Tag: mental health

Dragonflies (A Short Story)

Esther ArielLeave a comment

We’re sitting by a pond that looks like a half-formed handprint, fingers of water extending from a murky palm. The dragonflies are out. So many of them, skimming the water, swooping, flinging themselves around in tight circles.

With a cup of coffee held to your lips, you say, “I just remembered something from when we were kids. When we played together, we used to say, ‘Dragonfly, dragonfly.’”

A memory shivers like a creature in a mound of leaves. I’ve never forgotten that eerie sing-song. But I’m surprised you remember it.

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City of Possibility Location: Museum of Mental Maladies

Esther Ariel

From its origins in the 19th century as a zoo displaying asylum patients, the Museum of Mental Maladies has come a long way. Now it’s housed in a magnificent structure that resembles a brain separating out into different lobes. This is a visual symbol of the various psychological and neurological problems exhibited at the museum.

Some City of Possibility residents have protested the use of the expression “mental maladies,” as it’s slightly old-fashioned and because the museum has broadened its scope somewhat. In recent years, it has set aside some space for a Mental Wellness Wing devoted to exhibits on improving psychological health.

The museum also has a Community Atrium where support groups can meet and people can share (out loud or in writing), their thoughts on various problems.

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