Chapter 1: Where Did What Begin

The sky rumbled as flashes of thunder rippled through the clouds. A heavy downpour was upon us. Well, upon me, as I couldn't see a single soul in sight, all had probably run to their homes for shelter, plus it was late. I thought to head some as well but...I didn't know where home was.

I woke up a few minutes after the rain began on a person's lawn, with no recollection of how I got there or where I had come from. The old man wasn't too pleased to find a complete stranger messing up the freshly mowed grass, so there was no point in asking him for possible answers.

All I remembered was my name, Eiran Richards. I had a crossbody bag with me, but I hadn't had the opportunity to look through it.

A shiver shook my body as my wet clothes now clung desperately to me. I needed to find shelter soon otherwise, I was going to catch a cold and fall ill.

Just then, I noticed this old lady with bags of groceries struggling through the heavy downpour. Why a person her age had to go out for groceries at this time of night, I do not know. Perhaps, her kids or grandchildren were out of town.

"Let me help you with those." I said with a polite smile as I walked up to her.

"Oh no, it's fine. I can handle these bags." She replied, holding tight to the grocery bags.

"You are walking through a heavy downpour, shaking like a rain-drenched chicken, which I guess we both are at the moment. But, your age doesn't support this sort of stress." I replied with a frown.

"And what would you be doing out here by this time that coincidentally let you see as I was passing by with my groceries?" She questioned.

I was sure that if the rain had not been so heavy, I would be able to see the apprehensive gaze on her face. It hadn't occurred to me how it looked to her when a stranger suddenly appeared in a blinding rainstorm to offer her help with her groceries.

"Sorry ma'am, I assure you I am no thief. I am just a guy looking for somewhere to escape the weather." I confessed.

The old lady kept quiet for a bit, probably weighing her options out to see if she could trust me.

"My house is just up ahead." She sighed. "We will get there faster if your offer to help me with my bags still stands."

"Of course, thank you." I nodded.

Without the bags, the old lady walked surprisingly fast and we arrived at her place in no time at all. Relief washed over me as I closed the door behind me, keeping the rain and everything that came with it outside the house.

"The kitchen is down the hallway to the left, you can put the groceries on the counter." The old lady mentioned as she climbed up the stairs, probably to go get changed.

"Okay." I replied, walking down the hall.

Setting the bags on the counter, I noticed the groceries had all been packed in waterproof bags so none of them had been ruined by the rain.

"I guess this is a regular thing." I mumbled.

Once I was done, I walked back into the living room, unsure what to do with my wet clothes. There was no way I could sit anywhere, and it would be rude for me to just go around the house searching for a place to dry my clothes.

Even if I did, I had no spare clothes on me that I could change into. The sound of approaching footsteps drew my attention to the stairs, the old lady had changed into a night gown and furry robe for warmth.

"Young man, come with me. I can't have you catching a cold now." She stated with a kind smile.

With no option, I followed her up the stairs. We walked past three doors before stopping by the one at the end of the hallway.

"You can change in here, I already have a set of clothes on the bed for you. Once you are changed, the room opposite this is a laundry room, put your clothes in there and set it to spin." She explained gently.

"Thank you so much, ma'am. I really appreciate it." I said with a slight bow.

"I will be downstairs if you need anything." She smiled, turning around to leave.

On the bed in the room, there was a towel, a pair of pyjama trousers and a baggy shirt. There was a full-body mirror right next to the bedside drawer, and a door I presumed led to the bathroom on the other end of the wall.

I quickly took off my clothes, checking the sockets for anything useful to help me recall anything.

The only things I found were a phone, some cash, a wallet, and a note that said

"No Ying can exist with a Yang or vice versa."

I shook my head as I kept them next to the dry clothes. As I dried my hair, I unconsciously gazed at the mirror, catching a glimpse of my reflection.

Black hair, brown eyes, and a body that made me presume I worked either as a fitness instructor or a construction worker. Then my boxers that had cupid plastered all over them.

My cheeks flushed red as I looked away from the mirror. I got changed, put my clothes in the washing machine, and walked downstairs to speak to the old lady. The rain didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon which meant I was probably trapped here for the night.

"Oh, you are all changed. I wasn't quite sure the trousers would fit, but I am glad to have been wrong." The old lady smiled, holding a mug in her hand.

I quickly picked up the smell of chocolate and milk as I got closer.

"Thank you again for your help." I smiled.

"Oh, it's nothing. Have a seat, I made you a cup of hot chocolate too. I wasn't sure if you liked milk with yours, so I just kept the milk in a separate cup." She said, waving to a seat in front of her.

A dry chuckle escaped my lips earning me a confused look from the old lady.

"Oh, forgive me. My situation just seems to be mocking me." I sighed.

"How so?" She asked, setting down her mug.

"This might sound like a terrible lie, but I can't recall anything about myself other than the fact that my name is Eiran Richards and I like my chocolate without milk." I replied, massaging my temples.

"Well, my name is Theresa Morgan, but you can call me Granny." She smiled. "As for your memory, what's the last thing you remember?"

"Waking up on some stranger's lawn, not a nice man by the way." I sighed.

Granny stared blankly at nothing in particular for a while, her thumbs rubbing against each other.

"That means you don't have a place to stay." She finally said.

"Yes, I-"

"What about a job?" She cut in.

"None that I can recall." I shook my head.

Granny went silent for a while again.

"I will sort everything out when the rain stops, maybe I might run into someone I know." I stated.

"How would you recognise someone you know with no memory of them?" She asked, "There are a lot of cutthroats out there that will instantly put on a convincing act if you give them an opening."

"Well, I have to do something." I pointed out.

"How about this? I live here alone. You can stay here pending the time you get yourself in order." She offered.

"What? No, I cannot take advantage of your kindness like that." I instantly refused.

"Then get a job and start paying rent, I am not letting you go out there with no clue what to expect." She snapped, her body slightly trembling.

I sat stunned for a moment as I didn't understand how turning her down had invoked her fury, but I soon realised there was more to it as I saw the tears in her eyes.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." I quickly said.

"No, no, it's fine. I am the one who should apologise, I took out my aggression from something else on you." She sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"You have met someone in my situation before?" I asked.

"Not exactly, it was my grandson. So pure and innocent, so full of life, but unprepared for the world outside. Woke up one morning saying he wanted to go sort himself out in the world by himself. A couple of days later, the police were at my door with someone in a body bag. I lost my husband not long after that and none of my kids stayed in touch." She explained.

"Maybe staying isn't such a bad idea." I smiled.

"Oh no, you don't have to for my sake." She protested.

"It will be for both our sakes. As you said, there's a chance I could run into people who just want to take advantage of my lack of memory to get something off me. At least, staying here would mean I have somewhere to lay my head." I shrugged.

At least, it would give me one less thing to worry about. After a few more minutes of talking, we retired for the night. Granny brought me some bedsheets and helped me take my clothes out of the washer.

It was cruel of her kids to abandon her just like that; family was supposed to band together in hard times, not split apart. But who was I to talk, I don't even know if I had a family.

I picked up the bag I had on me to go through its contents, hoping to find some answers in whatever it contained.