Entwined

Chapter 18: Evocate

Days went by like a haze; the end of each are spent visiting Abygail and studying each night for the exam, making sure I don't flunk my grades. Surprisingly, I did quite well this school year, despite missing weeks' worth of lectures.

Abygail gradually regained her strength, and she started to walk around with me. Checking out the different floors and areas we can explore in the hospital. She mostly sat along the benches on the ground floor, looking at different visitors that pass by. I often spot her waiting for me there when I arrive. She surprised me one time, catching me off guard when she grabbed my hand.

The doctor commended her enthusiasm on taking these walks every day. I thought she'd feel down after waking up, but well, I thought wrong. She was happy, and every time I was there, I never saw her display any other emotion. Gleefully smiling as we take these walks, though she expressed her disappointment that she can only go around the hospital. I thought about what she said and remembered the other thing she was worried about, her inability to recall older memories. I formed a plan in my head and shared it to her.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, you don't recall much of your memories, right?" I asked, and she looked at me with anticipation in her eyes. "I was thinking... what if we visit the areas we played at when we were kids. Maybe it'll help remind you and you'll have more areas to explore."

She thought about it for a while, "That does sound good. Sure, why not?"

"Alright, we can go for a stroll when you get discharged soon." I smiled.

Two weeks passed and nothing much has happened, just the exams and a few hiccups in assignments. Melody's been busy lately too, leaving the house and going somewhere. She explained it to me that she's quite busy with work these past few days. Something about events, and places she needed to visit. But mostly, it's just me visiting Abygail, and Nazz nagging both Dom and I to listen to this indie band he's been crazy lately. But both of us knowing better, we never entertained it. He never relented, eventually Dom caved in and listened but I thought differently and postponed the experience for another time.

And today, I'm sitting down on Abygail's living room, waiting for her to come out. I'm here to pick her up for our long due trip to memory lane. I hear her footsteps as she exits her room, a rhythmic pattern compared to her loud rushing footsteps every time she leaves her room before. She goes down the stairs and I stand up seeing her wearing the same style she'd been wearing ever since she changed vibes a long time ago. But something's different, she moves differently, not far from the usual but still noticeable. A subtle change to the way she walks, lacking the usual confidence and carelessness she had around me. She seemed more... reserved? I have no idea what I'm talking about.

"So, where are we going?" she asked as she tucked her hair behind her ear. I noticed she didn't tie her hair today.

I thought about it for a second and decided, "We can visit the bridge first."

She nodded and we started to walk along the road, kicking stones and watching it clash with other stones. She does the same and giggles. It brings back so much memories, she used to do the same back then. As we walked, she spots the bridge nearby and we picked up our pace. She got there first, leaving me a few steps behind. She looked down the river and faced the oncoming wind, closing her eyes and letting the gentle breeze play with her hair.

"You remember something now?" I asked, anticipating her answer.

She fell silent, just admiring the breeze on her skin. It's as if she's experiencing it for the first time, taking it all in memory.