Room With a View

Whilst rumaging around Reverse Garbage a few months ago I came across this mannequin peering through the dusty window of a storage room. She appeared to be lost in thought so rather than interrupt her reverie I backed away quietly.

Perhaps I should have invited her out to party, or at least provided her with a view of a garden.

She reminds me of a story once told to me about two gentlemen hospitalised during WW2. One had bandages over his eyes. He was entertained and consoled by the other who provided a daily report on the scene outside their window, describing a picturesque park and all the people who enjoyed it. The characters who visit the gardens soon became familliar and the blind man looked forward to hearing about their antics. He heard about the courting couples and children who sailed boats on the lake, the woman who walked her many dogs and the red kite that became stuck in a tree.

One morning the blinded man woke to find his friend gone. He had passed away in the night. He had not realised his companion was so ill. In silence he waited a few more long weeks for his eyes to heal. When the bandages were removed and his sight restored he was finally able to peer out the window at the garden so beautifully described to him. When he did he was suprised to see that the view was of a vacant lot.