:: Chapter II - A recorded voice ::

Chapter II
A recorded voice

I’m on my way to the hospital, lying on this white stretcher; but I’m feeling really better now, I can open both of my eyes. After hours of pain and blindness, it’s a really comfortable feeling. There are two paramedics in the ambulance alongside me; they are talking to each other now, in Dutch; maybe about my condition. I don’t remember being asked to give them any ID. I would like to see something else other this white roof. Let’s try to create a dialog.

- Hummm… Hello there (and I coughed).
- So, you are awake, Cinderella; and doesn’t speak Dutch.

And the other guy said:

- It wasn’t Cinderella who went to sleep, I already told you. It was Sleepy Beauty.
- Well, I bet he got the point. Anyway, they were all beautiful princesses with nice clothes and a bunch of guys running after them.
- I’m fine, guys, thanks for asking.
- You should be fine now. We cleaned up the wound on your left eye. Now it’s just a blacked eye. About your head, I hope you don’t mind, but we had to shave it bit to be able to clean it and put some bandages.
- So, it wasn’t that bad at all. A shaved head and a blacked eye, that’s fine for me.
- I didn’t finish yet. You forgot about your leg? Let’s say, you had an affair with one of those carnivorous jellyfish from the Wadden Sea. They use to appear during the low tide. It’s not like a box jellyfish, but it hurts a lot. We cleaned the wound with acetic acid and now it’s fine.

What more could happen to me? It looks like those Bruce Willis’s films: when everything goes wrong and he gets all the wounds he can take; and by the end he saves the world. I guess I’m no supposed to save the world, I didn’t do anything to anyone; at least I’m expecting so.

- Sir, now you are awake, we need some personal details to send to the hospital, if that’s okay with you.
- So, she didn’t mention to you that I have amnesia…?
- She? There was no she. We found you unconscious closer to a phone booth, in the parking spot on the west side of the island. I don’t recall now, but I guess my colleague told me on the phone that you made the call.
- One moment, now it’s getting worse. I had a whole conversation with someone I created myself?
- Sir, I don’t really know. I will ask my colleague to send the recorded call so you can hear that for yourself.
- I would really appreciate that.
- As you pleased, Sir.

It’s a bit insane: “there was no she”. I know I have been through some stress in the last hours, but start creating illusions is far beyond my imagination. But, as the paramedic said, I was stung by this very poisoned jellyfish; perhaps that’s why I saw the angel-like lady. For now I can just wait for him to call his colleague.

I think we are about ten minutes on the way to somewhere. I didn’t have a chance to ask where they are taking me. It’s so obvious: to the Hospital. But, where is the Hospital? It’s just a matter of asking them, they are nice guys. Maybe for now, I can keep checking the interior of this ambulance, looking for some useful information; or at least something that I wouldn’t have to ask for. What I see on my left side is:

1. Defibrillator;
2. High-Flow-CPAP (that one is used for intensive care);
3. Container for syringes and needles;
4. Syringe drivers;
5. Some drugs;
6. Some drawers with bandages, burn kits and masks;
7. Calendar…

At least now I know today’s date: Thursday, 16th July 2009. And I know that because they have one of those plastic pieces to mark the current date on the calendar. It’s a squared red piece of plastic, probably with a magnetic bottom used to hold the paper against the metal of the ambulance.

The paramedic just came to me to say that he got the recorded call. It’s marvellous how the technology can help us nowadays. He showed me just one mobile phone and told that her colleague sent a MP3 file with the call. He asked me:

- Do you really want to hear that? We know you have been through something really bad; you lost you memory; and now we told you have created that lady. First of all, you have to remember that we are trying to help you.

He just turned on the “thing”. First I heard some noise, like the wind waving the trees; then the voice. I was stunned! I was hearing what seemed to be my own voice. The recording said:

- Do you speak English? Please, I need help. I woke up at this place. I don’t know where I’m, my head is bleeding and I have wounds on my leg and left eye. Please, send an ambulance.

I was stunned! That could be difficult to anyone in the world to deny his own voice on a recording. I tried to tell the paramedic that there was that girl, and she wasn’t alone. I haven’t seen anyone, but she mentioned “we went there to see the seals”. I asked him:

- How could I know about seals at that place?
- It’s your own story, Sir, I have no idea. But don’t worry; we understand your current condition. We are about three minutes from the ferry, and then you should be taken to the hospital in Dokkum. It will take around forty minutes to arrive there, but you are fine and we already gave you the medicine you need.

I have to find something logic about the recording. I cannot remember who I’m or how I came to this place, but I do remember everything else, since when I found that piece of mirror and took their attention. I just remembered the names of the equipments in this ambulance, maybe I was a doctor. I mean, I’m a doctor. Okay, I got another good shot: the voice frequency. And I said:

- I know it may sound strange for you, a guy with amnesia talking about voice frequency, but due to the noise we heard on the line it could be something else pretending to be me. Perhaps the people who rescued me had something better to do and just put me closer to that phone booth after they called the ambulance. You guys do know about the voice frequency. What we hear from our own voice is not the same sound we hear from a recording machine, for example. A typical telephone transmits frequencies in the range 300 to 3.000 vibrations per second. It’s really much narrower than the 80 to 10.000 vibrations per second we do.
- Sir, I was really good in science, so I don’t need this explanation. Perhaps they did that to you. Did you already think about? I think you should take some rest, you need that. In time everything will be explained.

What did he mean by “in time everything will be explained”? I cannot keep arguing with them now. I don’t know anything and unfortunately I need them. I still have a couple of minutes before they send me to the coast; I can try some other approach.

- Did you give me any sodium amibarbital? You know it could make me speak.
- No Sir, we didn't. We know what does it do and its reactions. Also, we know that you need medical attention and probably will stay for few days in the hospital. Sodium amibarbital can only be used when other therapies doesn't work. We don't even know your situation. Please, I'm trying to help and asking for your cooperation. My colleague will take you to the ferry and through the way to the hospital, please behave yourself.

That said I could only shut up. I felt like a child, when accidently threw its ball against the neighbour window. I was really ashamed. When I looked again, I saw he was saying something to his colleague. Unfortunately I couldn't hear that. Then he turned to me and said:

- Due to our whole conversation, I didn't get any detail about you. I know you cannot tell me your name, because you don't remember, but I didn’t see any ID. Don’t worry about that right now, you will be asked for in the hospital.

When we reached our destination, though I told them I could walk, they insisted that I should stay lied in the stretch and they could take me to the ferry. After my desperate speech about the recording and everything else, that was really nice that they were still keeping the good work; they are really good professionals.

We were walking down the quay and I could see from my stretch the sun set. They told me to lie down, but I insisted to sit, instead. I couldn't let that gorgeous sun set goes away without having a proper look at it. There was no wind, so the water was really quiet; the sun was in red flames, going down nicely. It seemed it could evaporate the whole sea, sterilize the whole planet; it seemed it was really closer to us, just like a carriage guided by fire horses going round and round, every day. One day it should stop, would stop. Everything has an end, doesn't matter how long it takes to be reached. One day the horses won't be on fire any more; one day there won't be anyone to give them a look, to contemplate their beauty, so they shall go to their barn and just sleep.

:: Chapter III :::