December 15, 2020
"It would seem, from my speculation, your memory is no longer your own," A voice said.
Edward's eyes slowly cracked from the ice that was forcing his eyes shut to see a thin man sitting on a log across a fire. He looked familiar - with scruffy white and brown hair and a swollen white left eye. His nose was slightly crooked and bit and pieces of his white beard were covered in scarring. Edward wasn't sure where he had seen this man before.
"Did you say something?" Edward asked, slowly sitting up and leaning his body towards the fire.
The man said nothing, only concentrating on twisting his skewered rabbit. Silent type? Excellent.
Edward placed his bluish purple hands out in front of him, wincing at the pain he was feeling from the heat on his hands. With how badly frozen they were, Edward feared that he would have amputate them. Perhaps there was still hope for them yet.
"Is this a dream?" Edward asked.
"No," The old man said.
He believed the old man. This didn't feel like a dream but, then again, Edward wasn't so sure. Everything felt fuzzy.
"What happened?" Edward asked.
The old man's eyes remained unmoving, only concentrating on the skewer. "You were freezing. I saved you."
No shit.
Edward looked all around him, seeing only darkness, aside from a faint ray of light that must have been coming from the cave's entrance. There was no telling what was out in the darkness. For all he knew, this old man could have a whole wall full of corpses, ready to be chopped up and thrown onto a pan. Perhaps he didn't kill Edward yet so he could keep him calm before slitting his throat. Does meat taste better that way?
"Well, thank you. I... I honestly don't know why I was out in the snow," Edward said.
The old man's gaze left the fire and turned to Edward. It was the look of a man who had seen something; the look of a man who was weathered. "Frankly, son, I don't know what you were doing out there either. Pretty damn stupid if you ask me."
Edward chuckled. "Yes I suppose it'd be best to be indoors on a night like this. So why are you out here then?"
The old man's expression remained unchanging, his eyes not blinking, and the skewer kept rotating. "I'm bound here."
This man is an absolute pleasure to talk with.
"Bound here? Like some kind of knight guarding the bathroom, while his king takes a shit, kind of bound?"
Still, the man's expression did not change. "A joker. It's good to see that you have not been completely broken yet. So many before you have been."
A moment of silence filled the cave, all except for the cackling of the fire.
"What the fuck does that even mean?"
The old man ignored him and reached behind the log he was sitting on, pulling up a rounded leather wine skin. He tossed at Edward and turned back to the fire.
"Drink."
So he is going to eat me. I guess I should have just been quiet.
Edward couldn't deny the thirst he had though. His throat was feeling dryer than a desert and even the little saliva he had was hurting to swallow.
"What's in this?" Edward asked.
"Drink," The man said once more.
To hell with it.
If Edward was to die, at least he could die with some liquid in his throat. Having to spend the rest of his days in a cave with a crabby old fucker wasn't the way Edward wanted to die. Perhaps this was what it was like for others to talk with him.
He lifted the wine skin to his mouth and took several big gulps before wiping his lips and waiting to see his throat tighten as he choked on the poison. As it so happened, the old man didn't poison him. It was ale.
"No doubt you have many questions, Edward, but I'm afraid that answering many of them will only confuse you."
"How do you know me?"
The old man blinked slowly and pulled the rabbit out of the fire. He slid it off of the skewer and ripped off a leg, handing it to Edward. His throat was still dry but now he realized the hunger he had. When was the last time he even ate? The harder he tried to think, the more his head hurt. Why couldn't he remember?
"I've known you for a long time, Edward. Since the beginning, I have known you and, since the beginning, I have been expecting you. Millions of times, I have anticipated our encounter and, at long last, you are here," The old man said.
Edward winced at the pain of his headache. His memories seemed to be locked up, hidden away inside of his brain. It felt like something was burying them and replacing them. All he could think of was the Manor and its elegant beauty. A woman stood at the door and held her hand out for Edward to take. She hummed a soft melody, beckoning him to join her. He wanted to reach out and touch her hand but his mind limited him. He couldn't reach her.
"You are in pain," The old man said.
Edward pressed hard on his temple. "Yeah, no shit."
The old man chuckled, the first real emotion he's had. "It'll pass, in time. I once had those headaches too, long ago. You see, the lady of the manor is only trying to help you but our minds are resistant to allowing anything in. If you can learn to let go, the pain will go away."
He wanted to let go but didn't know how. For some reason, Edward wanted her in his mind. Yet, he didn't even know who she was. For a moment, the pain subsided and he looked back to the old man.
"So why are you bound here? And... why have you been expecting me? Better yet, how did you know that you were to be expecting me?"
Edward took another bite of the rabbit leg and watched as the old man slowly stood up. "Follow me and I will answer your questions."
Taking once last bite of the rabbit, Edward chucked it into the fire and stood up. The old man lit a torch and was followed by Edward into the darkness. They remained silent as they descended further into the cave, hearing the echo of water droplets hitting the ground. Edward quickly noticed the temperature drop as the descended deeper and deeper. The only thing keeping Edward from freezing over was the warmth of the torch.
After about ten to twenty minutes of walking, they came upon a wooden board placed against a small manhole. The old man held his torch against another one that was propped up against the wall, helping to illuminate the small space they were in.
"For ten years, I have gatewayed wayward travelers through these tunnels and for ten years, nobody has made it through them. All except for me." The old man pried the wooden board off the manhole, revealing several skeletons littering the floor in the room. "Many of those who go through the tunnels try to turn back to escape but are unable. Once you go in, there can be no return and not even I can help you."
"What lays at the other end of those tunnels?" Edward asked, marveling at the amount of people that died at the entrance.
"Salvation."
Edward felt his hunger and thirst disappear as his mind flashed images of the woman at the manner. Join me Edward.
"I want to know what's happening to me. Why can't I remember anything?"
The old man placed his hand on the mossy wall and looked down to Edward. "Think of it as an upgrade. Many of the memories that you once held only caused you pain and suffering. The lady only wants you to feel happiness and joy and so she is removing that which would cause you grief. The sooner you let her in, the sooner you can feel happy."
"And this lady of the manor... is she the reason you know me?"
"Of course. She has prepared me for your arrival since the day I let her speak to me. Even now, she speaks to me. Many who have come before you were strangers to me. But you... I have always known you."
Edward wasn't sure if his questions were bring any clarity, yet, he felt like the answers were there all along. The lady of the manor was always watching over him and guiding him throughout his life. Somehow he knew that, beyond these tunnels, he would finally be able to serve her and be with her. It was true, salvation awaited him. Eager to be united with her, Edward climbed into the manhole and emerged in the other room.
He turned to look back at the old man, feeling that he didn't care to ask any more questions, except for one.
"I will find this salvation. Thank you..."
The old man smiled, revealing several broken teeth. "In a past time they called me Jacob. Jacob Matthews."
Edward nodded his head and took the torch Jacob extended to him. This was it. This was what his life, whatever his life may have been, had accumulated to. He would take this passage and he would find his salvation.
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