23.

Curtains are open and the sunlight shines through. He opens his eyes, and his first thought is as to where it is he is and as to how it is he got there for he almost immediately does not recognize what he sees, then the pain hits. He clenches his eyes shut and brings his right hand to his forehead. The pain is horrible and intense; the light shining into the room certainly is not helping.

If anything, the light shining in to the room is aiding and abetting the pain so in an effort to avoid the light he rolls away from it and rolls so far that he falls out of the bed. He sits up on the floor and it is in this moment the realization properly kicks in. Where is he? What is going on? Why can't he remember? That plop onto the floor, it did create a thud and it becomes clear that he is not alone in this place, wherever it is he is.

'Will, is that you? Are you up?'

The voice, it belongs to a female. She sounds pleasant, nice, possibly even attractive too as far as a voice can sound though he does not recognize it, he does not know who it belongs to, and it sounds both distant and close both at once. His immediate instinct is to get up and get out no matter if it does look like he is not in danger, no matter how well the immediate surroundings look and no matter how friendly that voice sounds.

'William, you didn't hurt yourself, did you?' inquires that voice.

The voice is not quite a shout, but it does speak loudly and is traveling upwards so he is possibly upstairs in someone's home? This would be logical since he is in a bedroom and the owner of the voice, as well as possibly the home, is most likely downstairs. Should he answer? Say something, anything? No, he needs to leave, go somewhere, get away from here, until he can at least get his bearings. Who is William? Is this his name or does it belong to someone else? Why doesn't he know his own name?

Is he an intruder, someone being mistaken for someone else? He has no idea for he has no answers. He mustn't have been since he is next to naked and had been sleeping. There is clothing to put on, not much of a choice though this is not one of the more pressing worries. He throws on what he can including footwear all of which so happen to fit so perhaps this clothing is his. Does he belong here? He does not want to hang around to be persuaded one way or the other, not until he can know what the hell is going on. Something must come to him ... soon.

There is a mirror within the room, and he catches a glimpse of himself. What is he, in his teens? Surely, he is older than the reflection suggests, but perhaps not. He feels older. What is this? Why can't he remember? Surely, he must know what he looks like? This is crazy.

He begins to make a move towards the top of the stairs and then takes a few steps down. From where he is he can see the front door. The end of the stairs brings him only feet away from that door. The lower he gets the better a view he can have of the kitchen. There is a woman in there, older than what is, by more than a little margin. She is young too, mid-thirties perhaps and indeed attractive. If she so happens to be his mother, then he cannot be thinking of her in such a manner.

'William, what's wrong with you? You're a bit on the quiet side today. What did they do to you in that place?'

She hasn't caught full sight of him yet and this frightens him. What if he isn't this William fellow? If he is caught off guard and somehow apprehended, then he has nothing he can tell authorities, if such a thing were to come. If he is an intruder then he has no explanation, he has nothing at all to offer so instead of waiting to find out if he is in fact this William fellow, he makes a bolt for it.

The thing is, once a bolt for it has been made, now what? Where can he go? What can he do? There is no money, no nothing. He doesn't know who he is, where he is, he recognizes nothing, what he does know is as good as nothing. For right now he can always hope what he has lost will come back to him, action-wise there is nothing else but for him to go wandering and see what comes while taking in his surroundings in order to remember a way back to where it is he is about to leave. If he must he can always come back and face the music here and deal with what hits him.

Walking aimlessly, he eventually comes to the center of town, what town this is ... he has as much an idea about as he does about anything else; there is nothing, no recognition. It is as if he has stepped right into a bad dream and has zero chance of waking up, for he has woken into this dream, a nightmare perhaps, and he just has to see things out.

Indeed, while out wandering aimlessly with nothing sticking out, nothing appearing familiar in any way, William, if this is who he is, comes close to a bakery and the smell emanating from the shop and wafting through the town is incredible to the point it is making his tummy rumble. Crap, no money and hunger pangs are hitting already. He enters and has himself a bit of a look around, he doesn't want to steal but what choice has he got? Go back to where he woke and take his chances? Not yet, if things get that bad then maybe he will go back ... eventually.

A bell over the door rings as he enters and instead of heading near any kind of counter he turns quickly to his right and has a look at what is on display in this corner of the shop. If the smell was incredible outside, then in here .... it has most definitely intensified. How easy could it be to pick up two or three items and make a run for it?

He has already made one run for it already so why not try it again? Whatever he can or cannot remember, he would imagine that stealing is not his thing. There is a sense of integrity, whether or not such a thing is coming from something prior to memory loss is as unknown as anything else. There are a few reflective surfaces in here and within one he takes notice of his own long hair. It is a little out of place but tied back, for right now it will do as is.

Someone else come through the shop door, a man perhaps in his mid-thirties, a man wearing a gray suit and looking a bit rough and for some reason William feels something click when he sees this man. The bell over the door rings once again with the entrance of this man.

'Hello there' speaks an older lady from behind a counter having arrived out from a back area and addressing this newest arrival into the store. 'What can I get you?'

'Everything looks so good' says this new store entrant who seems not to be able to stop himself from smiling.

'All freshly baked today' she says, definitely appearing to be good natured and also has an air about her which suggests that this bakery, or the likes of it something she has been involved with all her life.

William watches this while trying to be inconspicuous.

'Not too early in the day for an éclair, is it?' says the man in the grey suit continuing his conversation with the lady behind the counter.

'Never too early for an éclair ... sure we are closing in on one o'clock as it is.'

'Is it that late? Didn't notice the time.'

'In a hurry to get somewhere you be?' she asks noticing the fancy gold watch on his right wrist.

'Oh no, no hurry ... at least none that I am aware of.'

She looks confused for a second as she gets him his éclair. 'Oh ...'

'Could I trouble you for a coffee too?'

'You sure can, how do you like your coffee?'

'Good question, plenty of milk and two sugars please' lady behind the counter once again looks a little confused, 'and I'll get them to go too.'

The man soon collects his items, pays for them with a smile as he is wished a good day. As this man turns to possibly make an exit from the store, he sees William and looks as if something has clicked with him then does something William does not expect.

'Oh ... and take for an éclair and a hot drink for my friend over here' this suited man says turning back to the counter and handing over enough to cover another éclair and hot drink.

'Thank you so much sir, it is very good of you.'

Whatever prompted this, William is not going to complain. He soon collects what has been paid for him, offers up his own thanks and moves on quickly in an effort to hopefully catch up with that grey suit wearing fellow. For now, and for as long as he can William will do no more than observe what it is he may see regarding this new semi-acquaintance. His observations bring him to a particular location.

A couple of hours pass before he decides to approach a young lady who sits on a seat within the lobby of one heck of an impressive hotel. This hotel is not overly posh or anything of the sort, but it is impressive all the same, and this lady has been right where she is for some time, as he has now too, for some time, maybe an inquiry of sorts can begin here. Exactly how, he is not sure, but there is just a little something about here.

'Hi ... do you mind if I join you?'

She doesn't immediately answer, this lady. It is quite possible that William has piqued an interest or something of the likes in someone else, despite such she does not respond completely positively.

'I'd rather you didn't' she says.

'Well if that is an invitation, then I will take it', he sits in the chair next to her which is six or seven feet away, so he is not overly close. 'I'm William by the way.'

'Maggie ...' she says without giving it much thought. It came so naturally that this might actually be her name though probably not.

Whether she realizes or not and at that whether he realizes or not either, there is a certain topic to be discussed here by these two individuals and between them they must discuss as to what they do next.