The scrawl on the index card on the end of the mobile filing case reads—“Pittsburgh, 15201 to 15232, 1979 to 1983.”
Each of these cases holds the records of tens of thousands of men. All cross-referenced, sorted by date and location. The filing cases recede into infinity, perspective vanishing point at the limits of vision.
Most file clerks have a nervous breakdown the first time they see this filing system. Is this Satan’s own record keeping, are the earliest entries scratched Sumerian logographs on hardened clay tablets?
No, but that’s close. These belong to the V. A. Hospital.
100 words. Inspired by this week’s Friday Fictioneers prompt:
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All right, it’s a vignette, not a story. But too much fun to not use.
Nothing about the VA should surprise anyone.
DJ
Except that they manage to treat any patients at all?
I remember well when my medical records were stored on paper files. How antiquated it seems now. Nice story.
My dentist still has…well, maybe they’re props.
Does the American military have records for all the people they’ve killed?
Do they ever have an accurate count? Probably not.
Dear Dave,
Apparently you’ve had some degree of experience with the VA. 😉 Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Naw, but bureaucracies are all the same. VA’s just in the news a lot lately.
Every filing system, no matter how odd looking, makes sense to those in the know.
“I keep it in the left pants pocket of my other grey suit, yeah, that’s it.”
The company that gets to digitalize this archive will have a good income for years. I love the description of the clerks’ breakdowns. Good story.
They’ll finally get it done five minutes before computers evolve into something more efficient.
I think I prefer the devil’s system. Fun.
Me too. Hammurabi was the best file clerk ever.
Sounds like the worst biggest filing system… sounds like something out of Soviet Union.
Even less efficient, run by the military.
I loved your take to the prompt! Just seemed apropos! Have to agree with you about the V.A. System
Thanks, P.J.
Sounds about right.
Times, they are a-changing!
But my shoes just keep smelling worse every day? No, wait, that’s not right.
😂
They probably even have a file on me, and I never served in the military! Great piece! This odd picture is bringing the rascal out of a good many of us! 😉
Now that my piece is in, I want to do a “morgue filing cabinet.”
Oh, that would have been interesting!