Chapter 13 - Page 185 - Tunnel Vision

   One older man said loudly, “I was in bed ten, Papa. Do you remember me?”

   A young boy’s voice called above all the others, “I was in bed eighteen, Papa and Rhasha. You both told me I would get well. Look at me now.”

   Jim took Rhasha’s hand and pulled her into the crowd of people. They hugged every patient. The women kissed them.

   When everyone began to settle down, Jim asked them to go to the dining hall to eat. Inside the dining hall, however, most of the patients said they were too excited to eat. They sat down at the tables and began talking to Jim and Rhasha. As they talked, people returning to the village from the waterfalls wandered in.

   For over two hours, the ex-patients told the village people what Jim and Rhasha had done for them. Everyone laughed at the funny things they heard and cried about the sad things. There was a strong sense of family, and everyone thought of Jim as head of the household and Rhasha as his wife.

   It was getting late when Jim realized the cured patients needed places to live. Luckily, several new houses had been completed. “I’m going to give you all houses tonight,” Jim said, “and tomorrow, you can go over to The Factory to get new clothes.”

   Jim and Rhasha walked everyone to their new houses. Most of the families were mothers with only one child. Members of each family he assigned a house to thanked Jim for all his kindness, then rushed to check out their new homes.

   When the families had been assigned, six people still didn’t have houses. Three people said they could share a house, as did two others. Jim escorted them to the last two homes on the street. They thanked Jim and disappeared through their doors.

End of chapter thirteen