Work Text:
Inside a local hospital, numerous people were working, as they passed a room, numbered as Room #307, occupied by a woman with long blonde hair. She was wearing only a white shirt and blue skirt, and her face was covered in bandages; about 3 inches thick.
She was lying in her bed, quiet and lonely. She thought to herself, "When will it be over? I wonder that… every single day…"
A nurse stepped in, with black hair. Her face was covered in shadows. She placed a vase of flowers down, and the woman heard footsteps.
"I brought you your sleeping medicine." The nurse said.
The woman said, "Oh… Thank you. What time is it now?"
"It's 9:30. Bedtime."
"Oh, okay… I was wondering what time it is… since, y'know… I can't see a thing…" She asked, "What about the day? Was it bright out and warm, or was it all muggy?"
"It's warm." The nurse said, giving her the medicine, "I never was known to stare at the sky, even for clouds. There were clouds, by the way. But very little."
"I used to admire the clouds a lot… whether at the beach, or at the park… or wherever. If you stare at them long enough, they become things. It's like shapes… people…"
"It's time to take your temperature…"
The nurse approached her, and the woman said, "One thing… When… When will they take the bandages off? How long?"
"It's until it's safe… for your face."
"Thank goodness… But it's pretty bad, isn't it? It's totally bad? Since I was a little girl, people have always turned away from me. I heard a child screaming at me, running away like hell! I didn't want to be beautiful! I just… I JUST DIDN'T WANT PEOPLE TO SCREAM AT ME, WHENEVER THEY LOOKED AT ME!" She grabbed the nurse's arm and cried, "WHEN? When, Nurse? When will they take the bandages off?"
The nurse calmed her down, and she was tired. "Easy… Easy, now… Lemme take your temperature…"
She took her temperature, and the woman started to pass out. The nurse remarked, "Maybe tomorrow… maybe today… two weeks. Who knows?"
The woman slept, and the nurse left the room. As she was walking to the desk, the phone rang. She answered it, pressing the button on the device.
"Dr. Hikawa… Evening report of patient #307. Resting comfortably, no temperature change."
"Thank you, Nurse. I'll be right there."
The receptionist said, turning away, "Ever see her face?"
"No…" The nurse said, "If it were mine, I'd kill myself for it."
She left, as another figure walked to the desk, without her face covered. It was Saki Hanajima, walking past the nurse, who was walking off.
"You've been introduced to Miss Marin Kitagawa." Hanajima explained to the audience, "She lives in a very private world of darkness. The universe with dimensions of size, thickness, and length of bandages that cover her face. In a moment, we'll witness the removal of those bandages, and we'll see what's under them."
Cut to Marin, who was sleeping in her bed.
(Hanajima): Keeping in mind, of course, we are not to be surprised by what we see. Because this isn't a normal hospital. And Miss Marin Kitagawa, Patient #307, is not just a woman. This just happens to be… a "Tale of the Bizarre".
Tales of the Bizarre #87a:
Eye of the Beholder
The next morning, Marin woke up, moaning, while her face was still covered in bandages.
"How about her blood pressure?" The doctor asked.
"120 over 80." The nurse said.
"Good. Any thyroid reactions, since her latest injections?"
"No. Nothing of the ordinary."
"Nurse, you will come back at 11, to give her the sedative."
The doctor (shrouded in darkness) went to Marin, as she was waking up. "Good morning. Warm, today, Miss Kitagawa. Very warm. You can take my word for it… We'll have those bandages off of you, shortly." He asked, "I expected you to feel uncomfortable."
"I'm used to it…" Marin said.
"I see. This is your… ninth procedure?"
"Eleventh." She said, "Sometimes I live my whole life, inside a dark cave… Living in that cave… All alone in the dark, no privacy… I'll never be the same, will I, Doc?"
"Well, I am not sure right now. Up until then, you have done your procedures, but there's no telling." The doctor said, "Once we get the wrapping off, we may know…"
The doctor headed to the tray, as Marin asked, "So… No more procedures after this?"
"I don't know… if we can try. You very well may have responded to this last treatment. We won't know, until those wraps come up."
"But if I don't, then what?"
"There are alternatives."
"Like?"
He approached her and asked, "Don't you know?"
"Oh, totes. I do know." Marin nodded. The doctor added, "You're not alone, Miss Kitagawa. Really, you're not. There are others that share your misfortune. People who look as much as you do. Now, should this last procedure prove unsuccessful, The State will confirm to let you live comfortably, among those of your own kind."
"Wait… My own kind?!" She asked in confusion.
"It's more a haven for people like you… and who knows? You might like it here."
"It's not that, doctor, I don't wanna live with freaks! I wanna live with normal people!"
"Miss Kitagawa, we're NOT unsympathetic to your condition. Your presence here in this hospital attest to that, and we're gonna do everything we can for you." The doctor explained. "But you have to be realistic."
Marin suggested, "I can wear a mask… or maybe wear colored contacts to hide my form. I just go my own way, to be a different person… Like, maybe a wig, fake skin, or maybe a bra with more padding."
