A Fresh StartA Chapter by SageYeah, hello there! I’m Sage. Well, at least that is the name I was given when I woke up after a long sleep. Yep, not a big deal right? I mean everyone is given a name when they wake up from their sleep after 9 or 10 months. Ha! but it is never that simple, is it? Well, that’s a no. Why? Because I woke up after 327 years. Yes, you read that right. 327 years.Well, if you’re wondering just how did I even manage to sleep for that long (that is, if you believe me in the first place), even I do not know. Ha-ha, try remembering what exactly you did last night before you fell asleep, or dreamt afterwards and you’ll know. My past is kind of murky; however, there are things I will never forget. No, it’s not the faint smell of some perfume or the fading face of a mysterious maiden like they show in the movies or write in the novels. These are the stuff of nightmares. And the worst part is, most of them seem vague, but makes no sense. “Time’s up Sage. We have to leave!!” “Yeah, I’m coming. You don’t have to scream.” Well, I have an appointment with a psychiatrist now. This guy, Dr. Shane, is a queer guy. On the face, he looks like the perfect Dr. Jekyll, however, a little modern. Bald, with a salt and pepper French beard, muscular build, and a doctorate. Generally, in this kind of a situation, my mind tries to convince me that there should be a Mr. Hyde hidden within him. He has those dull looking eyes, which suspiciously turn bright whenever he meets a mysterious patient, as if someone has turned on a bulb in his head. This time, I chose to ignore my mind, and consult him. As soon as I entered his cabin, he looked at me and probably analyzed me. I felt like those antique pieces on display in museum. Wow, what an irony. That was exactly what I was. I did not belong here. Anyways, he handed over a sheet and asked me to fill it. It was a simple sheet with: Problems [check the box(es)]: [] Depression [] Insomnia [] Amnesia [] Hallucinations [] Violent bursts of rage [] Suspected multiple personalities I did not understand some of them, but I knew that Insomnia wasn’t the one. I had enough sleep to last for more than a lifetime. “Doctor, which of these would indicate memory loss?” “Oh, that would be Amnesia” he replied casually. I checked that option and returned him the list. “Amnesia, huh? Since when are you not able to remember things?” he asked. “327 years.” I felt that after hearing this, he would make a new box in that little checklist of his, with an option ‘Insane beyond recovery’, and make arrangements to get me committed to an asylum. He looked at me confused and asked “I’m sorry, what did you just say?” “327-“ “Ah, 327 hours. Well, that’s a lot of time, mister. Is it your first visit for medical help?” “Yes, doctor, it is. However, I think we have a little misunderstanding here. It isn’t 327 hours. It is 327 Years.” For the next whole minute, he stood staring at me. It felt like he was considering me as a test subject for a new disorder. He managed really well to get on my nerves. Finally, the silence became so unbearable, that I decided to break it. “Um, doctor?” “....” “Hey, doc? I’m the one who’s supposed to space out, not you, for heaven’s sake, you have to help me.” “Hm? Ah, yes. I’m sorry; I wanted to check if you’re one of those youngsters who fool around. However, your body language, the way you speak indicate you’re telling the truth.” “Are you a wizard?” I asked. “Ha ha no. Anyway, let’s get back to your problem. Was it suspended animation?” “Doctor this is the first time I’m hearing those words. What does that even mean?” He scratched his bald head, turning serious for the first time since I came. “Say, what’s the last date or thing you remember?” “November 19, 1998. I was in some place with snow. The next thing I remember is woke up here on this planet, 6 months back.” I tried to remain as calm as possible. The doctor’s eyes were searching mine hungrily, as if his soul wanted to devour all the information I had in my head. He was making me nervous, and I had already planned my escape route, should things go sour. He got up, stared at the wall behind him, and began talking to the wall. “Hmm… Couldn’t have been artificially induced stasis. That technology did not exist way back then and definitely not for humans, back on earth. It was fully developed on Mars, and refined for 17 years, before being successfully used to transport humans to Titan. So, the next best valid answer is the snow. Do you have any memory of an accident?” “……” “I asked if you have any memory of an accident, before losing consciousness.” That’s when I realized he was talking to me all along, and wasn’t as crazy as I thought him to be. “Nope. I feel like a blank slate.” I did not know if I sounded, but I was sure I heard that guy laugh quietly. My brain triggered another panic attack and now I was slowly yielding to my brain. “Am I dying?” I was nervous. “No son, you’ve returned from there. If I’m not wrong, you must’ve met with an accident back on Earth, and were buried under snow. That would’ve sent your body into hibernation mode like bears. Since fresh water is scarce here, ice is farmed from earth, which is in an unexpected Ice age now. You must’ve been in the Ice that was brought here, and then you might remember what happened.” “Yeah, it was horrible. I had to run from those authorities, I had no clue where I was, or how did I even end up there.” The very thought of that night made a strange chill creep into my bones. It wasn’t normal. None of this is. But hey, then again, look at the bright side. I’m centuries old, and I get to live on a new planet.I heard that doctor’s voice in my thoughts and thought I was going crazy. I turned and saw he was calling me. “What’s your name, son?” “I do not know doc.” How could I? I did not remember anything. Then it dawned upon me. Without my past, I was a nobody, which was great, considering I could start a new life. It was bad too. If the accident was caused by someone on purpose, they could still be around with that weird technology the doc was talking about. I decided in a split second. I was going to get my past back, at all costs. This brave, heroic train of thought I had was interrupted by the doc. “How about we give you one?” “I’m sorry, I did not understand” “Well, since you do not remember your name, you can choose a new one.” “Wow, than-“ “Okay, choose: Adam, John, Jim, Harry, Bob, Mike, William, Harold, Patrick, and we can go on and on…” “I’m sorry, they all did not make any sense to me and that was way too fast.” I replied. What was this old man planning? “Oh, do not make any sense you say? How about we try some International names, as they called it on earth? Mikhail, Ming, Yamamoto, Siegfried ... Hey, how about this? Anvesh. It means searcher in Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages on Earth. Don’t you think that name suits you perfectly?” he asked. It was my turn now, to stare at the wall in confusion. Then, on a flash, I chanced upon the name that would suit me perfectly. “Well, that name is good, but once I find the answers, it will not make any sense. How about Sage? Sages are people who find answers, aren’t they?” I asked, full of excitement. And there it was, those dull eyes suddenly turned mysteriously bright, with a spark of interest, and my mind’s alarms went “Uh-Oh” and entered the panic mode. As far as I knew, doctors with eyes like that are of three types: 1. Evil 2. Insane 3. Insanely Evil I wanted to leave urgently, and my mind started thinking of various ways to say goodbye, but he spoke first. “You are interesting. Let’s start our treatment session from next week on.” “Yeah, sure, doc” I replied quickly, glad that it was going to be over soon. I rose up, and opened the door to leave, I heard him say “And oh, take care, Mr. Sage” in what sounded like an amused tone. I froze for a second, unsure of what to do, and quickly muttered “Sure, thanks” under my breath and shut the door.
© 2016 SageAuthor's Note
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SageAboutI'm a college student, chose electronics, aspire for astronomy and love writing. Reading might be a nice feeling for people. Writing is probably the best thing mankind has stumbled upon. I write bec.. more..Writing
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