts quickly flickered and fired. Focus
on the game or answer the question. Both were difficult. The priest
always had a knack for distraction. Posing serious questions and
intriguing ideas.

Just last week the priest had discussed the
ancient Hebrews’ brilliant use of constellation mapping and lunar
observation to create their calendar. The part that fascinated Alex
the most was that these desert wanderers had figured out they
needed to add a thirteenth month every seven years because 360 days
didn’t quite add up to a full year. That they saw the stars and
moon as a map, not celestial objects to be worshipped. But it was
also this kind of information that took Alex’s focus. Kept him from
winning.

Damn, he’s doing it again.

Move—Nc3.

Alex rubbed his hands together. “No real
progress, if that’s what you mean.”

Move—b5.

“That’s a shame. Was hoping to hear about
some progress today. It concerns me that you still don’t fully
understand why you’re here.”

Focus. Focus. Resist the trap in taking his
pawn. Not worth losing a bishop.

Move—Bb3.

“Don’t sweat it. Mattheson’s a hack. I’m
pretty sure he had some extra help getting his doctorate, if you
know what I mean.”

Move—a5.

Alex dug into his thigh. It never failed,
Donovan always had a quick response. He hadn’t even studied the
board while Alex spoke.

“I’m not sure I quite understand.”

Alex sighed. Donovan certainly knew how to
keep him talking. Keep him interested in anything but the game. But
it was such a good question.

“Well, for starters, the man still clings to
Freudian thought.”

Move—a3.

A smile twitched at Father Donovan’s pursed
lips.

Move—Bc5.

“That would be rather unnerving.”

“Right, thank you. I’ve tried telling the
orderlies that and hell, even the other patients. They don’t get
what the problem is. See, this is why you and me click—

Move—Nf3.

“—why you’re the only person I can really
talk to in this place.”

Move—d6.

“I’m sure there are others.”

Alex chuckled as he eyed
the board.
Could take his pawn with my
knight. No, he’ll just take it with a pawn. Can’t take anything,
yet.

“Do you actually talk with the other
patients or just pray over them? Because if you’ve talked to the
same insane folks I have, you wouldn’t be saying that.”

Move—Qd2.
Not too early to move my queen. Just a
space.

“Perhaps you haven’t given them a
chance.”

Move—Be6.

“Look at Jenny over there. How much paint is
on the canvas?”

In the corner of the rec room sat Jenny, a
woman probably in her early thirties, but difficult to tell due to
the stringy hair, blue sweatpants, gray sweat shirt, and pink socks
rocking stitched yellow bunnies. Jenny might have been
twenty-five.

An unused paintbrush was lying next to
Jenny’s hand. Her fingers, however, flashed a rainbow. She
nervously twitched as she smeared green paint across her forehead.
Her left cheek already exhibited a lovely shade of red, while the
right a deep purple. In spite of the shakes, and obvious effects of
stupor induced meds, she wore a genial smile. Next to her, on an
easel, stood a blank, white canvas.

“What’s wrong with her?” Father Donovan
said.

Alex shrugged.
He left his bishop open. Take it.

Move—Bxe6.

“What about him over there? The old guy.
He’s reading a book.”

Move—fxe6.

Damn it. I should have caught that.

A small, electrical wave
jolted into his frontal lobe. Alex slightly winced and rubbed his
forehead. The meds had begun their attack on his neurons.
Won’t be worth a damn much longer.

“Look closer at the book.” Alex said.

Father Donovan narrowed his eyes, adjusted
his glasses, and leaned a bit closer to try and see what Alex was
talking about.

Crazy old Tom sat in the
corner opposite of Jenny. As one can imagine, the old man, who
sported a neatly trimmed beard, gray with speckles of the black it
once was, sat comfortably in a lounge chair, holding a worn and
faded hardback. A gentleness seeped from his eyes and the crow’s
feet around them revealed years of smiles and laughter. In Crazy
old Tom’s hands was a copy of
Mein
Kampf
, upside down. The leathery old hands
turned a page and immediately began to cackle.

“He probably doesn’t know what he’s
reading.” Father Donovan said.

“Sure he does.”

Time to pull out the old switcheroo.

Move—O-O.

“I assume he’s spoken to you, or rather,
said some unkind words?”

Move—g5.

I don’t think he even looked at the board
that time.

Alex interlocked his fingers and cracked the
eight knuckles simultaneously.

