The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Chapter 1

In 1860, Roger Button and his wife were living in Baltimore, USA. Mrs Button was in hospital, waiting to have her first baby. Mr Button hoped they would have a son, because he wanted to send him to Yale, one of the two most important colleges in the United States   (Harvard is the other). He himself had studied at Yale.

On the morning the baby was expected to arrive, Mr Button got up early and hurried to the hospital. As he arrived, he saw Dr Keene, their family doctor, leaving.

'Dr Keene!' Mr Button called. 'Oh, Dr Keene!'

The doctor turned and looked strangely at him.  

'What happened?' asked Mr Button excitedly. 'Is it a boy? How is my wife? Tell me! Is the child born?'

Dr Keene said darkly, 'Well, you could say the child is born-in a way.' He gave Mr Button another strange look.

'Is it a boy or a girl?'

'Now look here!' cried Dr Keene, suddenly very angry. 'Go and see for yourself. It's most curious. I've never seen a case like it. And it's too bad! What about my good name as a doctor? You didn't think of that, did you?'

'What's the matter?' asked Mr Button, by now very worried.

'Go and see! And find yourself another doctor. I'm finished with you!' He turned and walked away very fast.

Mr Button could not think what had happened. He slowly went into the hospital, and spoke to the first nurse he met.

'Good morning,' he said. 'I – I am Mr Button.'

The girl gave a frightened scream. 'Upstairs!' she cried, showing him the stairs. 'Go – go up!'

Mr Button went upstairs, where he met another nurse.

'I'm Mr Button,' he said. 'I – I want to see my child.'

The nurse looked at him in disgust. 'Come with me, Mr Button,' she said, and took him to a large room with a number of new – born babies, each in its small cot.