I can’t recall where I originally found this story (I believe the author may be unknown), but I came across it while I was perusing some old files. It’s only about 600 words long. Enjoy:

A man, seriously ill, had to spend all his time flat on his back. He occupied the same hospital room as another.

The other man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, and where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man who lay flat on his back began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world:

“The window overlooks a park with a lovely lake,” the man by the window said. “Ducks and swans play on the water while children sail their model boats. Lovers walk arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees grace the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline can be seen in the distance.” As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a marvelous parade passing by. The parade was too far distant to hear; however, the man on the other bed could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with vivid, descriptive detail.

Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered the listening man’s head: Why should the man by the window have all the pleasure of seeing the wondrous world outside while I never get to see anything? It didn’t seem fair. As the thought fermented the man felt shame. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and he was unable to sleep. He should be by that window: that thought now controlled his life.

Late one night, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room the other man never moved to push his own button, which would have brought the nurse running.

In less than five minutes the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. There was only silence. Deathly silence.

The following morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window she was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take it away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained, and laboriously, carefully, turned to look out the window.

It faced a blank wall.