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Continued…

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I woke. 

I checked to my side. Nobody was there. The sound of old blues playing in the background almost made me feel I was back in Tykliss, especially because I did not recognize where I was. But the couch I sat upon, and the teacups on the coffee table, all quickly reminded me. I was in a stranger’s home. Julie brought me here. She and I sat quietly on this coach for a time. I must have dozed off to sleep. How silly of me. As nice as Julie was, I didn’t know this girl. How could I have just let myself fall asleep in her home? What if something happened to me? And then I remembered a very important detail. 

I was in Bzalnia. I was in a foreign country, all alone, no one aware of my whereabouts. And I foolishly feel asleep in some stranger’s home. I had to get myself to safety. But where? The hotel. I was staying at the classical hotel. It was best that I returned there. But where was Julie? Where had she gone? 

I heard noise nearby. A clattering and knocking of different items. And then an aroma made itself obvious. A mouthwatering aroma. Julie was cooking. The girl said she’d make me dinner. How strange. 

I found Julie in the kitchen, busy conducting an orchestra full of pots, pans, cuttings boards, and cutlery. As appetizing as the meal seemed to be, I just couldn’t stay. It wasn’t right to just come to the home of some stranger and have them cook you a meal. It wasn’t right that I was easily letting my guard down, around people I didn’t know in a place I didn’t know. It truly wasn’t right to be vulnerable amidst an unknown lady who mysteriously knew fine details about me. Something truly didn’t feel right about that. In a dangerous sense. I had to leave. 

I spoke up to announce my departure, but in that moment, Julie turned and noticed me. 

“Oh. Did I wake you, my love?” I made a bit of a mess” she sighed for a moment, but then quickly went back to all her cooking. 

“No. Look, Julie,” It was time for me to go. “I’m going to leav…” 

“Sit, my love. I’m almost done.” She gestured a glance to the dining table. 

“No. I’m sorry. But I have to go.” 

It seemed she didn’t hear me as she went and carried a pot off the stove and placed it upon the table. From there she picked up something lying on the table. Julie took a moment to look at it. And then she offered it to me with a smile. 

A small picture frame. I could tell. But what was she showing me? I was going to ignore it at first and just move on. But then I noticed that the setting in the photo looked all too familiar, even in the side of my vision. The riverside of the Dagab River, in Tykliss. I could tell by the earthy colours and tone of the stonework as it contrasted with the murky, greenish blue of the river. A sight too familiar not to recognize. 

Something frightened me inside once I recognized the photo’s scene. Almost as if I was about to set my eyes upon something I should have never seen. But what could it be? Curiosity got the best of me, and so I took the picture from her. 

“I wanted to show you, but you were so sound asleep. I didn’t want to wake you.” Julie gave me that soft, nurturing smile of hers. It assured me that everything was alright. Right? Was everything alright? 

What I saw in the photo puzzled the entirety of my soul. Standing there by the riverside was Julie, face clearly younger, pretty in a flower spotted dress. The joy was clear in her expression and the way she hung there. Her arms were keeping her from falling as she leaned back. Julie was not alone in this photo. 

Arms held Julie around the waist while she had her arms around steady shoulders. My arms held Julie around the waist, her arms around my steady shoulders. There was no mistaking that that was me in the photo. Julie and me. Our arms around each other like true lovers. 

“Do you remember this day, my love?” I heard Julie say. But the photo had all my attention – the photo and now my cycling thoughts. 

Clearly in the picture before me was Julie and I. We looked much younger – my hair cut short and neat, much like my uniform. It was just how I used to look, back when I was in Tykliss. Her hair, more fashionable, and her face still innocent, but with more youth. I thought the photo was a product of digital editing magic that was common these days. But the more I analyzed the picture, the more it seemed true. The two people in the photo were truly in an embrace. I mean Julie and I were… The way Julie held both arms around my shoulders made slight creases and shadows on my shirt. You could see the old scar on my right forearm as I held her around the waist. We even looked acclimatized to the hot dryness of Tykliss, our slight sweat and expressions true to what someone might look like standing in the Tykliss sunlight. The location was true. I had been to that exact quay at the Dagab riverside., marveling at the Tykliss palace you could see in the background. 

Everything in the photo checked out as true. And yet, my memory disagreed with it. No. My soul disagreed with it. I was sure this never happened. Not an ounce within me believed in this photo. And yet here it was, clear and true as it could seem. How could she have a picture of me and how young I used to look all those years back. I did that cocky smirk I’d always pose back before I escaped the war. Did I truly know Julie? 

I looked up at Julie who was still setting the table for dinner. I wanted to see if she truly matched that young woman in my arms. She did. It was almost heartwarming to see a photo of two young lovebirds in each other’s arms. Almost, except for the fact that I didn’t want to accept it. 

Julie noticed me viewing her and the photo, and gave off a slight frown. “You still don’t remember, do you, my love.” On she continued setting the last of the meal. 

“When is this?” I held up the photo. 

Gently, she approached, now looking at the photo with me. Her soft smile came back at its sight. 

