White Wall

Patrick and Anna shared a room in the children's hospital. Patrick was being treated for a lung disease. Every afternoon, nurses would sit him up in bed for an hour to help fluid drain from his lungs. During this time, Patrick could look out the only window in the room.

Anna, who lay in the bed next to the wall, had been in a car accident. She injured her collarbone and broke her leg, so she had to lie in bed all day.

Patrick and Anna became friends. They talked for hours about their favourite fairy tales. They often laughed, even though they were in pain and couldn't leave the room. Time passed quickly for them.

Every afternoon when the nurses sat Patrick up in bed, he would tell Anna about what he saw outside the window. They had been in the hospital for over a month and missed the sun, the street, and the people...

Everything! That's why Patrick tried to describe everything he saw to his friend: the bench by the pond where ducks swam and pigeons fed around the old folks reading newspapers.

After a month, Patrick was discharged home. He was already healthy.

Anna was happy for him, but she was also sad. She was going to be alone in the room, unable to move from her bed for several more weeks.

Before leaving, Patrick gave her a book. Anna read it eagerly, believing that when she finished it, her time in the hospital would also come to an end. When she could move more, she asked the nurses to move her bed next to the window. She believed that this way she would be able to see the trees and the ducks.

When she was finally moved, she was greatly disappointed. There was no park, no trees, no laughing children. All she could see was the white wall of another hospital ward.

"When was this wall put up? Why?" she asked the nurse with dismay.

"It's always been here..." the nurse replied.

"That's impossible! From the window, you could see the pond where ducks swim. Patrick told me every day about the old folks feeding the pigeons..."

The nurse sighed and said, "Patrick made that park for you, Anna, to give you some joy."

A tear rolled down Anna's cheek. She was fortunate: trapped in her bed, amidst pain, she found a friend who lifted her spirits…