The skin itself is wafer thin and has the effect, when moved, of a dried mud flat after a long hot summer. The air is cold, and the walls are sterile white. A thermostat is attached to the wall opposite the oversized metal door, but it has a clear plastic encasement with a lock facing the ceiling. The large door has a lock on the outside. The floors are white, tiled, with prudently placed light gray flecks.
Every furnishing is mobile, except the sink that is attached to the wall at a noticeably low level.
She arrived four days earlier. She is waking for the first time since being admitted. Her head wobbles slightly, and one drowsy eyelid opens. The rest of her body remains motionless. After a few seconds of fighting each other, the left and right eyelids move in unison, laboriously up, then down, and up again.