Between Two Minds

Part 2

My heart skips a beat when I step out of the house, the entire area is just forest with no sign of civilization. Everywhere I look, all I can see is the damp ground and trees and bushes covered with raindrops. How did I even end up in this place?

I walk around the house in search of the path I had seen earlier and land upon it near the backside. This is probably the last thing that I should be doing right now, its clear that I have already been through something that was potentially life threatening, now I am just walking right into another one of those situations. But my curiosity gets the better of me and overpowers my sense of survival, so I brave my feet into walking ahead.

The forest is dense, and the path is narrow, but I press on. The smell of earth and foliage fills my nostrils as I make my way deeper into the woods. The silence is broken only by the sound of my footsteps and the occasional rustling of leaves.

After what seems like an eternity, the path opens into a small clearing. In the centre of the clearing stands a statue of a woman, her arms outstretched toward the sky. She's beautiful, with long flowing hair. Approaching the statue, I observe the intricate details that have been meticulously carved into the stone. I walk ahead to take a closer look and notice something odd. The statue is made of black smooth stone however, it has no face. Every other detail is captured perfectly except for the lump of stone that replaces what would have been the woman's face. It is a peculiar omission; I think to myself.

In some ways, I can relate to it. I feel like her, blank with no memories or recollection of who I am or where I am. As I stand there, lost in thought, a voice breaks through my reverie. "I see you have found the statue," says a voice behind me. Startled, I almost trip on a branch below my feet but somehow balance myself on a nearby trunk of a tree. Frustrated by this person I turn to look at who this person is, although, frustration should be the last thing I should feel, more than anything I should be afraid of this new presence but seems like losing memories also means that you lose your ability to think rationally, I scoff at my own thoughts internally and focus on where the voice came from.

Before me stands a figure that towers above, casting a captivating presence. He has a tall and lean frame, topped off with a head full of short, cropped midnight black hair. Each strand appears meticulously groomed, the darkness harmonizing with the vibrant hues of the forest that surrounds us His face exudes a sense of calm and intelligence while he has features that seem to be sculpted and chiselled with precision.

He is wearing a meticulously tailored navy-blue suit which makes him seem out of place, like he doesn't belong in a forest in some board meeting, discussing matters worth millions of dollars. The subtle gleam of polished buttons and the gentle rustle of fabric with each movement betray a discerning attention to detail and when I look back at his face, he has a gentle smile on. Ogling at people has become my hobby now, Great! I think to myself and respond with an apologetic smile.

Between the both of us, he is the first one to speak. "I'm sorry to have startled you," he says, "Linda told me you were out here, so I came looking for you." I nod, not knowing what to say. His gaze, a captivating blend of amusement and understanding, remains fixed upon me before he speaks again, "I am Gabriel, or you could call me Doctor Langdon."

Oh right! Linda had told me that some doctor would be visiting me. I look at Gabriel, unsure of what to say or do next. A multitude of questions clamor for attention within my mind as I struggle to piece together the fragments of my memory. I don't really know if he was a person I was acquainted with before losing my memories and how I should react or respond to him. The silence between us is very awkward right now causing more unease and inadvertently, my words spill forth without restraint. "A doctor? What kind of a doctor roams around in a forest, dressed in a suit", I blurt out and immediately regret it.