Saturn Return // h.s. au

Prologue to Saturn Return

Flashing lights. That's all he could see: the pulsating strobe of a white brightness blinding him from the indistinguishable scenario playing out around him. He could not feel. Not the cool, autumn breeze, not the fog-like droplets of British showers, nothing. He couldn't hear anything. Maybe a dull thumping deep within, but nothing recognizable. Attempting to speak, he opened his mouth, trying to form words. He couldn't tell whether he was making any sound, letting out any kind of sign that he was distressed, but he knew it was worth a shot. As he began to fixate on his disabilities, he began to panic, and that's when it all went black.

***

Mrs. Elizabeth Anne Haskins was a nurse. Her hair, once luxuriously dark and thick, was now thinning and peppered with grey. She was a loving wife of almost twenty years, married to a kind man who worked in City Hall aside the mayor. He had aspired to be a politician, but soon realized he was not up for the task of being a front man; he'd rather be behind the scenes. In this marriage, they had raised three beautiful children. Two boys and a girl. The eldest boy, Michael Lee Haskins, was a hard working boy. His dashing blue eyes and shaggy onyx hair was enough to win the ladies over, and his rugged masculinity was enough to intimidate the men. Their youngest son, and child, George Edward Haskins, was a bit more on the soft side. He had the same dark hair, but his eyes were hazel, a rich green with small flecks of brown reflecting in the pools. He was in his early teenage years. He had a kind heart and particular love for kittens and drawing kittens. This often resulted in being teased, but he seemed rather comfortable in his cat-loving body. Their middle child, Emma Rose Haskins, was a typical middle child. She preferred being left alone, and did not enjoy much attention. She'd never felt she was worth anything special, which is why she did not respond well to the affection men would give her. She had gotten her father's lighter brunette hair, unlike the rest of her siblings, as well as his hazel eyes. They were more on the brown side than her younger brother, and she never deemed them pretty. She was beautiful though, but due to the constraints she had suffered from in this life, she wasn't aware of it. The whole family used to live in a large house together in the suburbs, before Michael decided to move out at 19 to pursue his business career, determined to work his way up to CEO. Two years later, Emma, at 18, decided to move out in hopes to pursue her relationship with an older man, which crashed and burnt within months as her parents predicted, but she moved in with her current best friend Ivy Murdock, whom her parents loved, but were unsure of. This left poor George and his aging parents alone in their once largely happening home, so full of love. Beth had decided to spend more hours at the hospital, since she no longer had three children to nurture, and George seemed to be maturing faster than the kittens he was nursing with what was once an ear dropper.

Beth laughed with her the hospital staff, adjusting her scrub and finishing a story about George that she found humorous. She was interrupted by her boss urging her to assist a patient that seemed to be asking for her, and demanded he would not cooperate until Elizabeth was standing in front of him. Beth grew worried and restless, asking what room and rushing to the location.

She was afraid to see her husband, or one of her children lying in a bed with tubes going into hid flesh and casts all about him. Instead, she was greeted by a frantic-looking young boy, covered in bandages.

"Elizabeth?" His voice was groggy and soft. She recognized him as Daniel Fletcher, a patient who had been in a traumatizing accident, left in a coma for weeks. He was so obviously widely loved, with all of the "get well" cards and occasional teddy bear.

"Yes, I am Elizabeth. How do you know me?" She asked, softly. They hadn't suspected any brain injury to the man's head, but it was important to be gentle with freshly woken coma patients.

"Lizzy, what happened to you? You're so- No, you're not Elizabeth. Where is my Elizabeth?" He frantically shouted, fear glazing over dark green eyes. He quickly inspected the room. "What-What are these?" His voice was shaking terribly and he looked as if he were about to cry as he sorrowed over the machines connected to his body. Beth, who was attempting not to show that she was traumatized enough to push a button that ordered more nurses, sweetly sat down in a chair next to him.

"They're machines to help you get better, Daniel."

He looked at her, confused, but still with teary, bloodshot eyes. "Who's Daniel?" He spattered out. "My name is Harry." Beth was taken aback. Perhaps there was a small portion of brain injury.

"Harry?" She inquired. "Tell me about yourself, Harry," she asked of him. He nodded shakily, quickly looking at his lap in an attempt to remember himself.

"My name is Harry Styles. I work at my dad's shop. I like the colour orange, and potato chips are my favorite food." She wasn't getting the information she wanted. She'd been looking over his sheet for weeks and she needed to know the facts, to see how far off he was.

"Where are you from?"

"Cheshire."

"How did you get in here?"

He searched for words, but came back empty handed. "I-I don't know."

"How old are you, Harry?"

"I'm twenty seven." That was incorrect.

"And when is your birthday?

"February 1st, 1903." Beth's jaw threatened to fall.

"Well, Harry," she mumbled. "I think you'll be seeing Doctor Henderson," she murmured, while getting up.

"No, don't leave!" He cried out. She ignored his shouts, walking out of the room with a pained grimace. "Where is Lizzy? Bring me Lizzy!"

***

Title:  Saturn Return (originally called Nirvana)

Author: @inthepants

Published May 7th, 2015

Changes made on July 26th and August 3rd, 2015