"They're just cards, Alice," the nurse said gently, resting her hand on the woman's frail shoulder.
With a toothy grin, the elderly woman looked up. She shook her head, the whisps of white hair whipping about her heavily lined face. "Not always," Alice replied, fanning out the deck. "Sometimes they have arms and legs, faces too."
The nurse smiled, giving a polite nod. All the staff knew of Alice's delusions. Indeed, many of the younger visitors idolized the woman for her strange tales of the imaginary world she held onto.
"But she isn't a card," Alice continued, setting down the queen of hearts. "And she likes her roses-" "Red," the younger of the two guessed, touching a finger to the heart design.
Alice nodded excitedly, blue eyes twinkling. "Yes!" she confirmed, gnarled fingers moving over the cards with surprising grace. "Once, those fellows made a mistake and-"
The nurse held up her hand with an apologetic smile. "Perhaps you can tell me later, dear," she offered, tidying the cards into a single pile. "It's time for lunch."