She awoke to gentle tugging at her hair and flashes of light dancing across her eyes. As she sat up, she felt the familiar give of sand beneath her hands and the smell of salt and seaweed in the air. That was all that seemed familiar. Looking around her, she tried to determine on which continent’s beach she was lying. The sand was white, the texture perfect for forming sand castles or enjoying an early morning walk, and the water looked as blue as sapphires. No palm trees or other vegetation dotted the seaside, no cottages or tourist attractions. Just kilometers and kilometers of sand and water as far as her eyes could see.
It was at that moment that her empty stomach made its discomfort known and she felt pain rip through her shoulder and noticed that her vision was blurry in her left eye. Rinsing her right hand off in the gentle tide then wiping it on her damp pant leg, she put it up to her face and felt her poor battered face. Her left eye was almost swollen shut with the brow above broken open, her lips swollen and cracked, her nose bent and painful to the touch. Then she gingerly poked at her shoulder and was startled when her hand came away covered in blood. She pulled her blouse and tank top away from her body and found a large wound that appeared to go straight through her shoulder. It didn’t look like a gunshot wound, there didn’t appear to be any bullet left behind. No, this looked more like a knife wound. And how had she not noticed the pain when she first sat up? Her arm now felt useless and heavy, like it was on fire while just hanging by her side, causing all thoughts of hunger and thirst to leave her mind.
Her instinct for survival was stronger than her pain. She fought her way through the haze of agony, stood up, looked around and picked a direction to go and started walking. As she began plodding across the sand she began to realize that her face had not felt familiar to her. She wondered if she would even recognize herself in a mirror. It was then that it hit her; not only did she have no idea where she was or what had happened to her; she had no clue who she was.
Check back tomorrow for more of the story!
It was at that moment that her empty stomach made its discomfort known and she felt pain rip through her shoulder and noticed that her vision was blurry in her left eye. Rinsing her right hand off in the gentle tide then wiping it on her damp pant leg, she put it up to her face and felt her poor battered face. Her left eye was almost swollen shut with the brow above broken open, her lips swollen and cracked, her nose bent and painful to the touch. Then she gingerly poked at her shoulder and was startled when her hand came away covered in blood. She pulled her blouse and tank top away from her body and found a large wound that appeared to go straight through her shoulder. It didn’t look like a gunshot wound, there didn’t appear to be any bullet left behind. No, this looked more like a knife wound. And how had she not noticed the pain when she first sat up? Her arm now felt useless and heavy, like it was on fire while just hanging by her side, causing all thoughts of hunger and thirst to leave her mind.
Her instinct for survival was stronger than her pain. She fought her way through the haze of agony, stood up, looked around and picked a direction to go and started walking. As she began plodding across the sand she began to realize that her face had not felt familiar to her. She wondered if she would even recognize herself in a mirror. It was then that it hit her; not only did she have no idea where she was or what had happened to her; she had no clue who she was.
Check back tomorrow for more of the story!