“Tom is so out of it he doesn’t even know
I’m black. Tried to get me and Darren to partake in some Nazi march
the other day. Guy still thinks it’s the forties.”

“He doesn’t look old enough to have
participated in the war.”

“You do remember where you are, right?”

Move—h3.

Alex nearly dropped the
pawn as he moved it, eyes on Father Donovan the entire time.
I hope that came off as smooth.

Move—Nd7.

“What about Gerald? I recall some mention of
him a few months back. Guy with some interesting theories.”

Alex sighed as he tried to
decipher the new arrangement on the board. He couldn’t figure out
what Donovan’s plan in the game or conversation. Gave him a
headache.
Feels like a ruse.

“What’s with the sudden need for me to find
a buddy? You plan on leaving me or something?”

As the words left Alex’s mouth, a slight
shiver clinched his shoulders. He had never meant the question to
be serious. Wouldn’t have asked it had he not been sure Father
Donovan would say no. However, even now, with the question still
acrid on his tongue, Alex was unsure of how the priest would
respond.

Alex’s fingers began to
tremble as his right hand hung over his pawn to the far right. He
grabbed it with his left hand and held them still. The game, he
refused to think of anything but the game.
Why is it taking him so long to answer?
Alex pulled his hand away from the pawn and stretched his
fingers. Eyes began to blur.

Damn medicine.

He rubbed his eyes. Clear. Better.

The board. The Game. Shit. His queen. My
knight. How’d I not see it?

Move—Nh2.

Alex leaned back.
That move should keep him busy.

“Now, you never answered—

Move—h5.

“God damn it.”

Alex’s hands went to his mouth.

Donovan laughed.

“Alex, I promise. I’m not going
anywhere.”

“I’m going to put an end to your mind games.
One of these days.”

“We’ll see. But not today, it’s time for me
to go. We’ll finish the game next week.”

Alex’s smile dropped. “Can’t be time
already.”

Father Donovan pointed past Alex’s shoulder.
“No, but I believe you’re about to be busy. Have fun. And remember,
take it easy on some of these souls. They really can’t help
themselves.”

Alex turned around.

“Ah, damn it.”

Freddy, clutching a giant wad of sheets and
pillow cases, limped toward Alex.

“Now come on, Donny, don’t leave me alone
with Freddy.”

But Father Donovan had already left the room
and was nowhere in sight.

“Hey, Alex.” Freddy said behind the mound of
sheets. “I got the sheets like you asked. Are you ready to
play?”

Thankfully, the medicine had about completed
its journey through his neurons, which meant nap time. Freddy would
have to wait, hopefully get bored, and play with someone else.

“Not now.”

Alex said, carefully picked up the
chessboard. No one else on the fifteenth floor played chess, so he
knew it would be safe, the pieces untouched and in their exact
order until Donovan returned next week. But just to be sure, Alex
stared at it a good twenty seconds after setting it on the shelf
near the south window.

Got it.

Alex yawned as Freddy made his way to the
couch near the same window. The sheets fell from Freddy’s hands
onto the couch.

As always, the elderly Jew flashed a smile,
showing off his three missing teeth, a canine at the top, and the
two front on the bottom.

“I’ll get the fort started while you take
your nap. It’s gonna be awesome. Turly said she’d bring some sheets
too and Stephen is working on the costumes.”

Alex looked over at the two orderlies near
the nurses’ station. Chase and Mike. Both were deep in
conversation. Surely they had seen Freddy walking with all of those
sheets. And yet, they did nothing to stop him. Alex still didn’t
know where Freddy, Turly, and Stephen got their supplies for these
weird games they always tried to play, but surely a few individuals
were missing their linens.

“You go right on ahead, Freddy. And don’t
worry about waiting on me. If Turly and Stephen are ready to play
before I get up, just start without me. I’ll join up later.”

This answer made Freddy
beam.
Not sure why, I never
show.

“See you later, Freddy. Have fun.”

Alex patted Freddy on the
shoulder and headed toward his room.
Fucking crazies. Wish Donovan could hang a little longer.
Only person keeping me sane around here.

After relieving his bladder in the bathroom,
Alex went into his room. Not much to look at. The walls set a
tranquil mood, painted in a subtle sky blue. The only furniture
standing in the room were his bed, a desk, and the chair for his
desk. No posters. No bookshelf. No flowers. No pictures or frames.
However, there was a small assortment of books, but those were
neatly tucked away under his bed.

Alex shut the door behind him, turned off
the lights, laid down upon his tightly made bed, and shut his
eyes.