It was a peaceful spring morning. The sky was clear, the birds chirped harmoniously, and a gentle breeze blew tranquilly through the air.
The breeze wafted through the trees, caressing a backyard garden and flowed through the open window of a young girl who laid in a deep slumber.
As the refreshing touch of spring kissed her face through the breeze, the girl leisurely woke up. Yet, as she did so, something was different.
- “What is this..?”
she muttered to herself. Her eyes were shrouded in bandages. Head to toe, arm to leg, neck to shoulder, all covered in the same bandages. The only parts of the young girl’s body that weren’t wrapped were her hands and parts of her face. She was baffled.
- “How did I get here..? What happened..?”
The girl asked in desperation, unable to comprehend the situation before her. She embraced herself and tried to piece together the puzzle of how she got into this position, but was met with a splitting headache.
- “Ugh..”
The girl grasped her head with both of her hands, trying to limit the intense pain that rushed onto her. Just as the pain began to fade, unbeknownst to her, a man had entered the room.
- “I’m glad to see you’re finally awake, Haniel”
Said the man, wearing a medical apron. The girl faced the voice anxiously, still unable to see.
- “You don’t look good at all, did something happen?”
He said with a hint of concern in his voice. The young girl faced the man.
- “Who is Haniel?”
The man took a step back, shocked at the response he had gotten. He squinted his eyes and scratched his chin, pondering something in his mind.
- “Memory loss..?”
He whispered to himself. While he speculated on the subject, there was clear uncertainty in his voice. He refaced the young girl, who continued to stare into space in her confusion.
- “Allow me to introduce myself in that case, I’m your personal doctor. You can call me Israfel”
- “Your name is Haniel. Just a few weeks ago, you were admitted to the hospital after an accident. Do you remember?”
Said the man. The young girl shivered. Bandages, memory loss, an accident? It was overwhelming. She couldn’t process what Israfel had told her, and he stared at her with a silent glare, allowing her to process the situation.
- “I’m sorry, I-... I don’t remember..”
Said Haniel dejectedly. Israfel smiled at the young girl, patting her on the head to comfort her. He pulled up a chair and took a seat in front of her, positioning his voice at a more direct length for the sightless Haniel.
- “Don’t worry, I’m here to help with your recovery. We’ll do everything we can, so you can trust that you’re in good hands.”
While it didn’t solve the predicament Haniel had found herself in, Israfel’s words surely gave light in what was the unknown, and it calmed the young girl down.
With the warm words said, the doctor began a routine check-up on the girl. Most of the checks were both physical and neurological, assessing her motor and sensory skills.
- “Physically, you’re recovering at an astonishing rate”
- “Typically, it would take three months to see results like yours, but in your case it’s only been three weeks.”
Pausing between his words, the doctor scratched his chin.
- “However, the brain scan didn’t reveal anything negative. We’ll continue tests and monitor your progress regarding your memory, but I’m confident that sooner or later we’ll be able to bring you good news.”
The doctor smiled, speaking to Haniel in a reassuring manner.
- “How does that sound?” asked the doctor.
Haniel nodded in agreement without much hesitation. Her options were limited given both her position and her condition, so she wasn’t seeking to disobey Israfel.
- “Your condition doesn’t prevent you from going on walks, but I’m sure as you noticed, you are blind. We can’t leave you alone, at least not for now”
The doctor stopped himself before continuing, noticing Haniel’s curiosity.
- “My blindness.. Is it permanent?”
Said the girl with a hint of concern in her voice. Israfel’s expression grew stern. He knew he needed to pick his words carefully in this situation, and took a short breath.
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- “Unfortunately, we’re stilling analyzing that. Both the optic nerve and retina are intact, but for reasons we don’t quite understand, your eyes have lost their vision”
- “In other words, we don’t know.”
Haniel continued gazing into the void of Israfel’s voice, lowering her head and stared into her lap sorrowfully. As a doctor, those conversations are never pleasant, Israfel knew that well. He consoled the young girl with more positive words.
- “I know this doesn’t sound good, but I promise, we’ll do everything we can do to find an answer.”
Said the doctor before patting the young girl on the head once more. He walked towards the door, opening it and called for someone waiting.
- “There’s someone I want you to meet.”
Israfel said to the curious Haniel. As he said those words, a young nurse entered the room.
- “Hi there, my name is Anael. I’ll be watching over you today”
Said the nurse warmly. Israfel tapped her should and silently whispered a few words.
- “If anything happens, find me in the emergency room, alright?”
Whispered Israfel. Anael nodded, prompting Israfel to leave the room and Haniel alone with the nurse.
Anael walked towards Haniel, showing a sincere smile.
