The Undiscovered Country

The Undiscovered Country

Frank Andrews put his foot down weaving in and out of the traffic through the pouring rain oblivious to the danger. He had to get to the shops before they closed. It was their wedding anniversary. He had forgotten last year and his wife, Angela, had not let him forget the fact for what seemed like forever. Not only that, but she was pregnant with their first child, a boy, they knew it was going to be a boy, they had seen the scans, and he was due in a few days.

If that weren’t enough there was all the shit he had to put up with at the office. The new corporate owners had ‘downsized’ the business, so he was now doing his work, but also the jobs of three other people as well. Or at least that was what Frank told himself.

Suddenly! A car from a slip road shot out from the left. Frank barely avoided a collision swerving to the right. He turned around and gave the driver the finger to show his disapproval.

When he turned back around again he saw a bus coming directly towards him.

I’m still on the wrong side of the fucking road.

He couldn’t go back to the correct lane as that was now occupied by the driver who he had insulted, so instead he continued right onto the wide pathway. Unfortunately he was still doing 50 mph. So he hit the brakes… too hard he started to skid uncontrollably. Instinctively he raised his arms to shield his eyes. Then there was an impact, and no more.

Fucking hell, I was lucky to walk away from that one. Frank said lying in his bed. At least he assumed it was his bed. It must be.

‘I wonder how badly damaged the car is, I’ll lose my no claims bonus. Fuck I was going to use that to help finance the new fitted kitchen Angela had set her heart on,’ he said out loud.

But realized that he couldn’t hear his own voice, in fact, he couldn’t hear anything.

It must be night time, that’s what it is, that’s why it’s so dark.

And it was dark, pitch black in fact.

‘It’s all my bosses fault, Mr. Smithers, If that cunt hadn’t make me work late then none of this would have happened.’

Shit, I shouldn’t curse out loud, bad Karma.

Karma, that’s a laugh, Angela believed in all that ‘New age shit,’ as Frank liked to call it. What a load of crap honestly. You get ahead in this world by screwing others, and that’s a fact.

I should be able to see the street light through the window, but it’s not there, there’s no moonlight either, nothing at all.

And then a terrible thought occurred to Frank.

Maybe I’m not in my bed at all; maybe I’m in hospital - a room with no window that would explain why I can’t see anything.

But I can’t feel anything either.

Perhaps I’ve been sedated. Yes, that would explain it; after all if I were really badly injured I would be in a lot of pain so they must have sedated me.

But I can examine my own thoughts. If this were a dream there would just be images, wouldn’t there?

Frank remembered an article he once read about ‘lucid dreams’ or the ability to control the direction of your nocturnal ramblings, you could, in effect, choose what you were going to dream about.

Franks thoughts returned to his boss.

I’m through with that place. Ten fucking years I’ve worked there at Consolidated Holdings. Ten years, and what do I have to show for it, I’m a supervisor. I’m a fucking supervisor. That’s what you get for not being an arse kisser. You get stepped over. The departmental manager is five years younger than me, recruited straight out of university with a degree in business administration.

‘I went to the school of hard knocks mate, wasn’t born with the fucking advantages you had buddy boy,’ Frank said again.

He stopped speaking. Even though he had convinced himself he was dreaming, he didn’t know if there were other people in the ward who might hear him ranting about his boss.

‘Better not say any more.’

I could end up in the nut house along with the rest of the loonies.

Oh shit. I’m not am I. Maybe I had a nervous breakdown and they had me committed. No, that couldn’t have happened. I would have some memory of that. They never put me in a strait jacket, I wasn’t sectioned, nothing like that. That was the kind of thing that would stick in your mind.

No… I am quite sane. Anyway, it’s a well-known fact that crazy people never question their own sanity. Mind you I must be crazy working at that place. I remember that guy, what was his name, Barry I think it was. He had been there for thirty years, thirty fucking years. Then one day. Bang! Had a heart attack, he had dropped dead right in front of me. Yes, if I stay there one day they’ll carry me out in a wooden box.

Oh no! They don’t think I’m dead do they? They haven’t buried me alive have they? Strangely, such a terrifying thought would have meant that Frank probably would have shit himself, but there was no tension in his sphincter muscles. Frank gingerly raised his arms. Or at least he thought he was raising his arms hoping and praying that he wouldn’t feel the lid of the casket above him, no… nothing.

He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Yes, that was settled when he got out of this he would… what it was again. Oh yes, that was it he would tell his boss, what was his bosses name again. Mr… I know it begins with an S, or maybe it’s a C.

Anyway I’ve worked there for… how long was it? What did I do?

It must be the drugs. They’re clouding my memory it will all come back to me.

Frank thought he could see a light. It didn’t look like a light switch.

Light switch… light switch… I like those words.

His poor wife would be worried sick.

Sick, am I sick, how sick am I?

For a strange moment he felt like he was floating in water.

I can’t be.

The light was getting brighter and nearer. There were giants standing on the other side of it.

‘I must be…’

‘I… who I… wah, waaah’

Brilliant light then…

Congratulations Mrs. Andrews you have a beautiful baby boy. The midwife exclaimed holding up the screaming baby for Angela to see.

‘And it sounds like he has a healthy set of lungs too.’

Angela was in tears. Both at the joy of giving birth, but at the recent loss of her husband Frank.

‘She has his eyes.’

‘Have you thought of a name for him?’ the midwife asked.

‘Well we were going to call him Peter, but I think I’ll call him Frank after his father, it’s just a shame that Frank isn’t here to see this.’

‘He’s here in spirit,’

‘No he’s here in person, somewhere anyway, the Buddha taught, and I doubt very much I’m holding him in my hands right now. That would be too weird.’

‘I’m lean more towards Shakespeare myself, what was it Hamlet said? ‘The undiscovered country, from who’s borne no traveller returns,’ just try to be thankful, you have a healthy baby boy.’

Angela looked down on Frank junior and smiled.

‘Waaah,’ Frank screamed.