A disturbance

A disturbance in the fabric of space-time erupted a million kilometres from Earth. Space seems to fold inward on itself and then, in spectacular brilliance exploded outward as a ship emerged from its centre. Electricity reached from the event horizon towards the emerging ship as it extruded itself from subspace. When it cleared the rupture, the anomaly imploded inward in a brilliant white flash consuming itself, releasing the billions of gigawatt it took to create the rupture into the cavity, sealing the open end. The ship drifted forward powerless until its ion drive ignited in a bright blue plume, spraying supercharged particles into the emptiness of space from the array of emitters at the back of the craft. It began to move forward - slowly at first - all the time accelerating. Moments later it shimmered, flickered and disappeared from existence when someone engaged the cloaking shield necessary to hide them from prying eyes.

Several minutes passed in the endless confines of space before a small capsule (dark grey gleaming metal, slightly larger than a human, with an elongated round shape) exploded from nowhere. It broke through the cloaking shield, leaving a ripple drifting around the ship. It seemed suspended before a long red fireball accelerated the craft towards the earth. A red halo formed ahead of the craft as it entered the upper atmosphere, leaving a red-hot plasma trail on its plunge towards the surface of the planet, accelerated by gravities relentless pull. Inside the capsule the lone occupant was unconscious oblivious to the violent events that surrounded him. Magnetic dampers held him in place, which stopped him from being reduced to mincemeat. Several loud explosions thundered through the bitter cold night air as the craft broke several sound barriers in close succession. It spends four minutes inside the plasma shroud, being buffeted by supersonic shock waves, decelerating against the push of the air until the plasma slowly disappeared and the craft plummeted earth-ward on a collision course with a lake. It impacted the surface of the water with such force that large pieces broke loose, flung hundreds of meters into the air, chased by an erupting volcano of water. The remaining bulk skipped across the surface in several arcs. Every hop sending plumes of water and debris flying outward into the nearby bushes where it imbedded itself deep into the moist soil. Other pieces cleaved through the trunks of trees that grew in its trajectory, the trunks exploding on impact sending the tall trees slowly falling over. The main body of the craft skid to a slow drift pushing a huge wave gushing towards the shore. The wave rushed along the surface, being chased by smaller and smaller ones until its energy was spent washed out high on the shoreline. The impact sounded like thunder claps in the cloudless evening, and it reverberated through the freezing night air for tens of kilometres radiating out across the forest. Creatures scattered and screamed in fear as they fled in all directions. The noise was followed by a deafening silence that almost felt tangible, only to be broken by the bashing sound of water against the shoreline rocks, whose gentle music was in stark contrast to the violent events of the past minute.

The remains of the capsule drifted towards the shore, where it gently washed up on the bank. Time seem to freeze before a bright white light split a seam down the middle of the craft. It grew in size, sending white light illuminating the immediate surrounds. A low bass sound drifted across the water, reverberating and rippling the surface of the lake. Seconds later it ejected the unconscious occupant onto the sand, where he fell motionless on his back. Immediately, the water surrounding the capsule vibrated softly, sending small ripples spreading outward. The white light turned bright red glowing from the centre of the ship. A sizzling sound sounded from deep inside the craft as it melted from the inside out. Smoke drifted upward and was whipped away by the breeze. All around the lake, the broken pieces of metal, glowed red and melted into a heap of grey ash. The ash was picked up by the soft breeze that blew through the trees, leaving no trace of the violent events that occurred.

Slowly the night returned to normal as nature surfaced from where it hid. The man stirred softly but did not move for several minutes. From time to time he made soft noises, and then half an hour later he tried to turn on his side, but fell back lying still. He lay breathing hard trying to clear his head and remember what happened or where he was. It took some time for him to open his eyes, opening and closing them several times before he rubbed his head. Another twenty minutes passed before he attempted to sit up again. This time with more success. He sat up shakily supported by his arms extending behind him. His warm breath blew columns of white billowing vapour into the cold night air and goosebumps marched up and down his spine as he shivered lightly.

