Have you ever woken up and wondered if you were still actually dreaming? Well, that’s me… and I must be dreaming, because the face and body looking back at me right now, is not mine. Or at least I don’t think it is.
I had blonde hair, didn’t I? And I’m sure I didn’t wear
glasses. But I don’t remember. In fact, I don’t have any recollection of my
life until a moment ago. That’s odd, isn’t it? How can you just become conscious,
standing up, alone, in a glass elevator in the middle of a shopping mall, and
have no memory of how you got there?
I look up and squint again at the face that stares back at me from the mirrored
ceiling, touch my cheeks, then pinch them just to see if it hurts. It does,
this is real, I am real.
So, who am I? I delve deep, into the archives of my memory to search for clues…
I am sitting on a beach, the sand trickling through chubby fingers as I watch my brother build sandcastles beside me… An old memory… I giggle as wave foam ripples along the sand towards us, filling the moat. My brother claps his hands in glee. A second wave and a turret collapses on retreat. I am whisked away by strong familiar hands. A lock of hair falls across my eyes… Blonde, definitely blonde.
Ping, the elevator reaches the second floor and I
stand there, paralysed, as the doors open to two heavy-set security guards.
‘Ms Wells, please come with us.’
I nod and follow the lead man across the Mall, past gawping onlookers and through a set of double doors, down a dim-lit corridor. The emergency exit sign to my right catches my eye…then a flash of black and fists flying. I jump back in fear, cowering against the wall as a man dressed in black quickly immobilises the guards, now unconscious at my feet. I dare a terrified glance at the attacker. Am I next?
‘Come with me’ he grabs my hand and drags me back through the emergency exit and down a concrete stairwell.
‘Who are you?’ I murmur.
He stops to face me. ‘Think Sal, what’s the last thing you remember?’
‘I… I don’t remember anything’ I stumble my words, hands shaking.
He rips off his balaclava and I recognise the face and hazel eyes behind it.
I gasp. ‘You, I remember you!’ I whisper.
‘Good. Once we are back to base, I’ll update you.’ He lets out a breath, ‘there’s a lot to explain.’
He pulls me onward, towards the basement.
Copyright © 2019 Lottie McKnight. All rights reserved.
This piece was inspired by the above photo prompt at Creative Writing Ink