"That's not the case, Miss Kitagawa."
"Well, who do you think you are, telling me who I am, where I live, and how I want to do my life, to what YOU think?"
"Like I said, that's NOT the case! Only the State can determine Social Policy! We can only follow the rules that they give us! I'm a doctor, not a social attorney!"
"BUT IT'S NOT FAIR!" She yelled, though her screams were slightly muffled from the bandages over her mouth, "You think it's normal for someone like me to live in another world, with all the other freaks?! WHO DECIDES?! THE STATE ISN'T GOD!"
"Miss KItagawa, please! Control yourself."
"But the State isn't God! They are not responsible for an accident of birth!" She cried, "You can't make ugly mess a crime–!"
"MISS KITAGAWA!" He yelled at her, "I must kindly ask that you stop this behavior, immediately!"
She sobbed, as she slowly got up, with her blonde hair flowing. She held her strands and said, "At least my hair's fine… but…" She went to the window, as she felt the wind blowing through. "I can feel the morning sun… and the breeze… and the air…" She reached for the doctor, "I ask you… I beg of you… Take this off… Take it off…" She roared, grabbing his arms, "PLEASE TAKE THIS OFF OF ME, DAMMIT!"
Sirens blared, as there was an emergency in Room 307. Marin was screaming, as she was pleading to remove the bandages. The nurses restrained her and strapped her down, and she was screaming for help.
XXXXX
One of the nurses asked the receptionist, "The doctor insisted that Miss Kitagawa in Room 307 wants the bandages off." The receptionist then called, "Anesthesia in Room 307, standby. Yes… Oh, if she sees what she looks like, she may get violent." She hung up, after that.
One of the nurses, in blonde and purple, appeared to the doctor. "You look tired, Doctor."
Doctor Hikawa said, "Yes… Miss Kitagawa is a pain… but she wants out. I was trying to be personal about these things… We did everything medically possible, even humanly possible. In the end, you cross your fingers, and you get a miracle."
"This case in Room 307… It has been personal."
"Yes. But once in a while, a miracle does happen. But it's just often enough to know that a miracle is foolish enough to believe."
"But you're destroying yourself, knowing that you're–."
"I know. But you don't think I know that, do you?" He said to her, "I have seen her real face… Marin Kitagawa's real face. It's a good face."
"I understand…" The nurse said, as the doctor left, "But I must confess, she is NOT human, or she is, if her face is covered up."
"WHY? Why should people be allowed to be different?"
"Doctor, please, be careful."
"I know. It sounds treason… but…"
"This case upsets your balance. Your sense of values."
"Once the wraps are off, I'll be alright. I'll know, one way or another."
NOTE: I'd like to point out the twist. All the characters, except for Marin, are shrouded in blackness. Once Marin's face is revealed, we shall reveal the others. (But you already know that.)
The television played, as a doctor was watching.
"And now, a word from our leader."
The applause was made, as a man in black, in a shadow, was on a podium with the banner saying "One Leader, One Word, One Law" in the background.
"Tonight, I shall talk to you about glorious conformity. The glories and the ultimate pleasures of our unified society. If you recall, of course, that directionless, unproductive, over-sentimentalized error in man's history, when it was assumed that descent was a natural and healthy adjunct to society! You recall that, during this period of time, there was a strange over-sentimentalized concept that it matters not that people were different. That this world could exist, in some sort of crazy coincidence, that it's like a crazy patchwork of glue and cloth, that could mend society! We know NOW… that THAT was wrong!"
That evening, Marin was sitting in the operating room, as the doctor and the nurses were in attention. The doctor said, "Now… We are going to begin the procedure of unwrapping your gauze. But I want you to keep your eyes open, at all times, facing me, and I want you to describe the shading of light that you see through the bandages."
"You mean like viewing the lightning's opacity? I'm game." Marin giggled.
"Now, I'm warning you. If you move in any way, or show any emotional reaction, I'm going to have the nurses hold you down and put you in sedation."
"I won't do that. I'll behave."
"Do you have your promise to behave?"
"I promise… I won't."
They proceeded to cut the bandages off, and slowly peel off the layers of gauze. Marin suddenly said, "Nothing…"
Another layer was peeled off, as Marin added, "No…"
And another layer was peeled off, until… "I see a light… Well, not really."
"Do you see the light?" The doctor asked, "I am going to remove the next layer."
"It's all gray…" She asked, "How many layers did you put me in?"
"It matters not, as long as we want to prevent the bleeding from going out." he peeled off the next layer and said, "Good… Do you see anything now?"
Marin nodded, "It's bright now…"
"Good." The doctor said, "I hold in my hand, and on your face, the very last layer." He proceeded, as Marin said, "Doc… I can see you…" She was giggling, "Your outline, it's so… Real…"
"Now, word of warning…" He said to her, "I'm going to remove the final bandage… So… Do you want a mirror?"
