Pennhurst Asylum, Spring City, PA
1987
All I hear is voices. All day, everyday, that's all I can hear. Sometimes I think it's normal, at least they keep me company. There are so many, but one voice always sticks out above all of them. Overall she usually stays calm, but she screams at me sometimes. She gets angry when I don’t do as she asks.
2 years earlier:
I squirm in my seat on the park bench and wonder what my life would be like if I was like them; if only I was like the other kids in my neighborhood. Would it be easier if these voices didn’t follow me around? Would my parents have kept me? My thoughts begin to overtake me, a thing I try to avoid. “You know why they left you, right?” The voice is quiet, almost silent as it rings inside my head. I hate this. Why does she keep doing this? I struggle as I try to clear my mind of all thoughts in attempt to get rid of her. …show more content…
It was white with purple flowers and it smelled so bitter. I am staring at my reflection in the small, sad window. I didn’t know where I was going, but she told me I had to. I kept walking until I arrive at the room that she described. “Red and blue door with a silver knob, don’t forget” is all she kept repeating. She’d get louder if I turned down the wrong corridor or touched the wrong doorknob. It was almost like a children’s game that I played when I was younger. As soon as I opened the door, it hit me. The rotten smell, so pungent I could be sick on the spot. I threw my hand over my nose, attempting to block the smell. Wiping the tears from my eyes with my other hand, I could make out a large, oval-shaped coffee table in the middle of the room. She’s stopped talking, and it’s dead silent except for the white noise of whispers that constantly follow me around. I walk towards the table, walk towards the paper on the table, my bare feet dragging across the white tile. I stop, standing next to the table, picking up the letter and clenching it between my shaky
1987
All I hear is voices. All day, everyday, that's all I can hear. Sometimes I think it's normal, at least they keep me company. There are so many, but one voice always sticks out above all of them. Overall she usually stays calm, but she screams at me sometimes. She gets angry when I don’t do as she asks.
2 years earlier:
I squirm in my seat on the park bench and wonder what my life would be like if I was like them; if only I was like the other kids in my neighborhood. Would it be easier if these voices didn’t follow me around? Would my parents have kept me? My thoughts begin to overtake me, a thing I try to avoid. “You know why they left you, right?” The voice is quiet, almost silent as it rings inside my head. I hate this. Why does she keep doing this? I struggle as I try to clear my mind of all thoughts in attempt to get rid of her. …show more content…
It was white with purple flowers and it smelled so bitter. I am staring at my reflection in the small, sad window. I didn’t know where I was going, but she told me I had to. I kept walking until I arrive at the room that she described. “Red and blue door with a silver knob, don’t forget” is all she kept repeating. She’d get louder if I turned down the wrong corridor or touched the wrong doorknob. It was almost like a children’s game that I played when I was younger. As soon as I opened the door, it hit me. The rotten smell, so pungent I could be sick on the spot. I threw my hand over my nose, attempting to block the smell. Wiping the tears from my eyes with my other hand, I could make out a large, oval-shaped coffee table in the middle of the room. She’s stopped talking, and it’s dead silent except for the white noise of whispers that constantly follow me around. I walk towards the table, walk towards the paper on the table, my bare feet dragging across the white tile. I stop, standing next to the table, picking up the letter and clenching it between my shaky