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Continued…

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Peetsurg was quite a different city to what I expected. There was a large mix of new and contemporary culture, while still having much of the old traditional styles laden everywhere. Maybe that’s why this was the place for those not wanting to be found. No matter who you were, you wouldn’t stand out. 

Many different cultures roamed here. I found many of the locals could speak Pallion and all sorts of other languages. It was very different to how I imagined Bzalnia. The capital city of Mooksan was said to be a much more traditional Bzalnian city compared to the metropolis of Peetsurg. I think you’d enjoy yourself here, Trish. I know how much you love to travel. 

The next day I went to the Peetsurg market. This was found on the edge of the uptown area of Peetsurg and where everybody else seemed to live. You could tell because just across the main road of the market, all the buildings looked more grand and took up more space – unlike the cramped-up flats and apartments of the common people on the market side. 

There was much more life here in the market compared to the rest of the city. And it was where you’d find most of the Bzalnian culture. You could see all the colours through the clothing, carpets, quilts, and foods. You could hear the culture through the different music and languages spoken. And you could smell the tradition through the various fragrances and smokes. 

I smelt an amazing blend of meat, herbs, and charcoal. I turned to find a vendor grilling some wonderfully coloured skewers. I was just about to buy myself some until something stopped me. No. Someone stopped me. 

I grew alert instantly until I noticed it was only a small person gently holding me. I looked down to find a woman, her arms softly around my waist, and her face affectionately buried into my chest. Her embrace was too soft and innocent to cause any real alert. She even smelt soft, sweet, and innocent. But what was she doing? 

Before I could ask, she then looked up to me with the clearest gentle face. Her pretty eyes seemed they were about to tear. Did she need help? But then she spoke. 

“My love, where have you been all this time?” 

What? ‘My love’? She must have mistaken me for somebody else. But why did she speak to me in Pallion? The fine woman had a strong Bzalnian accent, but she still spoke perfect Pallion. And the way she looked me in the eye had too much of a certainty. 

“I think you have the wrong person” I told. 

This made her eyes more sad. 

“It’s true what they told me, that you would probably forget me.” She buried her face into my chest again. “But it is okay, my love. We are finally together again.” 

I had no clue about who this girl was, or why she was hugging me so comfortably, but I was sure she needed help. 

“Woman, are you with anyone? Do you want me to help you find them?” I looked around, but all everybody saw was the woman deeply embracing me. They all just smiled. Some even winked and nodded to me, then casually walked off. No one about clearly had any clue. 

“No, my love” she spoke out. “I had not been with anybody this whole time. I’ve waited all this time, just for you.” 

I don’t think she understood what I was asking her. 

“Who did you come to the market with?” 

“Nobody.” Her tone quickly lightened up. “But now I’ve found you.” She let go of me. I didn’t notice before, but she was holding some bags. “I was just getting some food for tonight. But now I will get a bit more. And I know just what to make.” She smiled such a sweet expression. When she raised the bags of food stuffs before me, I don’t know why, but I naturally took them from her. And with that, she turned and made her way further into the market. 

“Hey! Wait!” I tried to call. She slowed down for me. Once I had caught up, she made her way in further again, this time looking up beside her to make sure I was following along. 

There was a happy sway to her gait. What the hell was I even doing walking along beside her? As wrong as I knew it was, there was something comfortably natural about walking with this woman. 

She stopped by a small shop and bought a bag full of what appeared to be potatoes. I had to tell this girl that she’d obviously mistaken me for someone else. But when she finished her purchase, she turned around and looked about. Quickly she saw me there as we made eye contact. She smiled as if I was exactly who she was looking for. When she approached, I knew I had to tell her. She offered me the new bag of potatoes. And for some stupid reason, I took them from her hands. Then she was off again to shop more, checking to make sure I was following along. 

I found myself following her into the baking shed. The warm smell of breads and grains wasn’t helping me stay aware and alert of the situation. The warm tone of the air, the lights, and aromas, was almost sedative. That and the woman’s sweet smile she would do every time she checked to be sure I was there. 

When we stopped by a particular shop she was looking for, she seemed to have a lot to say with the baker. I couldn’t understand what they were speaking in Bzalnian but I could tell a tension was growing. Both the woman’s and the baker’s voices grew more edgy. The woman gave a big sigh. Then she looked to me, her face disappointed. I gave her a sympathetic face, hoping everything was okay. I then noticed at the side of my vision that the baker noticed the woman and I sharing glances. He seemed to come to some realization, then began nodding to himself.  

Soon the baker came back with a lovely warm looking loaf. His voice seemed to warm as he informed the woman of something. She grew happy at this and gave him many thanks. The baker placed the loaf in a paper bag before handing it to her. Then he smiled to me and waved me a warm farewell. 

