Two men, both in serious illness, occupied the same ward of a hospital. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to undergo therapy and drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to lie flat on his back all the time.
The two men talked for hours on end. They talked about their families, their jobs, their experiences in the military service and a whole lot of things. Every afternoon when the man in the bad next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the outdoor things he could see through the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods when his world would be broad ened and restored to freshness by all the activities and view of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely stream and a stone bridge , the man said. Ducks and geese played in the water while kids sailed their model boats. A gang of lads played volleyball on the lawn nearby the bridge. Lovers walked arm in arm amid blooms of brilliant colors. A range of grand oak s and some flourishing palms grace d the spectacular landscape . As the man by the window described all these in vivid detail , the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the magnetic scenery , which gave him deep impression .
One fine afternoon the man by the window described a troop (procession) of soldier s striding across the square of downtown . Although the other man could not hear the band, he was charm ed by the invisible scene .
Unexpectedly, a thought entered his head: why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It seemed unfair . As the thought arose in his mind, the man felt upset and annoyed at first. But with several days passing, his inward (internal) envy turned into resent ment and soon turned him sour . He turned indifferent and isolated, almost neglected all the surroundings . Then, a wicked intention controlled his life—he should lie by that window. He almost couldn’t withstand the torture of his intention, and sighed from dawn to dusk. Finally, his health became worse and worse, but the doctors couldn’t find the cause.
Later one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling , abruptly, the man by the window began to cough. He was choked by the fluid in his lungs. The other man peered his panic expression and quivering fingers in the dim room as the man by the window exerted all his strength for the button to call for help. At the critical moment, listening to his crawling (creeping) sound across the room, the other man disguised that he had been fallen asleep, never moved, never pressed down his own handy button which would have brought the nurse coming. It lasted about five minutes, and then the sound of cough and breath stopped. There was only silence—deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the rigid lifeless body of the man by the window, with enormous grief, she called the hospital maid to take it away—no words, no fuss.
As soon as it seemed to be an appropriate opportunity, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was glad to make the switch , and after making sure he was comfortable , she left him alone .
Slowly, with the acute ache , he sustained himself up on one elbow, and strained to turn to look out of the window. It was incredible that he faced a black wall.
