The Proposal

A young man proposes to his girlfriend in a hospital garden. She rejoices, but sadness soon sets in as she remembers the truth. He does not exist.



Talyndra sat quietly on a bench in the garden of the hospital. She had been back here for three days. It had only been four months since her last admission. She scratched absently at the bandages that covered her arms as she looked out across the small garden. It wasn’t much of a garden; it was more an overgrown grassy courtyard. She leaned back against the chair and a small smile crept onto her face as she saw him. She admired the way the sun bounced off his golden hair and his blue eyes lit up when he saw her. She wondered idly if she was blushing, but decided she didn’t care.

‘Tally,’ he said as he stood before her, a smile softening his sharp features. She smiled up at him, feeling completeness washing over her.
‘Erik.’ The tall man sat beside her and took her delicate hands in his. He sat looking into her eyes for a few moments, as if deciding to speak his mind. She smiled at him encouragingly, hoping he would tell her what he was thinking. Erik was such a mystery to her; he always seemed to know how she was feeling and what to say to make her feel better.
‘Tally,’ the man began, ‘I’ve been coming to see you for a year now. And I really enjoy the time we have together.’ Erik paused uncertainly and Talyndra wondered if he was about to tell her he never wanted to see her again. Her thoughts raced from one conclusion to another, none of them ending well. Tears had begun to spring to her eyes as she looked at him, unable to form any words.
‘Tally,’ he said again, alarmed by her reaction. He reached out his hand and gently brushed her cheek. ‘Hey, don’t cry. I’m not going to leave you. I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to marry you.’

Talyndra sat staring at Erik in shock for a few moments before she flung her arms around him. Erik ran his hand down her back as she hugged him tightly, overcome with happiness. She pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked into his eyes.
‘Are you sure?’
‘I have never been more sure. Talyndra, will you be my wife?’
‘Yes!!’ She exclaimed nodding her head excitedly. He smiled back her and let her hands go as he began to stand.
‘Where are you going?’ she asked grabbing his hand, suddenly afraid he wouldn’t come back. He smiled at her reassuringly.
‘I have to get you out of here before we can do anything.’ He squeezed her hand reassuringly and she let it go reluctantly. She leaned back against the bench again and watched him walk up the ramp and into the hospital building.

Warmth washed through her as she contemplated what had just happened. She smiled at the nurse who came out to tell her it was time for lunch.
‘What’s going on?’ She asked looking at her oddly.
‘I’m getting married!’ Talyndra exclaimed in excitement. The nurse looked at her with concern and confusion.
‘It’s Erik, isn’t it?’ She said. She had been Talyndra’s nurse for every admission and had heard about Erik on many occasions. He was a personality Talyndra had created to protect herself, in the beginning she would accept this but more recently she was becoming convinced that Erik was a real person.
‘He’s not real, Talyndra. We have talked about this before. You created him as a protector, a way to escape from all the bad things. You know this, we have talked about it.’ The nurse felt bad seeing the crushed expression on Talyndra’s face as she turned and ran to her room before slamming the door.