Marche Funebre—Lento
"OPEN YOUR mouth, Paul," said the pretty nurse. The hulking mass of not-quite-human gazed at her with vacuous eyes and opened its mouth. Dexterously, she spooned a mouthful of baby food into it. "Now swallow it, Paul. That's it. Now another."
"In pretty bad shape, isn't he?"
Nurse Peters turned to look at the man who had walked up behind her. It was Dr. Benwick, the new interne.
"He's worthless to himself and anyone else," she said. "It's a shame, too; he'd be rather nice looking if there were any personality behind that face." She shoveled another spoonful of mashed asparagus into the gaping mouth. "Now swallow it, Paul."
"How long has he been here?" Benwick asked, eyeing the scars that showed through the dark hair on the patient's head.
"Nearly six years," Miss Peters said.
"Hmmh! But they outlawed lobotomies back in the sixties."
"Open your mouth, Paul." Then, to Benwick: "This was an accident. Bullet in the head. You can see the scar on the other side of his head."