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. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99C9bzqfL0
“Excuse me miss, who are you?” he asks politely.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHHePnoFRF
“Well honey, I’m your mother. Do you not remember?” she asks with a look of surprise.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27HZw9ba5v
“Who am I? What’s my name? Where am I? I don’t know what's happening-”576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LpMfV4q3p
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.”576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEcB1NGQUb
“How don’t you remember?!?”576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErQXemaMSL
576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9m6QYh2dI
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.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkHdTGIXNN
“How old am I, mother?” He asks.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHdZ5t17iE
“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. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwrot26Wfy
576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85Iv9iZXMY
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.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiBW0X3FLC
576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nIBy7AfHy
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. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJ7Y3mNTnV
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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. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmpX27VU0z
“Couldn’t you wake up a little earlier?” He yawns.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE64t1ndLWU
“I remember you!” Zak says.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxheOR45WCU
“What’s that supposed to mean?”576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMpUisdApZ
“How come I can remember you but not mother?”576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNKr6qV0Rd
Momentarily, the smile drops from his father’s face. A new one forms, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAzpFvG7MF
“It’ll come to you eventually, I’m sure” he concludes. “How about some breakfast? Does an omelette work for you, son?”576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWoidKXVNj
Zak smiles, “Perfect. Just what I wanted.”
