I wake up to blinding white walls and a bed underneath me. It's hard to notice much else as my head pounds, threatening to burst. I suck in air, wincing as I notice a sharp pain in my chest.
"Just a couple of broken ribs, nothing to worry about." I jump at the sound of the voice. I open my eyes to see the man at the foot of my bed speaking to me. His hair is almost as white as the walls.
"Where am I? Who are you?" I ask, my words coming out quickly, and panic sets in as I notice the unfamiliar faces around me.
The man takes a seat at the end of my bed, and I flinch at his proximity. "You haven't really forgotten me have you Rosie?" His eyes are watery, and sunken in as if he is sick. He waits expectantly for my reply.
"Should I know you?" I ask now more curious than scared. Whoever this man is, he seems to know me. I feel bad for not recognizing him, but when I try to grasp at any memory of this man I come up short.
"I'm your father." He says quietly, breaking into sobs.
A rush of memories make its way into my head and I feel as though it will tear in half. I see my father and I dancing, him twirling me as an elegant gold dress wraps around me. I see us walking in a garden, daisies in my hair. "I remember you." I say in wonderment.
How could I have forgotten my own father? I shake my head in disgust. Something must have happened to me. I couldn't have forgotten my family. My family. Do I have a mother? Siblings? I suddenly feel so alone, so clueless to everyone in my life. Thought after thought fills my head, threatening to swallow me whole, until I fall back into my pillow. My head clears again, the pain gone.
My father pulls me into an embrace. "It's okay Rose." He says, knowing how badly I must feel for forgetting him. "You had an accident, you were found at the bottom of the stairs. You must've fallen, and from the size of the bump on the back of your head, you must've fallen hard. Take some time to rest dear, when you wake up we'll have lots to talk about."
I nod my head, suddenly realizing how exhausted I truly am. I feel a little bit better, even with such a short answer about my apparent loss of memory. Of course there is a reasonable explanation to all of this. I think, feeling myself relax. I close my eyes, feeling safe as I fall into a dreamless sleep.
***
I wake up to the sound of water running in an unfamiliar room. I'm laying on giant bed covered with pillows; a beautiful, silky canopy draping over me like a waterfall. I sit up and look around, my eyes drawn immediately to a pair of French doors providing the only light in the room. I open them and walk out onto the balcony, breathing in the crisp, outside air. I peer out over the railing seeing grass not far beneath me.I step over the railing onto the ledge of the balcony. I grab the vertical bars of the railing, letting my legs dangle off the balcony while still keeping ahold of the railing. I jump off, only a few feet from the ground.
I sit down in the grass on the hill breathing in a sigh of relief, feeling free out in the open. I look out at the land surrounding me, seeing little dots of houses in the distance.
"Rose? Where are you?" I hear a voice panicking from up above. The voice is high, like a girls. I question whether or not I should make myself known to the girl, as I don't even know her. Before I get a chance to decide, the lady steps out onto the balcony and looks down, spotting me. "Get up here this instant! You can't be down there. It's not safe! I have to get you ready for dinner with your father!"
I can't understand why sitting in the grass just below my balcony would be dangerous but I decide to keep quiet and not give this woman a hard time. After all, if my father trusts her to take care of me, I suppose I trust her too. A bit reluctantly, I pull myself up onto the ledge of my balcony and climb over the railing. I slowly follow the woman into my bedroom.
YOU ARE READING
Remembering Rose (#Wattys2016)
AdventureRoses are beautiful, delicate flowers that need to be pruned. True to her name, as Rose grows up, she is kept under control. Told only what people want her to know, Rose is as innocent as the flower first appears. When Rose is finally told the tru...