I transcribed the story.

The story of Joe Odd appeared in Britain circa 1990-1991.

The tale itself was written by a patient in a high security mental hospital in Devon, UK. It is signed 'BB '83'.

The Story of Joe Odd (a story for grown-ups)

Once upon a time, there was a happy man called Joe Odd He lived in a little hut on the side of a hill with his dog

And on his window he could see right into the distance.

Round the hut was a beautiful garden where he grew flowers and vegetables,

and lots of lupins because lupins were lupins were his favourite flowers.

On weekdays he weedays he went to work in the valley where all the people lived in little boxes all looking just the same,

but afterwards he could go home to his little hut and watch the sunset.

The people who lived in the boxes thought Joe was very strange because they all watched television.

At first they said, "Why don't you live in a box like us?" but Joe didn't want to.

So they broke his windows and made up bad stories about him and the police said he was causing a breach of peace.

"Ain't Joe weird - I bet he's a queer ... or maybe into little boys ... Yeah"

"A child molester"

"And he hates everyone ... He dangerous ... Let's get him."

So Joe locked his door and barred his windows and was afraid to go out.

The garden became overgrown with weeds and died. Only his dog stayed by his side.

One day a man came to the hut and said, "Mr. Odd, this hut is unhealthy because there is no bathroom, so we are going to pull it down, but we cannot rehouse you because you do not meet the requirements."

Joe wandered from place to place and stole bottles of milk from doorsteps.

One day the police caught him and a social worker came to take his dog to the R.S.P.C.A. Joe was so upset that he hit the social worker.

So she said he could not be in his right mind and would have to be assessed. They sent Joe to the mental hospital, where the doctor examined him and asked him lots of questions about his childhood and his bowel movements...

Then wrote on some labels and hung them round his neck. Then another social worker wrote a report about how Joe had lived in a hut with the door and windows barred. So the doctor hung another label round his neck saying... "Persecution Complex"

... and gave him some pills to make him feel better. Joe didn't like the pills because they made him feel strange, and he wouldn't take them, so the doctor hung an "unco-operative" label round his neck and gave him an injection instead.

Every week the doctor asked him lots of questions to find out what was wrong with him, but Joe didn't answer anymore, so he hung an "uncommunicative" label round his neck as well.

After a long time, they told Joe he was better and they found him a regulation box to live in under the rehabiliation scheme. Joe lived in his little box and from his window he could see lots of other boxes, all looked just the same.

The welfare workers told him he was coping very well, but sometimes Joe still had a felling he wanted to hit people, only he couldn't remember why he felt like that, because the pills made his head feel sleepy.

The social worker looked at Joe's labels and told him this was all part of his illness and that it might take a long time before he felt really better.

One night he thought he heard a voice in his head saying, ...

"Come with me. I know a beautiful place. Come with with me.."

I can't. I am very ill. Can't you see all those labels round my neck?

"Take them off, Joe", said the voice, again and again and again...

At last Joe lifted the labels from around his neck and threw them away.

He was surprised how easy it was, and his head felt so much lighter.

He opened the door and followed the voice... "Follow me"

He walked for miles and miles and came to a beautiful place with lots of other odd people. He grew some more lupins and played music and painted pictures and flew in balloons, and he brought a cat who followed him everywhere, and everybody there loved Joe. Then one day the people in the boxes found out where he was and said he would have to come back because he was very ill.

A fleet of police cars and ambulances after with sirens screaming...

and Joe ran along the beach and into the waves to escape the noise

For ever and ever, and ever .....