I woke up feeling contented. I didn’t want to move. He was still asleep. We were both naked on the dirt. Waiting for the right moment to move. He was entirely mine and I was entirely his. The minute I moved, the second I unfroze my body, the moment I became disentangled in his embrace…boom! Lightning struck. I moved. That was the causation. He awoke from his slumber.

“What happened?” He asked

“I don’t know.” I said startled.

The storm has started. I looked to the mountains. They seemed so far. I didn’t know where my clothes were. I couldn’t find them. Nothing was as it seemed.

I rolled over slightly and toward my love.

“Hey,” I said reaching to stroke his back.

“Who are you?” He asked staring through me. His eyes were a stark shade of grey. I didn’t recognize this color. I’d seen his eyes change several shades, but not to this one. I felt a chill move through me. Part of this was because it was cold outside. The rain had started to come. I moved my legs closer to me. I needed to get warm and fast.

“What?” I asked him. I could feel them start to come. The tears. He didn’t remember. He didn’t know what we had just shared.

“WHO are you?” He repeated.

“Louise.” I said. “Do you remember?” I asked as I held my hand over my heart.

“Don’t touch me. Don’t ever touch me!” He shouted. “WHO are you?” He asked.

“Nobody.” I replied. It didn’t matter anymore. He wasn’t going to listen to me. I didn’t matter to him. It was clear that I needed to get out there and fast. He looked at me like I was a piece of trash he’d forgotten to throw out. I felt dirty, sick, unwanted. I started to shake. The rain started to pour down harder and faster. I couldn’t breathe, I needed to move. I pulled my legs closer to me and cried. I couldn’t tell the difference between the rain drops and my tears. They were falling fast, hard strong.

“You need to LEAVE.” He said. “Go.”

“Okay.” I said between tears and rain. There was water everywhere; on me, on the ground, everywhere.

“Forget your name. Forget this happened. Forget me. Forget it all.”

“I will.” I said swallowing my past and tears in one gulp. I quickly located my clothes, and even though they were saturated in rain, I put them on. Green khaki shorts and a tee-shirt.

“I said GO. Why are you still here. Forget this happened. LEAVE.” He yelled.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“No one.” He replied with a smile. “You will never know.”

I started to cry hard. As the tears rolled down my face my body shook. I felt naked even though I was fully clothed. I bent my knees as my heart raced. I propelled myself forward and began to run. I ran and ran into the mountains. I felt the rain on my face and the pain in my body. It surged through me, pushing me forward toward Nirvana or hell or Dante’s Inferno. Forget it happened. Forget your name. I can forget. Forget. Forget. Forget. Forget.

mountains