“Where am I?” he croaked, coughing several times. He looked around and rubbed his arms vigorously to get rid of the shivers. He was dirty, dressed in a synthetic tight fitting, long sleeve, luminous blue, jumpsuit that ended in hardened sole boots. He had no memory of what happened or where he was, but he will have to get warm else he might freeze to death before long. Peering around for answers, he stumbled to his feet. He was on the shore of a great lake, surrounded by forest on the one side and water on the other. The forest appeared deep, dark and ominous. He searched the immediate vicinity where he sat, for signs of how he got there, but did not find much except for a single deep gouge in the sand next to him. He had no idea what could have made it; this added to the mystery rather than provide answers. Unsure of his footing, he leaned against a fallen tree stump that washed up a long time ago. He was dizzy with an endless pulsating migraine.

“What happened?” he wondered while looking around. He watched the lake, trying to remember how he got there. What events lead him to be passed out next to a lake in the middle of the night? Why would he be out in the cold, and where is here? A dim light emanating on the horizon caught his attention, it looked like a city in the distance. He let out a sigh, one thing he knew… he did not like walking in the snow at night, but here it seemed he had no other choice. At the minimum, exercise would get his temperature up. He followed the shore line where it was easier to walk, keeping the lights ahead of him all the while looking for signs of a road that could help him get out of the wilderness. Time passed as he made his way towards the city in the distance when he stumbled on tracks leading away from the lake in the direction of the lights. It was a foot path made by hiker’s boots over many years, the soles of the shoes trampling all living material to a fine dust and over time gouging a path through the forest. He tried to remember what happened before he woke, but he was rewarded with a migraine for his effort. His past was a black hole of nothingness as far back as he could remember.

Suddenly he folded double grabbing his head as he buckled under the onslaught of the migraine. He fell to the ground with his head in his hands, moaning and rolling as the pain throbbed from deep inside his brain. It felt like his brain was too big for his skull. It felt like it was going to burst from his ears, nose and eyes. He lay on his back with both hands covering his eyes until the pain slowly subsided. He did not know how long he lay in the path, it felt like hours but finally relieve spilled down his shoulders, his back and found its way into his feet. He wanted to sleep, wanted to curl up and forget about everything and definitely don’t want the pain again. Several minutes passed before he dared to open his eyes to test the pain barrier, but to his surprise, as fast as it came, the headache was gone. He sat up with his head resting on his knees and when he was sure the headache would not resurface, he stood up and gingerly continued down the track. Sounds of the night followed him, somewhere an owl hooted, crickets returned in chorus and the breeze rustled the leaves all round. He was strangely at ease, did not feel rushed, as if it was natural for him to be out and about at night. He wondered why he felt so comfortable when most other humans were scared of the dark, let alone be out in the wilderness alone… then he wondered how he knew that but stopped that train of thought immediately at the tingling he felt in the centre of his brain.

Several kilometres later and an unknown time, the track opened up on the side of a main road. He was relieved to finally find signs of civilisation. He followed the road towards the distant lights that now seemed much closer than before. Had he been walking so fast, or was he closer than he initially thought? Could this night get any stranger? Instinctively he summarized the situation; he knew he had to take stock, find out what he knew, order the events, line up the facts and consider his options: He woke next to a lake, had no memories of what happened, or where he was, not to mention his past was a black hole. He was cold and far away from civilisation and currently walking next to a road at night, that about sums it up, but then his right shoulder started throbbing with pain. “Perfect!” he exclaimed as he ran his left hand down his arm and felt where the material was torn. His hand felt wet, and his suspicions was confirmed when he saw the blood. He stopped to examine the damage. The bleeding stopped, but it was a long gash around a centimetre wide, down the back of his arm. Just one more thing to add to the list of mysterious events he had no memory of.

He was contemplating the damage to his arm, and considering his options when he noticed lights approaching from behind. He heard the deep throat of the semi-truck before he saw it. Its lights casting long elongated ellipses on the road, illuminating the rest of the world for several hundred meters ahead of the vehicle. The driver slowed down, rushing through the gears when he saw the man standing in the road. The heavy cargo pushed him forward, and the truck protested against the sudden change in its comfortable velocity. As he approached the man he came to a groaning halt. Huge clouds of steam and smoke billowed into the freezing night air from the overhead exhaust pipes as the monster finally came to a halt just meters from the man. The driver shifted into neutral, and engaged the trailer breaks. The hiss of the compressed air gushed through the forest when the breaks engaged followed by the clang from the metal shafts that connected the breaks to the compressor.

