BOY MANIAC

Chapter 3

I heard a soft and gentle song that made me feel a bit sad. It slowly woke me up, like the beautiful voice that sang it was pulling me out of sleep. I saw a blurry white space above me, almost like there was smoke in the air. Everything looked unclear, like watching a low-quality movie. I couldn't figure out which was up and which was down. I wasn't even sure if I was breathing. It felt like I was lost in space, unable to move my stiff neck, with weak and numb muscles all over my body.

Even though I could feel someone looking at me, I had a hard time focusing. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't find the right words.

"He's awake again," a voice said, sounding like a woman.

"I think he was trying to say something," a young voice added.

The sad and smooth song that had been singing suddenly stopped as they started asking me questions.

"Stiles, did you try to say something?" asked a young voice.

I saw blurry faces above me, but I couldn't make out their features. Then a young voice came through the haze.

"Hey, can you hear me, buddy? I've been waiting all day for you to wake up. Please, say something," the voice pleaded.

"I... I want to," I struggled to answer, but it felt like something was stopping me from speaking like there was something in my throat.

"He's trying to talk, but the tubes are getting in the way," the young voice said with frustration.

I felt my eyelids getting heavy, almost like something was pushing them down. I fought to keep them open, trying to understand what was going on, but it was a lost battle. All I could make out were faint whispers, faraway echoes of voices reaching my ears.

"Stiles, Stiles, can you see me? Can you hear me?" the voices reverberated inside me, fading away as I drifted into a deep sleep, entering a realm of forgotten dreams.

~~~~

I slowly opened my eyes, and the blurriness went away. The fog that had surrounded me disappeared quickly. I found myself in a place that looked like a hospital, but I didn't know how or why I ended up there. I felt confused and had many questions. Where did I come from? What brought me here? And what should I do now? I couldn't remember anything clearly, so I had no past to think about. I felt even more confused, and the bluish hospital gown I was wearing didn't feel right. I wondered where my clothes were.

I felt frustrated and sighed as I gathered the strength to get out of bed. But just as I was about to stand up, an alarm went off loudly, breaking the silence. A nurse hurried in and interrupted me.

"Hello, Mr...?" she hesitated, her smile disappearing as she tried to understand my confused expression. I stared at her, hoping for something familiar. But she was a stranger to me.

"Just stay calm and relax," she reassured me, trying to reach out and touch me. But I moved away, feeling even more frustrated.

"Leave me alone. I don't know you. Don't touch me," I snapped, my uncertainty and fear causing me to react defensively.

She didn't show surprise, instead, she kept her warm smile.

"I know you probably have a lot of questions right now, but please try to calm down. You'll only find the answers if you relax," she said in a calming way. I looked at her, fascinated by her voice, and then I leaned back and closed my eyes.

Suddenly, I woke up as I heard footsteps approaching. A woman stood next to me, with a smile on her face, but her eyes were squinted and filled with tears. Her beautiful brown eyes were both striking and filled with emotion.

"Who are you, and why are you staring at me like that?" I asked, looking at the woman with dark skin. She wiped a tear from her eye and spoke softly.

"I am your mother," she whispered.

My eyes widened.

"M...my mother?" I stuttered.

"Yes," she replied, reaching out to hold my hand. I looked at our hands, feeling confused. A part of me wanted to let go, but the sadness in her eyes made me want to stay.

"Why can't I remember you? I'm so confused. I can't remember anything, not even myself," I whispered, looking deeply into her eyes. Sorrow filled her face, and then she forced a smile, although it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"It's alright, I understand you must have many questions, but don't worry... I'm here to help," she said calmly.

"How did I end up here?"

"You fainted; no one knows what happened. The doctors said it was a really strong blow to your head called a concussion. It affected your brain and made you lose consciousness. You've been in the hospital unconscious for six whole months..."

"Six months!?" I interrupted.

"Yes, six months," she nodded.

"How long is that?"

"Maybe around one hundred and six days, or one hundred and seventy days... possibly even one hundred and eighty-something days."

"What!?" I exclaimed.

"Yes," she nodded again.

"One day, you suddenly opened your eyes and gave us hope that you would wake up. I felt so happy, but then the doctor told me you were still unconscious. For weeks, all you could do was open your eyes, look around, and then close them again. But a few weeks ago, you woke up, and you were restless and surprisingly strong for someone who was in a coma. You were conscious, but a bit confused. Since you could breathe on your own, they took out the tubes from your mouth. After a few days, they moved you from the intensive care unit to this regular ward. I was the one who pushed you here in a wheelchair. So, you mean you don't remember anything that happened in the past few days?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding. I had no idea what she was talking about.

"But do you remember AY and Wole?"

I thought for a bit, then shook my head. She did the same, looking sad.

"They were your closest friends. They used to visit you a lot, singing songs and sharing stories. Even though you were confused, you would laugh and say a few words."

I listened carefully as she spoke, her words giving me life like it was the medicine that could cure my confusion. She was being kind and cared, giving me answers to my questions. Even though I couldn't remember laughing at their jokes or being pushed around in a wheelchair by her, her comforting stories made me feel better. I got tired and fell asleep, willingly letting sleep take me away.

From that day on, when my mom came to visit, she would show me pictures in frames. The people in those pictures looked like a family - a young man and woman, wedding pictures, teenagers, kids, and babies. I would touch the shiny pictures and look at my mom, asking her who they were. Sometimes, if I stared at a picture for too long, she would get worried and ask, "Do you recognize that one?"

Sadly, I would shake my head in response.