“Distant Memories”

by Jedi Adia

She entered her room after an ordinary day. It had been a good day and that evening, her friends had gone with her to see the latest Ewan McGregor movie at the Cineplex in downtown London. It was almost 11:00 by the time she got home. It was a Friday night, though. She could sleep in the next day.

Stretching out on her bed, she pulled the covers over her. As her eyes closed, her bedroom dissolved into a rolling beach by the sea. Her chestnut hair cascaded down past her shoulders and her summer dress billowed out around her. It all amazed her as she looked around. She was in the place she had always wanted to be.

"Aida!"

Aida turned at the sound of the voice and found herself staring at a seaside cottage, and the man standing on the porch. Who was this man? He was

British, whoever he was. She heard it in his voice. She was about to ask what was burning in her mind, when she realized she knew who he was.

"Billy," she whispered. She began to walk towards him, her skirt rubbing against her legs as it waved gently in the ocean breeze. She could hardly believe what was happening. This was a dream come true.

“This is unbelievable,” she said, when she reached him.

“You better believe it. This is about at real as it gets,” he said. “We’ve missed you here in the last few months.”

“We?”

“You don’t remember Jade, and Seamus, and Wesley, and…”

“Kira, and Gillian, and Gordon? Of course I do,” Aida said. “How could I forget them? Will I be seeing them?”

“Only Jade, Seamus, and Gillian. Kira and Gordon are in Aberdeen on business and Wesley is in the States,” Billy explained. “We should go in. Everyone wants to see you. It’s been a long time since you’ve come to us.”

Hugs were exchanged before Aida even walked in the door. Some of this was coming back to her, but there was much that she didn’t remember, even after seeing it all again.

They took their seats in the living room with the cathedral ceiling.

“Where have you been?” Jade asked.

“I don’t know. Can someone please explain to me what is happening here?”

“You mean – you don’t remember?” Seamus asked.

“Very little,” Aida admitted. “I remember Billy, the house, the ocean, and the beach…but other than that – nothing.”

“Then it would be our pleasure to show you what you’ve missed,” Jade said. They surrounded Aida and drew her back onto the beach. There were the stables behind the house, which amazed Aida. “I ride horses?”

“Oh, yes,” Gillian said. “You’ll remember Ray of Light when you see her.”

And she did. It was almost like a curtain had been drawn from a window and a room was flooded with sunlight. It was almost as if she had never left. Her other life was a distant memory. She remembered not only Ray of Light, but everything else as well. As the days went by, more memories would surface. She even remembered Wesley, Gordon and Kira, even though she hadn’t seen them since the last time she’d been here.

Each morning, Aida and Billy would take the horses out and ride them right in the surf. Aida was regaining her skills as a rider and got so that she could urge Ray of Light into a trot and gradually into a run. She loved to feel the wind rush through her hair and Billy loved to watch her. She was free. It was why she was here.

Aida gradually lost the strange feelings she’d had when she first arrived. Her life began to regain a sense of normalcy. She had always felt that she could never achieve a state of perfection, but life with Jade, Seamus, Gillian, and Billy changed all that. Her life was perfect now. She would never change a thing.

It was early one morning when Aida had some strange thoughts that jolted her awake. She was sleeping on the living room floor with the others and a chill crept down her back. She had the same feelings she’d had when she first got here, and those feelings brought forth one thought: This isn’t real. She rose from the floor and left the house. Standing out, looking toward the ocean, she hadn’t realized that Billy and Jade had followed her out, with Seamus and Gillian joining them soon after. “This isn’t real,” she told them. “I’m not really here.”

“Of course you’re here,” Jade said. “Where else would you be?”

“Dreaming this…at home,” Aida said, “wherever that is.”

“Crazy girl,” Seamus said. “This is home.”

“For you,” Aida said. “This is home for you. Not for me.” She walked away and turned back. “I’m going back. I have another life somewhere… and I may come back here someday, but I don’t know when or how. So I guess this is good-bye.”

“Where will you go? How will you get there?” Gillian asked.

“I don’t know.”

Billy rushed toward her and grasped both of her hands in his. “Don’t leave,” he said.

“I have to…Billy, I’ll be back,” Aida said. “But until then…”

“This is not good-bye,” he insisted. “I’ll be seeing you.”

“Good-bye, Billy,” Aida said. “For now.” She let his hands go, and the beach vanished, taking him and the others with it.

***

“She’s waking up.”

“It’s about time.”

Aida’s eyes opened, bringing Carrie and Elisabeth into focus.

“Welcome back…for the third time,” Elisabeth said.

“I don’t understand,” Aida whispered. “It seems like last night, when we’d gone to the movies, and…”

“Aida, it’s been three days!”

“What happened?”

“You went to bed three nights ago and are just now waking up,” Carrie said. “We can’t explain it. All we can say is that this is the third time that’s happened.

“Did anything happen while you were asleep? Did you have any dreams that you can remember?”

Aida shook her head. She remembered nothing

***

Billy stood watching the horizon, as the sun began to rise.

“You OK?” Seamus asked.

“Yeah…”

“She’ll be back. You know she will. This isn’t the first time,” Jade said.

“She’s right,” Gillian said. “Come on, guys. I’m hungry.”

“Yes, let’s get some breakfast,” Seamus said. Together, they turned and went up the beach and into the house. Billy watched the horizon for a few seconds more. “You’ll be back, Aida. I know you will.” He smiled and followed the others in for breakfast.