Out Of Nowhere - A Larry Stylinson story

Green Eyed Monster

The fog in his brain was lifting. There was a rhythmic pleasant swaying of his body and the steady, hushed sound of hooves traveling in soft dirt, and presently Louis was distantly aware he must be riding a horse.

Riding a horse? Why? He had no idea.

A little later, he suddenly "woke up" realizing that it hadn't been a dream. He actually was riding a horse, and had not the foggiest idea of where he was headed. Or why. He tried to remember. He tried so hard, but his mind just shot blanks. Shut down. He tamped down the anxiety, hoping things would clear up for him.

He kept riding and riding, willing it to dawn on him where he needed to go. Or maybe the horse would take him there, especially if he was headed home. Horses naturally knew where home was.

But how did he know that, when he didn't know anything else? About himself, his family, his past? The memory is selective. He remembered hearing that before. But he'd never felt like this before. With no memory at all.

He tried not to dwell on it. As he rode, he became aware of how tired, how stiff he was, as if he'd been riding for days. Maybe he had. He had no way of knowing. By now it was clear to him that he knew how to ride, as it came so naturally.

Then the storm had come in. The torrent of rain had drenched him in a matter of minutes.

Even as he was wrestling within his mind, struggling to remember who he was, some guy had come galloping up to him, scaring the shit out of him, shouting, and ordering him off his land. He hadn't even known he'd been on someone's land! He'd trotted off, but then got confused again about which way he should go, and ended up going back across the guy's property again. The second time, the guy had really laid it on.

Feeling distressed and close to terrified, Louis had continued on, reminding himself inwardly not to go to the west again, where the guy's ranch was. All he'd seen were bright green eyes and long, dark hair in the pouring rain, and the guy looking so wicked, like he wanted to eliminate Louis. And for all he knew, the guy could have a gun, could be mad.

When the guy had shown up again, further on down the road, Louis had thought this was it. He was sure the guy had come to shoot him. But instead, the guy had offered for him to get out of the rain at his house. Louis was tentative about it. What if this guy really was crazy? But really, what other choices did he have? Stay out in the rain? He was so cold his teeth were chattering.

So he'd gone back to the house with the wild-looking guy. Was this all still a dream?

The place was well kept. Nice pastures, a big barn with stalls for eight horses. Some cattle, pigs and chickens. A farm dog. The house was impressive. Not big, mansion-style impressive; instead, being rustic yet modern in a way. Notable in the way it had been built. Unique. A nice covered porch made of knotty pine with a glider, and the inside was oak with a finished wood floor. Nice. Built solid as a rock.

They walked into the living room, and he admired the rustic oak furniture. Couch, coffee table, chair, curio, with a few dishes and artifacts in it, but not many. He would have liked to look at them more closely, but he didn't want to seem rude or nosy, or like he was thinking of stealing anything. He could see a doorway beyond the living room, and concluded it was probably the kitchen. Off to the left was a hallway, and Louis assumed that was where the bedroom or bedrooms were.

It was cozy, and Louis liked it as soon as he set foot in the place. Yeah, there was dust, but he imagined it would be pretty hard to keep things dusted here, with all the animals right outside. They must kick up a lot of dirt on a regular basis.