Whispers Beyond the Forest

Chapter 6

Emily could not get the doctor's words out of her head. She shouldn't give up hope. She promised herself that she would not let that happen. She would keep trying to get her memory back, no matter what. She would keep searching for that one memory that would unlock everything else. Even if it took years.

On the way home, in the car, Eddy chatted on about something that had happened at work, but Emily barely heard any of it. She was too deep in thought. The doctor had given her hope again. Maybe this whole thing would end well after all. Some day.

Emily was rudely pulled back to the here and now, when Eddy turned the engine off. She glanced around. They were already home, Eddy was already getting out of the car.

She followed his example, but stopped when he unlocked the front door. "Actually... I think I'm going to go for a walk," she said.

Eddy looked over his shoulder with raised eyebrows. "Yeah, sure. Are you alright? I know that can't have been easy for you."

Emily shook her head. "No, I'm fine, really. I just need to clear my head."

"Okay then." Eddy nodded. "But don't stay out too late, alright? I'll get worried. I don't want you to... get lost or anything."

"I promise I'll be home before dinner." Emily smiled reassuringly. She walked off the driveway and onto the pavement with a frown on her face and her head down. Before she'd reached the end of the street, she was already lost in thought again.

The doctor said that that man got his memory back after being reminded of a vital part of his own story. Would it work the same way for Emily? Did she just have to go looking for that one detail, so to make everything else fit into place again?

But what kind of memory could be more important than anything else? For that man it had been his long-dead younger brother. But Emily didn't have any brothers or sisters. All the photo's in Eddy's house only showed one child: herself. Her mum had passed away, but she already knew about that. Eddy had even showed her pictures and she still hadn't recognised anything.

If it wasn't a family member, what could her 'trigger' be?

Emily was hardly aware where her feet were taking her. When she finally looked up, she didn't have a clue how long she'd been walking. Or where she was right now. Looking around, she recognised the wide street, the identical, white-bricked houses on both sides of the road, each with their curtains shut. She'd been here with Maya and Dennis, she was sure of it. But which way was home again from here?

Oh well, she'd find the right direction later. She didn't want to go home yet, anyway.

Reaching the corner of the street, she took a right onto an even wider street, where the houses took up only one side of the road. On the other side was a field, with a single lonely, rusted football goal post. Behind the field sat a row of dilapidated houses, with trees sticking out above them.

The forest. She remembered now; she'd been here with Maya and Dennis when they showed her the town. They had refused to go anywhere near the forest. But now, here she was again. Alone. With no one to stop her if she wanted to see it.

Emily stared at the trees hesitantly. Could it really be so dangerous? It was only a forest. She glanced around, but the street was deserted. Nobody would see her.

She strolled closer, past the field, pausing when she reached the run-down houses. She was so close now, yet there still didn't seem to be anything dangerous about the woods.

If the Others lived beyond that forest, they wouldn't come here, to this side, would they? They had no reason to. As long as she didn't go too far into the woods, she'd be alright, wouldn't she?