The Lightning Struck Heart
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I was about to be hit by a truck. The first time I’d seen that much of the outside world, it had been through the windshield of a car, and now it was happening again. Not only was this man about to hit me with his vehicle, but he was going to drive on my head if I didn’t move fast enough.
I turned around as quickly as I could and began crawling back to the cave, keeping low so the driver couldn’t see me. The light from the headlights was blinding. He would see me at any moment.
“No!” I heard the driver shout. “Not there! Over here!”
He turned off his lights and began driving toward the entrance of the cave.
My heart was pounding in my ears. I could hear the thud of the wheels hitting the dirt road as they approached me. My hands were shaking as I reached for the opening of the cave. It wasn’t far enough away. He would see me if I didn’t go faster.
I threw myself forward and crawled out of the cave as quickly as I could. The driver stopped his truck. I tried to run, but my legs were too weak. I fell to the ground and rolled as quickly as I could onto the grassy field.
I lay there panting for breath. My whole body was shaking.
The driver’s headlights illuminated me, shining on my pale skin. His eyes widened with fear. He pulled back on the steering wheel and stepped on the gas. He sped away.
I tried to stand up, but my knees gave way and I collapsed to the ground.
“What happened?” I heard someone say.
“Did you see her? She was right there!”
A crowd of people appeared at the mouth of the cave. They all stared at me.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Is she hurt?”
“She just fell out of the cave.”
Someone called out to me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “I’m fine. I’m just tired.”
I tried to stand up, but I was too weak. My legs wouldn’t hold me. The group of people surrounding me moved closer. They looked down at me as I lay on the ground.
“Is she hurt?” one of them asked.
I shook my head. “No, I’m not hurt. I’m just really tired.”
My voice was barely above a whisper. I couldn’t even call out to them. I just wanted to sleep.
I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.
***
When I woke up, I was lying on the ground. There were people all around me. Some were running their hands over me, checking my body for injuries.
“Where am I?” I said.
I felt something sticky on my arm. I turned it over and saw blood.
“I need help,” I said.
The group of people surrounding me started to move away. A man knelt next to me and touched my forehead. “You’re coming back to us, Miss.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
He smiled. “That’s not important now. You just rest. We’ll take care of you.”
I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.
***
It was dark when I woke up again. I wasn’t in the cave anymore. I was in a hospital bed. The light from the window above me illuminated the room. The curtains were drawn. I didn’t recognize the walls or the furniture. It was a very plain room.
“I’m thirsty,” I said.
The doctor who had been tending to me earlier walked into the room. He looked at me for a moment, then turned toward the door.
“Excuse me,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
He left the room.
I waited until I heard the door close. Then I rolled myself off the bed and onto the floor. My legs were weak. I couldn’t stand without support. I crawled to the door and pushed it open. I needed water.
I was standing outside the door of my bedroom. The sunlight from the window fell across me. I looked down at my pale skin and black hair.
“Am I dead?” I asked myself.
I felt no pain. No aches. I wasn’t even hungry. I was just so tired.
“No,” I said. “I’m not dead.”
I remembered the first time I’d seen the world outside the cave. I’d been terrified, but I hadn’t given up. I’d made it out. I would make it out again.
I climbed back into bed and closed my eyes. I drifted off to sleep.
***
When I woke up again, I was alone. The lights were off. I could hear the sound of the wind blowing through the trees outside the window. I felt different. I was stronger. I felt more alive than I ever had before.
I looked down at my arms. There was no bandage there. I touched the cut on my arm. It was completely healed.
I rose from the bed and went to the window. The trees swayed in the wind. The birds flew overhead. I tried to remember how far I’d fallen. I knew it was a long way, but I couldn’t remember how many times I’d hit the ground.
“How did I get here?” I asked myself.
I thought about the people who’d been surrounding me when I’d fallen out of the cave. They hadn’t called for help. Instead, they’d stood around me as if I were a ghost.
I closed my eyes and focused on the memories. I saw them all standing around me. They’d looked down at me as I lay on the ground. A couple of them had taken off their coats and covered me with them.
I turned to look at the wall. I didn’t recognize anything. I was in a completely unfamiliar place.
“Where am I?” I asked myself.
I tried to remember what had happened after I’d fallen out of the cave. I remembered the woman who’d knelt next to me and touched my forehead. She’d said I was coming back to us.
I didn’t understand. I still couldn’t believe that I was alive.
