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. 577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWE5kaArJ3
“Excuse me miss, who are you?” he asks politely.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFHcz4Y1AU
“Well honey, I’m your mother. Do you not remember?” she asks with a look of surprise.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQ8tbEQaGV
“Who am I? What’s my name? Where am I? I don’t know what's happening-”577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1a0ZkCaaa
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.”577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWKNCupYXJ
“How don’t you remember?!?”577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktSSX58tPD
577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUOn4suky6
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.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fXBofhZCf
“How old am I, mother?” He asks.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAgFpxiIOP
“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. 577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBaTmHOSlO
577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWKhmXFQ8h
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.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3cCZi4J0G
577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLmJcHKpYZ
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. 577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDVhcxVrT8
577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlWUEGxd9k
“Dad!” Zak exclaims as he jumps up to hug the man. His father brings his arms up to meet him and yawns loudly. 577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneEatzkSam
“Couldn’t you wake up a little earlier?” He yawns.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKm6RAU7J8H
“I remember you!” Zak says.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGjvEpXwb5
“What’s that supposed to mean?”577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwg1lyuVvfR
“How come I can remember you but not mother?”577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkKB4JJHPp
Momentarily, the smile drops from his father’s face. A new one forms, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjsgNnAiK8
“It’ll come to you eventually, I’m sure” he concludes. “How about some breakfast? Does an omelette work for you, son?”577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FZ2FqsPHW
Zak smiles, “Perfect. Just what I wanted.”