The man held up his hands against the bright beams of light. It hurt his eyes after the prolonged darkness and watched the truck suspiciously until the driver opened the door and emerged into the light.

“Aah you oh-kay their young mister?” a round older man, dressed in fur boots, parka jacket, long grey bearded, and hoody drawled in a thick southern accent, while walking towards him with stocky movements.

“I... I think so sir” the man replied, still shielding his eyes from the light.

“Canneye offer you a ride innu town...? wheres yoh ve-hicle?” the driver asked, while looking around. The wind wisped some early snowflakes into the air, and it played lazily in the beams of light along with a couple of moths’ and other nocturnal insects attracted by the pleasure of radiated fun streaming off the headlights. The truck purred loudly in the background, as it eagerly awaited its next command.

“I don’t know...” the man uttered as he dropped his arm and shuffled in one spot.

“It’s a getin co-uhld. We might should better be goin, you must be freezin” the driver gestured to the opposite side, while watching the man for a response.

“Thank you sir” the man said walking closer and followed the drivers instruction to the other side of the truck, while the driver got back in the driver’s seat. Once inside he closed the door. The heat inside the cabin made his extremities hurt but in a good way.

“Mah real name is Joseph, but everyones gone and called me Joe. Whata yah doin outside on a nite like this, spesialy this time of mornin?” the driver enquired as he skilfully shifted through the array of gears, getting his haulage back up to speed. The truck vibrated and strained against the weight, but with every gear, it overcame gravities pull and accelerated forward. Soon it droned eager to reduce distance into history, on its forward plunged through the unknown future gorging itself on road.

The man considered Joe’s request, trying to remember his own name. He frowned, as his effort to remember was paid by jumbled flashes of incoherent thoughts. His name should be something that is familiar, something that just roll of the tongue... but for him there was nothing, not a flicker of recognition. He became frustrated with not knowing, and for a while he was watching the road being devoured as they sped towards the lights ahead. “I honestly don’t know sir...” he looked at the driver, his forehead rippled in a frown, “I woke up next to a lake, some time ago...” he pointed backwards with his thumb, everything on this strange night felt surreal and his mind was all a jumbled mess of shattered pieces.

“Nex-o Tahoe!” The driver exclaimed, “yah one lucky pilgrim mister.” he said, watching the man and the road almost simultaneously while steering toward a bend in the road. He shifted down several gears on approach, the engine straining against the exhaust break, sending reverberating deep groans rumbling through the night. Once through the bend, he geared up and pushed the pedal to the floor. The big Mack responded as expected and soon the driver was running through the gears until none was left, speeding down the final straight into the brightening city lights.

“Could be... I don’t know where I am sir... Why?” the man asked in a high tone, his eyes big looking at the driver.

The driver watched him with raised eye brows, “You’re inna best state in the wuhld. Nevada partner! That dad burn lake is teamin wit gators... the biggest gators youf ever seen” he snorted shifting down and slowing as they enter the city limits, the exhaust break shaking the air around them.

“Oh!” the man said sitting back in the chair. “That could explain the track I followed to get to the road” he half laughed nervously.

“Shore thing partner! You shore are lucky they didden have you there for a late nite snack” he burst out in laughter, his whole body shaking as he enjoyed the moment. The man noticed a dancing hoopla doll on the dashboard, with several other figurines stuck down. Joe seems to be a noble spirit, driving from somewhere... going somewhere else.

“Say!” Joe exclaimed, his voice high with enthusiasm “have you gone and seen that meteor! Never in my born days, have I seen such a ting. I swear mister... it musta have hit the ground here somewhere!” he said, waving his left arm at the world around. “Dad gone! It was huge! The biggest fireball this side of texas” he exagerated the sylables, as spit flew from his mouth.

“Uh!” he watched the driver “no sir! I don’t recall seeing anything.”

“Ahma tellin you... some while back” he said shaking his head “Itwas spectular... In all my livin days, I haven’t seen one that close...” the driver said pointing up and leaning forward for a better look at the stars. The man followed example and leaned forward, looking at the stars. Suddenly a deep longing filled his insides, it ached and felt cold at the same time. “You mite could have been out cold still...” the driver continued the recount of his story. The man leaned back into the seat, and closed his eyes fighting the feelings welling up and threatening to rip his insides apart. “... it came down steep ...” The feeling slowly subsided as he concentrated on slowing his heart rate and calming his insides. It left his heart beating slow with thudding deep blows in his chest that reverberated through his whole body. It felt like every beat would rip his chest apart. The slow throbbing pounded in every extremity. “... I sauw a lite shine real brite, over to skunk hahbah side of old tahoe...” He opened his eyes and steadied himself. “... yah shore you dudden gone an seenit? I got mind you might have been most ontop ofuht” the driver looked at him.

