Chapter Five - Going Crazy
Gina was a bit nervous. While she couldn’t remember the entirety of her dreams that night, she remembered that something was wrong. Although she didn’t remember most of the events of the previous day, she remembered that she didn’t remember and that terrified her. What terrified her more was what she would find when or if she could get to the bottom of what was happening to her.
Her mom took her to a side of town that she had never been to before. The buildings looked run down and the streets looked deserted. It didn’t look like the poor side of town; it looked like the side of town that everyone had abandoned. When she found the address that the counselor had given her mother, it stuck out like something that didn’t belong there. There was a yard and there were trees where the rest of the area was barren. There was a small building there that barely looked big enough to be a hotel room.
“I’m pretty sure this is the place.” Her mother said in a tone that made Gina feel like her mother wasn’t really all that sure this was the place. Gina’s mother parked the car in front of the small building, and they got out of the car and walked unsurely toward the only door the building seemed to have. After a few moments, Gina’s mother knocked on the door.
After more than a few minutes, the door opened. An older man who looked like he was in his sixties opened the door. He was wearing khaki shorts and a Hawaiian style t-shirt. His strange look led Gina and her mom to think maybe they had made some kind of mistake in coming.
“May I help you?” The old man asked, looking over Gina and her mom with more than slight curiosity. Gina’s mom didn’t know where to start so she just handed the old man the note that the school counselor gave her. The old man took the note and began reading. He seemed to lose all track of time because it was a long time before he looked up from reading the note. Gina and her mom just stood there in awkward silence.
Once he had looked up, he took a good long look at Gina. It was the type of look that a scientist might give a specimen he was studying.
“So, you’ve been having memory trouble?” The old man asked.
“That’s what I’ve been told” Gina confessed unsure of quite what to say.
“Have you had any hard hits in the head?” The old man asked, after which he started cracking up laughing as if he had made some kind of hilarious joke that only he understood.
“No” Gina said in a long and even reply.
“Come in” the old man invited, “If you are under a curse, it’s a powerful one. Memory curses are tricky to cast. You have to really know what you are doing to get it right.”
Gina and her mom entered the small building. The room had hardly anything in it. There was a shelf that contained jars with labels on them and there was a chair. On the floor was a mat, possibly used for sleeping and in the far end of the room there was a small stove for cooking.
“Sit down” the old man motioned to Gina’s mom.” You’re old. You stand.” The old man got out a book and began looking through it. Every so often he would look up to make sure Gina and her mom where still where they were supposed to be.
The old man finally found what he was looking for in his book. He went and got a medium sized saucepan. We then went to the various label jars and removed some of the contents of 6 or 7 of them and placed those contents in the saucepan. After doing that, He added some water and started boiling it.
“It will take a few minutes for the contents to dissolve” The old man said.
“What are you doing?” Gina asked the old man.
“I’m cooking up some medicine for you to take to relieve your memory problems.” The old man said.
“Are there any risks?” Gina’s mother asked.
“Oh yeah, that’s right. The risks.” The old man thought. He got out an piece of paper and handed it to Gina’s mom. Gina’s mom read the paper which was more like document.
“You want me to sign a waiver?” Gina’s mom asked.
“Well, you can never be too sure who you’re dealing with.” The old man shrugged.
“How do we know you even know what you are doing? You might be some crazy person.” Gina’s mother accused.
“Oh, there’s no doubt I’m crazy.” The old man agreed,” But I can help your daughter.” There was a slight pause, “Maybe” the old man added as a disclaimer.
Gina’s mother paused.
“Sign it” the old man ordered in a voice that wasn’t as good natured as it was a moment ago. “Sign it or get out” He added after a few minutes.
Gina’s mother was taken back by the sudden change in the old man’s demeaner, so she signed it as appease he’s sudden wrath and handed it back to him.
“Good, now that that’s out of the way, we can attend to business” His voice returned to the good-natured vibe that it had before. The old man checked his home-made concoction and after a few more minutes he seemed satisfied with it. He poured a bit of it into a glass and gave it to Gina.
As Gina is about to take a sip, the old man screams, “Wait! I almost forgot!” Gina stops immediately. The old man retrieves two pump bottles with labels on them, One label says “Cherry” and the other says “Grape”. “Which flavor do you like, cherry or grape?” The old man asks.
“I guess grape” Gina responded, still startled from the man’s apparent alarm. The old man puts a few pumps from the bottle labeled “Grape”.
“Okay, now drink up” The old man says.
“Okay” Gina says unsure of what is going to happen. Gina drinks the strange concoction. After she drinks, images and memories flood her brain. She screams.
“What’s wrong? Did it work” Gina’s mother instinctively asks.
The old man waits and doesn’t answer. After about 3 or 4 minutes of screaming the shrieks die down. Gina looks at her mother and then the old man. Her whole face is the same as it was before but also very different.
“I remember” Gina declares, “I remember everything!”
“You remember who you are?” Her mother asks anxiously.
“Yes.” Gina declares again.
“Who are you?” Her mother follows up.
“I’m a princess.” Gina says smiling.
“You’re a what?!?!” Gina’s mother exclaims.
“I’m a princess!” Gina confirms.
“Well, it looks like my job here is done.” The old man says with a chuckle.