Tale of the Lotus Heart
Chapter 37

I was cold. It was dark. It took me a while to realize that I was surrounded by water. Instinctively, I swam up. Surfacing, I saw a bank nearby and dragged my body to the land. I was tired, but examining myself, I wasn't injured anywhere. I was soaked but clothed in a long dress and robe. The fabric and pattern looked intricate, but how did I get here? Where was here? Where did I come from? Who was I? I couldn't even tell how much time had passed since I'd last been conscious.

"Excuse me, miss? Are you okay?" Someone called out to me.

"I don't know," I responded. The elderly man in overalls and a tshirt came closer and offered me a towel.

"Are you lost? What's your name?" He asked. I looked around confused. The grassy area where we were wasn't familiar, but then again, I didn't know my name either.

"I don't know," I answered.

"Amnesia, huh? Let's get you into some dry clothes," he offered. I followed him back to a ranch house where an elderly woman was cooking.

"Ronald! Dinner is almost ready!" The woman yelled with her back turned to us.

"Margeret, we have a guest," Ronald said. The plump woman turned and smiled at me.

"Hello sweetie! What's your name?" She asked.

"The girl has amnesia," Ronald informed her.

"Well why don't we call you Sara for now," Margaret suggested. I nodded. Anything was fine with me. I had a name now. Margaret came to stand in front of me as she held my hands in hers.

"Don't worry dear. We'll help you replace your family. For now just stay here and help around the farm every now and then. We'll take you in until you remember who you are," Margaret said. I nodded before she took me back to a room.

"Our daughter left for college recently. You should be able to fit her clothes," Margaret said as she pulled out dry clothes from a drawer.

"Thank you," I said timidly before she left me to change. While changing, I noticed that my breasts were tender and full of milk. Did I have children somewhere I wasn't aware of? Who was I? The question was driving me insane and I had no answer. I changed into the dry clothes before going back out to the dining room where Ronald and Margaret were placing food on the table.

"Come sit. Eat dinner," Ronald said. I sat and looked at the food before us. It looked delicious. I couldn't remember what the last meal I ate was. We ate quietly but comfortably. I was actually appreciative for it. I wouldn't know how to answer questions if they asked about me.

"That hairpin is lovely. And your hair is so long," Margaret said after dinner as I helped her take the dishes to the sink. After setting the plates down, I reached up to touch the back of my head. Pulling the hairpin out, I examined it thoroughly. It looked expensive and valuable.

"I think... it's important to me," I said hesitantly. I didn't know for sure, but it was just a feeling I had.

"Keep it on you. It might help you to realize your identity," Margaret said as began washing the dishes. I carefully put it back into my hair.

"Can I help?" I asked. She smiled before nodding.

"You can help me dry the dishes," she agreed. We washed and dried the dishes together before Margaret showed me to my room.

"Rest early, dear. You can go with Ronald out to the farm tomorrow to help him. We're getting old. It's nice to have some young blood around here," she joked.

The next morning, I was dressed in worn clothes to help Ronald. Apparently, Ronald and Margaret made a living harvesting apples and oranges. There were a few other helpers around the farm, but no more than ten.

"This is Sara. She'll be helping around the farm," Ronald introduced me to everyone. My body automatically curtsied to them. They looked confused, but no one mentioned it. Did they not curtesy and bow to greet each other here? If so, where did I get that habit? I was supplied with gloves and a basket before we went out to the the field of trees. We picked the apples off of the trees one by one and put them in our baskets. I opted out of using the gloves because my hands were too small to fit.

"You can't take that one. It's rotten," one of the workers informed me, pointing to the apple in my hand. I examined the apple. It wasn't that bad, just had a few insect bites on it. As I was examining the apple, it transformed into a ripe, bright red color, and the insect bites disappeared. I stared at it confused. What just happened? Did I do that? How did I do it? I put the apple in my basket before grabbing another spoiled apple from the tree. I thought about perfecting the apple again and it obeyed. The same as the first one, it was ripe and perfect. So it was me. We harvested the apples before taking them to the storage place. This life that was now mine seemed pretty relaxed.

After a year, I got pretty used to being with Ronald and Margaret. Even though I couldn't remember who I was still, and weird things kept happening to me, I was just content with something to do every day. I still couldn't figure out who my family was. I was worried that I had at least one child out there who thought I was was dead. Did I have a loved one waiting for me? I couldn't help but feel that I was forgetting something important. I was absent minded while climbing up the ladder in the barn. I slipped and fell and I was heading straight towards a pile of shovels and rakes. Before I could even think of how to save myself, I stopped. I was floating, surrounded by an invisible golden force. The force carefully placed me on my feet. I looked around in confusion and took a step back, tripping over a nearby rake. Before I could fall again, an arm held me close. Looking up, I saw a beautiful man holding me. His hair was long like mine, and he was rugged. I froze.

"Aivi," he breathed as his eyes grew red with tears. He pulled me into a tight hug as he took a shaky breath.

"I thought I lost you for good. It's been 800 years," he said. I didn't know this man, but his embrace felt warm and familiar. All I could do was stare at him when he finally let me go.

"800 years? Isn't a human's life span only one hundred years maximum? Who are you? How did you get here?" I asked.

"You must've lost your memory when you were stuck in the Abyss. I'm your betrothed, and the father to our children, Yong," he explained. So I did have kids after all.