(The Final Chapter)
When Sora awoke, she was aware of a strange constant beeping noise nearby. She opened her eyes to see the ceiling of the hospital. Very modern-looking.
“Dear! She’s awake!”
“She’s awake? Sora! Sora, can you hear me?” Her papa’s face came into view, looking both worried and relieved.
Sora tried to sit up, but her father wouldn’t let her. “Stay still. The doctor says you hit your head when you fell in the ravine. You need to keep still so that it can heal.”
“What happened?” She asked. “Why am I in the hospital?”
“You fell down a ravine and hit your head. If a passerby hadn’t found you right after that, things would have been much more serious, but thankfully you’re all right.” Her dad told her.
“But, Sora, why were you near such a dangerous place like the ravine, anyways?” Her mother asked, concerned.
Sora was about to answer, when she stopped, surprised. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?” her father asked.
“I mean, I can remember everything…the lesson that day…what I had for lunch…what the kids said on the bus ride back…But…I can’t remember why, or even how, I ended up in the ravine.” Sora said.
Tears fell from her eyes. I feel like I forgot something very important to me.
Sora’s mother turned to the doctor who had been listening in. He motioned for the parents to come outside the room with him, while one of the nurses entered to give Sora a check-up.
“Don’t cry dear! I’m sure things will turn out fine.” The nurse could be heard reassuring her as they closed the door.
The doctor sighed. “Amnesia, huh? It wasn’t outside of the scope of possibilities…”
“Amnesia! Doctor, is it permanent?” Sora’s mother gasped.
He shook his head. “It came from her knocking her head when she fell. But due to that passerby, we managed to make sure there won’t be any permanent damage. As for the memory loss…” He smiled. “Don’t you worry. The memory loss could still just be temporary, so I want to wait and see if she can remember it on her own, but…”
He tilted his head. “You never do know when these things will clear up. If it doesn’t come back in a year or so, I know a doctor in America that is a specialist on amnesia, so I’ll recommend you to him.”
“Well, I’m just glad that she’s alive and well, aside from that. Looks like we need to thank whoever called in for her.” Sora’s mother said, relieved.
The doctor looked at Sora’s dad. “Come to think of it, I heard the man was looking around the area because he had heard a dog barking. It might have been that a stray found her before that passerby did. You should thank that dog. He saved your little girl’s life.”
-6 years later-
Sora sat up in bed, gasping for breath.
It was the same dream, every night. In the dream, she would be walking through a strange, yet familiar forest, when all of a sudden, she would hear a growling noise that sent chills up her spine and made her freeze in place.
She would tell herself not to look. Don’t looook! But she would turn and look anyways into the face of a huge black wolf-dog with red eyes. Then she was running. Running! Running! To get away! Away!
But the wolf-dog would be following behind her, sometimes almost catching her, sometimes disappearing into the trees, still following her, but unseen. Then she would trip, and sail over a deep chasm in the earth, almost reaching the other side…but, instead, getting caught in a web hanging over the chasm.
She would hang there, until the wolf would come along and begin biting at the ropes. And then she would start falling, falling, falling into the deep dark trench, only to wake up covered in sweat.
This had been her dream every night since her accidental fall several years ago in the exact spot that she dreamt of. Ever since then, she had developed a great fear of dogs. Even though she knew that she had been saved because of a dog, she couldn’t help but be afraid of them.
Stranger still, Sora had this nagging feeling at the back of her head, as if there was something important that she had forgotten something from long ago…
But that was ridiculous. Sora could never forget anything. She had a photographic memory from birth. And the doctors had said that there was nothing wrong with her during their checkups….
Sora got up to get herself a glass of water, staring out at the morning twilight as it began to outline the buildings of the city. Today she would be back in England for the first time, in the seven years since her accident, to visit her grandparents.
While, technically yes, she was still a minor- she had finished both high school and college. And, after years of being away, her parents had finally given their permission for her to go live with her grandparents in England because they themselves had been invited to go on an extensive expedition in Brazil, and could not in good conscience leave her on her own.
