The Wooden Handles

A hospital corridor in Boston at midday, sunlight in bright bars across a terrazzo floor, on a steel instrument trolley a portable box forty-five centimetres wide with dark blue hammered sides and lid and a chrome carrying handle, its pale blue front split into two halves by a dark line, on the left a large black ribbed knob, a red button and two red lamps, on the right two blue knobs, toggle switches and sockets, the whole front plain and smooth, a black mains cable to a wall socket, two round metal electrode discs with brown wooden handles on coiled cables held in two hands in white coat sleeves, an empty stretcher beside.