Dark Christmas

Day 3

All I felt was pain, and I couldn't see anything. Snow was simultaneously freezing and insulating me, and I knew several of my bones had to be broken.

I opened my eyes. The snow had finally stopped, and I tried to get up, but it felt like my legs were twisted at odd angles. I looked down, and indeed they were. They were clearly miserably broken, yet oddly I felt no pain.

No one was around. Where was Sierra?

There, lying in a heap on the ground was Sierra. She wasn't moving.

"Sierra! Sierra!" I shouted miserably, but I could not move.

My consciousness was slowly fading away as I drew closer and closer to death, when I saw a cloaked figure approach. It got closer and closer to me, then pulled out a bottle from its cloak and put it to my lips. I involuntarily drank, and suddenly there was a puff of purple smoke that enveloped me, and my legs were mended.

 I got up and rushed over to Sierra. She was not breathing. I turned to the cloaked figure and pointed to her, and the cloaked figure took one look, pulled out another potion from its cloak and tipped it down her throat. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then Sierra coughed and breathed and stood up on her feet.

"Thank you, we owe you our lives," we said together to the cloaked figure.

It stared at us, then began to march off into the snow, beckoning us to follow it.

We followed the cloaked figure. It led us into a little house, and it pulled off its hood.

 It was a woman of extreme age. It looked as if her face had been weathered by the elements and by death itself. Full of wrinkles, and completely bloodless, with deeply inset eyes that stared into space.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

"A witch," she said in a sad voice so quiet it was hard to hear. "Come to save you from certain death."

"But how did you know we were there?"

"I sensed it using a ritual. I felt a disturbance. Didn't know exactly what it was, so I came to investigate."

She served us some lumpy tea that had crystals of some odd substance in it. "Drink, it's good for you."

"Do you know Methuselah?" I asked the witch. I sipped the tea. It was refreshingly sweet.

"Of course. Infamous around these parts. He's an evil man. Forcing people to kill others. I'd have nothing to do with him."

"Do you know how we can recover our memories?" asked Sierra.

"Let me cast a spell," said the old woman. She pulled out a wand from her cloak and pointed it at us.

"Memoriam!" she cried. A glowing blue light emitted from the tip of her wand.

I gasped and clutched my head, which suddenly felt like it was bathed in fire and ice simultaneously. The odd sensation reached into the darkest corners and depths of my mind, and suddenly flashes of images were appearing in my mind. Me kissing Sierra. Jumping off a rooftop, holding Sierra's hand. Walking along the beach, talking with her. Falling asleep in the snow next to her.

I looked around. Sierra was having a similar experience, I knew.

"Yes." The woman was nodding to herself. "You two have known each other for a long time," concluded the old woman.

We gasped and looked each other.

"Indeed, you have been intimate with each other. You were - are - husband and wife."

 I had to smile. Sierra looked dumbfounded. "Prove it," demanded Sierra.

 The witch produced two potions and bade us drink them. We did so, and some of our memories came back.

Memory 1 - Jonas - as a young boy

"Hey, she's a cutie," said Arnold. Jonas's friend."I know, but I can't have cuties. I can't have anyone. You know that," said Jonas.

"Just try, and see."

Jonas sighed. "You don't understand, but I'll do as you say."

Jonas walked up to Sierra. "Hi there, how are you?"

Memory 2 - Sierra

A boy walked up to me and asked me how I was. He was cute. I said I was fine, but I didn't want to talk at the moment, so I turned away. I think I hurt his feelings without realizing it. I thought women were more fragile than men, but maybe this boy in particular is more fragile than women.

Sierra and I looked at each other, our memories having been partially recompleted. We remembered our first kiss. We remembered our rights and our wrongs. Our forgiveness. Our hurt. Our pain. Our emotional bonding. But we didn't remember everything.

"Give us more memory back," we requested of the witch."

Ah, I could. But I need you to do something for me first."

"What are you talking about?" I gasped. "Can't you see how important this is?" while Sierra nodded."

To you, of course it is. But why should it be of importance to me? Give me an ingredient I desire, and I'll consider it."

I groaned. "Okay. What exactly do you want?"

"This herb is very rare. I need it for one of my potions. It is sometimes found growing on the coast north of here. Bring it back, and I'll consider restoring your memories fully.

"Sierra opened her mouth to protest, but I nudged her. She sighed and nodded.

"Very well."

"Good. Now get out of my house."

We were kicked back out into the cold street, and we looked at each other. 

"It was kind of awkward, not knowing each other. And it still is, because we don't know each other fully as we should." I said.

"Yes." Sierra's voice was dreamy. "That's what motivates us to go on."

"Some sort of unseen, subconscious force that drives us onward."

We began to march to the edge of the world.

 Finally, we arrived. And we looked for the plant, but couldn't find it. We looked all over the beach. Finally we gave up for the day, exhausted, lying back on the beach.

"It's a beautiful night. I wish we could do something."

She nodded thoughtfully. "We are the unaccepted, the forgotten, the unpopular, the depressed, the unknown, the scum, the trodden-upon."

As we sat on the beach at night, she rested her head on my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around her. We kissed, both of us shedding tears, holding each other, embracing each other.