She tapped the base of her mug, wondering how much of her childhood town had changed during her extended time away. After a few minutes she sighed. She could wonder all she wanted, but that wasn’t going to get her home.
Looking down, she saw the bright yellow taxi cab parked outside. It was time to leave. She left the building, and locked the door.
——————-
She looked out at the nostalgic English countryside, her mind running through the memories tied to those spots. Over there, her mom had bought her an ice cream. And over there, her father had taken her to the movies on her birthday. And over there-
“Stop!” She suddenly exclaimed. The taxi driver came to a halt at the side of the road. “What d’yew want, Laydee?!!” He asked, upset by the sudden demand.
“Sorry!” She apologized, “I’d like to get out here, if that’s all right with you. Here’s the money I owe you.” She thrust the papers at him.
He protested, “But this is too much!”
She smiled. “It’s a tip for putting up with this selfish request of mine. Have a wonderful day!”
The cabman shook his head at what he perceived to be foolishness. “There’s nuthin but woods here, laydee! But, if you’d rather walk than ride, be my guest! It’s no skin off my nose.”
She grabbed her suitcase. “Thank you very much!” She waved as the cabman pulled the car around and left the way he’d come.
There was something in the air here, something familiar, and fuzzy, like her memories of everything that happened about six years ago. It had always bothered her, that blurred fuzziness in her memories.
———————-
Tseng was returning home for the first time in over seven years. It was strange for him to think he’d been gone for so long.
He had sent letters every so often-but without a permanent home, he’d only managed to get a reply once or twice from his grandmother: still alive and well, thank goodness. Then again, the last letter he got was from two years ago.
He had travelled to some of the furthest corners of the world. From the frozen North with beautiful glaciers (sans giant ice dragons). He had gone to western desert temples, the ancient Lasgwen caves decorated with strange carvings. He had revisited the dwarven and elven kingdoms-and finally conquered his fear of heights with Pan’s help.
From underground dungeons to huge cities spiralling into the sky-he had seen them. He had travelled across many oceans to three different continents. He hadn’t yet seen the vastly unexplored far eastern continent of Kaljalla. He would go one day, though.
At each new place, Tseng got by on doing odd jobs. He was skilled in fletching, fishing, construction work and playing an odd wood instrument with holes called a Gogoboon. Sadly, his cooking never really improved aside from his skills in cooking meat.
As much as Tseng had loved exploring and travelling, he wondered if it would ever be enough. Tseng often thought about Sora. After the first year had passed he wasn’t sure she was coming back. He thought of all the terrible things that could have happened to prevent her from returning, but each time, he looked at Sora’s necklace and somehow felt reassured that she would return.
Camilla even promised to keep an eye out for her in case she returned while he was out exploring.
“It doesn’t bother me.” He told himself. Except it did. And now his latest adventure was over. He was 18. Despite making friends all over the world, he had left each one behind every time he travelled. And today, he hit rock bottom. He felt…utterly alone.
Tseng stopped in his tracks and sat down on a rock. Seven years. She had promised she’d return and he’d believed her. And so he’d continued to believe for seven long years.
He took off the blue pendant he’d worn close every single day. He’d even seen Kenmei and Camilla, despite their own rare appearances; but there was no sign of her. It had been so long.
Maybe I should accept the fact I probably wouldn’t see her again. He thought to himself. It’s been so long. Maybe she’s forgotten her promise.
Forget!? How could she forget!? He’d waited for her for seven years! In a moment of frustration, Tseng threw the necklace into the distance, as hard as he could- and instantly regretted it.
Me and my temper! He groaned. The sun was getting low towards the horizon, and Tseng wanted to reach Chief Guo’s village by nightfall. He wouldn’t have much time to search. “Maybe I should just leave it and forget so I can move forward.” He mumbled to himself.
“…No, of course I couldn’t do that.” Tseng sighed, did an about-face, and set off into the forest, hoping it would catch the light so he could find it.
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