Uh, stranger?
he calls after you.
You don't turn to face him, but you hear him crack the whip against the horse and the patter of accelerating hooves. You'd rather just figure this thing out on your own; there's no need for any help.
Thank you, but I'm fine!
you reply, tossing the words behind your shoulder. You tighten your jacket against yourself, steadfast as you go deeper into the forest.
Sun. The sun is higher now. Brighter now. Wasn't it morning when you got off the train?
You're not sure how you ended up here. You remember walking mindlessly back toward the train station, but you must have gotten turned around. Remember, you think, you must remember, surely.
You retrace your steps. You left the station without delay, and—before you could reach the taxi stand—you felt someone slip a note into your pocket (and remove your cigarettes You've been trying to quit for a while, but it's times like these that make you reach out for them again., but maybe they were trying to tell you something). When you spun around to see the culprit, a sea of moving bodies left you alone. After checking for your things, you felt the note take shape in your pocket upon reaching for a smoke and, without realizing it, you've left town as you wandered your thoughts and lost yourself in your memory. What was once a city behind you has dwindled into a suburb, and a lush forest now opens in front of you.
You shake your head as if to fill the spaces the missing memories left. This isn't the first memory lapse you know you've had, but you're not such a reliable narrator anymore, are you? You reach back into your pocket to grab the note, but you realize you're not alone.
Are you sure you're doing alright, stranger?
a voice asks, and you turn to a carriage next to you. You blink a few times, and realize a man on horseback You see the horse is pulling a dark carriage that has its windows drawn. The wheels look somewhat dirty, indicating they've been ridden about a day so far. has been looking down at you. He appears in uniform, pressed and cleanly presented, and it dawns on you that this might be an officer of the peace. For how long? When did he arrive?
What do you do?
| "Yes, I'm perfectly fine—just got a little lost," you reply. | "Actually, I think I may be having some memory issues. Does Dr. Holloway ring a bell for you?" you ask. |