My Luna Has Returned

The sensation of something wet hitting my face repeatedly draws my attention, and I realize my eyes are closed. As I open them, the heaviness of my eyelids becomes apparent due to the rain intensifying by the minute. Sitting up and surveying my surroundings, I try to recollect how I ended up half-naked on the shore of a river. Frowning when nothing comes to mind, panic starts to creep in as my memory remains blank. How did I get here? Where am I? Did I fall from a cliff? But the river is so calm; it doesn't add up.

Touching the back of my head, which throbs with pain, confirms that I hit it on something, but I can't comprehend how I could have fallen off a cliff. I'm not reckless enough to approach the edge when it could give way easily. Could someone have pushed me?

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts and ease the ringing in my ears, I decide to follow the river upstream in an attempt to understand how I ended up here. After nearly an hour of walking in the pouring rain, I reach a section where the river rages, tossing from side to side with increased speed. Apparently, I woke up in the calm part of the river.

Panic surges again. What should I do now? Does my family even know I'm missing? Do I even have a family? The thought tightens my chest, and tears start to well up in my eyes. Cold, tired, confused, and scared, I move towards the tree line, the only way I can think of going since the other direction leads to the river and the cliff.

With no sense of direction, I keep walking until I hear the sound of cars ahead. I start running towards them, surprised at my speed. Maybe I'm good at sports. Without considering the risks, I jump onto the dark and wet street, waving my arms to catch someone's attention. Luckily, a car coming my way manages to avoid hitting me.

Shocked by what just happened, my mind remains clouded and confused. An elderly couple gets out of the car with umbrellas, and I try to hold back tears as I apologize for nearly causing an accident and plead for help.

The old woman offers me something to cover myself, and they invite me into their car. Trembling, I get inside, grateful to escape the heavy rain. Fearful but desperate for help, I push aside the thought that they might be dangerous and simply appreciate the warmth from the increased car heater.

As the old man drives, we move through a narrow street in what seems to be a remote area, with few street lights visible.

"Dear, what's your name?" the lady in the car asked.

"Riley," I responded quietly, my nerves getting the best of me. It felt like I had been reprogrammed and placed in an unfamiliar setting, completely out of my element, which was quite unsettling.

"Okay, Riley. Can you tell me what you were doing on the road this late in the night with this weather?" she inquired, trying to restrain her anger towards whoever had misplaced me.

"I-I don't know," I murmured, feeling a bit scared of their reaction. What if they thought I was lying and asked me to get out of the car? The thought made me breathe heavily, and I longed for my mom. But who was my mom? Did I even have a mom?

"Oh, darling, no. Calm down, we will help you, but you must be patient. The nearest hospital is two hours away, okay?" she reassured me.

I nodded silently, unable to say anything. Closing my eyes, I tried to think of my mom, wherever she might be. Not being able to remember anything was making it difficult to stay calm, but I did my best. I thought the best way to make the time pass was to sleep, luckily, I had no thoughts to disturb me.

---

The doctor conducted numerous tests to understand what had happened to me. At twelve years old, they concluded that my amnesia was caused by trauma, likely a blow to the head. The doctor couldn't predict when or if my memories would return, and that scared me more than anything. Forgetting who I was before the accident was an unimaginable fear.

Later, the police asked me many questions until my head started hurting. I noticed the confusion on the officer's face when I mentioned where I woke up. He explained that the area in West Virginia was heavily forested, and on the other side of the forest, miles away from where I fell, was a secluded town. However, Mr. Dynson, the elderly man who brought me here with his wife, wondered if maybe I had gone camping with my family. But the policeman explained that the part of the forest where I was found wasn't a designated camping area due to the prevalence of wild animals.

He suggested that I was probably running from a wild animal and had a fall, stating that I was lucky to be alive. He initially planned to take me to a foster home, but Mrs. Dynson insisted that they take care of me until further notice.

As Mr. and Mrs. Dynson took me back to their car, I couldn't help but think that despite having no memory of my life, I was fortunate to have encountered this kind-hearted elderly couple.