“This thing really came together,” he said. “Sofia said it was a quick turnaround.”
“Yeah, way too quick. But the finished product seems to be worth it. How’s Sofia’s booth doing?”
“Great, from what I can tell. We’ve barely had a breather all day.”
Ash stepped out of the clearing to where three people were gathered near a bench. Holly was the only one he recognized. As he drew closer, he thought there was something strange about the other two, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.
“Hi, Isaiah,” Holly said. “This is my friend Lumi, and this is Auryn, the one who wants to… help with your memory.”
Isaiah reached out a hand, and the small man glanced at Holly with an expression of panic on his face. Holly gave him what looked like a reassuring smile, and Auryn took his hand. A small jolt of energy seemed to pass through Isaiah then, similar to what he had felt when he returned to the trailhead. He shivered and frowned.
Holly looked anxious, but she put on a comforting smile. “We’d like to take you back to the woods, to a trailhead where it’s possible that you started your hike.”
Isaiah noticed she spoke slowly, as if she were choosing her words carefully.
“It could be useful for recovering your memories,” Auryn said.
“If that’s what you think is best,” Isaiah replied, though he was doubtful. Aside from the weird feeling he’d experienced at the spot where Sofia had found him, it hadn’t done anything to jog his memories.
Ash and Holly began to walk toward the parking lot, and Isaiah fell in next to them, Lumi and Auryn following a few paces behind. Sofia had told him Holly was from Canada, and he wondered if her friends were as well.
They all got into Ash’s truck, with Isaiah in the front seat and Holly and her two friends in the back. The three were silent as they drove, and Isaiah noticed that they sat stiffly in the truck, as if they weren’t sure if they were allowed to move. Ash quickly began to make small talk with Isaiah and Holly, and the tension broke.
Twenty minutes later, they were at a trailhead outside of Emerald Hollow. All the brilliant tulips that had lined the road on their drive to the city limits were gone.
“What made you choose this trailhead?” Isaiah asked as they climbed out of the truck.
“Closest one outside of Emerald Hollow,” Ash said but didn’t elaborate.
The group hiked up the trail a ways.
“Wow, there’s still snow here,” Isaiah said. “Hard to imagine coming from the tulip festival.”
“We’d like to recreate the original scenario as much as possible,” Auryn replied, and it came out in a bit of a squeak.
Is the man nervous?Being a memory specialist, he probably worked in an office or hospital and didn’t make a lot of house calls. He wondered how Holly had convinced him to come.
“Okay, go ahead and stand there,” Holly said to Isaiah while the others took a step back.
The elderly woman, Lumi, stepped closer to Auryn and whispered something in his ear. Isaiah shifted his weight uncomfortably.
“Do you mind turning away from us? Just look around the trailhead, as if you were on a normal hike,” Auryn directed quietly.
Isaiah did as instructed. There was a very soft whooshing sound, as if the wind had picked up.
He started to turn around, but Auryn stopped him. “Not yet. Try to visualize the day you were found.”
Isaiah closed his eyes and tried to focus on the snowy trail in January, but the only thing that came to mind was Sofia and the look of concern and trepidation in her eyes as she’d helped him. A cold sensation rushed over his skin, just like he’d felt at his return to the trailhead. The cold, jittery feeling passed over his whole body.
Moments later, the feeling was gone.
His eyes flew open, and he turned to where the four of them were watching him anxiously. Holly was leaning forward slightly, and Auryn appeared to be sweating.
“Isaiah, are you okay?” Holly asked, taking a step toward him.
Then it all came rushing back, a flood of images, names, and places.
Isaiah sank to his knees and blacked out.
