Oops! Thanks! Not sure why I did that haha

[Author Note: This response has turned into a novel "The Brink of Oblivion" and I'm posting it on my profile as I write it.]

The creature watched me from just beyond the tree line, shadowed in dark, inky blackness. I couldn't make out its shape or anything else about it really. All I could see were its bright yellow eyes. I took one step towards it, and then two, and then I was running, branches whipping past my face, tearing my skin. But the creature was too fast and the forest was its domain. I was nearly at it, my hand almost able to reach its back when-

I opened my eyes to an inky blackness of a place void of both light and feeling. Or was I the one void of light and feeling? I blinked as a white walled room slowly came into focus.

Who am I?

I sat up in bed with my head in my hands. A woman and a dog were lying beside me, both sound asleep. I couldn't remember either of them. The dog opened its eyes and wagged its tail lightly as I stood up and looked at a room I felt I'd never seen before. The woman didn't move.

I stumbled into the bathroom and leaned against the sink. I felt sick, off. My face felt strange, as if it didn't truly belong to me. It was the face of an older man, in maybe his sixties, but I didn't have any of the memories of life to accommodate such an age. I tried my hardest but I couldn't recall any memories. Nothing from childhood, adulthood, or anything in between. It was as if I came into existence only this morning as I opened my eyes. I knew deep down that something was wrong but I couldn't figure out what it was. My arm was itchy and when I moved to itch it I noticed the tattoo. It read: You have Alzheimer’s. You love your wife. Your name is Keith.

Keith?

Why didn't that feel right? I flexed my arm and as I did I noticed the scribbled, quickly written words on the palm of my hand.

THE TATTOOS ARE A LIE.

I turned on the water and glanced back at the sleeping woman. She turned over but remained asleep. I didn't feel anything when I looked at her, but did that mean loving her was a lie? How could I possibly prove that?

I splashed water on my face, did my business, and then wandered through the bedroom and into an open concept apartment. It was cozy and cute, full of pictures on the walls of me and the woman, Keith and his wife, and other fragments of what looked like a happy life. On a bookshelf was a dog tag and an old photo of a different dog named Max. How long have I been with this woman? What was her name?

"Good morning," a voice said from a doorway. "How are you Keith?"

I turned to see a young woman, about twenty, leaning against the wall dressed in her PJ's and a robe. She was holding a steaming cup of coffee and handed it to me.

"Uh, hi." I said, reaching for the cup. "I'm... okay I guess."

"The mornings are usually the worst," the girl said. I shook my head.

"I'm sorry," I said, "You're talking to me like I know you really well and I feel like I should know who you are but-"

"It's ok." the girl said abruptly, her cheeks filling with color. "This is my bad. I should've been more gentle. I forget sometimes. It's hard to talk to you like you're not my, uh, nevermind. Go through that door over there and I have breakfast ready for you. Call me Claudia."

"Beautiful name." I said. She smiled and turned down the hallway.

I walked through the door and entered the kitchen. The lighting in this home felt off, duller than it should be. Was my vison going now too? How scary the world would be if I was navigating my mind and body blind. There was a plate of food siting on the counter. As I pulled it up a piece of paper tumbled down from under it.

I put the plate back and went to read the note when I head the dog running and a woman's voice. I put the note in my pocket and took my plate to the table.

"And Dia," the woman said as she walked into the room. She gave me a wide smile, "Don't forget to call me after so we can-"

"Mom I know!"

"Okay, just last time you didn't and I-"

"This isn't last time. Goodbye!"

The front door slammed and the woman turned to look at me as the dog scratched at my leg, his hungry eyes watching my fork.

"Good morning Keith," the woman said, "My name is Jennifer."

"Hi Jennifer," I said, feeling an strange wave of anxiety flow through me. "I'm sorry."

"What on Earth are you sorry for?"

"Forgetting," I said, "I know I love you and I know we're married, but I feel like... my current experience of you is as if I'm meeting you for the first time."

"It's okay," Klara said, "I like when you look at me for the first time. And each day I get to watch your eyes change until the next day."

"When did I get Alzheimer's?" I asked. Klara began to make herself some food as she considered my question.

"It was about three years ago, but the onset was quick." she said, "It started off with you forgetting little things, like where you put your keys, and then one day you couldn't remember where the house was. We have been doing okay though, and sometimes you remember things and I love hearing about that."

"Oh," I said, "I feel like I lost a whole life."

"Sometimes," Klara said, shooting me a wide smile, "You find comfort in looking at our photo albums. You'll sit in there for the better part of a day looking through our old pictures. Sometimes that can spark your memory."

I nodded and finished up breakfast. Klara treated me kindly but I could sense that she was working hard to keep her distance. Like Claudia, there was a far more familiar tone to her presence than made me comfortable.

After breakfast I sat on our comfortable couch with a stack of photo albums. I started with one of just Klara and myself. We were friends as teens and there were lots of pictures of us growing up together with our families. I have two brothers. I saw Klara go from a little button-nosed girl and into an awkward teen. She had braces for a long time.

The next album was one for Claudia. It started with her birth certificate and her first picture. She was red and all squished down. In her second picture her black hair was very messy and her nose was so little. I was about to turn the page when I remembered the note. Glancing towards the kitchen and not seeing anything I opened the note.

"This is not what you think it is. Everything is a lie. This isn't real. You are a prisoner of a powerful warlock. Await your next instruction. Destroy this note." My heart began to beat wildly as I searched for a match. I found one beside our fireplace and I quickly made a fire and used the note as kindling. As I worked I thought about what it said. If I were truly trapped how could I even begin to get out?

-End Part One