“This was a very special day for us, Dallis. You don’t remember anything?” Julie looked up and gave me her kind eyes. What did she mean by ‘special day for us’? She must have seen my empuzzlement because she began to explain. 

“Do you remember you and some of the lads took me and the girls out for a big date?” I couldn’t remember that. Julie went on. “The lads said the that we girls were always making you all food, so you all wanted to return the favour.” 

I remembered the lads did speak of that. 

She continued, “This day wasn’t the first time. We’d all been out together many times already. The riverside was our favourite place to stop.” 

I remembered the lads would take the Kurdashon Mess Hall girls to the Dagab riverside. But I also remember never coming along because I never had any luck with the females. 

“This day, you all took us to the market. Do you remember that?” Julie mentioned. “And Cheston bought an old fancy camera.” 

I remembered venturing the market one day when Cheston did buy an old camera. He used it quite often while we were at Tykliss. But I don’t remember being with any females that day, let alone Julie.  

Wait! 

She just mentioned Cheston! One of my closest comrades. She knew Cheston. Why had he never mentioned Julie to me before? Why had he not even mentioned the idea of her? 

Julie continued, “He took this photo for us. I hope you didn’t lose your copy. Is that why you don’t remember?” 

My copy? This whole time Cheston had photos of me and Julie? Together? And the whole time he never showed me a photo of her, let alone ever mentioned her? He was one of my closest friends. Why wouldn’t he ever mention anything about her? Julie saw my confusion and sighed. 

“So, you don’t have your own copy anymore. No wonder, my love. That’s okay. If you want, you can have this one. To help you remember our special day.” 

‘Special day’? She mentioned that again. What ever did she mean? I looked to her, seeking clarity of what she had said. Julie saw that I was unsure. 

“Dallis, my love. It was the day you asked me something very special. It was the day you gave me this” Julie raised her hand before me. 

What I saw sparked a sudden panic within me. I grabbed her arm immediately. Julie shrieked in pain. But I didn’t care. She was wearing my grandmother’s ring. The very ring I always wore on my chain. The very ring I had given to Belle before she returned it to me after our divorce. How dare she… 

“When did you…” I demanded of her. But it made sense. She must have taken it off me while I was asleep. This cunning woman. I knew something felt wrong. 

“What are you doing, my love?” Julie cried, struggling to free her arm. 

“Why are you wearing my ring? You sick woman!” 

“You gave it to me, my love.” 

“Why would I give you my precious ring? Give it back to me!” 

“You proposed to me, Dallis. Why else would I be wearing it? Look!” she glanced back at the photo still in my other hand. 

“I did no such thing!” 

“You proposed to me that day, my love. You see in the picture. Look! Don’t you remember?” 

“What?” I looked back at the photo, unsure why she was so insistent I have another look. I froze at what I saw. 

In the photo, Julie still held one arm around my shoulders, but her other hand was held up to the side. She was revealing my grandmother’s ring on her finger to the camera. It was clearly my grandmother’s ring in the photo. It had the same Pallion patterns and weavings welded in. But that’s not what shocked me. 

I swear to the skies above that I first saw Julie positioned differently in the photo. I swear she had both her arms around my shoulders. I swear she was looking directly at me. But what I then saw in the photo was her with one hand up towards the camera. And her face was not looking at me, but at the ring around her finger. 

I was losing my mind. The picture was different. She was not revealing the ring like that in the photo before. Before, we looked like young lovebirds, deep in each other’s eyes. What in the world happened to the photo? 

“You see, my love? Can you remember? You told me you were so nervous. We could all tell. But you found the courage. And of course, I said Yes.” 

What… Did I not see the photo properly the first time. This was all so confusing. Did I actually propose to Julie? Why did the memory not float up into my mind? The idea was as unfamiliar as the photo. Surely Cheston would have brought this event up with, even once. But he never spoke of it. And yet, here the photo was, looking just like one of Cheston’s camera’s pictures – Julie happily wearing my grandmother’s ring. 

I felt Julie gently pull her arm back. Why was I grasping it so tightly? What if I actually did propose to her, and I just couldn’t remember? It wouldn’t be right for me to grasp her arm like she was some sort of thief.  

But wait. 

I put the photo down. Then I reached up around my neck at my tag chain. There was no ring there. After the past few years of loneliness, re-wearing that ring around my chain, I didn’t need any further confirmation. 

With my free hand, I quickly snatched my grandmother’s ring off of Julie’s finger. 

“Dallis!” she cried. Julie tried to pull away her hand and resist, but I was too strong, too quick. 

Finally in my hands, I gripped the ring tightly, scared I’d lose it again. 

Julie went quiet. Her glance was downward so that I couldn’t see her eyes. Then she raised her hand out, as if asking for something. 

“Okay, Dallis, my love” she spoke to me softly, as if I were a child. “Can you give me back the ring?” 

I had just gotten it off her. I was not going to lose it again. 

“Dallis,” she tried to say softly. “Can you give me back the ring?” 

I just stared at her expecting hand, not a word… 

“Dallis, my love” Julie’s voice tried to sound as if it were about to weep, but there was an impatience leaking through. “The ring, Dallis.” 

