1 Chapter 1: Winning the Case

An old lady sat on a rocking chair, writing in something that looked like a journal. The sunlight danced against the porch railing and shone onto the older woman. A small smile graced her face as her pen scribbles on the sheets of paper bound in leather. Sitting for a while, writing until a younger woman with blonde hair and brown eyes came up, walked to the house, and waved, trying to get her attention. She eventually gave up and went up the stairs and made her way towards the older lady, gently grabbing onto the shoulders. The older woman jumped at the sudden contact. Her head launched up immediately before relaxing completely, and the calm look reappeared on her face.

"Andrea! Hello, child!" Looking down at the journal in her hands, she then looked up to her granddaughter again with a sad look on her face; "Today is the day, isn't it?" She smiled gently at this. Andrea nodded, a sad look on her face.

"Yes, Grandma Wynfree," Andrea said sorrowfully but dutifully. Wynfree goes to stand up. Andrea rushed to her grandmother's aid and shooed away in an instant. She immediately says that she was fine, and she's going to an older woman be okay to walk to the stairs. She shuffled with a slight hunchback to her.

When Wynfree got to the stairs, there was a man with dirty brown hair and a broad white smile at the sight of the older woman. He held out his hands for her to grab for a way down the stair. Wynfree gladly caught them as she stepped down onto the first step. Her granddaughter grabbed under her arms to ensure that she doesn't fall. Laughing and gripping his hands tightly, she shakes them gently and then unlatches one of her hands to pinch his cheeks.

"Hello, Tyson! It's good to see you, son!" she said, going down another step and started walking dutifully towards the car, journal in hand. The two just laughed and walked after the older woman with lots of energy for someone of her age. She held her head high, eyes towards the car.

The time in the car wasn't as eventful as it was. The Scenery was beautiful, the greenery of the surroundings and the sun laying across buildings. Multi-Colors varied as they drove towards their destination.

They arrived at a giant building; it was large, and it had gothic architecture with large windows. This was once a chapel, but they changed it to be a courthouse. The walls were a grey brick, and they scattered it with light grey bricks making it have a very textured wall contrast.

They all walked through the courthouse doors. Andrea and Tyson helped Wynfree walk faster as they tried to ignore the press running after them. There were flashes

and shouting every time they walked. Reporters wanted to be the first ones to get the story published. Wynfree walked each step in stride and with purpose. She was so grateful for someone of her age. Without the waddle—you wouldn't know that she was old.

They ignored the voices shouting at them and went into the doors and closed them. The Judge was already there; Andrea and Tyson assumed that he just finished a session with someone. He noticed Wynfree — standing up and nodding towards her, then gestures to the tables to the right of her. Wynfree sat on the chair next to her lawyer and smiled at him. She then looks back at Andrea and Tyson behind her and waves. She turns back to the front and smiles gently at the Judge.

Time went on as they waited for the Jury to come into the room and get settled. The other people she's fighting against glanced at Wynfree and her lawyer every chance they got since they came in, and all they would see is her smile. She was staring off into the distance, much like those they have seen in their line of work. Her hands folded gracefully, eyes glossed over.

Seeing her slip from reality, they became more confident that they wouldn't lose against an older woman. They believe that their case would win against this woman, and they become smug in their half of the case.

The Jury arrived and sat in the bleachers, waiting for the Judge to start the court hearing. The lawyer leaned over and whispered something in Wynfree's ear, shaking her out of her daydream. She turns towards him slowly and smiles at him sadly before turning back towards the Judge. Then, she looks towards her opponent, her eyes filled with stubborn determination.

The Judge banged his mallet, trying to quiet down the room. He said. "The trial begins! Will our Plaintiff, please make their beginning statement, Attorney, please speak for your client!"

"Yes, Judge," He stands up, "My client would like to close this asylum because of its immense mistreatment of the patients and horrible conditions they placed the patients in." Kenny, the attorney, said to the judge in a matter-of-fact tone.

The opponent stands up, yelling and arguing. They completely outraged him by the statement. "Those practices are out of date and no longer in use!" The sound of the mallet was ringing throughout the entire room. The judge yells for order in the court. Wynfree doesn't seem fazed by the shouting.

Time passed as Wynfree listened intently to the defense, making their statement on how they wanted to sue the woman for her claims. "This woman is senile, absolutely insane like the patients we work with and take care of!" He says as he gestures to the older woman with a smug grin on his face.

There was a bang coming from the judge's mallet, silencing the attorney immediately, holding his tongue. The judge looked displeased by the statement, but he looked towards the older woman with a patient expression.

"The Plaintiff shall come up to the stand now!" he said with a patient voice. Kenny looks at Wynfree and nudges her gently. She glances to see Kenny smiling. He leans over and whispers in her ear, "Go up to the stand, Wyn."

Nodding, she stood up and walked towards the witness stand. There was a Security Guard standing there with his hand out, offering it to Wynfree, wanting to help her get up the step to the seat. She gratefully grabs the offered hand and pulls herself up the stage. She settles into the chair and looks towards the approaching attorney.

Kenny came up to Wynfree and smiled at her warmly. He had a stack of papers in his hands that he places in front of Wynfree. "Let's get start from the beginning now, shall we?"

He says as Wny looked through the papers in front of her. The photos of some patients in the 1950s, they all were sitting around a table, they were all staring at the camera, there were two nurses behind them. The photo was black and white.

"What is the last thing you remember from your memory." He asked gently, not wanting to pressure the old lady too much. She just smiled gently and looked at the photo behind the photograph. This one was of a woman getting electric shock therapy. The nurses holding her down held a gag in the patient's mouth as they underwent the shocks.

Wynfree looked at the photo with a serene look, and a smile graced her face as if she was reminiscing over something that she went through. She then remembers where she was and looked back at Kenny with a sad look.

"I remember these people… It was like almost yesterday! I remember these faces and their names." She laughs, "I remember the love I had for a guy that I met… He was the reason I could leave the Asylum.." She drifted out of reality. That didn't last long before Kenny brought her back with patience.

"Oh, right!" she looks around, remembering the place she was in before. It wasn't the asylum, and she's with her grandchild and their husband. The Judge was there, looking at her in curiosity, wondering what she will tell them.

"You're gonna tell us what you remember about the asylum, remember?" Kenny whispered to her. Wynfree nodded and thought for a moment before speaking again, but more carefully.

,

"Well, if I need to tell you, then we need to start from the beginning, now shall we?" Wynfree said with a grin.