Mr. Ballin

Carrie smiled, exposing her gold filling and several false teeth that she barely even noticed anymore.

The young woman smiled back and then put her hand on Carrie's shoulder.

To someone walking by, this might have looked like two friends enjoying the view outside the window.

But that's not what was happening here.

Because the building where Carrie lived was not her home.

It was the Union State Hospital, a turn-of-the-century sanitarium, which today would be called a psychiatric hospital.

Carrie was a patient, and the young woman standing with Carrie was a nurse, whose job was to keep an eye on Carrie basically all the time.

And Carrie hated it here.

Up until a year ago, Carrie had been a schoolteacher, saving money and building a life for herself.

But over time, Carrie had become overwhelmed and sad, and she couldn't even explain why.

She felt tired, but she struggled to sleep, and there were days when she just felt sort of frozen, like she couldn't leave the house.

Doctors couldn't find anything physically wrong with Carrie other than some problems with her vision and her teeth.

So, the doctors did something that was unfortunately pretty common at this time for women.

They diagnosed Carrie with hysteria and told her family to put her in an institution.

That was how Carrie had lost her teaching job and her freedom and ended up living here at Union State.

Now, in Carrie's room, the nurse told her that she had to go check on another patient.

She told Carrie not to go anywhere until she got back.

Carrie nodded and watched the nurse walk out of the room and close the door behind her.

Once Carrie was alone again, she turned back to the window and looked outside.

Her eyesight was terrible, so the view was not clear, but she could still make out people down below on the sidewalk walking past her.