Fiction

Heal Thyself
by Jane Gwaltney

Fingernails. I have one long one. Only one, and I keep it hidden. I wasn't good at hiding before. You found the food... But I learned. You think I'm stupid. That makes me smile.

I learned.

My eyes are too far apart, but so much the better. They keep watch on both sides at once. I see through my lids when you think I'm asleep. I see all your moves... and I memorize them.

I'm no longer hungry. Best of all, I don't fear you anymore. I'm happy now, but I'm careful. My smiles don't show on my outside... I used to have a pleasant smile, in spite of my crooked teeth. Everyone said so. Everyone except you.

I learned to despise you.

Some of the others laugh at me. But you don't. You talk and you talk, and you think I can't understand... How wrong you are. I know everything about you--

You're the one who took my smile.

Some of the others share their food with me now. Ironic. I don't have to steal anymore. And I owe it all to you.

I intend to pay in full.

Disorder disturbs you, doesn't it? So why do you talk too much? It was already hard for me to talk, and you made it harder... My kind has no place in this world. In your tidy world. You have a solution for all problems, and now... so do I!

You taught me.

My thoughts have order. I've made plans. And you still think I'm unteachable... You think too little. You read too much.

Books have taught you nothing.

They instructed you to have my hair cut off, so it would stay "cleaner". It was the only thing about me that was pretty. Until you ruined it. I was fat, but I stayed that way no matter how long you deprived me of food-- My metabolism. A genetic flaw. I read about that in a book... You think I can't read, don't you?

Wrong again...

Eating was my one remaining pleasure. So I stole food and hoarded it. Actually, I only took what should have been mine. Do you know how it feels to be robbed of all you enjoy? I'm sure you don't.

You eat books.

You devour them, digest them until you bloat. Then you shit them all over us...

I was a cornered animal when you found my hiding place-- I bit you and the others because I was in pain! My fingernails were unable to defend me. I had chewed them off.

It was cruel of you to have my teeth removed.

My fingernails have grown. Especially this one, and it's useful for many things. Even scooping and eating...

Like I said, I'm very good at hiding now. The new accommodations are perfect. Already, it's quiet and peaceful for everyone back there. Yes. One less snake in the pit-- Oh, I forgot. The term has changed!

My mistake.

The term for me has changed too, hasn't it? My kind has evolved. From "idiot", "retard", "Mongoloid", to... "intellectually challenged".

I accept the challenge!

My food stash is safe. I've even added a few books... Why aren't you smiling? You love books.

I wish you could see how much I've learned.

Yes... what one reads in books makes perfect sense, when properly interpreted. I found the revelation I'd been seeking in "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth..."

What a shame you only had two, Doctor--

But they were delicious.