Cordelia

They say that if you find a job you love you'll never have to work a single day of your life, and for the most part they're right, however even those of us who manage to make a living doing what we love the most the time is equally cruel.

The day was cloudy, almost as if the sky became a reflection of the mood of the people in the nursing home, all of those forgotten souls crammed in a space too small to fit them and their dignity, all of them waiting patiently for a grim reaper that was too whimsical to end their suffering, anonymous silhouettes garbed in white walked around like jailers pretending to ease the pain of people who were far too tired, far too broken, far too old; it's sad how nature works, every person trapped inside those walls once had a family, a lover, a job, a dream, something to strive for, and now they were only the leftovers of once useful citizens cast aside by a society that doesn't forgive the sin of growing old.

How long had it passed? It was such an effort to remember, it almost seemed as if all time had passed inside those sterile white walls, for every person inside that place life was a constant reminder of past glories. One of such poor souls was Mr Readman, in the halls of the nursing home the rumor had it that he was a big shot writer in his time, but that was well over 30 years ago, apparently he had children, a late wife and even a brother, but they were mostly rumors, they used to visit him often... at first, but when his illness advanced they just vanished, or that's what the older nurses said, but the fact remained that Mr Readman was a brittle old man spending his last days in a tiny room trying to struggle against an enemy nobody can defeat, not only because this fiend was so overpowering by itself, but because it had the help of another monster just as frightening, loneliness, and as his very essence slowly slipped between his fingers Mr Readman helplessly watched as the gray clouds over the nursing home rolled on the firmament waiting for the solace of death.
-Mr Readman? Are you Mr Joshua Readman?- the voice behind the old man was clear and harmonious like the chime of a crystal bell, he turned around to identify the source of the sound, and there she was, wrapped in the same white shrouds as the jailers in that hell on earth, but everything else was different, her poise, the way she conducted herself, her eyes, her smile, gods, her smile, she was like sunshine, like something Mr Readman hadn't seen in so long, she seemed human.

-And who are you?- were the only words Mr Readman was able to reply

-I'm so sorry, my name's Cordelia, the new nurse-

Another new nurse, they always were the same, they all started with the same glow in their eyes thinking they could save the world, that their work mattered, but after a few weeks changing smelly adult diapers and inhaling the stench of decay that the patients in that nursing home seemed to carry with them turned them in another soulless robot devoid of smiles and human warmth, it was almost a sad thing, but after god knows how long inside that nursing home, Mr Readman had become less caring.

The girl started doing her work with a smile drawn on her face, Mr Readman just left her do her thing hoping she'd be done soon, she took his vitals, opened the window blinds, and started cleaning up the room, the old man just remained as still as possible, only looking at the auburn haired girl dedicate herself to make that depressing room a little more pleasant, after a few minutes she started making the bed, and as she straightened the sheets she found an old sketchbook, and as soon as she touched it she couldn't help but stopping a moment to check its pages, she was mesmerized by what she saw, the dynamism in the images, the strength of the images, it was almost as if the characters were about to leap out of the paper, they all seemed worn by the time, but the passion in them hadn't aged at all, Cordelia remained silent detailing every character, imagining all the amazing adventures they starred, but her daydreaming was brought to an end by the voice of her patient.

-What are you doing with that? It's personal- said an annoyed Mr Readman.

-Sir, I'm sorry, I just... well, I couldn't help myself, your work is just amazing, you have so much talent-

Well those were words Mr Readman hadn't heard in years, generally he would have dismissed them as polite lies, but that girl had so much... candor, so before he could help himself he was saying.

-You into superheroes?-

-I don't know much about them to be honest, but I'd love to hear more-

And there it was, a feeling Mr Readman thought gone for a long time, joy, he actually was looking forward to telling that girl all about his characters, so he did, and like a nerdy kid bragging about his collection of trading cards he told her all about the amazing characters he created, the many adventures that the Silent Blade had, how he and all of his friends in the guild of righteousness saved the world over and over, thwarting the plans of the evil Baroness Nix and her minions, the time flew as he drew wondrous landscapes and scenarios for an amazed Cordelia using nothing but his words and an old sketchbook, it was as if the nightmarish world outside dissipated, all that mattered to him was the undivided attention of that girl, the awe in her vivid blue eyes, and how she was so eager to hear him narrate his stories, and before either of them noticed the dusk had arrived.

