posted on Jun, 4 2018 @ 09:52 PM
Hunched over his work table, glasses with three levels of magnification balanced on the bridge of his nose, Jeremy never seemed to notice the activity
around him. Sometimes it was loud. Louder than he would like it to be with the buzzing of so many voices. Other times it was so quiet he could almost
hear the sound of the tools working their way through the wood as he carved it. Every detail, infinitesimal but equally necessary, had to be just
so.
Jeremy had lost track of how long he had been working on this piece. It seemed like a whole lifetime had gone by. Still, he spent his days slowly,
carefully, creating his masterpiece with exquisite skills it had taken him a lifetime to master. He had managed more than a few great pieces in his
time. But this one... This one was special. This one was not for a paying customer. This one was for the love of his life. The woman he had dedicated
his every waking moment to. And it had to be perfect.
The buzzing sounded again and he ignored it as he always did, focusing on his work. This would truly be his greatest accomplishment. It would be
magnificent! And he knew his wonderful wife would love it. She saw it in a dream and described it to him so accurately and in such amazing detail that
he could see it too. Now it was just a matter of time until she could hold it in her hands and marvel at the love and craftsmanship that turned her
dream into reality. Jeremy could hardly contain himself thinking of the moment he would present it to her.
Here was another of those really tricky parts. He had cut himself on the last one trying to hold the cutting tool so steady for this most intricate
work. But it was necessary. The wood was carved literally a grain at a time to guarantee the results were exactly as he needed them to be. Slowly now.
Slowly. Jeremy pushed the cutting tool through the wood in a smooth arc joining perfectly with the last cut he had made. The free-hand curves were the
hardest part. There was no pattern to follow and they had to be identical or the symmetry of the piece would be lost. Jeremy held his breath as the
last tiny sliver of wood fell away from the cutting tool. He exhaled loudly and wiped the sweat from his brow. He flipped his glasses up to admire his
handy-work. His heart leaped with joy knowing how his wife would love this most treasured gift. He sat quietly inspecting his work as the buzzing
nearby threatened to derail his silent celebration.
“And who do we have here?” Dr. Wilson inquired. Dr. Wilson was new to the hospital and though he had reviewed the patient files couldn't yet put
faces to the names.
“This is Jeremy,” the Charge Nurse replied. “He has been here almost twenty years, since his wife passed away. He had children who have since
passed also. According to them he was making his wife a very ornately hand carved music box. He had made several in his life but this one was his
passion. Hell, it was his obsession. He was so absorbed in his work when his wife fell ill that time sort of stopped for him right there. He just
couldn't deal with it. He hasn't spoken since. He just sits here quietly working on his music box. He came here with some wood working tools but he
cut himself once so we had to take them away. It didn't slow him down though. He just keeps working away, all day every day. It seems to make him
happy and he keeps to himself so we just let him do his thing.”
The end.
edit on 4-6-2018 by Vroomfondel because: (no reason given)