SOUND OF FRESH RAIN.

Evenings were sandwich time brought in by big Ted sandwiches cut in triangles in white and brown and he laid the plates down on the center table and the patients bored out of their fragile brains pounced upon them and ate ravishingly as if time was running out to eat but Yiska nibbled hers took small bites her finger tips holding the brown bread her white teeth nibbling gently Naaman watched her his sandwich held but uneaten smelt viewed but held away from lips he took in Yiska's nibbling the way her fingers held as if a holy host not fish paste and her lips parted just so her tongue seen the white teeth and her eyes unfocused her nightgown

buttoned at the breast with a missing button and he wanted to be that sandwich in her fingers wanted her lips to feel him her teeth to nibble him but then the foreign woman distracted him by taking her sandwich apart opening it between fingers sniffing the contents screwing up her nose muttering something in her foreign tongue throwing it on the plate and picking up another don't waste them a nurse said ask if you don't see what you want the foreign woman chewed on the sandwich she'd picked the nurse removed the torn open sandwich Naaman ate a small portion viewing Yiska meanwhile licking her fingers sucking the ends in and out and he wished it he she was doing thus he looked away the evening sky was darkening through the locked

ward windows the bright electric lights above their heads made mirrors of the windows and Naaman saw himself in his blue dressing gown sans belt in case he tried to string himself again and he gazed at Yiska once more nibbling another sandwich the same fingering technique the similar lipping routine and the missing button on her nightgown revealed a small portion of flesh viewed her small nipples pressing the cotton cloth of the nightgown and he ate unceremoniously the last of his bread watching her fingers licked again while outside the window the sound of fresh rain.