translated by Xi Nan

I.

He puts on his business suit and shiny shoes, adjusts his tie in front of the mirror, and leaves for work with his briefcase.

II.

The street is surprisingly quiet and empty, no pedestrians, stray cats, bicycles, or cars, nothing, only him hurrying along.

III.

A doctor in a white uniform brushes past him, curiously stares at him. He glances at the doctor, feeling very strange.

IV.

Two doctors in white uniforms, talking and laughing under a streetlight, see him coming, gaze at him with impudent suspicion. He frowns.

V.

He raises his wrist to look at the watch, and the watch has stopped, can’t tell what time it is now. The street is very quiet; his footsteps are very loud.

VI.

An ambulance pulls up to the roadside and four doctors are carrying some patient into the vehicle, see him coming, they all stare at him with surprise. Until he’s walked far away, he can still feel the gaze behind him. He begins to feel uneasy.

VII.

There is still no one on the street. He walks faster and faster, and gradually begins to run, like a thief being chased.

VIII.

At the corner of the street, he runs into a person head-on, and without looking, he can feel that he has run into a doctor, with the familiar smell of sanitizer. He says, excuse me. But the doctor holds his hands and asks: don’t you recognize me?

IX.

He looks up at the doctor, who smiles, and he feels very, very familiar with this face, but can’t remember when he got familiar with it. He begins to recall his childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, work, romance, marriage, childbirth…the doctor has left, while he’s still on the roadside being sank in his own thoughts.

X.

He is awakened by a horn. Cars are speeding on the street, and pedestrians are crowded. He looks up at the big clock on the clock tower, nine o’clock. Late for work. He’s calmly walking, bought a piece of Reference News and a sandwich at a roadside vendor. He walks into the company carrying his briefcase, newspaper, and breakfast. The security guard greets him as usual, and he nods, walks into his office.

XI.

He’s eating the sandwich with instant coffee and reading the newspaper; everything’s exactly as it was yesterday, the day before, one day a year ago.

XII.

The office is very quiet. The good soundproof facilities make all the sounds from the street disappear.

XIII.

The phone on the desk rings. The female secretary says: manager, there are three doctors outside to see you, saying they have an appointment with you.

XIV.

He’s looking at the three doctors in white uniforms in his office, who are speaking to him, while he can’t understand a single word; they all seem to be jargon. In his boredom, he stares at the wall at this huge:

QUIET

When did this word “QUIET” appear anyway?

XV.

Uneasy and uneasy. From the tone of the doctors and their faces, they seem to be telling him something extremely important about him. He has a vague feeling that he’s got to obey them.

XVI.

Two hours later, the conversation ends. A doctor pulls out a pair of shiny handcuffs and handcuffs his both hands, then together the doctors escort him out of the office and into an ambulance. The secretary lady and the security guard are looking at this with surprise.

XVII.

The ambulance is sounding its siren and driving super-fast on the street. Looking through the car window, everyone on the street is a doctor, a nurse, all wearing white uniforms, including those directing traffic at intersections. He looks at himself, doesn’t know when he’s changed into a blue striped hospital gown.

XVIII.

He found himself the last patient in the world, but with so many doctors around, he feels that he’s saved and the doctors will protect him from disease.

XVIX.

In the ambulance, he is full of safety feeling, relaxed and falls asleep, relieved from all the tension and anxiety he has felt for many years.

XX.

…

***

A poetry and creative hybrid text collection by several contemporary Chinese authors will be published and available in 2022.

About the Translator

Xi Nan (西楠), writes and translates, indie publisher of Xi Nan and Fish Lu STUDIO, London. She was born in China and now lives in London.