Approaching the dormitory, I heard a burst of sirens.

NEWYORKER: Sweetheart Sorrow

In this way, I became a familiar of two of the unfortunates who lived in the basement dormitory under the care of Dr. Sondervan.

NEWYORKER: Wakefield

That winter, I packed a suitcase and took an empty, overheated Greyhound bus to the state mental hospital, where I trudged through blinding drifts of cold and was shown to a room in a staff dormitory.

NEWYORKER: The Reptile Garden