Knuckle Sandwich

  
I'm joining in this week with Write on Wednesday, normally held at inkpaperpen but this week over at Quilt of Dragonflies.  I've only joined in once before and it was quite a while ago now.  We get given a prompt and can right about anything that springs to mind.  The idea is to write for 5 minutes or 500 words.  Not too long, can break off in the middle of something and doesn't need to have an ending.  Just a piece of writing to get the juices flowing.

This week's prompt was Zany Characters, in real life or made up.  Mine comes from real life.

....

She was on the other side of the wall to me.  He was over the hall a few doors down.  She had been making herself known to me all day, finding fault with everything and everyone and talking really loudly.  In my head I had named her Obstreperous.  I was having trouble thinking of the right name for him, he was only new and I still had to get a full measure of his spunk.

“Helloooooooo,” she cried.  Every few minutes.

“Is anyone listening to me?  I want a coke and a thing.  You know, those things you put in the toaster. They have filling.  Sweet filling.  I want one of them.  And a coke.”

Silence for a few minutes, perhaps ten.  I wasn’t really sure because it was 2am and I was trying to sleep.

“Heeeelllllllooooooooooooooo?” it started again. “Can you HEAR me? I really want a coke and that thing. Oh, bother, what’s it called?”

I felt like yelling out that it was called a Poptart but decided that would just encourage her. 

It went on for a bit longer and then he chimed in.

“Be quiet!” he grouched.

“Who’s that?” she warbled in an anxious voice.  “Who’s in my house?”

“Don’t you know you’re in hospital?” he used a slightly gentler voice this time.

“I am not, I am at home.  Bring me a coke and a sweet toaster thing!” she shouted back.

At this point a nurse decided that ignoring Obstreperous was not achieving much and decided to join the fun. 

“You need to be quiet and go to sleep, it’s 2am and you’re disturbing the other patients.  We don’t have any coke and you can’t have any anyhow.”

Silence for twenty minutes, maybe half an hour.

“Hello? Helloooooo? I need my coke now.  And that sweet toaster thing.  Why isn’t anyone listening to me?” It started again.

“For pete’s sake, Shut Up.” A good call I thought, from the old man over the hall.

“No I will not! I want my coke.” she demanded.

“Do you want a knuckle sandwich?!” the old man roared.

Blessed silence apart from the sound of me snickering into my pillow.

Cantankerous, I decided on as a name for him.