CHAPTER 3..:There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. Anais Nin
Entering the Forest
Back in her room Sasha quickly went over to the dresser, curious to see what else the drawers contained. The second drawer yielded the results she was looking for. She pulled out a turquoise T-shirt, white hooded jacket with an unknown logo over the breast pocket, and a pair of knit navy shorts. She then noticed a pair of tennis shoes on the floor next to the dresser. Strange, she hadn't seen them before -- someone must have brought them in, but who knew she would be playing tennis? She pushed the questions aside, wanting to change quickly and get down to the courts. If she arrived early, she could do some people watching. Fifteen minutes later she emerged from the dormitory, hair brushed back into a ponytail, ready for the game. She had also grabbed a couple of hand towels.
She arrived ahead of John and sat down to wait at a bench positioned near the entrance to the playing area. Birds whistled pleasantly in the woods behind the courts, and Sasha felt herself enjoying the solitude. She was surprised that she didn't see more people walking about, only the occasional figure with a bent head going towards the library or the counseling building. She mused that they must have some sessions scheduled after dinner. Then she noticed Mike walking across the courtyard, heading towards her. He quickly reached her and asked if she minded if he took a seat.
"Oh, no, of course, not!" Sasha said quickly.
"So, how's it going?" Mike inquired pleasantly.
"Fine, I guess. I had dinner with John, and we're going to try a hand at tennis. He should be here in a bit."
Mike smiled broadly. "Excellent! Sounds fun. Have you played much?"
Sasha frowned and said, "I really don't know! The thought of it doesn't seem familiar…"
"Don't sweat it; sometimes even the things that come most natural don't seem familiar at first. Hey, tomorrow morning, after breakfast, could you meet with me in the meeting building? Room 101. We'll have our first chat."
"Sure, no problem." Sasha actually didn't mind the thought of having a conversation with him. Maybe talking would start to unravel the tangled web of her memory.
"Great, see you after breakfast then. Oh, here's John now. Have a good game."
"Hi John! See you tomorrow, Mike, for our session, right after lunch?" Sasha exclaimed. "Cool!" said Mike, as he arose, and walked back towards the direction he came from.
John arrived, slightly out of breath, carrying a couple of rackets in one hand, tennis balls in the other. "Sorry I took a bit. I had books strewn about, and I wanted to at least put them in one pile."
"No problem, I was enjoying the view. Hey, is there a walking path in the woods there?" Sasha gestured towards the gigantic trees.
"I haven't ventured much back there. I get the impression they don't like us to wander past the grounds much…and I've been doing a lot of reading." There was an awkward pause.
"Well, ready to play?" Sasha asked brightly, changing the subject.
"Sure, after you, Madam." John said grandly with a formal bow and a sweeping gesture.
Sasha and John volleyed back and forth. Sasha was surprised that she played so well. When both were slightly out of breath, skin covered with the slight sheen of perspiration, they mutually decided to quit. Sasha sat down on the bench, grabbed the towels, and threw one to John.
"I thought we might need these."
"Yeah, good thinking, thanks." Both quickly toweled their faces and arms.
<SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> "Hey, the sun isn't down yet, do you want to explore a little bit? Or not…" Sasha faltered for a minute, fearful that she might be wearing out her welcome.
Well…" John looked towards the forest, "I HAVE wondered why I've never noticed anyone go back there…" He glanced furtively around.
"Aw, come on, let's just take a peak. It'll be dark soon. We won't go far." Sasha begged with a cute pout.
John shot her a little-boy grin and said, "Sure. I knew I was going to like you from the first moment I saw you sitting in the cafeteria. But let's be quick about it." With one last glance around, John led the way towards the trees. They didn't notice the pair of attendants standing in the lengthening shadows close to the Meeting Hall, heads bent together in conversation.
Gabe smiled knowingly as Mike nodded his head in Sasha and John's direction.
"Never ceases to amaze me. The best way to prod someone in a certain direction is to give the impression that it's off-limits."
"Curiosity is a marvelous thing," Gabe replied. "It will be interesting to see how quickly they discover the first marker." Mike agreed and said, "Understanding comes quicker and easier if they begin to unravel the puzzle themselves."
John and Sasha entered the forest boldly, noticing almost immediately a faint path worn into the floor of the woods. After walking for a short while, Sasha noticed a large boulder off to the side and said, "Let's sit for a minute and get our bearings. The sun is starting to set; we should probably head back pretty soon. Sasha scrambled onto the boulder and sat on a smooth part of the rock, pulling up her knees and hugging them to herself.
In wordless agreement, John plopped down beside her, looked around, and remarked cheerfully. "Well, looks like your typical nature area so far. But it seems a little surreal. What's missing?"
Sasha studied her surroundings and agreed, "Yeah, something IS missing -- got it!" She snapped her fingers. "I'm not slapping at mosquitoes!" Dusk, fairly warm day, gnats and mosquitoes should be making our lives miserable about now!"
"Yeah, weird, huh? Not even the sound of a cricket. Hey, the sun's setting fast -- let's get back, we can explore further in the daylight" he grinned impishly, "or at least bring a flashlight the next time!"
Sasha quickly unseated herself and stumbled a bit, falling to one knee and catching herself with one hand in the dirt. Her palm scratched the edge of something oval, cool to the touch like a stone, but with a neatly hewn square corner. "Hey, John, what's this?"
John turned around and saw Sasha digging up something large and flat, like an ancient tablet. "What have you got there?"
"I'm not sure. It's really smooth, except for this rough area in the middle -- feels like engraving." She appeared to be reading it like Braille.
"Really?" John said incredulously. "Let me see."
Sasha had finished brushing the rest of the debris away. "Looks like letters! See here?
It looks like t a b u l a e r a s a e.
"Hmmm, I'll see what I can find out about it in the library in the morning. I don't have anything going on after breakfast, and I heard that you have an early meeting."
"Oh yeah, that's right. Let's meet up at lunch, and you can tell me if you've figured it out."
"Aye, Captain!" John said jokingly with a smart salute, but his eyes were serious.
They headed back towards the dormitory. They parted at the elevator. "It was a good time, John, thanks," Sasha said as she got off on the 11th floor.
"Yeah, me too. See ya at lunch," he replied with a smile.
Sasha entered her room, realizing for the first time that there was no lock on the door. Although she didn't feel unsafe, she just thought it strange. Then she reasoned with herself that if this were a hospital, it made sense to her that the rooms wouldn't be locked. She guessed there was a night attendant on duty somewhere who kept on eye on things.
Sasha went over to the dresser, this time searching for nightclothes. The third drawer contained a comfortable knee-length sleep shirt. She went into the bathroom to start a bath and she was pleased to find shampoo and a pleasant vanilla- scented soap in the cabinet.
Clean and dressed for sleep, Sasha turned on the bedside lamp. The book she was reading at the library was laid upon the bed. She frowned slightly because she didn't remember putting it there, but thought, "Well, I might have put it there without thinking. People do that all the time. Now stop being a nervous Nellie!" Sasha thought again about the tablet they had found on the walking path, frowned in concentration, but came up empty. She didn't have a clue what those letters meant. Resignedly, she picked up the book, crawled under the covers, and began reading where she had left off earlier. Before she knew it, her eyelids grew heavy, and Sasha reached over to turn off the lamp.