Part Four: Ardalis

“I assumed I must have been on another planet. Things here are so different. I’ve never heard of this South Africa.”

“Where are you from, then?”

“I was in Ardalis just moments ago.”

“Where?”

“Ardalis.”

“Wheres that?”

He looked at her. “You’ve never heard of Ardalis.” It wasn’t a question. It was like he was pointing out how stupid that statement sounded.

“uh. No.”

He rubbed his face in his hand. “And yet we’re on earth.” He whispered. “Damn this!” He roared suddenly and smashed his fist into the table in front of him. “What in Hel is going on?”

The medical student jumped suddenly. It took an effort for her not to scream. The table was shattered into splinters. He broke it like it was a house of cards. “Temper temper.” She murmured in a shaking voice.

“Great Thinzar!” He said in an exasperated voice as he stood up. He turned to her suddenly. “Show me around this place.”

“where?” Her eyes darted around nervously.

“This place, you idiot! This South Africa!”

“uh..its a whole country.”

“Show me!” He roared, and she wasn’t about to argue.

He followed her to her car. He had some trouble opening the car door.

“What do you want me to do?” he sounded baffled.

“Open the door, and sit down like this.” She opened her door and sat down.
He said something quietly, but she couldn’t hear him behind the closed door. She leaned over and opened his door for him from the inside. “What?”

“I said what is this?”

“uh..this is a car. Where are you from?”
“Ardalis. A place I cannot believe you’ve never heard of.”

“Whatever. Are you going to sit down?”

Part Three: Beginings

He stared at her for a while. The professor huffed audibly but otherwise pretended they didn’t exist.

“Fine.” The man said eventually. “Lead the way, little sister.”

“Wait for me in the waiting rooms.” The Professor called after them as they left.

They walked out of theatre reception and into the patient waiting rooms. “Please have a seat. We’ll just wait for Prof Pretorius here.”

He sat down as he carefully appraised his surroundings. He acted like an alien that just landed on earth.

The medical student collapsed on the chair and took a deep breath. The first thing on her mind was how relieved she was to get out of that theatre. Then she wondered if she should share that with the man, but the terrified part of her that professors carved into her kicked in, and told her that she should always act with inhuman dignity, and show absolutely no signs of weakness or any real selfish emotion. Then she took that part of her and threw it out of her mind.

“God!, Its good to be out of there!” She breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back and stared at the ceiling. The man was awfully silent, she thought.

She sat up and looked at him, suddenly curious to get a closer look at the strange fellow who seemed to appear out of thin air.

He was already staring at her. It was too late to turn away now, and she just stared back.

“So!” She said eventually. “I’m Elise. Whats your name?” She tried to keep her voice as pleasant as possible. It was fake, as usual. She was becoming more and more like her professors every day.

“I am Zohl’Noush.”

There was an awkward silence, and Elise pinched herself for letting it happed. She tried to ignore the strangeness of his name and move on. “And where are you from, Zohl’Noush?”

“I am from Earth.” The man replied seriously.

She laughed. “No kidding!” His serious expression just made her laugh more. “Arent we all?” She looked at him, and he didn’t even crack the slightest smile. “Are you serious?” She laughed again, and this time, his lack of response wiped the smile right off her face. “um..this is earth.”

He looked at her for a while. “Where on earth?”

“uh..” She couldn’t believe this was actually the conversation they were having. She felt like she was reciting lines from a bad screenplay in a cheap movie. “We’re in South Africa. Where did you think we were?”

“I assumed I must have been on another planet. Things here are so different. I’ve never heard of this South Africa.”

“Where are you from, then?”

Part Two - Niceties

The nurse had just put her hand on his arm when he suddenly grabbed her by the throat and brought her face close to his. His eyes seemed to glow green, or perhaps it was a trick of the light. The medical student wasnt quite sure...

“What is this place?” He asked her. “Why are you dressed so strangely?”

“Hey! Let her go immediately!” The professor obviously felt like he was losing control of his all-controlled situation.

The man turned to the old professor without letting go of the woman. “Why are you so terrified?”

“Get out!” He roared.

“Why…are…you…so…terrified?” The man repeated himself slowly, patiently.

“Because you’re unsterile, you idiot! Your going to infect my patient, and he is going to die! Do you understand? You have to get out immediately!”

“I don’t understand you.” The man let the nurse go, and she seemed too terrified to do anything except back off into the corner and simply stare at him.

The medical student intervened at this point. “Prof, let me take care of him.”

“Go!” He agreed, and turned his back to the man. “Let me do my work, and I’ll handle that monkey as soon as I’m finished” He continued operating his patient as if nothing was happening.

The medical student took off her gloves and turned to the man “Sir?”

“You will address me as ‘my lord’, little sister.” The man growled.

“um. Okay, uh,” She still wore her mask, so her smile wasn’t visible. “Could you please do me a favour and follow me outside?”

“Why?” The man looked around him with some interest. “What is this place?”

"This is a operating theatre. That man on the table has been shot in the stomach, and we’re operating on him to save his life. Everything here has been specially cleaned to prevent him from getting an infection. You’re the only one here that hasn’t been cleaned, so you’re putting that man at risk of getting an infection now. This is why you need to come with me now. We don’t want him to die.”

He stared at her for a while. The professor huffed audibly but otherwise pretended they didn’t exist...