"No, thanks." Marin said, "I can handle it…"
"Okay… Hold still, facing me…" He added, "But remember one thing, as I remove the bandage… We have done all we could. If successful, it's all well. But if not, then keep in mind, if this eleventh and final procedure doesn't fix you, keep in mind, you still have a chance to live a long and fruitful life among others with your looks. If we can determine what you look like, we can either release you or…"
"Doctor… Give it to me straight…" She asked, "If I'm still ugly… Can you–? I mean, well… Is there an alternative for me? Will you put me away?"
"Miss Kitagawa, I understand your request, but the State has provided that there are laws for the extermination of undesirables. There are many factors to be considered, though. But under the circumstances, considering your age and physical well-being, and please bear that in mind, I doubt very much we can do anything other than transferring you to another paradise with your condition."
"You'll make me go, then?"
"That could probably be the case." He said, "Alright… Hold still… Be quiet, and eyes open, please."
He unwrapped her layer, and slowly, her face was being revealed. Her lips were shown, soft and firm, and her nose was small and petite. Her eyes and forehead were still wrapped in a mask, as the doctor said, "Alright… The first half is revealed… but now comes the rest. Whatever happens, I wish you… good luck."
Upon unwrapping her eyes, the doctor hesitated, and he removed the final layer. The nurses suddenly gasped in horror.
"AAAGH!"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
"Hideous!"
Marin gasped in fright, as the doctor cried, "NO CHANGE! NO CHANGE AT ALL!"
Marin's face has shiny pink eyes and her face was beautiful as ever. She felt her face and said, "Wow… That's amazing! I never felt this soft bef–. Wait a second…" She gasped, "Why is my skin…? Oh, no…" She was terrified, as she felt her beautiful face, "No…" She ran out and shrieked, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The doctor restrained her, and cried, "SEDATE HER! I knew this would happen! TURN ON THE LIGHTS!"
The lights turned on, and Marin's eyes widened, seeing the look on the doctor's face. It was…
"Needle, please!" The doctor cried, and Marin shoved him away. Marin ran out of the room, and the doctors chased after her. "STOP HER! STOP THAT PATIENT!"
"There must be a single purpose… A single norm! A single approach!" The television announced, as Marin ran down the halls. The entire place was full of people, with huge eyes, bulbous noses, and weird baboon lips, and they were all a part of a society that lived together in humanity. Marin… she was one of the deformed people on this planet.
"We must no longer exist deformity within our society! They must be removed!"
Marin shrieked, as she was crying for help. The doctor, the nurses, the patients, even the leader himself, born with HUGE Anime-style eyes, thick ugly lips, and a huge button nose! They were the conformity, and Marin was not one of them.
"Conformity is something we must worship and hold sacred! Conformity is the key!"
Marin ran into another room, and she saw a male figure in the shadows. She shrieked, "AAAAAAAAAAGH!" She bawled, "NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOO!"
The doctor captured her, and he said, "Now-now, Miss Kitagawa, it's alright…"
"GET HIM AWAY FROM ME!" She shrieked, "GET HIM AWAY!"
"It's alright. Don't worry… This kind gentleman is whom you'll be going with. He's a representative of the group you'll be living with. Oddly enough, he won't hurt you…" He introduced him to Marin, "Miss Marin Kitagawa, this… is Wakana Gojo. He's in charge of the village you'll be living in. He is among your own kind."
Wakana said, as he stepped out of the shadows, "Doctor, let me talk to her." He was a handsome man with short black hair, and wearing a blue outfit. Marin gasped, as she took one look at him, "Wow…"
"Miss Kitagawa," he said, "It's a quaint and lovely village… I think you'll be happy there. It has great and wonderful people, and after a little while, you'll feel a sense of belonging. You'll feel a sense of being loved. And you will be loved, Miss Kitagawa…"
The doctor left, as he said to her, "Miss Kitagawa, you can pack up your things and we can go, anytime… I mean, I will be taking you there, myself."
Marin asked, "Hey… Gojo…"
"Yeah?"
"Why are some of us born so ugly?"
"That is a question I do not know…" Gojo said, "But you know something? It doesn't matter to me, or to you… It doesn't matter to anybody and anyone at all. You know the old saying… Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."
Marin was amazed, as she held his hand. He said, "Keep those words in mind, as it's a very… very old saying. When we arrive at our village, remember that. Just say it in your mind, over and over again."
Marin sniffled, as he said, "It's alright. Just get your things, and we'll leave together. You deserve your own kind… Just not here."
She agreed and said, "Okay…" They stepped out, hand-in-hand, walking down the hallways. The doctor said to Marin, "Goodbye, Miss Kitagawa."
Marin smiled and said, "Yes, goodbye…" Gojo smiled, as they walked together, leaving the hospital, and to a village where Marin stays, with her own kind.
(Hanajima): Now the question comes to mind. Where is this place, and when is it? What kind of world is this where "UGLY" is the norm, and "BEAUTY" is the deviation of that topic? You want an answer? Well, it does not make any difference. Because the old saying goes: "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder", and that old saying is in fact true.
In this year, or hundreds – no – thousands of years hence, on this planet, or wherever there is intelligent life, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Lesson to be learned… in the "Tales of the Bizarre".