“Uhmmm... no sir! I honestly did not see anything of the sorts,” his voice sounded hollow, emptied of all emotion and slightly out of breath.

“You best go see the doc, shee’s a real nice lady,” Joe said after giving him a once over, “you lookin in a bad place.”

“Thank you sir... I do feel tired and drained,” the words came out slurred as he slowly slumped forward in the chair, the lights and sounds dulled and dimmed and finally gave out.

“Hey mister! Mister you okay there?” Joe asked his voice high pitched as he steered and looked over to where the man passed out. “Dog gone it! You gone and passed out on me...” Joe flicked his emergency lights on and skipped the next set of lights that were red; a minute later Village boulevard loomed ahead. He moved over to the pedal lane, and turned right in Village, as fast as his semi would allow. The truck leaned over to the left, wheels screaming in protest, but Joe split and dropped two gears before he put the pedal down. The Mack willingly pulled itself out of the turn under severe protest. Alder avenue was fast approaching; he steered all the way to the right, before gearing down again. He crossed into the oncoming lane as he cut the corner as short as he dared. He jumped on the hooter as he came out of the corner, alerting the night of his peril, and his pursuit to a resolve.

“Hang on their son! We are here!” Joe shouted over the roar of the engine whilst bopping up and down on his seat as the uneven road bounced them around. He turned up the steep incline and geared down as he pulled into the emergency entrance and came to a roaring halt in front of the hospital door. The sign on the door read ‘Incline Village Community Hospital’ and was split down the middle when the doors slid open.

Joe opened the door and jumped down in an elegant manoeuvre for a man of his stature. He ran around to the passenger side, opening the door as the emergency doctor and nurse arrived.

“What happened?” the doctor asked approaching the open passenger door.

“I picked em up next to the road, bout half an hour earlier darlin.” he said loosening the safety belt that held the man upright. As soon as it was loose the man slumped sideways. Two orderlies arrived with a gurney, and together they all man handled the young man out of the passenger seat and onto the gurney. The nurse felt for a pulse while the orderly pushed him into the front door. Joe followed behind and stopped at the admittance desk, watching as they wheeled the man into the emergency room where waiting nurses efficiently went about their business.

“Are you a relation to the man?” the administration lady behind the desk asked.

“Naah, I only offered the stranger a ride.” Joe said folding his arms and leaning against the desk. He watched the young attractive red haired woman typing frantically behind the computer.

“Name?” she looked up from her typing, awaiting an answer.

“Joseph Fredrick Stevens, but everyone came to call me Joe” he said smiling from ear to ear while fidgeting with the keys to his truck. He stood upright and took out his driver’s license, handing it over for her to take down his details.

“Do you know his name?” she enquired after typing a while.

“No darlin, as I mentioned befoaw... I picked them there stranger up around secret harbah. He was standin next to the road...” he motioned with his hands and turned to look at the emergency room. “He said he woke next to the whatah. Was not much of a tawker... the silent type... real polite for a young fellah,” he said shaking his head vigorously.

“Did not mention a name?” she raised her one brow, “We’ll wait till he wakes then...”

“That would be a good thing...” Joe said as he looked back at his rig outside the door, “I’ll just be movin that out the way” he motioned to the truck standing in the emergency bay.

“Sure thing... I only have a couple more questions for you when you get back” she said, standing up. Joe watched her, eyeing her up and down. She was slender, young and vigorously refreshing. He shook his head and walked out towards the entrance. The girl picked up the printouts from the printer, stuck it to a clipboard and walked over to the emergency room.

The man was flat on his back. He had wires connected to his chest and drips in his left arm. Behind him a monitor tracked his heart rate showing seventy eights beats per minute. The female doctor was examining him and a nurse was attaching an automated blood pressure machine, “... put him on two litters of oxygen and monitor him for the next twenty four hours. Inform me if anything changes” the doctor said to the head nurse.

