To the fourth floor I went, my nurse Maureen by my side making sure I kept my balance. The elevator was oddly slower than ones I remembered riding when I was younger. Maybe they were built that way, designed for the old husks who resided within the nursing home. A living casket, what I liked to think of each room as. It wasn’t death that scared me. No, not at all. It was knowing I went through life without ever getting married, without finding that true love your heart so desperately desires as the years pass and the wrinkles settle in.
As we made our way up, my eyes were drawn to the painting of a clown on the elevator wall.
“Kind of an odd picture to put up there, don’t you think, Maureen?”
“Oh, that’s Otto. Well, they used to call him Matcho. Matcho the matchmaking clown.”
“Matcho?”
“He was a resident here before my time. I’ve heard the stories though. He was a gentle soul that loved to entertain. He used to dress up as a clown and put on little shows in the courtyard. But the interesting thing is, he apparently had this way of bringing people together.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how he did it, but I heard he was responsible for a number of romantic relationships that developed between residents. Residents who had never been in love or had spent most of their life alone. Poor guy never found his own soulmate though.”
“Interesting,” I responded, as I clenched my fists with what little strength I had left.
If this matchmaking clown could not find love for himself, I was destined to expire alone, I thought to myself. I leaned forward, gripped the walker, and exited the elevator, making my best effort to resemble a living being. Sounds of snoring and hysterical laughing brushed against my ears as I passed each room. I suppose I should have been grateful I still had my hearing; at least that piece of me still functioned.
“Good evening. You must be new here neighbor. I’m Maggie. Sure is nice to have that room filled again.”
My jaw dropped methodically like a castle’s drawbridge opening its entranceway. Tears bubbled up at the sight of the beautiful woman sitting in her recliner from inside her room. Silver streaks of hair parted to the side. Brown, precious eyes. And a smile that made me woozy.
“Hello. I’m Dan. Nice to meet you.”
I shot her a playful wave, and she returned the gesture with a bigger smile. Could she finally be the one? Was it destiny to live across from her? I was getting ahead of myself, but something just felt right with Maggie. We connected immediately. From eating together in the dining hall to strolls around the courtyard, our time together brought new meaning to my life. My own body felt stronger than it had been the previous ten years, both physically and mentally. My negative outlook on my remaining days, no longer a symptom of my deteriorating life.
Maggie was my closest friend at the facility, but I was still too shy to take it down the romantic road. That story about Matcho; I kept thinking about it. I wished he were still around. One night, I took a ride down to get some fresh air. As I descended, I looked at the painting of Matcho.
“Could use a little help from you Matcho. I think I’ve… I know I’ve found the one.”
Beneath his polka dot clown top hat, two black eyes stared at me. The temperature plummeted and the lights flickered. The elevator came to a halt before reaching the first floor.
A voice whispered, “Matcho hears you loud and clear. But I died all alone. Where was Matcho’s love?”
I shook my head around, searching for the source of the voice.
“Do you feel hollow? Does the thought of dying alone plague your existence? Tell me how you truly feel, Dan!”
“I’m so scared of being alone. I have felt worthless my entire life. But I found someone. Her name is Maggie.”
The elevator booted up again. I wondered whether I was just imagining a voice speaking to me, but before I stepped off the elevator, I spotted movement within the painting. Matcho grabbed his red, spongy nose and took it off. He tilted his arm and threw the nose; it hit me in the mouth.
My body shuddered as I watched the nose bounce out of the elevator and into the hallway. Too afraid to exit, I rode the elevator back up to my floor and returned to my room.
“Everything okay Dan?” Maggie asked from within her room, as I was about to enter mine.
“Maggie, I don’t know if I’m starting to lose it in the old noggin, but I just witnessed the strangest thing on the elevator. That painting on the wall. Damn thing came alive.”
Maggie put a hand over her mouth and suppressed a giggle.
“I’m serious Maggie.”
“Show me Danny. I can use a little adventure around here.”
“I don’t know. It may not be safe.”
“Oh c’mon. I’ve been sitting here for hours, reading my magazines. Let’s check it out together.”
Together, we entered the elevator. Matcho’s nose was missing in the painting. I pressed one to bring us down, but after the doors closed, the elevator did not move. I clutched the walker and gasped when I saw the change in Maggie’s appearance.
Her nose jutted out and expanded into a red clown nose. She frantically tapped it in shock.
“Dan, what’s happening to me?”
“Matcho deserves love. Dan, your suffering brings me closer to her. Maggie and I will be together soon.”
Matcho’s voice echoed around the room. I stood on helplessly, trying to bargain with Matcho.
“Please, just take me instead. Not Maggie. She doesn’t deserve this,” I cried out.
Maggie’s nose had now somehow swelled in size and took hold of her entire face, as if her head was now just a red, spongy balloon. Her entire head grew. Not a sound from her, as her mouth filled with the growth.
And then she exploded. Blood splashed across the room. Maggie’s limbs were nonexistent; only puddles of blood remained. I fell to the ground and wailed, calling for help. Moments later, the elevator door opened, and a nurse rushed over to investigate.
As she pulled me to my feet, I glanced at the painting. Next to Matcho, holding his hand, Maggie stood with a haunting frown.
The staff and authorities have not been able to figure out what happened, especially since Maggie completely vanished. The elevator had no security camera. The staff keeps a close eye on me now. They think I was involved somehow in Maggie’s death. But I know that’s not true. Matcho took her. He took the one person I was meant to be with. I have to figure out a way to bring her back.