What A Day Yesterday Was

(CW: Murder, blood, gore, violence.)

Ben Warden opened his eyes and let the white light penetrate his soul. The cream-colored walls lacked sympathy and the shrill beeping sounds pounded his ears like a construction crew working overtime on a busy Friday afternoon. He tried to scream, but something was lodged in his esophagus. His arms lacked the strength to move, and a dark cloud of weariness licked his consciousness.

“Now, now, deary,” a feminine voice whispered. “Stay still while I fetch the doctor.”

As the ventilation tube was removed from Ben’s mouth, a thick, gooey phlegm was left on his rosemary cheeks. A woman dressed in teal smocks wiped it clean. Her touch was soft and gentle, and Ben wondered if he was in Heaven.

“Hello there,” a warm voice greeted. “My name is Doctor Lavish. Don’t try to speak yet. Your throat needs time to heal.”

Ben tried to nod, but the pain in his upper chest screamed like a wailing banshee. His blueberry eyes scanned the doctor. Lavish was wearing a white coat and brown dress pants. Ben couldn’t see his shoes, but he bet they were lovely.

Doctor Lavish pulled out a pen light and examined Ben’s pupils. “You really are a miracle, aren’t you!”

“I’d say he is,” Nurse Judy said, curling her lips upward. After recording Ben’s vitals, she asked, “Have you ever seen anything like this, doctor?”

“No. Not in my time.”

Ben wanted to scream at them, but his vocal cords were dry. All he could do was narrow his eyes.

Doctor Lavish noticed Ben’s discontent. “Oh, I’m sorry, Ben. You’re probably wondering what’s going on. You see…I don’t know how to sugarcoat this, but you’ve been in a coma for the last forty years! You were twenty years old when they brought you in here from that horrific car accident. It was all over the news, but anyway, there were several attempts from the state to end your life support, but your brother, James, refused to give up. He kept your bills up to date, and now look at you…awake at last!”

“It really is a miracle,” Judy said, handing the doctor some papers.

“Indeed,” Lavish said. “I’ve never seen anyone wake up from a forty-year coma. It will take some time, but I believe you will make a full recovery.” He took the forms from Judy and signed them. “Now listen, Ben…I want to run a few tests, but in the meantime, I want you to take it easy, okay? You’re in good hands with Nurse Judy.” 

Ben closed his eyes but refused to sleep. He had enough of that. It was time to move on in life. If only he could figure out how to pull his heart out from the abyss where it fell after hearing the news.  

After a month of tests, Ben was discharged to his brother’s care with a clean bill of health.

James arrived early to pick him up from the back entrance. There was a sea of reporters in front of the hospital hoping to get a peek at the miracle man, and James wanted to avoid them at all costs.

“How are you feeling, Ben?” James asked as Nurse Judy wheeled him to the car.

Ben raised his hand to shield the sunlight. He had never seen it shining so bright. “There’s nothing like the taste of freedom, little brother. It’s far out!”

As they drove away, Ben kept glancing at the car’s interior design with bulging eyes. The dashboard looked like a spaceship console.

“Oh,” James said. “I suppose after forty years, you’re going to notice a lot of changes, but don’t worry. I’ll help you find your way.”

Ben shook his head. “In my time, things were simpler, man!” He fumbled around the radio and said, “Where do you put the 8-track tapes?”

“8-track tapes…? Wow! I completely forgot about those… Those went away a long time ago. Let me see…after records disappeared, cassette tapes came along and were replaced by compact discs. Now, everybody streams music.”

Ben whipped his head out the window like a spooked chicken.

“What are you doing?” James asked, rounding a turn.

“I’m looking for the water!”

“Water?”

“You said everyone streams now, but I don’t see any water out there!”

James laughed. “I meant streaming through the internet.”

“Oh…that’s one thing I remember,” Ben gushed. “I hate driving on the interstate. Too much traffic.”

“No, no…” James squawked. “The internet. There’s a lot I need to teach you. Things have certainly changed in forty years.”

Ben looked like a boy riding the school bus for the first time. Everything was new. The drive through the city to the rural outskirts of Pennsylvania held many wonders. Even the blue jeans, sneakers, and black T-shirt his brother was wearing looked out of place from what he remembered.

“Things certainly have changed…” Ben whispered to himself. A hint of longing was in his voice.

Ben’s mouth fell open when they arrived at James’ two-story home. “Holy cow! This is a far cry from our childhood home. Mom and Dad would have been proud of you, little brother.”

“Thanks,” James said. “I’m just glad they didn’t have to see you go through that coma. It would have crushed them. Do you remember the accident at all?” 

Ben mashed his lips and shook his head. “Not really. It’s all a bit fuzzy.”

“Well, that’s okay,” James said. “I have some new clothes for you upstairs in your room. I’m sure you’re aching to get out of that old ’70s outfit… Bellbottoms and long collared shirts went out of style a long time ago.”   

“They did? I keep forgetting that my yesterday was a long time ago.”

“Yeah…and we should do something about that shaggy hair too. I’ll take you to the barber once you get settled in.”

Ben ran his long fingers through his brown hair. “Man…things sure have changed. Do you have a family?”

James unlocked the front door and said, “No. There have been a few lucky girls here and there, but none that I—” 

“Time is precious,” Ben said, cutting through his brother’s words. “Take it from me. I lost forty years of my life lying in a hospital bed. Don’t sit on your future.”