I needed to know where I was. I wanted to find out who these people were and why they’d helped me. I also needed to see my parents. I’d been away from them for so long. I had to find a way to go home.
I was going to have to start by getting out of this hospital.
***
I closed the curtains around my bed and sat up. I took a deep breath. I had to be very careful. I wasn’t used to being on my feet. I stretched my legs and arms. I was too weak to stand without support. I felt like I might fall over at any moment.
I stood up and took a step forward. I was okay. I was on my feet.
I walked slowly toward the door. I pushed it open and stepped into the hallway. It was dark outside. The only light came from the glow of the moon shining through the window. I was still wearing the clothes I’d been wearing when I’d fallen out of the cave. I realized then that I didn’t even know my own name.
I reached down and ran my fingers along my face. My hair was black. It was straight and smooth. I touched my skin. I was pale. Not just pale, but really pale. I looked at my hands. They were large. My fingers were long and slender. I looked at my feet. They were bare.
I was taller than most women. I wore a pair of white jeans and a pale blue shirt. I could feel the heat of the sunlight on my skin. I knew that I was beautiful.
I looked around the room. There were no other people. I didn’t know how long I’d been here. I couldn’t remember anything beyond falling from the cave.
“Am I dead?” I asked myself again.
The sound of voices made me turn toward the door. A group of people was walking toward me. I recognized the man who’d been standing next to me in the cave. He was tall and strong. His dark hair was cut short. He was wearing a navy blue suit with a white shirt underneath.
He smiled at me as he approached. I remembered him. We’d talked for a while before I’d fallen asleep.
“You’re awake,” he said. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
I looked around the room. There were five men and two women. All of them wore suits. Some of them were older than others.
“Who are you?” I asked.
They all turned to look at me.
“I’m Dr. Robert Black,” said the man who’d spoken first. “These are my colleagues. You don’t remember us, do you?”
“I’m not sure,” I answered.
“It’s okay. You’re going to be fine. Your memory will come back.”
I nodded. I didn’t understand what they were talking about. I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to come back.
I turned to look at the other people in the room. I recognized one of the women. She’d been crying when I fell from the cave. The man she was holding was younger than the others. He looked like he was in his twenties.
“Is this your son?” asked Dr. Black.
“Yes,” I answered.
The man who’d spoken stepped forward. He was handsome. He had short black hair. He was wearing a light blue shirt and a pair of gray slacks.
“This is my daughter,” he said.
She was older than me. She had a pretty face. Her eyes were the same shade of green as mine. I saw a flash of pain in her eyes as she looked at me.
“What happened to us?” I asked.
Dr. Black spoke up again. “We brought you here. It’s going to take some time before you’re ready to leave. We need to make sure that you’re okay.”
“Are you sure I’m going to be okay?” I asked.
“Of course you are,” he answered. “You’re safe now.”
“Why am I safe?” I asked.
“It’s a long story,” he said.
“I’m not sure I can remember it,” I answered.
He smiled. “That’s okay. You’ll get better soon.”
I nodded. I didn’t know what else to say. I took a deep breath and looked at the man who’d spoken first. I wondered if I should tell him that I remembered something. I decided against it. I didn’t want to upset anyone.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“My name is Lucas,” he answered.
“Lucas?” I repeated.
“Yes,” he answered.
“How did we get here?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “You’ll have to ask Dr. Black.”
“I don’t think I can remember his name either,” I said.
“Oh, you do,” said Dr. Black. “You just need a little time.”
I nodded.
“Will you be all right?” asked Lucas.
“Yeah,” I answered. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to figure out where I am.”
“Let’s go outside,” said Dr. Black. “The fresh air will help.”
I followed him outside. I looked around the room. There was no sign of the cave or the mountains. I looked down at my feet. They were bare. I wasn’t wearing any shoes.
I took a deep breath. The air smelled different. It was sweet and clean. I’d never smelt anything like it before.
Dr. Black led me across the grassy lawn. We walked toward a group of people standing in front of a building.
“This is the house,” he said. “We brought you here after you fell from the cave.”
“Are we safe?” I asked.
“Of course,” he answered. “We’ve been taking care of you.”
“Why did you bring us here?” I asked.
“We had to,” he said. “We couldn’t leave you there. We had to bring you somewhere safe.”
“You saved my life,” I said.
“It’s not like that,” he said. “We’re doing this for your own good.”
“I don’t understand,” I answered.
“You’ll remember soon enough,” he said. “I promise.”
“Okay,” I answered.
The End