Chronicles of an Amnesiac | √

8, Day Nine

It's dark and the we are all sitting in the-box-full-of-springy-sitting-places. Everybody is watching the TV, well except me and Howard. The latter's got his head bent over his notebook-with-the-eaten-apple. I'm not watching because I just do not understand what is happening on the TV. All I saw was a man in a black and white uniform with waving colourful fabrics behind him, talking non-stop into the screen. In front of him were numerous sticks with bulbous ends almost entering his mouth. Some sort of amplifiers.

I turned on my sitting place, wishing I could copy Howard but my notebook-with-the-eaten-apple had been confiscated by the-man-with-huge-glass-eyes, claiming they weren't helping me recover. All those people that had come four days ago had been frequenting here since yesterday, they'd put me in a strange room and I really did feel like a specimen undergoing diagnostic analysis.

'I do hope he's not gonna win the election,' Dad was saying.

'Shut up, Damian. He's as good as you can get them.'

Dad made a strange sound in his nostrils and throat at this. 'Don't say I didn't warn ya.'

'Warn, Dad? You'll see, you're not fucking God!'

Howard looked up at Marilla's voice then rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to his glowing rectangle.

'I'm hungry,' I said, for want of attention. Yeah, I was hungry, but I also needed to let them know I was still alive.

Mom, Dad and Marilla turned to me as if I were some sort of stranger that just appeared in the box.

'Oh,' Mom said at last, 'but you've just eaten.'

'I have?'

'We need to do something about this ravenous appetite of yours.' Dad said this jokingly but I could feel the underlying tone was serious.

I don't know why, I shivered. 'Uh . . . never mind . . then.'

'Dad?' Marilla's stare was filled with so many accusations.

'Oh, what . . .'

'Damian, do shut the fuck up.' She looked to me. 'What'd you like to have?'

'Nothing, really. Can I go into the out?' I hadn't meant to say that, it had come out on impulse and now I had my mouth holding my heart, waiting for the same old reply.

'Blast,' said Dad after a while, 'why don't we all go out . . into the out.'

It wasn't a request, it was a statement.
He stood up and I more than happily sprang up.

Finally! Finally, I could go into the out! I found it hard to believe. I'd been asking for so long that I was surprised at the ease with which my wish had been granted this time.

Mom stood up. 'Damian, shouldn't we . . . she's not quite well yet . . .'

'It's fine, the moon shines so brightly tonight we won't need any other light. Let's go.' He took my hand. 'There's a swing set out back over the lake. Did you know it came with the house?'

I followed him outside. It was oh so blissful. Everywhere was cast in the cloak of the night and softly illuminated by the silver night sun. The porch was just as I remembered it from the other day. I was thinking we'd stop and watch the sky when Dad headed towards the side of the box. I followed him around the big box to the back and gasped, the breath knocked out of me.

The view of the still water was breathtaking in it's watery glory. It stretched into the distance and the inky blackness was brightly illuminated by the night sun. Bordering the lake to the house was a wide wrap-around boardwalk lined on one side with canopied trees that extended their thick branches over the water.

'The scene is so beautiful!' I gushed.

Mom chuckled and spread her arms out doing a short spin. 'I know right.'

'Yeah,' said Howard and hopped onto a block of sitting place suspended on ropes hanging underneath a tree. There were three more of this construction hanging from underneath other trees. He began to vacillate to and fro over the water and for a moment I thought the ropes would cut under his weight and he'd fall in but nothing of such happened and he seemed so at ease.

I was intrigued by this contrivance. 'Wow, what's that?'

'Swings,' Marilla answered dully and went to seat on one herself.

'Wow,' I said again and went to try sitting on one under the biggest tree.

I couldn't quite get my butt to stay on it, it wouldn't, it kept swinging to and fro and I was trying to hold it steady to sit on it when I lost my footing and landed on the sidewalk assfirst.

'Oof,' I said. Ouch! That was very painful.

'Oh my God, Tatiana, are you okay?'

I stood up laughing at myself. 'Yes, I just fell.'

'Should I steady the swing for you?'

'Okay.' But I wasn't too sure I still wanted to get on that complicated thing.

'Come on, that's our girl,' Dad encouraged when he sensed my hesitation.

'Okay, okay.' I stretched up on the tips of my toes and pulled — more like climbed — unto the swing with Mom steadying it on both sides.

'Yeah,' I said, glad I made it on it but I was still careful since the swinging thing was threatening to tip me over.

'Sit down properly and be comfortable, you're not gonna fall.' Marilla called from beside me.

I looked at her, she was at ease and had her head thrown back, the same thing for Howard on my other side. I took a deep breath and felt myself calm down in rhythm with the swing. I closed my eyes and swung gently to and fro, breathing in the silvery, cold night air. It was so peaceful and calm I could almost feel my body levitate from the sitting place.

I think I must have been falling asleep because I was suddenly aware that Dad was shaking me and I was coming out of my sleepy cocoon.

I opened my eyes to see his worried face. The others looked worried too.

I smiled widely. 'This is the best feeling in the whole world.'

Two more Days and an epilogue to go and I'd be done with the story! 🤭💥💯🐣

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