He looked out and saw how the water flowed from one side to the other, down the path, out in front of him, and up the way out of view. He saw how the water rippled with the touch of the wind and bounced quietly against the rocks below his feet. If he listened closely, and he did listen closely, as closely as he could, he could hear the sound of the water on the rocks.

This was a very distinct sound. It was subtle but ultimately present and very noticeable if one took the time to listen.

He sat there for a few minutes, just listening. He listened and he listened and the sound grew stronger. He knew the sound and as he listened, the sound grew to a great roar, louder than any other. He just sat there and listened and minutes turned to hours. Hours passed by and night fell though there he sat and listened to this sound. 

Soon, the sound began to say things to him. Now a peep, then a whisper. He sat and listened all night as the stars floated above and the moon glowed bright in the dark sky.

Soon the sun came and rose up in the sky. Heat poured down and the boy just sat there, listening to the sound. Before long, he could hear the sun crackle in the sky. A fiery, burning sensation reached down to him and the giant flame in the sky blazed on. 

... He put the tip to his forehead and swung his fist around in a tight circle over and over again until the fumes filled the room and a giant black scribble had been impressed on the young man.

He threw the marker down and looked up at his roommate. His eyes glowed with the vigor of life renewed and a garrish smile rose up on his face.

She could see his tangled teeth and the circles on his head went matte as the ink dried there.

“We’re gonna get out of here...” he spoke through clenched teeth.

“How do you figure that, huh??” she said to him.

He looked around, as if there was anyone else there in that two-bedded room that they shared for the sake of efficiency in the tiny psych ward of Midland.

“We’re gonna bust out of here!”

There was a silence.

“Tonight!” he screamed.

The next second, a nurse knocked on the door. In came a shout: “Everything better be okay in there!” yelled the big black nurse Bonnie. She always had an attitude.

... “I’m bored, too.” he said. “I’m going to be bored with you. We are just going to sit here and be bored until the boredom is bored right out of us!”

She giggled a bit.

“That’s it! We are the best damned bored people anyone’s ever seen!” he commented.

There was a silence.

“See!” he said.

There was a long silence.

“Godammit we’re good at this! I could be bored for weeks!” he said at last.