Kleinzeit

Could Go Either Way

Sister lay in bed on her day off, sleeping in but not asleep. Not dreaming, not awake. Drifting. She heard halting silver notes, saw herself in a corridor in the Underground. I wonder why, she thought. Sometimes it seems as if I am entirely inside the world and can’t get out.

Talk to me, said God.

I believe in one God the Father Almighty, said Sister, Maker of heaven and earth, And of all things visible and invisible: And in one Lord Jesus Christ…

For Christ’s sake, talk to me, said God.

Last night, said Sister, when that boy died, the hendiadys case, I wanted to run to Kleinzeit afterwards and hug him, I wanted him to hug me.

How come? said God.

You know, said Sister. You know everything.

No, I don’t, said God. I don’t know anything the way people know it. I am what I am and all that, but I don’t know anything really. Tell me about wanting to hug Kleinzeit.

It’s too tiresome to explain, said Sister. I can’t be bothered to talk all the time. He wasn’t there when I got back to the ward. If he’s run away I don’t like to think about it.

Why not? said God.

You really don’t know anything, said Sister. Bath time, she said to her feet. Naked they took her to the tub.

Later, not wearing her Sister uniform but in a tight trouser-suit, she went to the ward. Chokings, gasps, oglings. Kleinzeit was back in his bed by the window at the far end of the row, staring at her down the width of the ward and seeing through her clothes as before. Dr Pink, followed by two nurses, the day sister, and young resident Doctors Fleshky, Potluck, and Krishna, was just finishing his round at the penumbra case in the last bed in A4.

‘Well, Mr Nox,’ said Dr Pink, ‘you’re looking a good deal brighter than you were the other day

Nox smiled politely. ‘Feeling better, I think,’ he said.

‘Oh yes,’ said Dr Pink, ‘I should think so. Your combustion’s much more regular than it was. We’ll keep you on the same dosage of Flamo and see how it goes.’ The group filed into Sister’s office, followed by Sister.

‘He’s got a history of partial eclipse, that one,’ said Dr Pink. ‘We may have to do another refraction.’ Fleshky, Potluck and Krishna took notes.

‘What about Kleinzeit?’ said Sister. ‘The hypotenuse case.’

‘There’s dedication,’ said Dr Pink. ‘Comes in on her day off, can’t keep away from the job.’

‘What about him?’ said Sister. ‘Kleinzeit. Hypotenuse.’

‘Well, you see what his polarity is,’ said Dr Pink. ‘Could go either way.’

‘Down?’ said Fleshky.

‘Up?’ said Potluck.

‘East?’ said Krishna.

‘West?’ said Sister.

‘Quite,’ said Dr Pink. ‘And bear in mind that when you get this kind of hypotenusis there’ll generally be some kind of bother with the asymptotes as well. We don’t want him to lose axis but at the same time we’ve got to watch his pitch. We’ll run a Bach-Euclid Series on him, see how he tests.’

Sister went to Kleinzeit’s bed by the window. ‘Good morning,’ she said.

‘Good morning,’ said Kleinzeit. Sister and he both looked at Flashpoint’s bed. There was a fat man asleep in it now. Ullage case. No monitor.

Well? said Sister’s face.

Kleinzeit pointed to the glockenspiel under his bed. ‘Yarrow,’ he said. ‘Fullest stock.’

Sister opened the case, touched silver notes softly with her fingers.

Remember, said the glockenspiel.

Remember what? said Sister.

Remember, said the glockenspiel.

Sister closed the case, sat in a chair, looked at Kleinzeit, smiled, nodded several times without speaking.

Kleinzeit smiled back, also nodded several times without speaking.