“He said this was just freshly baked, and that we are so lucky” she told me. 

“Oh. That’s good.” I don’t even know why I answered. 

“I come here to the market every week. I know they have a fresh batch by this time of the day. He wasn’t going to give us a fresh one at first. But I think my charms won us this fresh loaf.” She winked, almost proud of herself. But I was sure it was my presence that made the difference – not that it mattered. And then, again she was off, loaf around her arm, looking back to be sure I was in tow. 

We came back around to where those skewers from before were grilling. I could tell by that distinct, mouthwatering aroma. It was much busier out here, and so I lost sight of the woman. She seemed in a bit more of a hurry out here. 

Now lost, I stood there, bags of food in hand, wondering what in the world I was doing. Why was I even holding this stranger’s shopping bags? I looked down at my hands, confused at what I had even gotten myself into – or rather, why I had even continued to let myself be dragged along. 

Something hiding somewhere within me knew part of the reason as to why I had let myself go along with this little charade. I didn’t want to acknowledge it, but it had been hiding there, swelling like an internal ache. Loneliness. Yes. There was a loneliness I could feel inside, and it was making me weak to the whims of some poor, confused stranger. 

Stranger… That’s exactly what she was. Was she ill, and had mistaken me for someone else she knew? I don’t know. But what I did know was that I did not know her. And that it was wrong for me to follow her around, leading her to believe I was somebody she knew. What if she was troubled in the mind? Could I let myself pretend I was whomever she fantasized, just to satisfy that shameful emptiness I felt inside. There was no honour in that. I had to end this farce. For both of our sake. The poor woman. And the poor lone soldier. 

I sensed somebody looking upon me. When I looked up, she had returned, her lovely smile still radiant. I had to tell her, then and there. But then I soon noticed she had something new in her other hand. Skewers. The very ones that were grilling before me before she came and hugged me. She had three in hand. 

“I saw you drooling over these” she giggled. “One’s for me. And I got you two because I know how much you love your carné.” Then she offered one to me. 

I didn’t take it. I had to cut this little act before it got any worse. 

“Look, woman. I tried to tell you before, but you have the wrong person. I’m not who you think I am.” 

“Of course you are, my love. I always recognize my love, no matter how long it has been.” She kept her innocent smile, still offering me the skewer. 

“No, woman. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know you.” It didn’t feel good to dissolve her lovely smile, but I had to be straight with her. 

“They told me you would forget many things. Even me, ” she frowned. “They said you’d have a hard time remembering small details of your time there. I didn’t believe I’d be one of those ‘small details’ you’d forget.” She pulled back her offering hand. Her glance was now low and robbed of the shine it had before. This girl was clearly confused about some story. I had to assure her she was mistaken. 

“Who is they? I’m sorry but there isn’t a they. I don’t know who you are. I’m sorry.” 

“The medics is who they are. They said you wouldn’t remember. But they also said you could still get your memories back. Slowly. With time and patience.” 

“What medics?” I could tell I wasn’t getting through to her. “I’m sorry, woman. But you have the wrong person.” I offered her her bags back. 

“The medics, at your base. In Tykliss. After your car was hit.” 

“What?” 

“You don’t remember, do you. You don’t remember how we met?” 

She mentioned Tykliss, and being at my base. She was also speaking Pallion to me. These details held me frozen. 

How did she know I was in Tykliss? And my base. How did she know I was deployed? 

“You and some of your unit were making way to Ratar. But the car you were in was shot.” 

“Wait! What?” 

“Everybody survived, but you were the only one badly hurt. They had to keep you in a coma. They said you would forget a lot of things.” 

The details of her story were worrisome. I actually was in Tykliss for the war. And we did often convoy to Ratar to protect supply routes. But I was never in a car that was attacked. Nor do I remember any of the allied forces involved in such an incident along that route. She must have mistaken me for somebody else. 

“You mentioned some interesting details, Ms. But I was never involved in such an incident. I think you’ve mistaken me for somebody else.” 

“No, I haven’t. You just don’t remember. You don’t remember me. And I thought I was that important to you that you wouldn’t forget.” She persisted with her strange ideas, but then her tone changed a little. “But it’s okay. We will slowly help you remember everything, okay? Come on.” She was about to turn around to head off again, but I had to stop her. 

“Woman! You’ve got the wrong person. I don’t know you!” 

“It is okay, my love. I know you don’t remember me now. But are you really going to make me carry everything home, all by myself?” She looked down at all the bags I was carrying. Her hands were already full with the loaf and skewers. She saw that I thought about it. She seemed satisfied with that. “Come on, Dallis. It’s not far.” Then she made off, in that leading way she would do. 

What? 

What name did she just say? 

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To be continued…

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(Part 03-20) Hotel Mysteria 016 – Forgotten