I pulled my hand back, adamant that I wouldn’t let her take it. 

Julie leapt for my hand! 

“GIVE ME MY RING, DALLIS!” she cried as she bounded for my retreating hand. Her eyes were complete madness. It was not the Julie I knew – if I ever knew her 

Her leap was so sudden, I reacted with a defensive palm. The hand pushed her hard on the chest. This force knocked her back a step, but it was enough to stop her. To stop me, even. 

Julie was still just a woman. And I, a man. 

Julie looked down. She placed a hand to where I had shoved her. And then she glanced up at me, all her innocence back in her eyes. 

“Dallis. How could you?” Then she glanced away and curled up away from me. 

It was a shameful sight. Even I had to admit. But she took my ring off me, I tried to tell myself. Yet with all the convincing I tried to tell myself, what I still saw was a small woman, curled in fear, against a grown man. 

The situation was not good. How did I end up here? Why was I even here? It was probably best that I left. But as I was about to go, I couldn’t help but see the helpless, lovely woman distraught before me. Instinct told me to help her, but memory told me I had caused her discomfort. A strange ensnarement. I couldn’t move. I wasn’t going to hurt her. I just had to make sure she was okay. Righteousness urged me forward, but logic reminded me of how she got like that. She was trying to steal my ring. She did steal my ring, and I was only defending it from further reacquisition. She was the enemy in the situation. She was the hostile. 

I’d been trained countless times on dealing with the nature of civilians. It was easy to appear innocent, especially when unarmed. A soldier could not drop their guard, no matter how innocent the situation may have seemed. It could’ve been the difference between succeeding or failing the objective. Between life or death. But all that training and experience could still not harden me completely against this scene of frail femininity. Especially from such a gentle soul like Julie. I could feel myself being swayed ever so slightly by something, urging me to make sure she was okay. She was the hostile; I had to remind myself again. And again. And again. Had all this time out of the service softened me into a manipulable fool. Or was it about that other chink in my armour. 

I almost let myself move towards her. My mind reminded me it was not safe. Another strange ensnarement. All of these confusions and uncertainties nailed me frozen. What was I supposed to do? 

As I tried to calm my mind to think, I felt my fists loosen their grip. I felt the ring still in my hand. That’s right! She was trying to take my ring. That’s all I had to remember. 

I finally found my feet moving out the kitchen. The momentum was good. I could rely on it. Just keep moving, while the puzzling confusions tried their best to hold me prisoner. I made for the front door. And then I heard her voice. 

“Dallis?” Julie softly called. “Where are you going?” 

It was best not to answer. Just to keep moving. 

“My love?” I heard Julie come into the hallway behind me. “Where are you going to go?” 

I unlocked the front door. It was time to leave. 

“My love, please stay home with me.” Julie’s voice was so frail. “It’s been so long since we’ve finally had the chance to be together. Are you really going to leave me again, after all this time?” 

I stepped out the door. I turned around to have one last look at Julie before I made my escape. 

I could see the sadness trailing down from her eyes, as if something precious was about to slip out of her hands. Was I that precious? My heart didn’t feel it so. And yet, she looked at me as if I… 

“My love,” tears creaked at the edge of her voice. “Come back.” 

“I’m sorry, Julie.” Why did I even speak? I just had to leave. 

“Please come back, my love.” 

“I don’t know who you are. I’m sorry, Julie.” 

“Just come back inside, my love. We will remember together.” The concern in her voice was truly convincing. But I was set on my track. To leave.  

“Just come back inside, my love.” 

“I need some time, Julie. This is all so confusing.” Why was I even explaining excuses to her? I just had to leave. 

“Come back to me, my love.” She spread her arms open and stepped closer. 

I had to turn my glance away. The sight of her embrace was alluring. I almost wanted her to take me back. 

“Come back.” She got closer. 

I was still just standing there, trying not to look her way. Why didn’t I just leave? 

As I turned to head off, I felt something. She grabbed my hand. She grabbed my hand still grasping the ring. I panicked. I jerked that hand back and twisted to push her with the other. Julie shrieked, the sight of my palm rising towards her. Her hand to her chest, she shied away through her doorway. Trembling. 

It was the same shameful sight as before. Only this time we were outside her door. I hoped nobody saw us. 

I turned to walk off. Leave! I told myself. Just leave! 

“My love…” I heard her cry. 

“Leave!” I heard my own mind remind me. 

Unfortunately, I noticed something awful before me. People. Bystanders. The way they stood still, watching me walk, meant they must have seen what happened. 

I didn’t touch her, right? I’m sure I didn’t touch her. I just turned to ‘attempt’ to push her. But the way she shrieked and backed away couldn’t have looked good. Just the attempt alone, whether I stopped or not, would not have looked good. 

Leave I continued to remind myself. 

As I walked ahead, the people watching me moved aside to make way. There were two of them. An elderly couple who seemed sort of familiar. I didn’t want to look up to get a better look. They had already moved aside for me. It was best I moved on and left. 

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To be continued…

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(Part 05-20) Hotel Mysteria 016 – Forgotten