Prop/Chorus Room

I push open the door and step into the room. Shiny metal fold up chairs are put into rows in the middle of the room, as if there had been an official meeting right before I came. Before my eyes could take in anything else, machinery started whirring over head. Even outside the ward, the Combine is still at work, constantly scanning and working at everyone. My body's jerks at the sudden, overwhelming sound. I begin to worry that someone saw me jerk. I must stay cagey.

I see sprinklers on the ceiling, where the teachers must dispense the fog for the students each class. It's not a very big room, so the fog must build up quickly. Kids must get lost quickly, because the room is symmetrical. Nothing on each side is really different. But on the left side, there is a speaker above the glass wall that separates the rest of the room from a smaller room. The Outside is becoming more like the ward with each passing day.

The piano in the center of the room seems to be growing. First the size of a mouse, the piano becomes bigger, and bigger. I'm not sure if the machinery is making it grow. Still, I walk over to get closer to it. There used to be a piano in the ward but a couple of years ago Nurse Ratched got rid of it, claiming it was a disruption to the therapeutical practices for the patients. People used to play songs and sing along to them, no matter how bad they were at the piano. Sometimes my body would sway to the music with out realizing it. One time one of the black boys almost caught me.

I glanced around the room and placed my finger on one of the keys. I don't press down, in fear that someone is hiding in the dark glass room, or in the cracks and corners of the bigger room. But something overcomes me and I slowly press down on the key, releasing a small monotone sound. I hear voices coming from somewhere downstairs, singing a melody. Not similar to McMurphy's songs, but something more simple yet pure. I look to the right and see a small statue of an angel, looking down at the floor and carrying a pillar. The voices grow louder and louder. The angel joins the voices in harmony, still looking down at the ground. I press the key again, in a desperate attempt to be with them.

All of a sudden the machinery stops.