...Keiko." His voice trailed off as the gate closed behind him.
Keiko? That must be my name.
I winced in pain. My senses were overwhelmed by a sharp throbbing in my head. I massaged the sides of my head, trying to calm the unbearable ache. I slowly stood, my legs lifting me off a soft bed of flowers.
Each step felt arduous as I stumbled forward. The petals beneath my feet soft and cushioning my unsteady stride. The aroma of spring filled my nose as I struggled to try and remember who that man was, but it slipped through the grasp of my mind like water through fingers.
"Keiko..." I repeated unsurely.
Not a terrible name.
I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the dizziness to subside. I slowly reopened them, absorbing my environment: serene countryside, rolling hills, vibrant greenery.
I inhaled sharply, quelling the storm of questions in my head. There was a lightly trodden path winding through the hills into the distance. I hoped it would lead to answers or at least to clarity.
As I walked, the pain lessened, Hours elapsed, or maybe just minutes- quite hard to tell. Time had no meaning with no reference. Eventually, I came cross a small village dotting several hills. Village... that means people? Yes. People.
I could see them, moving from place to place their faces reflecting normalcy that I lacked.
"Pardon me..." I said, weak and uncertain.
The woman I was speaking with ignored me and carried on her way. I approached a man with wrinkled skin and no hair sitting outside of a hut, cleaning fish.
"Excuse me, can you help me?" I pleaded.
"Sure, miss. What do you need me for?" He hoarsely said, setting his knife and meat down.
"I... I don't know who I am." Stammering, I explained.
"I'm afraid I cannot help with such curse." Then, he tightened his lips and drug out a loud hum while he thought.
"We've an apprentice healer... pretty nice for someone like him. He should still be in the village for a day or two. Jiayi! Come." He turned and shouted inside his hut.
A small girl appeared in the doorway, "Yes, Zǔfù?"
"Take this one to the healing boy. Hurry on, I need you to help with dinner!"
"Yes, Zǔfù." She bowed and grabbed my hand, leading me away.
"I'm Jiayi! What's your name?" she asked brightly.
"I... Keiko, I believe."
"You don't know your name? But you're grown!"
"I am?"
"Yes silly. You have to be a lot more than me!"
I nodded my head along while she spoke. Two children almost ran into us as they chased each other out of a hut. I almost lost my balance trying to avoid them, but the girl guiding my caught my hand, replanting my foot onto the ground.
"Why do you look weird? Like that boy."
"I—I do?"
"Whelp! That's where he is. I need to hurry back!"
Before I knew it, the young girl had vanished. With no other choice, I stepped towards the hut.
"Hello? Is there a healer here?"
A young man poked his head around the back of the hut. He was taller than me and covered in dirt. He wiped his hand across his trousers. He tripped over a hoe but caught himself before he fell. He laid the hoe back resting against the side of his hut and turned to face me.
"Hiroshi, and you?" he asked with a kind smile.
"Keiko."
"What seems to be the issue, Keiko?"
"I," I paused, almost embarrassed to tell this man the truth, "cannot remember anything about myself."
"Let's see what we can do. Please, come in."
Hiroshi led me inside the hut, which was small but neatly organized. A strange curved stick laid beside his bed. Herbs hung drying from the ceiling, and the air was filled with their earthy scent. He gestured for me to sit at a small table while he moved to a corner where a kettle sat over a small stove.
"Let me make you some tea," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. "It will help soothe and relaxation."
"I am so sorry for the trouble."
"No trouble at all. Here, have this." he said, handing me a steaming cup.
I took a sip, the warmth spreading through me and helping with my tension. The tea had a delicate flavor and it helped almost immediately.
"This is very kind."
"It's nothing, really." Hiroshi replied, sitting down across from me. "I wouldn't be an honorable healer if I did not help those who sought me out."
"Can you tell me anything about yourself? Anything at all that you remember?"
I frowned, trying to pull fragments of memories from the fog in my mind. "I... I remember my name is Keiko," I began hesitantly. "And... there was a man. He called me Keiko before he disappeared through a gate. But I don't remember who he is or why he was there."
Hiroshi nodded, listening intently. "A man at a gate, you say? Do you remember what he looked like, or anything specific about the place where you were before you ended up here?"
I shook my head, frustration bubbling up. "No, I can't remember anything else. Just my name and that man. Everything else is a blur. My head hurts when I try to think too hard about it."
Hiroshi leaned back, sipping his tea thoughtfully. "Memory loss can be caused by many things—trauma, stress, or even certain techniques. The fact that you remember your name and the man at the gate suggests that whatever happened to cause your amnesia transpired just before he left you."
I looked down at my tea, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. "Do you think my memories will come back?"
"It's possible," Hiroshi said gently. "The mind is a wonderful thing. Don't loose hope."
I nodded, feeling grateful and a bit more settled. "I appreciate it, truly."
Hiroshi stood and began to tidy up.
"In the meantime, I was leaving this place tomorrow. Herbs do not cultivate themselves, you know?"
He realized what he said a second too late.
"I am sorry," he said with a deep bow.
"I will leave today, instead. Feel free to make this hut your new home. Freshly tilled dirt if you want to be a farmer."