“Yes doctor” the nurse replied tying down some of the cables. The admin clerk handed the doctor the chart and went back to her post. The doctor scribbled her findings into the chart and hung it at the foot of the bed. She watched the man for a moment then turned and walked out the emergency room.

Joe parked the truck out in the small street before returning to the hospital. He wondered what else they would need from him, he does not have any more information he could give them, but he still returned to find out. The admin girl was waiting when he arrived.

“There’s not more I could go doin for you young miss” he shrugged and pulled a face when he stopped at the counter.

“We don’t need much more sir, except contact detail should the doctor or someone have more questions” she smiled and put a contact detail form on a clip board in front of him, “if you don’t mind, could you fill in the detail please?”

“That shouden be a problem” he giggled at her calling him sir, “darlin...” he giggled some more “Never in my born days have I been called sir, you do me an honour little lady, call me Joe”

She laughed, deep from her belly “You are welcome... Joe”

“See notin to it, easy as pi-eye” he said taking the clipboard and pen, “how is him their fellow doin?”

“He seems okay. The doctor did not find anything wrong with him, except for a gash on his arm. We are keeping him under observation for the night” she said looking at the emergency room.

“Thats a good thing. He was in a bad way” Joe said, peering up from filling in the last details on the form. “Ima on the road most times, but that is my mobile” he smiled handing her the clip board so she could see where he was pointing at the numbers scribbled.

A bed with the man in appeared around the corner from the emergency room, being wheeled by the head nurse towards the observation room. Several machines were propped on top of the man’s legs, while others were attached to the head board of the bed. The man was still out cold as they passed the counter. Joe watched the procession enter the observation area on the opposite side, before turning to the girl behind the counter.

“You have yourself a good nite here missy, I best be goin then” he smiled backing towards the door.

“Thank you Joe, you as well. I am sure he will be fine. You are more than welcome to check in on him if you are around” she motioned to the room where the man was wheeled to.

“If I find myself in this part again. I will sure look into it.” he waved as he exited the front door. Joe walked down to his truck and got in the driver’s side. A couple of minutes later the beast roared to life, and a minute later the pressure breaks released with a load hiss.

The man’s eyes opened slowly and then closed again. There was a sterile smell in the air. He did not feel cold anymore and sure was comfortable. He kept his eyes closed and tried to remember what the last thing he did was. He sat with Joe in the truck and then... nothing. He opened his eyes slightly. Peering at the room. The light was bright and stinging. He must have fallen asleep. How embarrassing! He barely knew Joe and he went and fell asleep on the poor man. It took him several minutes to get his eyes to adjust to the lights in the room. He slowly looked from side to side, and saw the monitors, drips and other medical equipment. In an instance he was wide awake. His mind was alert and within a split second he had the whole situation summed up. His only conclusion was that Joe had an accident and they are now in hospital. He sat upright in bed, taking in his environment. Instinctively he felt there was no threat around... why he would even consider a hospital room as a threat. Why would he think such a thing? He shook his head and looked at the door as a nurse walked in.

“Oh dear!” she exclaimed grabbing hold of her chest and stopped dead in her track, not expecting him to be up, “you gave me a fright son,” she was breathing deep and hard. “Well it’s about time dear... too much of a good thing is not good for you” she said as she collected herself wiggling her pointing finger in the air at him and walked over to the side of the bed. “That’s what my grandmother always said, bless her soul”. She took the chart of his bed, and scribbled in the notes, looking up at the monitors. The man did not say anything but watched her amusingly as she went about her business. “Are you mute dearie? Can you say something, I don’t like monologues, never did and never will” she said as her gaze rested on his eyes with brows raised.

“S... sorry” his voice croaked the words out. “Where am I mam?”

“You are in Incline community hospital, and have been for the past two weeks.” she scribbled more in the charts.

“What happened to me mam?” he lay back on the pillow, “last I remember Joe picked me up next to the road mam”

The nurse stopped next to the bed, and fiddled with a control panel on the side. The top part of the bed slowly lifted until he was in a comfortable upright position. “That was a while back, Joe’s been in a few times to check on you, but first things first.” she smiled and it lit up her face, even her eyes were screaming with laughter. “How do you feel darlin, any pain?”

