BOY MANIAC

Chapter 3      

           

A sweet, velvety, and mellifluous song flowed gently through my ears. The song had a sadness; there was something somber about the notes as they sipped into my ears. My eyes gradually cracked open as the mesmerizing melody of the flawless voice lured me out of oblivion. For a while, I stared at the white blurriness above me. The atmosphere was hazy, like it was filled with smoke from a nuclear blast. Everything appeared like I was watching a low resolution movie with a very bad quality. I couldn't tell up from down. I was not sure if I was breathing; all I could do was stare into space. I tried to move my head but my neck was stiff, my muscles limp and my whole body numb and lethargic. 

I could tell that someone was staring at me, directly in the eyes, but I couldn't keep focus. I tried to speak but my words wouldn't flow out.

“He is awake again,”

squealed a girlish voice.

“I think he was trying to say something,”

added the girlish voice. 

The smooth dirgelike song that flooded me was suddenly replaced by persistent questions.

“Stiles, did you try to say something?”

came a boyish voice. 

Blurred faces started propping over me.

“Come on buddy; did you just try to say something? I have been here all day, waiting for you to wake up. So please say something,”

added the boyish voice.

“Talk to Mommy,”

came, a feeble voice.

I wanted to speak, but something restricted me, something stuck down my throat.

“He is trying to say something, but I guess the tubes won't let him,”

came the boyish voice.

My eyelids suddenly grew heavy; I tried to keep em open; I really did, but it was so hard and all I could hear were muffled voices.

“Stiles, Stiles, StileeeEESS....Can you see me, me, meeEE....?”

the voices kept on reverberating until I dozed off to the land of Oblivion.

*.  *.  *

            

My eyes cracked open to behold a world free from blurriness. The grogginess that seemed to envelope me had suddenly disappeared. Blurred images floated aimlessly in the pool of my thoughts, as though they were being blown about by a vicious hurricane. I did not know where I was; but surely it looked a hospital. If it is then how did I get here? What am I doing here? It was pure chaos in my head. Where did I come from? What should I do? Where should I go? My memory was nothing but a blur. I did not know anything, I just sat there with nothing to reminisce about. Nothing but confusion in the pool of my thought. Nothing seemed right, not even the bluish gown I was putting on. Where are my clothes?

Hmmph,

I let out and ventured to leave the bed. As I was about to standup an alarm blared and in came a nurse.

"Hello Mr...? calm down. I'm your Nurse Anna. You don't have to panick,”

She said with a faltering smile. for a moment I stared intently at her. She wasn't a bit familiar. 

"Calm down and relax," 

she said trying to touch me, but I fired,

“leave me alone. I don't know you. Don't touch me." 

She wasn't shocked a bit, rather she just kept on smiling.

“I know you have many questions in your head right now, but please calm down; you'll only get answered when you calm down”

she said calmly. I glared at her for a while; adhered to her voice; lay back and closed my eyes.

My head jerked upright as the sound of footsteps sipped into my ears. There was a lady with a smile pasted on her face smiling beside me. She had squinty brown eyes which were beautiful, yet full of tears. 

“Who are you, and why are you staring at me like that?”

I asked staring at the chocolate skinned lady. Wiping a stray tear from her eye, she spoke sotto voce.

“I am your mother.”

My eyes widened.

“M..my mother?”

I stuttered.

“Yes”

she replied; grabbing my free hand in her own. I stared at our enlaced hands in confusion, I wanted to pull away, but the sadness in her eyes resisted me.  

“Why can't I remember you? I'm so confused. I can't remember anything, not even myself.”

I muttered; peering into her eyes. Sadness swept across her face and then she contorted her lips into an awkward toothy smile which was not so compromising. 

“It’s okay, I know you have myriad of questions stored up in your head, but don't worry... I'm here to help you out.”

“How did I get here?” 

“You passed out; no one knows what happened to you. The doctors said: you had suffered a concussion: a severe blow to the head from a very strong object; it affected your brain, and that's how you passed out. Ever since you passed out, you've been in the hospital unconscious for six months...”

“Six months!?”

I interrupted.

“yeah, six months”

she replied; nodding her head. 

“How long is that?”

“Maybe One hundred and six days, or One hundred and seventy days; perhaps, One hundred and eighty something days.”

“What!?”

“Yeah,”

she retorted; nodding her head. 

“One day you suddenly opened your eyes, and that was what gave us hope, that you would come back to life. I was euphoric at first, but became crestfallen when the doctor said that you were still unconscious. For weeks all you could do was open your eyes, look around for a while, and then close em back. But weeks ago, you suddenly woke up, incredibly agitated and shockingly strong for someone who was in a coma. You were conscious, but kind of dazed. You could breathe on your own, so the tubes in your mouth were removed. After some days, you were moved from the ICU to this ward. I was the one who wheeled you all the way here, with a wheelchair. So you mean you don't remember a tiny bitty thingy that happened in the past few days?”

“Yes.”

I nodded my head. I had no idea of what she was talking about..

“But you do remember AY and Wole right?”

Hmm hmm,

I shook my head. Looking at me she also shook her head.

“They are your best friends. They often visited, sang for you, told you stuffs and gists. Even though you were quit dazed, you laughed along with em said few words and that was all.....”

I listened keenly as words rolled out of her mouth as if they were some kind of water of life; perhaps, some elixir that I have been waiting all day to cure me from my confused state. Her words were full of kindness and concern; most importantly, answers to my questions. Although I couldn't remember laughing at jokes told by my best friends or being wheeled by her from room to rooms, but listening to her sweet gist dowsed me with a great amount of relief. As hours went by, sleep visited me, and without hesitation I followed it to the world of Oblivion. From that day onwards, any time my mom visited she would show me photographs and pictures in frames. The people in the photographs looked like a family, young man and woman, wedding pictures, teenagers, children and babies. As the glossy images passed through my fingers I would stare at my mom and ask who they were. Sometimes if I stare too long at a photograph she would ask give a anxious look and ask, 

“do you recognize that one?”

But unfortunately I would reply by shaking my head.