"Better late than never!"

Qu33nsgambit asked me if I could post part of her novel-in-progress.

Hi, Writch! I joined National Novel Writing Month '08 and this is part of my novel entry. I crammed in 50529 words in just 30 days just like 21,736 participants from all parts of the globe.
50000 is the magic number and I will be glad to let you read 972 words of it.

The idea of the Nanowrimo is fun. It is forcing yourself under time pressure, and without a lot of time at that, to write 50000 words, the number you need to be able to come up with a body of work that can be categorically called a novel. Nanowrimo is not about quality. You are not expected to come up with a work that's ready to be published after 30 days from its first writing. What is expected of you is to write, write, write and hopefully finish a very rough draft of a novel in 30 days.

To accomodate her contribution here, we're breaking it up into 2 halves. Read Part I below, and Part II following this link: qu33nsgambit's Prose Knight pt. II

For more of the story, she invites you to her blog: http://maeann66.blogspot.com

THE UNSHACKLING

Introduction

The uniformed security guard stationed at the entrance to the International Center for Mental Diseases stopped the middle-aged woman who was about to enter its premises. But the woman, with hair unkempt, kept on walking slowly and was oblivious to the guard who was calling to her a bit louder now.

“Hey! Hey, lady! Will you please wait?”

The woman, who kept on advancing slowly, did not show any sign that she had heard the guard who had by now planted his body right in front of her. Ragged breathing was the only sign of the temper he was trying to control.

“You can’t just go inside without telling me who you want to see and why. There are restricted areas in this facility.”

These last words the guard was able to say patiently but firmly. He would have been a little harder with a man, particularly the sneaky type. But he always treated women a bit differently. They reminded him of Lola Lydia, the grandmother who made his orphaned childhood lighter and happier. Lydia was about the age of this woman when she took him in. His thoughts would have strayed further if his hand had not been quick to suppress the hand that the woman was raising. He had taken his training seriously and even if the woman did not look like the sort who would bring a weapon, you never knew.

But when he saw that the hand was grimy, he dropped it as though he was stung by something poisonous and the note fell. Before the wind could blow the sheet of paper away, the guard had managed to grab it.

“Please receive this woman into the center.  I am sorry that I cannot take her myself  because I do not want to be identified. Besides, I do not know her. I brought her here out of pity. She does not talk nor seem to understand anything that I say. And I thought that this was the best place to take her since something seems to be affecting her. Please take good care of her. God bless you!”

It took sometime for the note’s content to register. Requests like this did not happen everyday. There were people who did not act insane but who went to the center to see psychiatrists. And the woman did not belong to that category. She was not brought to the center by a screaming ambulance and this puzzled him. If the person who had brought the woman to the center was not a relative, there was no reason to be ashamed. Who brought this woman here? He radioed a companion to watch the entrance in his stead.

Writch, what can I say...I owe you one. No, a lot. Thanks!!!