He felt his left shoulder, but there were no pain and overall he felt okay, given his current lack of exercise. “No pain, just stiff muscles. That’s it... until I stand up” he smiled back at the nurses reaction to the news. She leaned back with a grin that spread from side to side.

“Now then, I am a stickler for protocol and would love nothing more than to know your name dearie... I have been calling you all kinds of names” she giggled and her cheeks turned flush red “not anything I wouldn’t mind repeatin in company, but would like to update the paper work” she said raising the chart and pen looking at him and then at the paperwork a couple of times, as to say it was the paper work’s fault that she was asking the question.

Once again he was faced with his past, once again he was delving for answers, but all his effort rewarded him with fuzziness and jumbled memories. His face took on several expressions as he struggled with his memories.

After a while he let out a sigh and looked her in the eyes “I honestly don’t know mam. Every time I try to remember who I am, or where I’m from, there’s this... weird memories, and jumbled glimpses of confusing flashes.” he said raising his arms and clenching his fingers as he explained, his eyes pleaded for help.

“Don’t fret dearie, these things happen, when the time is right you will remember... in the mean time I can call you Juan Guan Romero!” she raised her one hand in the air, and stomped her foot, with a serious expression plastered across her face as she put on her best Pasa Doble stance, but it did not last long before she started giggling uncontrollably. “Just kidding dearie, we wrote John as an alias, when you do remember we can change the paperwork.” she tapped him on the leg.

“What happened mam, how did I end up here?” he asked after she wrote some more on the charts.

“Joe brought you in early morning two weeks back. He said you just passed out after he picked you... he’s one friendly bloke” she smiled as she started removing some wires from his chest and head. “You were unconscious, but in no danger. We put you in observation almost immediately, and here you are... all awake now. I will inform doctor Myers, she will want to talk to you.” After putting away some of the equipment, she turned to leave the room “If there is anything I can get you... please just press that there button” she pointed to the control next to his bed on the table.

“Thank you mam... what is your name?” he replied looking at her.

“I am nurse Betty Cramer dearie, but call me Betty” she said smiling her trademark wraparound smile.

“Please to meet you mam and thank you” he reciprocated.

“You’re welcome darlin, here everyone’s family” she said turning and walking out the door, swaying in a Pasa Doble dance move.

He watched her leave, and thought about, how the room lit up in her presence. He relaxed and took stock of his situation. The darkness surrounding his past was concerning, who was he, and where did he come from... family... could he have a family somewhere waiting for him? Would they be looking for him, he’s been away for two weeks already, who knew for how long before he woke up on the side of the lake. He had thousands of questions and very little answers.

He was categorizing the questions in order of importance when a young female with a white overcoat and stethoscope around the neck, walked into the room. She smiled as she entered. “Good afternoon” her soft voice sang, “good to see you finally up, I am doctor Myers” she stopped next to the bed scanning the chart and confirming the figures.

“Afternoon doctor” he smiled at her pretty face. The red in her hair complimented her natural red lips and the green in her eyes contrasted exceptionally well, giving her a mature innocent look.

“I take it nurse Betty asked you a myriad of questions in her nonstop manner” she laughed softly as she returned the chart to its place at the bottom of the bed.

“Yes she did mam... a delightful person” he echoed the familiarity in her voice.

“She mentioned you have problems remembering” her expression became more serious, expecting and contemplating possibilities. He liked the way in which her eyes sparkled when she was deep in thought. Suddenly a longing ached from deep in his heart, his breathing deepened and the emotional pull of despair nearly made him pass out. The doctor grabbed her stethoscope and listened to his breathing, taking his temperature and blood pressure in response to his sudden attack.

“What is going on, do you remember something?” she enquired.

It took several moments for the feelings to subside, and he felt strong enough to answer her question. He rubbed the tears from his cheeks and smiled shyly at her. What was this feeling that’s haunting him? He sniffed and straightened up, “I don’t know mam, but it’s the second time it happened... that I can remember of” he added looking away at the door. To embarrassed, “It feels like my heart are being ripped from my chest mam.... not literally, more the type of feeling you get when you lost someone close. I don’t know why? When will my memories return mam? Maybe I have a family or even worse, maybe I am a criminal and its guilt about something I have done!” he exclaimed softly, not daring to look at her.

