Creative Challenge #1

The Prompt Is: Amnesia

This short story is based on a single phrase, word, or sentence that serves as today’s writing prompt. The Creative Challenge is to write daily for 30 consecutive days. Each prompt was written by another creative (in this case, my partner) and is revealed on the day, precluding the opportunity for planning ahead. The purpose of this exercise is to be freely creative. Not all prompts will be posted.

Amnesia

I remember remembering.

It seems now to feel like a mirror at the bottom of a lake. A faint shimmer in the darkness. A spark in the void. But after a time, it's gone, grown over with algae or moss. Even if you could find it, the scattered pieces lie broken and crumbled.

The campfire I lit is just a smolder now, and the metaphor isn't lost on me. I begin packing up my supplies, ready to turn in for the night. Another long night under stars that I can name by heart, though I couldn't tell you why.

Mentally preparing myself for the nightmares that haunt my sleep, I douse the fire and crawl into the tent. I drift into unconsciousness as I try once more to remember.

What is my name? Why am I here?

The shattered mirror at the bottom of the lake is silent as another night of sweat and restlessness begins its grueling march. Maybe tomorrow will hold the answers I seek. Then again, I think I said that yesterday. Or did I? It's so hard to remember...

I wake at dawn inside the dusky embrace of the tent, the chirps of songbirds punctuating the cool, grey morning. Where am I?

The image of broken glass floods my mind. A flashlight's beam picks up the glint of an old mirror beneath the water—is that a memory or a dream? I instinctively reach to my hip. A flashlight rests there on a carabiner. A memory then, perhaps.

I try to clear my head. Why am I out here? Panic rises in my throat as I probe deeper. What's my name? My entire body feels paralyzed as my anxiety grips me. I feel like I'm drowning. Is that a memory? It's so hard to remember...

The attack subsides and I get some fresh air. I plan to get to high ground, then pack up the camp. As I hike, I try to remember things.

I remember remembering...