Veil of Shadows: Unveiling Forgotten Memories

Adrian came back to his senses. He felt lost and confused. It took some time for his vision to adjust to the dimly lit room. He was sitting in a dark red chair, and on the ceiling there was a single light bulb hanging, giving a faint glow to the room. He couldn't remember anything. The room was filled with shadows, and everything around him was unsettling. He turned around very slowly, like he was being watched, and saw another source of light: a small window in the corner of the room covered with a big velvet curtain, which helped to block most of the light trying to get into the room. The walls were filled with many weird and unsettling paintings that were very dark and abstract. On paintings, Adrian could see twisted figures staring back at him with hollow eyes. It sent a shiver down his spine. He was anxious because he felt like he was being constantly watched by some dark, unseen forces. The air was filled with many different scents, the strongest one being the scent of something metallic, like iron or aged wood. There was also his favorite smell, the smell of old books. The room seemed to have a life of its own; under his feet, the floorboard sounded alive as if it were telling him something with each creak. He felt uneasy with each rustle of the big curtain behind him. The loudest thing in the room was his heart, which pounded loudly in his chest. He struggled to keep his breathing quiet and steady. The room felt like a labyrinth of secrets, like it was hiding something sinister in its dark corners, hidden passages leading to unknown horrors. Every dark corner seemed to hold a horrific secret, threatening to reveal that secret at any moment as time went on.

Slowly, his eyes got adjusted to the darkness; he could see a little bit better, but that did not help him much as he sat in that dark red chair, feeling like a mere pawn in some big game, a pawn that was slowly losing grip on reality. His eyes kept going over the bookshelves that stood on the wall in front of him. Next to the bookshelves were many papers framed and put on the walls; they looked like diplomas, but from where he was sitting, he could not be 100% sure if that was true. In the corner of the room, close to the small window, stood a big, untidy wooden table. So many documents and papers covered it that you could barely see the top of the table.

A woman entered the room, her presence both captivating and unsettling. She moved slowly and elegantly, her steps barely making a sound on the creaky floorboards. Her tall, slender frame was covered in an elegant black gown that seemed to blend seamlessly with the shadows around her; she looked as if she were dancing in limbo with them.

Adrian couldn’t see her face as she slowly approached him; it looked as if the shadows wanted to keep her beauty for themselves. Her black hair reached almost to her waist; he never saw that shade of black, which only added to her mysterious behavior. A silver necklace hung from her neck, shining in the dim light with a weird symbol that Adrian could not quite recognize.

She moved with confidence and authority; her every move and gesture were precise. She had an aura of power surrounding her, as though she carried some ancient knowledge and wisdom that transcended time. Her presence filled the room, making it feel smaller and larger at the same time. It seemed like the boundaries of reality were shifting in her presence. Adrian couldn’t help but feel drawn to her, yet an instinctive fear kept him rooted to the dark red chair. As she moved, Adrian felt like the creaky floorboards talked to him, telling him to run away, but he couldn’t.

Then she stopped in front of Adrian and slowly sat down in the black chair in front of him. The small glass table holding a vase of bloody red roses took her notebook that she carried and embraced it. As they sat in silence for a moment and exchanged looks, Adrian saw her blue eyes. "They are just like mine," he thought. Like she could read his mind, the moment he thought of that, she gave him a weak, warm smile.

"So how have you been since the last time we talked?" She broke the silence.

As she spoke, her voice was soft yet commanding, sending shivers down Adrian’s spine.

Again, they sat in silence. Adrian was left confused because this was his first time seeing this woman, so how had they met before?

"You don’t remember again, don’t you?"

He blushed. That was a sign for her to continue.

"You can call me Dr. Nina; I am a psychotherapist. You are here, Adrian, because of your memory loss."

Her behavior now shifts to a more professional and polished style. Her eyes, though still intense, softened with empathy as she observed Adrian, trying to decipher the depths of his mind.

"I am sorry, but what do you mean by that?"

"You have what is called Dissociative amnesia. Because of trauma, you are suffering from memory loss. In the past few meetings with me, we worked really hard, and I understood that everything started happening soon after you finished your 7th grade. I know this might be too much to take in just now, but I promise that when we start, everything is going to make sense. I just need you to trust me. Adrian, can you do that?"

Adrian’s emotions were a tempest within him—conflict, fear, and the darkness that was lingering deep down inside of him. He couldn’t remember, but he thought that he never opened up to anyone about the things that tormented him, but did something worse happen during the summer break? His memories were blurry as he tried to remember what could’ve happened that made him forget.

She noticed him struggling: "Don’t force yourself; we need to go slowly through the events that unfolded; only that way will you be able to see the full picture, Adrian. When we start, don’t hold back; you are the only one that can help yourself; you already told me everything I know about what happened."

"Wouldn’t it be easier if you just told me then?"

No, Adrian, it wouldn’t; your memories would swallow you whole; it would destroy you. You need to get them back yourself, and I know that you are capable of doing that." She smiled again. "You may begin when you feel ready to."

Did he really tell her everything? Deep down inside, he knew that she was telling the truth. Is this scary place of shadows going to become his sanctuary for healing? Adrian felt weird because, in her presence, he no longer felt the need to guard himself or suppress his feelings. He felt like he could tell her everything, and at the end, everything was going to be alright.

His hands trembled slightly as he clasped them together in his lap. It had been a long time since he had opened up to anyone, and the idea of sharing his innermost thoughts and feelings made him feel vulnerable. Still, he decided to speak, his voice hesitant, testing the waters and unsure of how much to reveal: "The day I remember the most, it was the last day of school...