I fell on my hands and knees, gasping for air, it hurt just to breathe. I was taking short shallow breaths. I was sure that I had a couple of broken ribs, and was definitely getting a huge bruise. My vision was getting blurry and seemed to have some strange foggy haze covering my eyes, it was so thick that it felt like I was suffocating in it. There was a loud ringing in my ears, probably from being kicked in the head to many times. Was this how I am dying? After being beaten with a metal pipe a ton of times?
A deep, husky laugh sounded behind me. But it sounded far away.
I tried to speak a good comeback, but all that came out of my mouth was a moan. I was in terrible pain. My whole body ached and my muscles kept contracting to cover some of the pain. I was hardly breathing sweat was pouring down my face, my clothes sticking to me in weird curves and angles. I tried to move toward the door at the end of the dark room, but I was shaking so bad that I couldn’t even crawl in a straight line. I started limping in that direction. I heard voices behind me.
“Hey look! He is trying to crawl to his mommy! Ha!” yelled a voice, who was doing the imitation of crying in a baby voice.
“He won’t go far. He can’t even move fast enough.” Another voice called.
“Shut up! Y’all know better than to criticize him. Plus we ain’t even done with him.” I heard his footsteps getting closer to me, and I felt him grab my ankle and dragged me back. The others were cackling out bad humor. But I couldn’t think enough to understand a word they were saying. I felt the guy’s, that was holding my ankle, face close to the side of mine. “Now you ain’t gonna give us a problem, ‘cause you ain’t gonna live to tell.” He whispered in my ear. His hot breath against my face smelt like beer, they must have been drinking. I felt him twist my ankle slowly while he was talking, and heard a strange, unfamiliar crack. I finally realized that he just broke my ankle, then the pain struck me hard, it drowned out all the other pains and aches. I screamed the rest of the air left in me, and I felt like I was falling deeper and deeper in my mind and till it went black.
There was suddenly a blinding, white flash and it felt as if I was dumped in a bucket of freezing clear liquid. I felt myself fall again but farther into the clear liquid, I slammed into something really hard. I opened my eyes and saw that it was gravel, I lifted my head and saw myself but it wasn’t me, it was like a clone, my twin. My twin was looking out onto the ocean and was smiling. Wait a minute, I realized, I remember this. This must be a memory. I sat there watching, but I felt sort of detached and I didn’t feel any pains or aches. I looked down at my body, and gasped. It was a silky veil looking thing. But it was in the shape of my clothing and my body. It was wavering in the memory wind. I was a spirit.

























I sat there watching my spirit-like body waver. I thought of how I looked like right now, sitting on the gravel, with a gaping mouth. I pulled myself together and looked up at my memory self more closely, looking for flaws. He had long, curly disheveled hair. It only went down to the nape of his neck. It was the color of the dark midnight sky. His eyes were a brilliant bright blue-equally blue to the cloudless midday sky.
He had a copper colored skin. Right now it was a starless night, the moon was full and shining beautifully, the wind was blowing softly. He was wearing a long, tan traveling cloak. It was billowing with the wind gently. He was smiling.
Dang it, it was definitely me, definitely eighteen-year-old Jacob Spence.
I heard the rubble move somewhere behind me. I felt my stomach churn and I stood abruptly and dove into the nearest bush-still in sight of my memory self. I didn’t know if the people in my memory can see me or not. It is probably best not to take my chances.
I turned my head in the direction I heard the movement and gasped, it can’t be! It just can’t! I haven’t seen her for seven years! It felt weird to see her hair and her face again. She had wavy, black-brown hair. It went down to the middle of her back and all over her shoulders. She had almond shaped eyes, which were the color of dark brown. The color was so dark that the iris and the pupil looked one color, the same color as her hair. It had always been hard to tell which the iris is and which the pupil is. Yep, that is her, my once girlfriend. But in this memory she is my girlfriend. Strange seeing it happen again.
“Hey, Jake,” she said, walking up slowly. “I thought I’ll find you here.”
My memory self whipped his head around so fast I thought I could hear his neck pop. “Oh? Hey Alisha.” He looked back out onto the ocean, and took deep breaths. Why was he so nervous? I don’t remember anything bad happening beforehand.
She didn’t say anything she just kept walking up to him. Once she reached him she put a hand on his shoulder. He eyed her hand on his shoulder then back to gaze at the ocean. They didn’t say anything for awhile. Finally he said, “Why are you out here?”
She shrugged, “I just needed to see you, that’s all.” She still had her hand on his shoulder.
“Alisha,” he sighed before continuing. “You know we broke up. So why are you here?” he repeated. Oh, now I remember! She and I broke up, because she was getting a little rough. You know you should know the person before you date them. I made a mistake and went straight to date.
She laughed, a startled sound, “Yeah, I know, I just thought. Well,” she sucked in air, and blew out. “I just miss you.” She started moving her hand back and forth on his shoulder. He looked at her hand with disgust on his face, but left it there.
“You know that we are not going to get back together. Ever.” He said with finality, he through her a sharp look. Of course, being her, she ignored it. She kept moving her hand back and forth. “Really what is the reason you’re here? You could be anywhere else, but you pick here. Why?”
She didn’t answer right away she just kept gazing out onto the ocean. Only gazing onto the dazzling ocean. Finally she said, “well, that is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. I was just wondering if you would,” she used her free hand to wipe the sweat that was pouring down her face. “hoping if you and I could be together again.