-Oh my, look at the time, my shift is almost over- said a surprised Cordelia

• Sorry I kept you, I wasted all your day-

-Please don't say that, I really enjoyed our talk, would it be OK for me to come back tomorrow?-

-You won't get in trouble?-

-Not at all, I'll speak to my supervisor, so? May I come visit tomorrow?-

-Hey it's your time-

And so, Cordelia's visits became a regular part of Mr Readman's day, every day she worked as fast and neatly as she could so she could sit and enjoy more and more stories of her favorite characters, and she always said the same words after every visit right before nightfall.

-It's like magic Mr Readman, you really can make your characters come to life-

Those words had became the highlight of Joshua Readman's day, everyday since he had met Cordelia, he felt so satisfied in god could only tell how long, and not only because he felt admired as an author, that girl in all her naivete and kindness had made him feel like a person again, someone who deserved to be heard, to be remembered, and what is life if not that? A Friday right before the dusk fell, Mr Readman decided to leave the narration of that day in a cliffhanger, after all a good author always leaves his audience asking for more.

-Is that all? I want to know what happens next, Did the Silent Blade win?- said the girl pouting.

-HAHAHAHA, You'll have to come back tomorrow to find out- answered Mr Readman with a mischievous tone.

-well, tomorrow is my day off so...- Cordelia seemed a little ashamed while saying these words

-It's OK, I understand, you must have better things to do, don't worry-

-Oh no, I didn't mean that, I meant to ask if... well, is it OK for me to come during the visit hours?-

Joshua couldn't believe it, that beautiful young woman wanted to spend her Saturday with a crumbling old man talking about superheroes, nobody, not even his family had been so interested in him after he retired, what was the catch? But despite his doubts he decided to hear his heart and the joy that question ignited in his core, so with a half smile he said.

-Hey...-

-It's my time- concluded Cordelia with her ever present smile.

So Saturday arrived, luckily the weather was nice, and Cordelia said she'd arrive at 9:00, Mr Readman was attired with his best clothes, after all he was receiving a visit after so long, and then the wait came to an end, there she was at his door, but was it Cordelia? What was she wearing? she had a silver outfit that reminded him so much of...

-What do you think Mr Readman? Do I Look like the Silent Blade?-

It was a surprisingly well made costume, if the Silent Blade had been a girl that's definitely how Joshua would have made her. strong, secure, yet graceful and feminine. And as if his creation had come to life he spent the entire day narrating the same stories that Cordelia so adored, it didn't mattered if she had heard them a million times, the sparkle in her eyes never faded, and that same sparkle gifted Mr Readman with many marvelous moments, week after week Cordelia would bring to life another of his creations, every Saturday without fail, and finally after a couple of months, the most joyful of his life, Joshua Readman left the world of the living with a smile and the taste of life forever engraved in his soul.

The days kept passing in the nursing home, his white walls stoic witnesses of the stories of every soul trapped inside them, and the now silent room of Mr Readman was inhabited by his personal belongings, waiting for his relatives to come pick them up, until the frigid silence was broken by the echo of steps on the hallway floors, two male nurses were walking to Joshua's old room, and once they entered the youngest of the two said.

-Is it true? THE Joshua Readman lived here?-

-You knew him or something?-

-You kidding man? He wrote the Silent Blade-

-I'm not really into comics-

-Whatever, the man was a genius, mind if I look around a bit?-

-Sure, knock yourself out, but hurry, this wing hasn't had a nurse in months, we were short on staff so, we need to put things up to speed-

-So who was Mr Readman's nurse?-

-He didn't have any, the man was creepy and he didn't like company-

-I see, hey check it out it's his sketchbook- said the younger nurse picking up the old book.

and as he flicked through pages every old character took a breath of fresh air for the last time.

-Wow, they're all here, The Silent Blade, The Guild of Righteousness, the Baroness Nix, this is awesome; but... who's this?

-Beats me, but she's kinda hot, not much of a superhero though... and what kind of name is Cordelia?-

-I don't know man, but if Mr Readman, THE Joshua Readman made her, you can be damn sure she's one heck of a hero.

Hi Steemians, Saint Gabriel Here. Well, this is my entry to @mctiller the 24 hour short story challenge, I really hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it, this is my first time participating in a contest like this, so here goes nothing ;) if you want to check the entry rules here's the link to the contest https://steemit.com/twentyfourhourshortstory/@mctiller/writers-win-5-steem-twenty-four-hour-short-story-contest-for-may-2-a-comic-book-writer-s-creation-comes-to-life

BTW I didn' have time to draw a picture fo my entry so I just included one I found online that reminded me of Cordelia