Lost

I owe him my life

"How much farther are we to go Kenneth?" Jonathan asked, trying his best to mask his fear, his shattering teeth loudly in his ears.

"Not too much farther now fam!"

He had a nerve to refer to him as' fam' when he has an evil intention towards him. Jonathan thought ruefully.

His arms and legs were shaking badly. His heart beating so loudly, he was sure Kenneth heard it. Jonathan clutches the money tighter to his chest, hoping it would drown out the sound of his pounding heart.

He wanted to ask Kenneth what his plans were, but decided not to.

Should I turn around and attack him? Jonathan wondered. But he had made no move to attack him.

Am I really thinking that Kenneth will harm me? what has come over me?

Kenneth was my friend. He'd never hurt me. But the evidence were overwhelming!

The inky blackness was engulfing him, suffocatingly so. "I can't go on anymore, I can't see anything!" he pleaded with Kenneth.

"We are close by, come, it's fine, ok? trust me, It's Kenneth!" he says behind him.

"Why don't you use your phone Kenneth, maybe if I had even a little light, I wouldn't be so afraid."

"My phone was left in the car, I didn't think to take it, I thought we would've reached my cousin by now! I'm sorry Jonathan!"

Jonathan stumbled once more and fell to the ground.

He was not to get up. Before he could rise to his feet he felt a blow to his head and another and another. He felt the money tore from his hands before another type of darkness took him over.

When Jonathan woke up. He was in an old building, on an old bed. He looked frantically around. Jonathan was completely confused, he couldn't understand what could've caused him to be here!

Where was he?

Who was he?

What happened?

Why am I here?

"I can see you've finally woken up!" a voice behind him says. Jonathan jumped, in fright at the voice. He turns around and saw an old, kind looking man.

"What am I doing here!" he asked him.

"I was going fishing and I found you nearby the road in the bushes!"

"What was I doing there?"

"Beats me, I was hoping you would tell me!"

"You were bleeding, from the head, as if someone did a number on you, I brought you here, and treat you and now you are better!"

"Thank you! how long ago was that!" Jonathan asked.

"About two days ago!"

"Was there anything close to me? a card? an ID? something? anything?

I can't seem to recall anything!"

"No, nothing, I found nothing to tell me who you are, or where you're from."

Who am I?

Where am I from?

Do I have a wife?

Do I have kids?

Was I happily married?

Was I married?

Were they happy that I'm gone!

Were they worried for me?

Did I have a job?

What type of jobs did I do?

Was I providing adequately for my family?

Jonathan's head was pounding, the questions in his head were relentless. He was trying desperately, to grasp the answers to the questions, but came up blank with each questions. He felt lost, confused - terrified!

How did this man care for me. He must have some sort of medical experience to nurse me back to health. Thank god he found me!

What if he hadn't found me. I owe him my life!

Jonathan thought the only thing he could do now, was try to relax so

lies on the bed and looked at the old man busying himself with pots and pans going back and forth.

He was very dark skinned, being out in the sun often. He had long grey dreadlocks, that was plaited in one straight plait. It was now swinging behind him as he walks around. When he steps back inside, Jonathan asked him, "what's your name?"

"Natty!" Jonathan was sure that was not his name, but he guess he'd prefer to be called that.

"Do you want some porridge?" Natty asked.

"Yes, thank you!"

Natty dished out some cornmeal porridge in a bowl, and handed it to Jonathan.

Natty sat on a small wooden stool and ate his porridge, while Jonathan was on the bed eating his.

"How did you manage to nurse me back to health? do you have any medical experience?"

"No I don't, but my grandmother taught me a lot about bushes and herbs. She knew bushes for colds, fever, high blood pressure , asthma , arthritis, gas pain, vomiting, wounds you name it.

I can treat just about anything." Natty said with pride.

"Wow! that means you don't go to the doctor's often?

"No, I've never been and I'm as healthy as a horse!"

"Impressive! maybe you could teach me sometimes!"

"Sure, no problem!" Natty told him.

"Do you have anything for headaches? my head hurts real bad!" Jonathan told him putting down his half eaten porridge.

"Sure, sure! the wood fire is outside, I'm going to brew up something for that headache."

Natty stepped outside and Jonathan follows. He saw Natty beating, pounding and grinding some leaves and herbs in a wooden bowl. When he was done he placed the contents in a pot of boiling water that was already on the wood fire.

When did he do that?

Jonathan looked around the humble little place Natty had.

The board dwelling consists of one single room. The kitchen was outside, the "kitchen" was a table with a few dishes, pots, pans, and utensils packed neatly on it.

The stove was the wooden fire place, that the tea was being boiled on. And near the fire place was a small pile of wood, that he used for cooking.

Jonathan loved the simplicity of it all, but he knew he had to leave Natty. He couldn't just stay there and take advantage of his kindness.

Natty handed him a steaming cup of dark, green tea with pieces of herbs swirling around in it.

"Drink up, you'll feel better in no time!" Natty advised. Jonathan took a sip, it tasted way better than it looked. It didn't taste great, but it could swallow.

Jonathan sat on a huge stone that was near the table and sipped his medicine. It was now in the afternoon. "What do you do for a living Natty?"

he asked as Natty sat on the steps of the dwelling.

"Well, I do a little fishing. I also sell some of my plants for treatment."

"Ok."

"I can show you where I have my field of herbs, when you are feeling up to it."

"I would like that." Jonathan told him.

After finishing his medicine Jonathan stood up, "can I see it now?"

The pounding in his head had lessen immensely. He was curious to see what sorts of bushes could cure so much illnesses.

"Not right away, when you are feeling better, I'll take you."

Two weeks later, Natty stayed true to his word and took Jonathan to show him his field. Walking to the back of the house. Jonathan noticed a very small board structure to the corner of the house and wondered what such a small space could be used for.

He didn't asked, he continued to follow Natty. They walked for about five minutes, until they came upon a gate. Natty pulled the latch on the gate and let Jonathan entered before him. Jonathan looked at the field in amazement. He had never seen anything like that before. It was like a large, green garden instead of a medicinal field. Rows and rows of green plants, most of them he had never seen before.

He could tell a few like Aloe Vera. Natty had several rows of that. He saw cactus! what could that be used for? he wondered, "what could that be used for?" Jonathan asked, pointing to the cactus.

"It could be bended with Aloe Vera and other herbs to make a lovely drink, a drink, that can treat many illnesses , but I can't tell you now, can I?"

"Why not?"

"I might lose business!" he says grinning.

"There's Ginger, Tumeric, Meringue, Rosemary and those trees over there are Noni."

"Wow! and these?" Jonathan points to several rows of different size and shaped leaves that are of varying shades of green.

Natty told him all the names of every plant he had. He admired him for his wealth of knowledge of keeping the body healthy.

"Let's go over to the trees, I want to pick some Noni," Natty told him nudging him towards the trees.

"What will you put them in?" Jonathan enquires.

"I only need a few, so your hand can hold what I need."

"Ok."

Heading towards the trees, Jonathan wondered if there were any plants there, that could help him remember something. He wished he could remember even his name. He didn't recall Natty telling him he had anything for memory loss.

"I wish I could remember something!" he said aloud to Natty.