- “From what I’ve heard, you’re able to walk on your own, but would you like if I took you in a wheelchair? It is the first time after all”
- “There’s also a walker if you prefer going on your own two feet”
The comfort of the wheelchair was tempting, but Haniel wanted to stretch her legs. After spending so much time asleep, her body was stiff.
- “If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to walk,”
Having said that, the nurse efficiently handled the necessary preparations, and thus began their journey through the hospital.
Haniel’s delicate condition promoted Anael to maintain a close proximity, but at the same time hoped to keep a balance between support and autonomy. She walked slowly, allowing the girl to remember the layout of the building. Everything had gone seamlessly to that point, now reaching the first floor of the building.
- “Don’t worry if you can’t remember the route the first time around”
- “I’ll be here to accompany you as many times as you need.”
The nurse’s smile was genuine, and even though Haniel couldn’t see it for herself, she felt comfort in her words.
- “Oh, on your right is the cafeteria. We’ll come back here later for your lunch”
To this point, Haniel had been fed exclusively through an IV. She felt weak and was barely able to stand up on her own, so Anael’s words brought relief to the aching girl. At first glance, the cafeteria was cheerful and vibrant, but as soon as the pair passed through the doors, something strange happened.
- “Huh..?”
Said Haniel, in a state of shock. She came to a sudden stop, turning her gaze across the cafeteria. Her sense of smell had heightened since the accident, and now, all she could smell was death. Blood and the nauseating odor of rotting flesh. Haniel couldn’t contain her disgust, gagging and shivering as if the space before her was the product of some sick satanic room of horror.
- “Is something wrong?”
Whispered Anael, noticing her patient in clear distress. Just like that, the scent vanished. Like it was all the product of Haniel’s imagination.
- “No.. No, nothing’s wrong. I thought I heard something coming from the cafeteria but I guess.. it was nothing..”
Said the confused Haniel.
- “I see.. But if you’re feeling something don’t hesitate to tell me”
Said Anael with clear concern in her voice. Even so, she continued the tour, sneaking glances at Haniel throughout.
Minutes passed and that strange odor never reared its head around. Was it simply a product of her imagination, Haniel thought. Having been asleep for so long it would make sense for that to have been the case. Before she could be aware of that, the sensation returned as they passed the game room.
- “Ah..!”
Haniel stopped in her tracks, feeling the disgusting aroma of death overwhelm her body, this time worse than the last. The young girl could feel herself getting dizzier and dizzier, suddenly coughing uncontrollably.
- “Haniel..?!”
Worried Anael, rushing to her side. Haniel looked as if she was on the verge of vomiting. Anael acted quickly, looking for bottled water but there was none. It was clear to Anael that she had intense nausea and to counter this, she took the young girl outside, sitting her on a bench to get some fresh air.
- “Wait right here, I’ll get you some fresh water”
Said the nurse before swiftly running back into the hospital, leaving her patient at her lonesome. Haniel took a deep breath, gradually recollecting herself. The fresh air from the courtyard cleared her senses, and the smell of death was quickly replaced by a natural flower garden.
There was a hint of amber in that smell, so there might be a forest not too far away thought the girl. It was easy to lose track of time in a peaceful environment like this. The sound of footsteps suddenly appeared, getting louder and louder until it was right on her doorstep.
- “Sorry for the delay. Here, I got you some water. Drink up”
Said now exhausted Anael, holding onto her knees. Haniel grabbed the bottle, thanking her nurse before taking a sip. Anael continued to inspect Haniel and it looked as if all had returned to normal. After an incident like that however, it would be critical to not let your guard down so easily, thought Anael. After all, it had only been a matter of minutes since Haniel awoke from her coma.
- “Sorry Haniel, Could you excuse me for a moment?”
- “I’ll have to inform Doctor Israfel about this, it won’t be long”
Haniel tilted her head with a look of visible confusion. It didn’t seem necessary at this stage, given that she felt stable, but if it was coming from a professional, how could she refuse. Haniel faced Anael and nodded, prompting Anael to take off and leave her patient at her lonesome once more. Alone again, Haniel relaxed and let out a soft sigh.
Eventually, a sour feeling entered her mind. It’d been a few minutes since Anael had left, but yet there was still no sign of her return. Minutes came and went one by another, and Haniel grew anxious.
She stood up and paced back and forth. She stopped and gazed at the hospital. She couldn’t go back alone, certainly with her eyesight, so her options were limited.
Anael hadn’t returned and it began to feel like hours. Having no other option, Haniel sulked on the bench. She began to doze off, but what she hadn’t realized was someone had taken a seat next to her.
- “Good day miss, apologies for the intrusion”
Said the person. It was male voice, but it was gentle and warm.
- “You look down, is everything alright?”
He continued. It was an adult man, around the same age as Israfel, or maybe older. It was all tough to tell for the girl so suddenly.
His aura was as pure as spring water, or at least, that’s what she had thought…