I caught my breath as I woke up. I was also sweating profusely. I thought I was going to die, but I was lucky to have been given another chance to live.
I sat down on this wooden bed and tried to process what had just happened to me. I had gone to the pharmacy to pick up my mother's medication. As I was leaving the healthcare retail outlet, I was confronted by a group of young people whom I often bump into at school.
I was in a rush to get home and didn't have time to mess with them, but they wouldn't let me leave. They encircled me, trapping me, and making escape impossible. They dragged me into a dimly lit, cramped, and filthy alleyway, where they brutally assaulted me.
Clutching the paper bag containing my mother's medication, I found myself curled up in pain on the rough and dusty cement. Although I was alone, I still tried to show bravery, but I struggled to defend myself against them.
They restrained me to prevent my escape. They gagged me to silence my screams and blindfolded me. They shoved me into a bag and just before they tossed me into the car's trunk, I caught their mocking laughter and one of them remarked that finally, one of society's nuisances would vanish. I don't want to think that they're talking about me, but I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable because I'm really the subject of their gossip and ridicule.
Besides the intense pain from their beating, I also felt overwhelming sadness, and no matter how hard I struggled, I remained trapped inside the flour sack. As the car drove away, I had no idea where they were taking me.
They collaborated to dump me, and I assumed they would hurl my body into a steep cliff. But as I felt the water rushing over me, I understood they had discarded me into a river. And how did I know they dumped me in the river? Because disposing of a body in a forest river is more convenient and less conspicuous than doing so in the ocean.
I thought it was the end for me, but I was lucky because someone saved me, and now I'm here in my savior's home. This room is cramped, somewhat dark, gloomy, and aside from being poorly designed, it's also dusty.
A man wearing a straw hat and a woolen coat walked in. His gray hair was long, as was his beard, which reached down to his chest. He had a slender build, with hardly any wrinkles on his face, and to me, he looked quite young. He resembled a hermit who lived deep in the forest. He was carrying leaves in different shapes and sizes.
"You're awake, I see," he said, and placed the leaves on the bedside table.
"My head still hurts, but I'm feeling okay. By the way, my name is Soloel, and I'm indebted to you for saving me - I'm deeply grateful for your kindness." After introducing myself, I extended my hand for a handshake, but he just laughed at me. I felt embarrassed and puzzled by his behavior, so I just dropped my hand.
"Don't pretend to be innocent, kid, because I know you." I raised an eyebrow at his words. "I'll go outside for a bit to check on what I'm cooking."
He left me in this room, and because I was getting desensitized and had questions bothering me, I decided to follow him. As I stood up, I suddenly lost my balance and fell to the floor. The bearded man quickly came to my aid, but before he could help me up, I had already managed to get up on my own.
"Don't force yourself because you're not fully recovered yet. Just stay in the room and lie down," he advised me. But what's this I'm feeling? I feel incredibly light? When I touched and caressed certain parts of my body, I only now realized how thin I've become. I'm thin but I have muscles, and my abdomen is hard, as if I've been doing core strengthening exercises.
I quickly searched for a mirror to check myself. In my search, I even bumped into the bearded man because he was blocking my way. I couldn't find any mirror. What kind of house is this? It's only filled with pottery materials and ceramics.
I went to the river and when I arrived at the boardwalk, I knelt down. The water was so clear that you could see your own reflection, but I was stunned when I saw that my facial features had changed. I rubbed my eyes because I thought I was just seeing things, but I wasn't. It seemed to me that my soul had merged with another body.
"Where am I? What is this place?" I asked the bearded man. I was confused and getting nervous.
"Take it easy, kid. I think because of the terrible thing that happened to you, you lost your memory."
"What? You're mistaken. My memory is still intact, it's just that this body doesn't belong to me," I explained to him.
"The severe impact to your head must have implanted false memories, altering your perception of your reality."
No matter how much I explain, he doesn't believe me. I'm starting to look crazy and delusional when I insist that I'm really not the person who owns this body. Wait, maybe he's a psychopath, and one way to trap me is to manipulate me. He'll brainwash me, and once he's got me under control, that's when he'll kill me. And why should I even explain myself to someone like him? Who does he think he is?
I need to go home because I know my mom is already worried. If she finds out what happened to me, I'll get more than just a scolding, I'll taste her blows again, but I'll explain myself.
I need to get out of this place as much as possible because I might die here, and I might experience something even worse. This bearded man might even make me his dinner.
I dove into the water because I was going to swim to the other side, and it was my only means of escape. But before I could swim, the man stopped me from carrying out my plan. I kicked him in the stomach, but it was rock-hard, and he warned me not to challenge him. I showed him my clenched fists. His movements were swift because he blocked every punch I threw with his palms. And when he'd had enough of me, he dunked my head into the water. When he lifted my head out and I was gasping for air, I received a crunchy slap from him.
"If you want to leave, I won't stop you. But I just want to remind you that you're an outlaw in the kingdom and there's a large bounty on your head. If anyone else sees you, your life will be on grave danger." I tried to read the emotion on his face to see if he was just bluffing, but he seemed serious, and the gloomy wind blowing around him only added to my unease. I looked around to clarify my hunch. It seemed like I was indeed in a different world.
To get the answers and clear these questions that have been bothering my mind, I need to calm down. For now, I'll trust the bearded man in front of me. I know he knows a lot about the person who owns this body.
"Sorry if I seem confused, but I think you're right. I can no longer understand myself since my memories are either distorted or blurry. Do you know anything about me? Can you share what you know?"
"Before anything else, this isn't the right place for me to share what I know about you." He turned around and dove into the water to leave. I followed him to his house, and as we walked, I couldn't help but examine myself. I looked like a wrung-out rag.