Morton Labinsky

Why, am I here? Morton asked himself the same question for the third time and for the third time, he felt it was more of a warning than it was an inquiry.

The morning fog was cool, thick and suspiciously silent. Standing by himself and for some odd reason feeling trapped, Morton was rudely bumped by a very large man or so he thought it was a man. Morton could not see the outline of a head or legs or arms. Maybe it was because the man was hunched over wearing a worn and lumpy grayish brown overcoat filled with odd crevices and folds. Morton was appalled that the stranger never uttered the slightest attempt of an apology, and watched as the big man lumbered awkwardly and slowly disappearing into the fog. Morton didn't dare say a thing, he knew he was too small and frail to defend himself against such a beast.

Morton was a victim of his stature, subjected by many ruffians who sought to prove their manhood by taking advantage of his meek size. Morton's crooked nose and the two inch scar above his right eye were evidence of his many failed attempts to defend himself.

Morton swayed slightly in a moment of sudden vertigo, he felt his world tilt to the right as though it was beginning to spin but just as quick as the vertigo came, it corrected itself. Morton had become worried, these dizzy spells were becoming more and more frequent. He began to refer to them, as glitches.

The haze of the cool morning air had swiftly disappeared, Morton imagined the mist had been vacuumed away. The sidewalk and the street traffic around him was now clear and bright there seemed to be more space, less confinement, Morton relaxed now that there was more area around him. He found himself standing stiffly erect as though at attention, ten paces back from the double doors of the Amsters Professional building. He tried to remember just how long he had actually been coming here to see Doctor Jamison. He took a moment to follow the great white pillar's of the Amsters building as they stretched high into the heavens, many stories above. To Morton, this building was just another ruffian who was waiting for the right moment to taunt him.

He heard the doors open and dropped his head when a very slender and attractive woman with silky brunette hair flowing down to her waist departed the building. She gave Morton the once over then shot him a prudish smile. Morton smiled brightly, happy that the woman had even noticed him.

Catching his reflection in the glass of the closing door, he quickly licked his palm and patted down his wiry red hair but it failed to stay down. The woman produced a wide grin and rolled her eyes as she walked away. Morton should have felt embarrassed but something was troubling him. He thought for a moment about the woman he saw and wasn't sure but he could have sworn he had seen this her once before but back then she was a blonde. Was this déjà vu? He asked himself as he headed toward the Jamison Building.

Pulling on one of the double doors, Morton drew in a deep breathe and exhaled quickly. He very much feared the inside of this building. To him, a demon of great danger waited within, wanting to tell him news of peril and doom. His fear was strong but his logic battled with his emotion won over and eventually won, he stepped inside.