Weightless

A Story by Kirsten Kvaale

"Joanna had slipped away." Was what the doctors said. They believed that bringing her back to consciousness would be like trying to remember something that never happened; but something did happen. It was true that Joanna had slipped away, but not all the way. She had sunk deep into a part of her mind where no one could contact her, much like how she sunk to the depths of the pool. The doctors pronounced her brain dead later that evening. Joanna's mother hugged the sleeping body and could feel it -- she was there, but at the same time, she wasn't. It was like the wind; no physical form. Just a delicate feeling of knowing was all there was.
Her mother was right. Four short months later Joanna awoke from her comatose state. However, the depths of her mind where she resided in has dissolved away her memories.
The only memory Joanna had was of the damp, heavy air surrounding the pool and; because of that, she believed it to be her home. She discovered peace of mind in the thought of being weightless because she had felt it when she was detached from her own body -- floating through rivers of nothingness. The world was too heavy for Joanna.
One night she left her hospital bed -- still wearing her paper gown. She knew exactly where she was headed; it would be hard for her to forget her only memory.
The streets were vast and filled with noise. Joanna's frustration and confusion condensed into tears that she fought to hold back. When she finally made it through the doors of the pool she felt as though she was back inside her mind. The lights were dim, the air was warm, and the noises were low. She submerged herself in the comforting blankets of water where she, once again, began to float.
The tips of her toes were able to touch the ground of her oldest memory. Her feet were not able to be planted firmly -- but she didn't expect them to be. A simple kiss from the bottom was all she needed.