BELLA'S ECLIPSE

I opened my eyes to a world I don't remember. A blanket of emptiness surrounds me. Who am I? I keep asking myself that question every day for the last four weeks.

Today is a brad new day and yet I still don't remember me or my life. Mercy General, a hospital I am currently at is in a frenzy. Something amazing is happening today.

Nurse Allison, the nurse who is taking care of me tells me a total solar eclipse is happening today at noon. Nurse Allison gives me special glasses so my eyes won't hurt when I see the eclipse.

It's almost noon. Nurse Allison comes to get me. I get in the wheel chair. Nurse Allison is taking me to the court yard. I'm excited to see the solar eclipse.

Many other patients, doctors and nurses are already here. Nurse Allison tells me to put the glasses on. I do. I look up at the sky.

Here it comes. Wow it is so beautiful. Nurse Allison tells me the moon passes over the sun to create the eclipse.

I look at this beautiful phenomenon and all my worries go away. I smile for the first time in a long time. I'm not worried about my lack of memory.

I see something beautiful and magical. A once in a life time phenomenon. I love it. After a few minutes Nurse Allison taps me on the shoulder. She asks me if I'm ready to go back to my room. I shake my head.

I want to stay out here and watch the solar eclipse. If I go back inside the real world hits me again. My lack of memory will hit me again.

At least for now my worries are not my worries. The darkness around me is not in my head. I look around me and I'm not the only one captivated by the solar eclipse.

Nurse Allison is not watching me. Do I go or do I stay? I want to walk around for a bit. I want to see how the people are watching the eclipse. I'm getting tired of Nurse Allison hovering over me.

Maybe I have another reason to escape. The solar eclipse is giving me a chance to walk through the town without being noticed.

The eclipse is giving me the freedom to move through the town to see if I can remember anything about me and my life.

Going back inside the hospital is not an option. It's not helping me remember. It's only holding me back. It's about time I find the answers I need.

Here I go. I get up from the wheel chair. I look around to see if Nurse Allison is watching me. She is not. No one is watching me. Thank you, solar eclipse. I begin to walk. I carefully leave the hospital grounds.

I make my way to town. It was easy for me to find the town. LakeSide is the name of the town. My mind is coming up blank. I don't remember the town. Everyone is mesmerized by the eclipse. It is something alright.

So back to me and my memory. When I woke-up I was scared. I didn't know where I was. I didn't know what happened to me. I woke-up with strangers around me.

I have no idea what my name is. Nurse Allison calls me Bella. Is Bella my real name? On top of all that two strange people calling themselves my parents come to visit me.

Their names are Sara and Eddie. Are they my real parents? I just don't know. I know nothing because no one will tell me. So, I'm taking things into my own hands.

The solar eclipse had giving me a chance to explore LakeSide but also to explore who I am or at least try to remember some sort of my life.

I put the glasses back on. I look up at the sky. Please help me remember. I take the glasses off and continue to walk.

Looking at the faces of the people is kind a of hard to do. They are all wearing glasses. So, I try to look for any identifying marks or physical feature like hair or tattoos. The way they stand, color of their skin. Any jewelry that might help.

Nothing is hitting the mark. I recognize no one. I continue to walk down the street. I see a family of four watching the eclipse. Two sisters are holding hands.

Sisters, that sounds familiar. Do I have a sister? Something I can't describe is telling me I have a sister. The family looks happy together.

I wish I had a family I can be happy with. I wish I didn't have this empty hole in my head. I'm doing it again. I'm worrying.

I promised myself when I looked up into the sky and saw the eclipse I wouldn't worry about my lack of memory. I am a mystery that needs to be solved.

My memory is a puzzle. Each piece is a memory of my life that I have to put together. The first piece of the puzzle is my name. Since Nurse Allison calls me Bella, then Bella is the first piece of the puzzle. One mystery solved.

I come upon a store. I look at the name. The name of the store is LakeSide Ice Cream Shop. I look intently. Something inside of me is telling me I've been here before.

I close my eyes. In my mind I see two little girls smiling and laughing while enjoying their ice cream. I think one of the little girls is me. Who is the other girl?

I can't place the other girl. Okay so, I've been to the ice cream shop when I was a girl. That's all I remember. Wow, putting names to faces is so hard.

I keep on walking. The solar eclipse is still happening. I glance up from time to time. The people are still watching. LakeSide Park, I walk inside the park.

There are a lot of people at the park watching the eclipse. Some are sitting on the bench. Others are laying down on the grass. There are families and couples here. They are hugging each other and holding hands.

How I wish that was me? I find an empty bench and sit down. There are two things I know or hope I know. My name is Bella and at one time in my life I visited the ice cream shop.

I look at the people mainly the families and there is a pain in my heart. A pain I never felt before. I close my eyes once again. I see two little girls happily playing, giggling at each other.

I see them running into the arms of their parents. I swear one of the little girls is me. The other little girl is a stranger to me. I can't cry right now. There is still so many pieces of my puzzle that is still a mystery to me. I need to solve it.

I put the glasses back on. For the last few minutes of the solar eclipse, I enjoy what I can with the rest of the people. One day hopefully I will get to see another eclipse.

As I stare at the eclipse, I tell myself one day I will remember who I am. I will remember my life prior to me losing my memory. I will remember that little girl that is in my dreams, in my mind and in my heart.

GOODBY ECLIPSE UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN