Broken days, Hobson's choices, Ebola or Alzheimer's disease

Broken days, Hobson's choices, Ebola or Alzheimer's disease

fiction
Edward w Pritchard

Long before the European's came to America an elderly Native American warrior had a difficult choice to make. For if he had lived long enough by luck and skill in battle he faced the ordeal of loss of the soul or as we would call it Alzheimer's disease. Cared for by elderly strangers who he had once known but now completely forgotten, along with everyone else, he slowly withered away back into a childlike listless existence. Like Blanche Dubois [1] the elderly Native American must with alacrity rely of the kindness of strangers, formerly known to him as friend's and relatives, now completely forgotten and foreign to him. Alzheimer's is no way for an elderly warrior to die.

Since the elderly warrior had no more battles to fight and wouldn't by honor take his own life perhaps he would choose to sit with and entertain the very sick children when one of the periodic visits of the plague would clear local villages of surplus inhabitants.

Study on the matter. Who will take care and entertain very sick children victim's of the Ebola in our society in this time and place during a periodic visitation of the Ebola? Who better than a brave but broken warrior dreaming of someday of a joyous relocation to the happy hunting grounds across the horizons and before broken days of reaching out with bent alacrity for a cold hand of the kindness of strangers.

[1] Blanche Dubois is a character from Tennessee William's " Street Car named Desire", Perhaps inspired by Tennessee' s beloved sister Rose who was institutionalized with mental illness. Author once saw the role played brilliantly in London by Jessica Lange.