“The human mind is a complex machine; we are only starting to understand how it works... But in my experience, it will come back on its own, but with feelings this strong, I would say you have a family somewhere. If you were a criminal, you would not feel remorse, they typically believe what they do is right. This type of feeling would rather indicate you are a good person.” she said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

He contemplated her explanation for a while as she looked at him, “Thank you doctor. I hope my memories return soon. It has been only a short while, but the questions are driving me nuts mam.”

“Now, about your identity. We can call the local sheriff, he can take your finger prints to try and find out who you are. If you are registered in any database, criminal or not, they would be able to shed some light on it. That could jolt your memories to return. What do you say?” she explained as she placed her hands in the overcoat pockets.

He wondered about it for a while, “Okay, that sounds like a plan. At least it would answer the important questions. Who I am and what I am” he smiled at her.

“Great, I will ask nurse Betty to contact sheriff Keys” she said, “in the meantime, if you remember or have more of these spells, just click the button. We are here to help” she smiled; her green eyes were complimented with a set of pearl white teeth.

“Thank you doctor, I will” he said, “when will I be able to get up?” he enquired raising his left arm that contained the drip.

“Oh, yes sure” she walked around the bed and removed the drip, “be careful initially. Just take it slow, we have no idea what caused your last nap... sleeping beauty... and we would not want to find out the hard way” she giggled.

“What is a sleeping beauty?” he asked, the question was written all over his face.

“You kidding right?” she asked, as he kept staring at her.

He smiled, “No mam, I have no idea what a sleeping beauty is...” watching as she removed the last of the drips and monitors, switching off the equipment.

“Sleeping beauty... children’s story about a girl sleeping until her prince woke her with a kiss...” she shook her head from side to side, “you don’t remember it?”

“Sorry mam, black hole of fuzziness, but I get the analogy. I will take it slow” he sighed, lifting the blankets and peering below the sheets to find out if he had any clothes on. She giggled as she walked around to the other side.

“You are clothed in hospital attire... your clothes... or should I say, start trek costume, is in the cupboard next to the bed.”

He watched her with a blank expression.

“Oh, star trek... futuristic film set in the twenty third century... everyone wares star fleet uniforms. Normally not luminous blue, with red seems, but who knows where you got it” she explained as she took out his jumpsuit. A flash of a memory, where he was being dragged into a darkened room, dressed in the jumpsuit, exploded in his mind. He gasped and closed his eyes, steadying himself on the bed.

“What?” she asked in alarm.

He held his hand up, “Just a memory mam... disturbing, yet confusing”

“Maybe it is too soon since you woke?” she started saying.

“No... Please mam. I can do this. I will not get better from lying in a bed the whole time... I need the exercise” his eyes pleaded with her.

“Okay” she sighed and offered her arm as assistance. He took it willingly, feeling her strength beneath his arm. He stood up slowly, putting weight on his stiff legs. It felt good to stand, but gravity was strong. He held his own and stretched his leg muscles before taking a calculated step forward. He felt her assistance all the way, and looked at her through his peripheral vision. She watched his every move as he progressed to the open door. He reached the door without incident and he felt her letting go. He walked on his own, it was strenuous so soon after he woke, but he felt the blood rush through his sore limbs.

“You are doing fine John” she encouraged. He listened to the name they gave him, but it did not feel right. It did not feel familiar, but what is familiar to him. Maybe he is a Garry, or Samuel, who knows... he considered it for a while, and decided that John is as good a name as any.

“It feels great mam” he said as he breathed from the sudden exercise.

The next day Sheriff Keys showed up, he asked the same questions everyone have asked him before, but he had no more information to give accept his finger prints taken with black ink. With nothing more to gain the Sherriff left to go and figure out who he was. Two days later the Sheriff was back, he found the man outside where he was walking around. The smell of winter swirled around the yard on the chilling breeze left plumes of vapour from their mouths and noses. He shivered slightly as goose bumps formed on his arms.

“Sherriff!” the man exclaimed smiling wide.

“G’day sir, how yah feelin today?” the sheriff asked as they shook hands and he put his keys in his pocket.

“Better than yesterday and even better than the day before sir.” he said. They turned and walked back to the hospital.

“Well, I wish I had good news for you, but I don’t” he sounded sincere and sighed shaking his head slowly.

“That is a pity sir. I would love to find out who I am, where I’m from or who is waiting for me” he commented. “Is there nothing else we can do?”