The Glowing Door

Ugh. What is that noise? The constant, annoying noise woke my mind without a warning. My hand wandered around trying to reach whatever it is. Strange. Usually, my phone is around. With a little extra effort, my eyes opened.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It was dark. Too dark. As if all light was sucked out of the room. I'm not even sure if it's a room. I got up and was just about to find something, anything and that's when I felt it.

A cold sensation right under my foot. Fear made me want to run away from it but curiosity made me reach down for it. A sigh left my lips when my hand identified it as a card. I picked it up wondering how am I supposed to read it in this darkness.

Just as I finished that thought, two glowing rectangles appeared in front of me. One is a fiery red and the other is striking yellow. The rectangles provided enough light for me to read the card.

Choose a door. Your choice will determine your journey.

RED DOOR - this path will bring you to the beginning

YELLOW DOOR - this path will bring you forward

Confused. That was my first reaction. I also realized that the constant noise also disappeared. Reading this made me realize that I don't remember anything about myself. My past. Myself. Nothing. Not even my name. What the hell is my name?

My breath hitched. I don't even know who I am. What am I? Where am I? What is all of this? What happened to me? Am I dead?

My thoughts became overwhelming. The card slipped from my hand. My chest felt tightened and crowded. I stumbled onto the floor. Grasping at anything. Trying to at least. Tears filled my eyes and slowly streamed down my cheeks.

Then I felt something. A metal band around my finger. A ring. I focused on the ring and tried to control my breathing. Moments passed and finally I calmed down enough to glance at the ring. It was a plain gold ring.

I don't know what the ring meant but it helped me. My sweating body stayed still on the floor for a couple minutes. I think it was minutes. I'm not sure how time works here. My hand that was rested on my stomach fell to my side and touched the card.

I took it and read it again. There is too many question. Where is the beginning? Will I reach this point and forget everything again? Have I been here before? What does it mean forward? I can't even be stable enough for this choice. How am I supposed to continue with no memory whatsoever?

I groaned in pain. My head is pounding. There are too many questions. Too many variables. A couple more minutes passed and I stood up. I made my decision.

The door in front of me glowed brighter. I wondered if it's because I chose it. I shook my head and cleared my mind. My steps felt heavy and filled with hesitation but I shook it away. With a deep breath, I let the glowing yellow light surround me.

My eyes opened and I gasped. The wires around me made me panic. I tried to move my arm but there's something blocking it. I looked around and I can't escape the weird feeling this place gives.

What happened to me? Where am I? Who am I? The same questions filled my brain and I can feel my breath quickening. My fist clenched around the bedsheet.

"Oh my god! You're awake!" A woman's voice grounded me from having another panic attack. Turns out it was her head that was blocking my arm. We both stared at each other. Me with cautious and her with happiness.

She engulfed me in a warm, loving and.....familiar hug. I buried my face in her neck, breathing in a surprisingly calming scent. We pulled away and she pulled me in for a deep kiss leaving me longing and a little confused.

Who is she? Is she my girlfriend? Wife? What happened to me?

"I missed you so much. I never thought that you would wake up." The smile on her face made my heart flutter. Yet, I still couldn't figure out who she is.

"U-um. Who are you? And who am I?" My voice sounded dry. I don't remember how my voice sounded like but it's not this. I don't think my voice is this hoarse.

Her happy face quickly changed. There was sadness, fear and confusion in her eyes. It made me want to remember. Made me try to remember but nothing came.

"What do you mean? It's me. I'm Katherine. Your wife. And you're Layla. Do you not remember?" My brows furrowed in confusion. I focused all my energy on trying to remember. The names sounded familiar but it feels like it's located on the deeper side of my brain.

She shook her head. Tears started spilling and I wanted to calm her down so badly. But how could I do that if I don't remember who she is? My hand reached out for hers and I tried to hold it. Surprisingly, she took it back and ran outside.

There was nothing I could do so I just let her leave. My eyes darted around the room. When I couldn't find anything interesting to think about, I started inspecting myself. My body looked average. There was a bandage wrapped around my right arm and it's still a little tender. My hand wandered to my face. There was a bandage on my head too. Other than that, I don't have any other injuries. Judging from the gown I'm wearing and wires around me, I figured out that I'm in a hospital.

The door opened and I cheered up when it was her. Except there's a man too. A doctor. Dr. Wilson.

"Hey, Layla. Can you follow my finger please?" He inspected me and shined a flashlight in front of my eyes.

"Why can't I remember anything?" My voice has become softer. He looked at Katherine and back at me.

"What was the last thing you remember?" I tried to remember but there was nothing. The only thing is.....no, I can't tell that to them.

"Nothing." The doctor nodded and started telling me that I was in a car crash and the reason I have difficulty remembering is because I might have a mild concussion during the accident. He also told me that I was in a coma for three days.

After telling me that I am getting better and can be discharged in a few days, he left. Leaving me with Katherine. An awkward silence surrounded us. I mustered up all my courage and looked at her.

"I want to remember you. I want to know you and I want to know me." She looked at me and I had to gather my words all over again. "Can you tell me about us? About you?"

She smiled and started telling stories of my life, where I went to school, how we met each other and our wedding. Her eyes sparkled the whole time and I think I fell in love with her. Not long after that, she informed that she would have to go home because visiting hour is over and she had to feed our cat. Yeah, we have a cat apparently.

My eyes followed her until she was out of sight. All of her stories felt familiar but I just couldn't remember it. Night came by and a thought occurred to me. The only thing I could remember was having to choose. I chose to go forward. My mind couldn't stop wondering if I had chosen to go to the beginning, where would that bring me? Before the crash? Before my relationship? Or before I was born? The thought accompanied my mind while I spin the ring on my finger.