Operational difficulties...

I have seen many things in my profession as a medic and I am rarely
surprised by anything that I am asked to deal with but
I must admit that I was puzzled and worried by a case that was referred
to me six weeks ago.

A man of approximately 40
years old entered my surgery and complained that although he was eating
well, he always felt weak and malnourished... He also
seemed to losing weight at an alarming rate and this was causing the
most regrettable health problems. I examined him and
thought that maybe it was some form of parasite in the stomach perhaps
a tape worm. It seemed to be the logical explanation
although it wouldn't account for such a drastic loss in weight and
strength.

Further medical examination was required and
fast as it was a most urgent and alarming problem, this man was rapidly
becoming emaciated. It became apparent that the cause
was not a tape worm after all, but all attempts to gauge the cause were
fruitless and as the man deteriorated, it was decided
that immediate exploratory surgery was necessary. Food was being
consumed but it seemed almost to disappear into nowhere and
the nourishment was not being received.

As we fed the endoscope into the man's body cavity, we watched the
screen with keen
interest to see what it was that caused the bizarre problem...but
instead of seeing a complex maze of intestinal tubing, we
were faced with what appeared to be a rolling mist, coloured bright
red. The endoscope disappeared into the cloud and the
picture faded from the screen...until a hand suddenly became apparent
making a grab for the end of the tube.
With a swift tug, the hand took the endoscope from us and snapped it
from it's moorings...the broken end disappeared up into
the poor patient and was not seen again.

The shock of this cannot be overstated and panic set in amongst the
team of
medics, myself included! But the shock proved greater than the
endurance of the patient and he went into arrest and after a
desperate battle against fear and death, we lost him. The autopsy was
duly carried out and provoked great interest amongst
the ranks of the medical profession. I offered my services in
discovering the cause of the "apparition" of the hand...and
the bizarre mist that we saw.

On opening the deceased, it was noted that his organs were in pretty
good working order prior
to his death. But what of the lack of food, the hand and the mist? The
stomach was opened and there we were faced with the
most puzzling void...blackness and empty space. I saw nothing therein,
but as with any medical procedure blood and effluvia
were fairly abundant, yet they seemed to drop into this black space and
disappear...to where, I knew not. I probed the space
with my scalpel, and saw the sharp end seemed to fade away. I dropped
it in surprise and it fell away following the rest of
the lost articles...food, endoscope, and blood, towards the hand.

Maybe I should not have been so rash, but I have an inquiring mind, I
reached my own hand into the gap and watched as my hand
became ghostly and faded...then a mighty tug on my arm and I fell
forwards face first towards the open man. I could not
scream because you have to be conscious to do so. I landed with a soft
thud on what can only be described as a pile of
unpleasantly chewed and regurgitated food in an alleyway somewhere I
did not recognise... I was completely confused and
utterly terrified. Nearby, I could see my scalpel, although it was
broken. I felt something drip onto my head...blood. It was
coming from a hole in the wall of the alley. I heard a shout from my
right, "Hey, you!!! What do you think you're doing? Are
you the one that's been throwing all your garbage about around here?" I
had no idea what he meant and I told him so. "Some
nut has been throwing food around and leaving a real mess down here. I
thought I'd caught the fool last night, poking some
sort of periscope thing at me through the ventilator up there on the
wall. I pulled it out of his hand and I'm sure I heard
him bang his head and yell! Are you sure that it wasn't you? What in
the hell are you crying for? Get outta here before I call the
police
on you! I don't need you cluttering up my driveway!"

So, that's it really. I have absolutely no idea what to do now, I am
hopelessly lost and I can see no way back home. I have a
strange feeling that I may wake up and everything will be as it was,
and I will be safe and warm in my bed...but I AM SCARED
TO TRY BECAUSE IT MAY NOT BE A DREAM AFTER ALL.