Without saying another word, James showed Ben around the house. Masterful works of art hung on the white walls, and antique pottery was displayed on every end table. The kitchen had a gray marble countertop surrounded by various golden-brown cabinets, and a large oval table sat by an open windowpane overlooking the backyard. Ben had to give the stove and refrigerator a second look because they looked like they came from a science fiction novel.  

After Ben changed into his new clothes, he looked at himself in the full-size mirror behind his door and gasped. The blue jeans looked fancy, and the white cotton shirt felt like silk against his dry skin. Even the socks seemed like they were made for a king.

What splendid wonders these are!

Ben leaned closer to the mirror and saw the wrinkles that riddled his face. He almost didn’t recognize himself. The crow’s feet in the corner of his eyes and the nasolabial folds around his mouth reminded him of his true age. Even the color of his hair was fading. “Time certainly is our greatest enemy…” he said to himself.

“Hey, Ben!” James shouted from downstairs. “You coming? I’m ordering pizza.”

Ben went downstairs, saw James talking into a small device, and curled his lips. “What’s that thing a toy?”

James hung up and laughed. “No, this is my phone. I just placed an order.”

“A phone? I-I don’t believe it!”

“It is,” James insisted. “You can watch videos, listen to music, shop, play games, and more!”

“Ha!” Ben chuckled. “Get out of town, man…that’s so jive! I can’t believe that for one second. Times sure have changed! It surely is a far cry from yesterday.”

James didn’t know what to say. He knew getting his older brother adjusted to this new life was going to be a challenge. No one else could do it because most of their family members had passed away or left town ages ago.

“I do like these clothes, though,” Ben admitted. “They don’t itch like my other ones. It’s so groovy.”

“Too much polyester,” James said with a half-hearted grin.

“Hey, I know,” Ben bubbled. “Let’s play some video games! Do you still have my Atari game system?”

“That old thing… No. I believe I took it to Goodwill or something.”

“Are you kidding me,” Ben shrieked. “It was in my room yesterday!”

James pointed to his entertainment center and said, “I’m sorry about that, but I have the PlayStation 5.”

Ben looked at the media center and saw a big white box that was oddly shaped and looked out of place. “That thing?! Where do you put the cartridges? And your TV looks really flat!”

“Um…” James hummed. “It’s all digital, so you don’t need cartridges. Also, that’s the way all televisions look now. Those old boob tubes are gone.”

“What?!” yelled Ben. “How can that be fun? I can’t believe this place! I’ve been in a coma for the last forty years, and when I wake up, the whole damn world has changed. I mean, you have pocket phones, futuristic cars, nice clothes, and somehow, you’re able to pull movies, music, and games out of thin air like magic! ”

“Calm down,” James pleaded. “Take a breather.”

“No!” Ben snapped. “Yesterday, I put in my new 8-track tape from Abba, fired up the old pickup, and cruised down the road. Then, the only thing I saw for the next forty years was blackness. I woke up to this crazy new world and have no idea what’s what. I mean, I used to sneak out every single night, and no one knew I was ever gone! What do I do with that, James? Huh?! Do you even understand where I’m coming from?”

“I do,” James said. “I know how you feel. I love you, man! I wouldn’t let them pull the plug on you because I believed you had something to offer this world. What happened to you wasn’t fair. I get it. You need to give it some time, and I promise you that things will start to click.”

Ding-Dong!

Their argument was interrupted by the doorbell.

“That’s the pizza delivery,” James said. “Hold on. I’ll go get it.”

Ben watched James open the door and take the pizza. He followed him to the kitchen and asked, “Aren’t you going to pay for that?”

“I already did.”

“What? I didn’t see you give him any cash?”

“I paid online. No one carries cash anymore. We use cards instead.”

“Cards…?” Ben lowered his head and said, “That’s crazy. Yesterday was never like this!”

“Why do you keep saying yesterday this and yesterday that?” James demanded, opening the pizza box.

Ben slammed the box and fired, “Because yesterday is the only thing I can remember, and yesterday was pretty damn good to me! Every damn thing in this world is strange! Is anything the same?”

James closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Honestly, big brother…nothing’s the same anymore. Everything has changed. Can you do me a favor, please?”

“What?”

“Just sit down and eat. We can talk about how the world has changed after our bellies are full of food and beer.”

Ben’s face lit up. “Now you’re talking!”

“Good,” James said. “Could you get me a cold one from the fridge?”

“Yeah, sure…” Ben said, walking behind his brother.

The next thing James felt was a sharp knife plunging through his skull and the tip of the blade kissing his tongue. Warm blood flowed down into his eyes, which were blinking rapidly. “W-W-W—”

“Oh, don’t try to speak, little brother,” Ben said, lowering his voice to a soft growl. “I imagine your brain is trying to process things, but you have a kitchen knife stuck in the middle of your skull, so it might be a little difficult.”

James wanted to scream, but a river of ichor flooded his vocal cords.

“Ha, ha, ha!!” Ben laughed spinning around to meet his brother’s terrified face. “Out of everything that has changed in this world, I’m so delighted that killing is still the same!!” 

James fell face-first onto the pizza box, and a waterfall of red splattered off the countertop.

A couple of weeks later, rumors of a sadistic serial killer who disappeared forty years ago started plaguing the airwaves like a hot sun roasting a million frozen planets. Every new dead body had a kitchen knife lodged in their heads, and the police had to open their old case files.

Old Ben Warden didn’t like the new world but was glad people still bled red. Some things never change. In this new world, an old terror was unleashed.

What a day yesterday was….