The Farm

Chapter 01 - Dreaming of Carla.

THE FARM

Chapter 1 - Dreaming of Carla.

When I first opened my eyes, all I could see was the ceiling fan rotating slowly above me.

"Where am I? Where's Carla?" I was dizzy and confused.

I couldn't remember what happened. I tried closing my eyes and forcing my brain to go back but the harder I tried, the more frustrated I got.

After what seemed like an eternity, I just collapsed. I must have slept for another five or six hours straight, I don't know.

"Hello? Steve… Steve?" the nurse whispered in my ears.

I noticed her heavy Portuguese accent, which reminded me that I was in Brazil.

"Yes, where am I?" I tried asking once again. "Where is Carla?"

The nurse reluctantly drifted her eyes away. I could tell something was wrong.

"Please… do you understand English?" I had to know the whereabouts of Carla.

"Por favor, onde está Carla?" I tried asking in Portuguese, figuring it was my best shot at figuring out where Carla was.

Deep inside me I knew the answer to the question wasn't going to be good, but I needed to know.

Without saying anything, the nurse started to inject some kind of medicine into the tube that was connected to my arm. Within a few seconds I was out cold again.

"Amor… Amor…" this is how Carla used to call me.

I could hear her muffled voice calling me. She sounded like she was in danger, but somehow it didn't sound like she was desperate or in pain.

She kept calling me, but I wasn't able to open my eyes or do anything. For a moment I had absolutely no control over my body or mind.

When I finally managed to snap out of that sort of trance and open my eyes, it was dark and cold.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked myself.

I knew exactly where I was this time, this room is familiar. I was at my apartment in Boston. I got out of bed, opened the curtains. It was pitch black and the weather was punishing out there. I was so cold! The first thing that came to my mind was to turn the heater on. And then I sat on my bed as if waiting for the cold to go away. I was freezing.

There was no sign of Carla. Her side of the bed was intact. Not even a trace of her belongings in the bathroom. It was the weirdest feeling. I couldn't smell her scent around the apartment. All the pictures I had of her were gone.

It almost looked like she was never there. Except for the little note I found bellow the pillow that read: "Te amo!" - Portuguese for "I love you."

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I work as a freelance web designer and live in Boston, Massachusetts. Although my work gives me the liberty to travel or live anywhere (as long as there is an internet connection), I have never left the country or even lived in different cities. I thought my life was pretty decent and safe enough. I definitely don't fall into the "risk takers" group. Heck, compared to the majority of people my age (early twenties), you could say my life is boring.

A normal day in my life would start at around 9AM, when I'd grab my tablet and check the emails, news, social networks and finally have a quick look at my to-do’s for the day. This would normally take around 30 to 40 minutes and then it would be time for a steamy shower.

I don't have the habit of eating breakfast at all, so I'd just brew some coffee or get out my laptop and sit at the nearby coffee shop. In fact, I find myself doing that quite often. I guess it can get quite boring working from a home office every single day.