A Forgotten Past

Chapter One: Dalldorf

House four, Ward B.

A nurse had lead me here. Walking in to see my new roommates, an abrupt sliding sound made me shake. The sound of a key locking the door gave me the chills. With my right hand nervously gripping my left upper arm and my left hand close enough to my mouth that I could bite my nails, I started walking over to the bed in the back left corner. There were two windows by the bed, one at the head of the twin bed with white sheets. The other one to the left of the bed. It had a chest at the foot of the bed, just like all the other beds.

The sun lit the room. My roommates stared at me as I made my way to the empty bed. I looked around at each new face. If I made eye contact with them, I looked down immediately. While I was looking down, I felt a hand on the front of my right should. Looking up, it was noted that the black shoes did not go with the outfit being worn by the woman who had stopped me.

¨What is your name?¨ asked the woman. My name? What was my name? I couldn't find the answer if my life depended on it. Maybe that was why I tried to kill myself. Standing there, looking like an idiot in their rightful place, I shrugged. The woman looked at me funny.

¨Doesn't she know her name?¨ asked another patient. The woman who had stopped me replied no. Everyone else laughed and started to talk about how ridiculous that was. Was it bad that I did not know my own name?

¨Do not listen to them. They do not know you or what you are here for. My name is Tugenda, but everyone just calls me Truda. My bed is right next to the one in the corner there if you need anything,¨ said the woman. She pointed to her bed and looked back at me. I leaned to the left to look at the bed, although I knew which one she was referring to. Looking back at her, I nodded with my mouth wide open. Once again, I looked like an idiot.

¨Thank you. How very kind of you,¨ I said, forcefully. I walked to Truda's bed and sat at the foot. The framed pictures caught my eye. I remember I had this warming feeling inside of me when looking at those pictures. I used to look at those pictures everyday until Truda was discharged. The pictures of her family were the loveliest. The one of her brother stood out the most. He was young and handsome. He fought in The Great War. He reminded me of a person of the past. Each day the picture brought me closer to finding out about my past. The picture reassured me that I had a past. There was something that I could go back to. There was someone who loved me and worried about me. If only he would come find me. Oh dear, I hope he was not worried sick to his stomach about me.