House Under Construction

 

Chapter 6: Distressing Flashback

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten...

"Keep counting, Jake! I still haven't found a place to hide."

"Hurry up, Sarah!" Jake shouted, his voice tinged with impatience.

"This time you won't be able to find me that quickly," I muttered to myself, darting through the woods in search of the perfect hiding spot. My heart pounded with the thrill of the game. In the midst of my search, I stumbled upon an old, abandoned hut. Curiosity got the better of me, and I ventured inside.

The hut was empty, devoid of any furniture or signs of life. It looked as if no one had lived there for years. I felt a rush of excitement. "Yes!" I giggled, confident that Jake wouldn't find me here. This was the perfect hiding place.

Minutes turned into hours. "Sarah? Where are you? Come out, wherever you are! You won, okay?" Jake's voice echoed through the trees, tinged with frustration and fatigue. "Sarah? Sarah? Hey, you won! Come out, wherever you are! I'm tired! Let's just end this game here. You won!"

Three hours passed,and I started to feel uneasy. "Jake still hasn't found me," I murmured to myself. "Should I wait, or should I just keep hiding?" Doubt crept in, but I decided to trust him. He would find me soon, I told myself. Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly heard voices outside the hut. "We have to burn this hut. We don't have any other option."

Panic surged through me. Before I could react, flames began to engulf the hut. The heat intensified, and smoke filled the room. I screamed for help, my voice raw with fear. "I'm still inside! Save me, please! Somebody save me!"

From outside, I heard a man shout, "There's a child inside the hut!" .What?! You should have checked before setting it on fire!" Another voice responded, panic evident.

The men began to quarrel as I continued to scream, "Save me! Mom! Dad! Jake! Help me!" The smoke thickened, and the flames crept closer. My cries grew more desperate, my vision blurring from the tears and smoke.

Time seemed to stretch into eternity as I waited for a miracle, my heart pounding in terror. Would anyone save me before it was too late?

A golden-haired boy with beautiful brown eyes extended his hand to me and said, "Come on, Sarah, we have to get out of here. Come on, Sarah, wake up." It was Jake. He was coughing a lot due to the smoke but still managed to pull me out of the hut. By then, I had lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. My mother's assistant sat beside me. I groggily asked, "Where is Jake? He saved me. Please tell me he's okay." Her face fell, and she lamented, "He didn't make it out of the hut. He couldn't be saved." Shock hit me like a tidal wave. Because of me, he was dead. I burst into tears, wailing, "Jakeeee! Just because of me, he died!"I looked at her desperately, hoping against hope. "Please tell me this is a joke." She shook her head gently, her eyes filled with sorrow. "No, dear, I'm afraid it is not. Kindly, ma'am, please get a hold of yourself. It is not your fault." But I couldn't accept it. "No, it's my fault!" I cried, overwhelmed with grief and guilt. The weight of Jake's sacrifice crushed me, and I sobbed uncontrollably, unable to find solace in her words and then I lost consciousness. After two days, I found myself lying in a hospital bed. Confused, I turned to my mother's assistant and asked, "What just happened? Why am I here? And why am I lying down? Are Mom and Dad still on their business trips?"

The assistant's face paled with shock. "You don't remember?" she whispered, then quickly left the room to find the doctor.

The doctor came in and after doing some questions to me, he explained to my assistant, Sarah is suffering from dissociative amnesia. This condition can occur after a traumatic event, causing one to forget important details about yourself and your life. The loss of someone close to her has caused Sarah a great grief, which is why she has developed this syndrome."

And I wokeup with teary eyes and trembling heart ughh this was a dream but this dream felt so real and I was only seven in that dream but a guy with golden hair and big, beautiful brown eyes kept appearing in my mind. "Jake," I muttered. "Why do I feel connected to him, as if he was someone important?" This dream felt so real, like something I had experienced before. I hurriedly went to my mother I asked her mom when I was seven, someone named Jake was my friend? and I was nearly burnt in a hut? My mom was confused she confusingly asked me again Jake? yes mom Jake and am I suffering from Dissociative amnesia?? Please tell me the truth mom, I said. She seemed confused and didn't utter a word. Sorry mom I just saw a weird dream and it felt so real that's why I just... Sarah you are stressed I guess take a deep breath and rest she just said these words to me and left.

"Get a hold of yourself, Sarah," I told myself firmly. "The entrance exam is near. I should just focus on my studies." But something kept gnawing at me. The dream felt too real, too vivid to dismiss.

My eyes wandered around the room until they landed on a book, ''The Magical Things'', on my bedside table. Feeling a sudden urge, I hurriedly opened the book. Inside, written in familiar handwriting, were the words:

"Sarah, it wasn't your fault. Just focus on your exams. I am here with you always, helping and supporting you. Best of luck for your test. You can do it."

The message felt like a gentle nudge, a reminder from someone who cared deeply about me. Despite not remembering Jake fully, I could feel his presence and his encouragement. It gave me a sense of comfort and determination. But one thing I could feel that my dream had something to do with all these magical things that was happening around me: the book, the owner of this book, it wasn't a coincident...