The Boy In The Train

Giggles

Samuel

Now nearly a week later, I spread butter on the bun I found in the kitchen, my eyes unfocused and with no clue as to why I chose to eat anything at five in the morning. Sleep had abandoned me and I had, again, no idea why I couldn't sleep.

No.

 I know that I am simply in denial.

So what if the bracelet I saw on the girl's hand happened to be exactly what I had once owned? There were a thousand possibilities that multiple bracelets of that design were sold over the course of time. It's not like I had got them custom made.

Then why couldn't I dismiss my thoughts when I had such a clear logical reason to do so? That is just beyond me now.

For heaven's word, I didn't even see the face of the girl in the queue! I don't know why I felt weird at that moment but for some reason, I realised much later that while my mind wanted me to see that person's face, there was a flicker of fear in my heart.

Fear for what? I am not entirely sure but it certainly aroused my curiosity the more I think about it.

That's my problem! The reason sleep is evading me and the feeling like someone is pacing in my head.

I am just thinking too much!

I shove the bun in my mouth and make my way to the living room. I slouch down on the sofa and wonder why am I like this?

The rest of the day goes on as eventful as ever. There is not much change in the routine and I am told that before my accident, I had followed the same routine. Getting up, going to college, goofing around there and then coming back home. It's not like I lost my entire memory but there are instances when I feel like having loopholes in it. There are some instances when something doesn't add up, unknown people approaching me with a friendly smile and leaving quite confused and disheartened when I can't remember them.

The worst is when I hear those giggling sounds in some of my dreams. Sometimes it's camouflaged in my other dreams and sometimes it's all I hear. I talked to my therapist about it and she told me that maybe I heard a laugh my consciousness registered and now it can't get out of my head. But that's the problem, isn't it?

On the way back home, I sit on the window seat which was not really my usual one. Adam said he boarded an earlier train and is already at the station waiting for me so that we can hang out at my place. I plug in my earphones and pay no attention to the music playing as I look at the landscape passing by.

I don't realise when I fall asleep but I do recognize a dream when I see one.  There were no visuals, just voices.

"You do know that dolphins do have to come up to breathe once in a while, don't you?" this belonged to a girl. Definitely a girl.

"What?! No way! They are fishes. They have gills, my dear friend"

Wait...is that my voice?

"They do have gills but they do come up to breathe. Search it up if you don't believe me, go on!" The voice egged me on.

A short pause later, I hear my voice again, "Okay yeah you're right. They do come up for air..."

"Told youuuu"

"Well okay, Miss. know-it-all." I tease back

"Can't help that you are an idiot"

And then came the sound I had echoing in my dreams so often, the giggles.

It was from her.

A girl.

Did I forget a friend?

I snap awake when I hear someone shaking my shoulder.

I see a lady in front of me, giving me a smile as she says, "Last stop, the train doesn't go any further."

I struggle to breathe but I murmur a thank you to her and quickly make my way out of the train and join the bustling crowd to blindly lead me towards the exit.

How could I forget about an entire person?

And just...who is she?