Hospital Two

Fresh air was an important factor in choosing the location of these tuberculosis hospitals, and so they were usually built atop a steep hill or mountain. This also means lots of legwork for a thought-out approach. I recall clambering up the rocky hillside, eyes focused on the old water tower up top, which glinted the gold of an early morning sun. We followed a long-abandoned road, almost completely lost within the growth of the woods. After a minute of breath-catching, we darted into the thick, bare-leaved brush that was rooted deeply in the building's foundation and clawed at our clothes. The winter wind slammed a door shut up above, and the steady hiss of a steam leak slithered from the dank basement. We proceeded up the stairs of the old pavilion, left behind 29 years ago...