Random reminder

Press, 26 March 1980, Page 24

Random reminder

. BORN AGAIN

There once was a lady who lived by the sea, a bright cheerful lady middle aged, sensitive, and very highly strung. She had acute hearing, so acute in fact, that while lying in her bed at night she could hear the vibrating generators of the ships at Lyttelton several kilometres away. Night after night the pulsating sound drummed its way up the harbour, up the hill into the house, and into the lady’s ears where it began to dance from ear to ear, via brain, nearly driving her mad. The other local residents were not upset by the noise, only some could hear it faintly. Many suggested she wear ear muffs, or put cotton wool in her ears, and she found herself the butt of many jokes. In desperation she visited her doctor expecting to be laughed at or told once more to buy muffs. Instead he listened attentively. i “It’s not the generators you can hear,” he told her, “it’s yqur pulse., I’ll give you something for it.' Actually we prescribe it for babies when their' ears upset them but you’ll find it will ( be alright for you.” Home again, with the precious prescription tucked safely on the shelf, she began to relax, but a couple of days later Lyttelton was once again visited by one of those ships whose generators run incessantly. Once more

the noise thumped and bumped its way up the harbour to the house on the , hill where the lady lived. When she could bear it no longer ! she reached for her precious medicine and read the typed instructions. “Take according to directions,” it said. She turned the bottle over and read slowly, “up to six months —lO .drops in half a bottle of juice. Six ' months to three years—2o drops in a bottle of juice. Over three years—take in capsule form.” She read it again, then stared at the bottle of liquid in disbelief. How was she, a middle aged grandmother to take medicine? What should she do? It was too late to ring either the doctor or chemist. The noise was getting louder and more drumming every second. She had to try something. She put thirty drops in a glass of water and drank it. She admitted later that | it was quite sweet but it did not work. “No, it wouldn’t,” replied a friend [when told about it, “didn’t you know that you have to put it in a bottle ,to take it. It’s not the medicine which ( soothes the ears, it’s the sucking and swallowing. Make yourself up a bottle tonight, lay back in bed, take your bottle, and in the morning you’ll be a new person!” Did she carry out the suggestion? I don’t think so? she has not felt reborn yet.