時とともに失われた記憶

Chapter 2: The secrets of the forest people.

I woke up the next morning in the small cabin, feeling groggy and disoriented. The sun was barely shining through the trees. My stomach growled, reminding me that I needed to eat. I pulled out a bag of stale snacks from my backpack—the only food I had left. I hesitated, but I knew I had no choice. I took a bite, and it tasted awful—rancid and old. It was hard to swallow, but I forced myself to eat. If I didn't, I'd starve.

After finishing the snacks, I grabbed my backpack and stepped outside. The forest was quiet, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. I noticed something strange on the cabin fence—a tiny symbol, carved into the wood. It looked old and hand-carved, like it had been there for a long time.

I knelt down to get a closer look. The symbol was a mix of lines and curves, but I couldn't tell what it was supposed to mean. It felt important, though, like it was a clue to something. I decided to keep it in mind and walked down the path toward the river.

When I reached the river, I cupped my hands and took a drink of water. But as soon as the water touched my lips, I realized it tasted awful—stale and gross. I spat it out, thinking that maybe the water from the lake upstream wasn't fresh.

I looked up and noticed that the same symbol I had seen on the cabin fence was carved into a nearby tree. It was too much of a coincidence. I followed the symbols on the trees, hoping they would lead me to answers.

Soon, I stumbled upon something I didn't expect—a hidden village deep in the forest. The village was small but peaceful, with wooden houses blending into the trees. People were walking around, talking and working, all looking calm and at peace.

As I explored, one of the villagers spotted me. They didn't seem scared. Instead, they smiled and waved. "Hello, my friend," they said softly.

I waved back and followed them as they led me to a flowing river near the village. The water here was clear and clean, a sharp contrast to the dirty water I had tried to drink earlier. The villagers were calm, living in harmony with nature.

I decided to ask the villager, "Why did I lose my memories?"

The villager paused, then began telling an old story. "Long ago, there were people called the Crow People. They were cursed, and their curse made them steal memories from others. It wasn't their fault, but they couldn't stop. They took memories from people, places, even things. Some of the Crow People might have passed by here."

The story made sense. It explained everything—why I had lost my memories, the strange symbols, and the weird feelings I had. It wasn't my fault. It was the Crow People's curse.

I thanked the villager and made my way back to the cabin, feeling like I was finally starting to understand what was happening. When I got there, I dug through my backpack and found something that caught my eye—a photo. I pulled it out and stared at it. It was an old picture of me and my siblings—P.W, P.C, E.J, and E.G.

I recognized them right away. I was in the photo, too, smiling with my family. On the back of the photo, there were the same initials: P.W, P.C, E.J, E.G.

I looked at the tag on my backpack. It said "P.C." It all clicked. Maybe I had a past after all. A family. A life before this forest.

I held the photo close to my chest. My memories might be lost, but I knew I was getting closer to finding them. Maybe this hidden village, the symbols, and the Crow People were all connected to the answers I was looking for.