His eyes open. When the haze clears, he sees an oak ceiling, a vase of white tulips. Warm light seeps through a white linen curtain and helps to warm the thick quilt covering him. Family pictures and childhood drawings are set in thick wooden frames across the room. He sees a woman. She’s got soft wrinkles and thin blond hair that falls gently on her shoulders. She’s sleeping, hunched over in a chair with her shoulders on his bed and her head held in her hands. He doesn’t know the woman. He doesn’t know himself. Who is he? Panic sets in as words try to tumble out of cracked lips. A painful whisper rises from his throat, desperate to wake the woman next to him. She wakes with a start and quickly hands him a glass of water from the nightstand. Thankful, he gulps down the water that seems to give him some clarity. 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7wnfdMsAK
“Excuse me miss, who are you?” he asks politely.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbK7h5QbHwO
“Well honey, I’m your mother. Do you not remember?” she asks with a look of surprise.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55Uvj0cbuz
“Who am I? What’s my name? Where am I? I don’t know what's happening-”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDchnMTX67G
She interrupts him with a smile, “Don’t worry honey, you’re at home in your bedroom, your name’s Zak, you are my son, as I've already told you.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0tVsJBu2F
“How don’t you remember?!?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7hmnTMc1m
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Zak. Zak. It feels familiar. He says it, wanting to feel his mouth form the word. Yes, that’s right; I know that's right, He thinks to himself. It comforts him to remember some part of himself through the fog in his mind.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtWLAiCpXX
“How old am I, mother?” He asks.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZwHe3zjqM
“You’re thirteen.” She says. “Oh my, the doctors said that there might be some memory loss, but I didn’t think it would affect you to this extent. It’s early, but I’m going to go wake up your father.” She gets out of her chair and yawns as she walks out of the room and closes the door. 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJA9dj6UZB
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For some reason, he begins to panic again as the door closes. His brow furrows as he squeezes his eyes shut and hurriedly sucks in breaths. He doesn’t want to be left alone. He doesn’t want to be left alone where he’s lonely and afraid, and it’s so dark, so, so dark! He begins to shiver as goosebumps trail his skin. The blankets don’t feel warm anymore. All he wants is something to warm him up. It’s so cold he can’t stand it. Then it stops.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GFzecRWdN
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The warmth flows back into the room as mother and a scary looking man step quietly through the door and to his bed. Zak’s cheeks blush, his ears turn red. What just happened to me? He thinks but quickly regains his composure for the man next to him. He sits stiffly on his stool, his stance disciplined, important. The man has broad shoulders and a thick neck, leading to a sharp jawline as well as had eyes like coal. He was hard to read. The boy wonders how he could ever reach past those eyes. The man stares at Zak with eyes that could kill if they wanted to. Instead, the man’s gaze softens as a small smile that puts crow’s feet on the corners of his eyes. 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQJfV8IbS0
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“Dad!” Zak exclaims as he jumps up to hug the man. His father brings his arms up to meet him and yawns loudly. 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9FHgOVLWtO
“Couldn’t you wake up a little earlier?” He yawns.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MM04NHFkB
“I remember you!” Zak says.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrBiaEMDim
“What’s that supposed to mean?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo72yNL1zs4
“How come I can remember you but not mother?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17nZBxaBPj
Momentarily, the smile drops from his father’s face. A new one forms, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlL8VwyLpb9
“It’ll come to you eventually, I’m sure” he concludes. “How about some breakfast? Does an omelette work for you, son?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJyEXSb8uq
Zak smiles, “Perfect. Just what I wanted.”
